SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012 | 8AM – 5PM

Heart for the City is partnering with Renew Chicago of Park Community Church and Moody Theological Seminary to host the 10th annual Service in the City!

Join us on Saturday, March 3rd as we partner with ministries in 15 different Chicago neighborhoods.

This is a great opportunity for individuals, families and small groups to share the love of Christ and witness God at work in our city.

Where to meet: 820 N LaSalle Blvd. Chicago, IL 60610 (map) | Alumni Student Center (Wells St), 2nd floor

*Free parking permits available at registration table.

Cost: Adults $20 | Children $10 (includes breakfast, lunch and t-shirt; children – meals only)

Contact us: serviceinthecityx@gmail.com.

Download: Postcard | Flyer | Ministry Sites | Schedule | Email

Whatever It Takes

On the North American field, our Southern Baptist missionaries are sacrificially serving doing whatever it takes to reach people with the gospel. “Whatever It Takes” means a willingness to engage the lost by starting conversations that lead them to Jesus. Our Southern Baptist missionaries recognize unbelievers need more than to be pointed in the right direction – they need someone who will invest in their lives and will walk with them to His presence.

During the Week of Prayer for North American Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering®, we have the privilege and opportunity to support and assist these missionaries. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to reach North America with the gospel? Will you pray for our missionaries and give sacrificially to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, 100 percent of which supports their efforts? Will you join in the work of our Southern Baptist missionaries and carry those who need Jesus in to His presence, no matter the cost? (see Mark 2:1-5)

• Promotional Resources
• Mission Study
• Pastor Resources
• Video Gallery

2012 Week of Prayer Missionaries

	Shaun and Deshni Pillay, Connecticut Shaun is a church planter and pastor of Cornerstone International Church in Norwich. The church ministers to a large international population, reaching about 14 nationalities. More >
	Jason and Kimberley McGibbon, Canada Jason is a church planter working to start a new church in Hamilton, a downtown, urban/arts community near Toronto. This new church will be a third-generation church start of The Sanctuary Church and The Sanctuary Church Milton. More >
	Joshua and Tiffany Lenon, Ohio As a church planter and pastor of Red Door Church, Joshua encourages members to do whatever it takes to bring people to Christ, such as sharing the gospel with unbelieving friends, restoring homes in broken neighborhoods and taking care of poorer neighbors. More >
	Derek and Sharla Osburn, New Mexico Derek is a church planter and pastor of The Vine Community Church in Clovis, a rural community with a large population of Air Force personnel. More >
	Daniel and Karina Egipciaco, Florida Daniel is a national church planting missionary working with and training church planters in South Florida and seeking opportunities to start new groups and churches. More >

Promotional Materials Available NOW!

NAMB partners with WMU to distribute promotional items for the North American Missions Emphasis. Available resources and ordering information are noted below.

• North American Missions Emphasis Planning Guide and DVD-ROM – Contains video segments appropriate for worship and mission studies, promotional helps and mission study lesson plans for adults, youth and children. If your church office has not received a copy, call (866) 407-6262 or e-mail aaeo@namb.net.
• Posters, prayer guides and offering envelopes - Distributed by state WMU offices, these items will promote awareness of the theme and work missionaries do. Request needed quantities for your church’s promotion from your state WMU or state convention office.
• North American Mission Study - Mission study lesson plans for adults, youth and children can be found on the DVD-ROM or at www.anniearmstrong.com/study. If you do not have access to the Internet, call (800) 749-7479, option 3, to request paper copies.

In this fresh approach to urban missions, Mr. Stanley shares his experience and God-given insight into the value of the city and its inhabitants, and the role the church should play in reaching cities worldwide for Christ.  The book is a must read and will be available at the gathering.

Mr. Brad Stanley is the director of Youth With A Mission, Chicago. He has served as a full-time missionary for the last 25 years, which has taken him to more than 20 nations. He has also worked to develop and train many for city ministry in Chicago, with special emphasis on cross-cultural ministry among urban immigrant and subculture neighborhoods.  He facilitates hundreds of volunteers each year in urban and international outreach endeavors, and speaks regularly in churches and mission training schools within the United States and abroad.  Please join me in welcoming him to this Saturday’s intimate gathering!

Just to reiterate, the event occurs this Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 7:00 a.m. at ACBC, 823 S. Cicero Avenue.  The church is located 2 blocks south of the Eisenhower expressway on the east side of the street (Cicero and Arthington), next to Marvin’s Soul Food restaurant.  If parking fills on Arthington, you have carte blanche to park in the restaurant parking lot.

We will begin with worship, and after a few formalities yield to Mr. Stanley.  There will be plenty of time to dialogue with Mr. Stanley during his presentation, as well as during the breakfast that follows.  A nominal $5.00 donation is requested (but not required) for breakfast, and all proceeds will be attributed to the ACBC Building Fund.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Blessings!

Phil Hilliard
Sr. Pastor, ACBC

p.s., Be sure to add March 3, 2012 to your calendar, when Apostle Steven Stultz, of Nu-Church Apostolic Ministries will address this group!  He also has a word for today that you definitely do not want to miss!  Stand by for details.

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Shawn McMullen 10/03/2011

© iStockphoto.com/ImagineGolf

4 Proven Insights for Thriving in a Small Church

What are you running these days?

It’s the question church leaders hear—and dread—usually at conferences or seminars, anywhere Type A personalities have gathered to talk about ministry and their churches. Unfortunately, in our American church culture, the measurement of how good you are as a person and as a pastor seems to rely on your answer to the question—that one telling number we define ourselves by.

I still remember a pastor who had brought me in to lead an an evangelistic meeting for the small church he led. While I was there, I spent several days as a guest in the pastor’s home. In the late afternoons, he and I would sit on the family’s front porch and invariably people strolling by would stop to talk, often expressing their appreciation to the pastor for his counsel or encouragement. One morning, we walked into a nearby diner for breakfast and this personable preacher stopped at every table (I’m not exaggerating!) to talk and laugh with someone he knew.

This man and his family were making a profound impact on the people in their small community. But when the days’ meetings were over and we sat on that same porch in the quiet of the evening, the preacher’s gregarious voice grew soft and subdued as he talked about the discouragement he felt in his ministry. Many of his seminary classmates had gone on to serve much larger congregations. By comparison, he felt as if he’d failed. I sensed a similar feeling of inferiority among some members of his congregation.

For lack of a better phrase, this pastor and his church suffered from low ministry self-esteem. In their thinking, because they weren’t big, they weren’t successful—or effective—or healthy. >>>

Tom White

Session #1 ~ Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Tom White, Presenter

Tom coaches in several cities for Loving Our Communities to Christ and has an international coaching ministry.

John and Bill (brother), Brian, Howard, Tom, Paul, Dennis, Bill, Phil

Practical tips for those coaching city movements

Coaching is a balance of intuition and illumination (guidance of the Holy Spirit).

Coaches “make a ton of mistakes” – we learn through those mistakes.

How to be more effective of birthing collaborative city movements that balance word and deed that results in measurable fruit?

1. Apostolic, catalytic leadership- more impartation from the Lord than training and skill set
   1. Ability to envision: to see what God is doing
   2. Ability to articulate that vision (get their attention)
   3. Ability to activate (implement) a collaborative movement
   4. >If God has given you this calling:
      1. Doors will begin to open
      2. Other catalytic leaders will recognize your calling
      3. Seeing what God is doing
      4. Ability to speak what you see
      5. Results, fruit, outcomes of your coaching
2. Birthing and developing a city/region Church(expression of the Body of Christ)
   1. Paul was extremely relational (mother and father to Thessalonians)
   2. Coaches are carriers of the Word of the Lord (1 Thess 2:13: accepted the word of God)
   3. Metaphor: Ephesians 2: building of a house; 4: healthy body
3. Relational dimension of coaching
   1. Identify the apostolic, catalytic leader in that city as a first step (friendship)
   2. Adapt to that leader’s communication style (patience)
   3. Beware of picking the wrong point person; be careful, do not select to quickly or presumes he/she is that person
   4. Avoid someone with too much ambition, character issues … “follow your red flags”
   5. Look for a gifted administrative person who focuses on details and communication (“often a woman”)
4. Spiritual gifts / Skill sets
   1. Helpful to function in the office of an apostle, teacher, pastor but not a prophet or evangelist
   2. Gifts: discernment, word of wisdom, exhortation/encouragement, leadership, prophetic ability
   3. Seeing – Speaking Leading but in a way that is not directive nor overly detailed
      1. Most cities have an independent, local identity, mind-set – the coach is not to try to dismantle that -
      2. Local leadership teams must own and implement the vision
   4. Skill set:
      1. Intuition
      2. Active listening – tuning in, picking up cues
      3. Ability to ask the “elephant question” – a spiritual gut to ask the hard question in the right spirit and the right time
      4. Facilitate honest sharing; drawing people out .. so that the team is capable to make an effective decision
      5. Spiritual authority that is graced with an anointing; not about the person but about the Spirit
      6. The ability to write is helpful – to construct an agenda, talking points for a roundtable, a letter that communicates state-of-the-movement
      7. Increasingly efficient in technologies and organized when conducting those teleconference/videoconference conversations
5. Core Components -Three legs to the cityreaching stool
   1. Authentic relationships; Kingdom friendships – across ethnic, gender,generational barriers
   2. Transformational prayer – praying with a “word” for your city, prayer that identifies strongholds, brings breakthrough
   3. Intentional collaborative mission: Pray for the city to discern this, fashion the leadership team, assets
6. Operate within the context of a leader’s prayer summit
   1. Get the leaders into a retreat setting, extended time to be in the presence of God and build spiritual relationships – an encounter God brings down barriers and reveals next steps that we can recommend to the city leaders
   2. Creates a sense of forward momentum

Roundtable

Dennis: revisit the role of transformational prayer

Tom:

• Prayer must originate with the Holy Spirit
• Requires good listening skills, facilitation skills
• Prayer that ask the Lord for his heat (strategic) more than a list of simple, standard requests
• Utilize a “corporate inquiry” – ask God to speak to us (silence0, then praying from what God has stirred in their mind or heart

Paul: Part Two?

Tom:

• Focus on the leadership team
• Is the right leader in place? ow to make changes when necessary
• What is the right strategy for that city?
• Kingdom forums/roundtables with a diverse mix of that city’s ministry leaders (kingdom assets)

Howard: Integration of the business/marketplace person into a spontaneous/”spiritual” culture

Tom:

• Separate meetings with ministry people (Ezra component) and business (Nehemiah)
• Devote ample time (1.5 years in one city) to mesh these sectors
• Bill: Share how you communicate differently to each group next session

Session #2 ~ Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Skills Sets, Roles, Tool Kits

1. The fine line between wisdom and “meddling”
   1. If I come to a city with a predetermined plan it wil meet with resistance and is not necessarily God’s wisdom
   2. What don’t I know that I don’t know? (blind spots of history (feuds), cultural distinctives )
   3. Ask meaningful questions, active listening before “answering”
2. The fuzzy art of appointing and adjusting Leadership Teams
   1. Paul spoke into the life of the Church in a region based on his apostolic authority t help them advance the Kingdom
   2. Letters to the Church (revelation) has condemnations and commendations
   3. Criteria: the key person(s)
      1. Chemistry: relationship
      2. Competent – demonstrated
      3. Character – proven
      4. Communication – that leader’s style (adjust to a wide variety of styles)
      5. Goal: a team of leaders that is diverse (mixed generations, gender, ethnicities, theological spectrum, church/marketplace/non-profit)
      6. …with a diversity of kingdom assets
      7. Avoid tokenism and expectation of a quick start (give 1.5 to 2 years to the process)
      8. Leaders must be devoted to collaboration and commitment to participate in scheduled meetings
      9. Seven step process
         1. Identify candidates in 6 spheres: pastors, non-profits, marketplace (business, government, educator), citywide prayer, compassion ministries, emerging/young leaders
         2. Bottom line goal: Put in place a team of cityreaching/city-minded “elders”
3. Envisioning and implementing next steps
   1. Team in place … key leader identified … the coach should be hearing the Holy Spirit revealing next steps (questions to ask, issues to raise) … “hold them loosely” and be ready to submit into the conversation as a recommendation;
      1. who is Responsible?
      2. what are the Resources we need/
      3. what is a Reasonable timeline/date?
4. Helping discern a cityreaching strategy in their context
   1. Two cities are implementing the prayer-care-share strategy
   2. Every city has multiple outside Godly influences (Otis, Perkins, Palau, SIlvoso, Wagner/Sheets, I Am Second …)
   3. Coach needs wisdom to weave these together
      1. Bounded-set: separates people (doctrine, strategy)
      2. Centered-set: agree on common actions (compassion, justice, evangelism, prayer))
      3. Coach must help align these centered-sets as tributaries moving toward a cohesive strategy
         1. KC; Prayer-Care-Share strategy can bring cohesion of city/villages, pastors/others)
5. Aligning team and assets for collaboration
   1. Much wisdom to bring together diverse leadership and align them for a common enterprise
   2. Leadership Prayer Summit format effective at building trust, revealing vision
   3. Forums/Roundtables – several hours of a variety of kingdom focused leaders meeting, talking of their vision
   4. Coaching – meeting, consulting (online or onsite)

Roundtable

Howard Boyd: The value of prayer … Do you encourage the coach to facilitate the summit?

Tom: Good if the coach can facilitate but at least be present

Dennis Fuqua: What is the minimum amount of contact with the point person and time with the Lead Team?

Tom: Every two weeks with the lead person (monthly is not adequate) (more than email or texting) to ask a series of probing/progress questions. Quarterly is best with the Lead Team but it is usually twice-a-year onsite (fall/spring) (2.5 – 3.0 hours) (pre/post meetings with key leaders of prayer or business) – Are there any holes in the leadership mix? WHo might that person be (especially ethnic).

Bill Berry: Learning from mistakes – top three?

Tom:

1. Cultural issues of time, energy, resources -resistance to unity if the team is forged in a way/timeframe that feels forced, superimposed
   1. I should have asked what I am not aware of historically?
2. Trying to merge two teams: pastors (considered themselves the spiritual guides/guards) + marketplace
   1. I suggested a change in the context of the team (to get it done) instead of person-to-person with the person who needed to step aside
   2. I went to the offended person asking for forgiveness
   3. Check your personality leanings that may hurt someone or appear to be controlling

Paul Cedar: Any experience in training those who serve as coaches?

Tom: This is high on my prayer list and the direction I am moving; a new stage – this is affirmation for me … This is a new paradigm, early stages, but many cities will need and ask for coaching.

Tom’s Toolkit:

1. DVDs by Larry DeWitt & Alan Doswald on Prayer-Care-Share (cast vision / inspire)
2. LC2C Coach’s Folder (assessing tools
3. Tuscaloosa video of their Hope initiative (churches and government)
4. George Otis’s “Quickening” video on transformation
5. Ray Bakke’s interview at Movement Day in 2010 (12-14 minutes)
6. Dennis Fuqua: I use Phill Butler’s Well Connected book (has several helpful charts)
7. Howard Boyd: Quickening is an excellent tool