What’s New at Asbury Church Planting?
FEATURED ASBURY CCM BOOKS
Hope in Hard Places: Real Church Planting Stories from around the World to Encourage You in God’s Mission
We are living through one of the most chaotic and challenging times in recent history. But we’re also living within the exciting reality of a truly global and multicultural world where Christian leaders must be missionally minded and globally engaged. As we look at the world around us today, we find that the church is growing at an explosive rate in many parts of the majority world. With such a global representation, we have much to learn from our brothers and sisters in the wider global church.
This book is the fruit of the 2021 Global Church Planting Summit that was hosted by Asbury Theological Seminary and Nazarene Theological Seminary. More than 60 church planters representing 20 countries gathered to hear case studies, presentations, and first-hand reports of God’s faithfulness. Each chapter focuses on a case study from around the globe that reminds us we need new local churches to reach all types of people for Christ in each global context.
Our contributors are expert practitioners, faithfully living out the great commission in their cultural context. Their stories and insights offer valuable lessons for those of us who want to learn more about what God is doing in and through the global church.
We at the Asbury Seminary Church Planting Initiative pray this book inspires you to join in God’s mission wherever he calls you to serve!
A Public Missiology: How Local Churches Witness to a Complex World
How can Christians witness to the complexity of our world?
Gregg Okesson shows that local congregations are the primary means of public witness in and for the world. As Christians move back and forth between their churches and their neighborhoods, workplaces, and other public spaces, they weave a thick gospel witness. This introduction to public missiology explains how local congregations can thicken their witness in the public realms where they live, work, and play. Real-life examples from around the world help readers envision approaches to public witness and social change.
AdMinistry: The Nuts and Bolts of Church Administration
Shepherding the church requires up-to-date knowledge of budgets, insurance, financial management, personnel organization, audits, and legal liability. These responsibilities are complex and ever-changing. While as pastor, you are called to be a faithful steward of the church’s resources and an effective planner of its ministries, you need facts and skills to get your job done. This book will help you organize and weave your way through the often complex business of the church. Contents include: Definition of Ad-Ministry and What It Means to be an Ad-Minister A Theological Model for Ad-Ministry The Church as an Organization Stewarding People–Paid and Unpaid Staff Staffing the Volunteer Organization Stewarding Resources–Finances and Budgeting Stewarding Places and Spaces Stewarding Fiduciary Responsibility–Legal and Liability Issues Stewarding the Mission of God Strategic Planning to Fulfill God’s Call on Your Congregation Includes templates, and samples, including Church Staff Review forms, Staff Growth Plans, Offering Tracking Logs, Financial Statements, Property Inventory Worksheets, and Emergency Procedures Worksheets.
Practical Evangelism for the Twenty-First Century: Complexities and Opportunities (Digi-Books Series)
This book is designed for practitioners. Instead of needing more theory about evangelism (as important as that is), one of the pressing needs in the Twenty-First century is to identify and employ practical approaches to evangelism that restores the good news to be good and new once again.
GOD IS ON THE MOVE IN ASIA: ASBURY GLOBAL HUB SOUTHEAST ASIA LAUNCH CONFERENCE
The Asbury Global Hub for South-East Asia was launched on a balmy evening in Singapore with a prayer by Asbury Theological Seminary’s Provost and Senior Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Gregg Okesson.
He was joined on stage by Dr. Emilio Alvarez, Associate Provost of Lifelong Learning who also oversees the Centre for Church Multiplication of ATS – which oversees the Asbury Global Hubs. With them were Revd. Ivan Tan, Asbury Alumni Coordinator for Singapore, and Revd. Manik Corea, who will coordinate our South-East Asia Global Hub.
Prior to that, Dr. Okesson had given a plenary talk on “Global Church Planting.” Basing his opening comments on Colossians 1:6, he encouraged all present to consider the multiplying and apostolic nature of the churches Paul planted, like the church in Colossae. “The story of churches in history is a story of church-planting.” Okesson also pointed out that historically, churches had always practiced a broad pattern of gathering and scattering, seeking to inculturate into diverse communities while maintaining Gospel difference. 
About 40 participants were present at Singapore Bible College (SBC) for the “Church Multiplication Connection”, a two-day conference on 12 and 13 January. It was jointly organised by the Singapore Centre for Global Missions in partnership with ATS and Singapore Bible College. Altogether, 3 church-planting case studies were presented on the Saturday – two from Thailand and one from Hong Kong.
Fueled by some delicious local food and snacks, attendees first heard from Revd. Henry Yeo of the Methodist Mission Society of Singapore share about the story and strategy behind the two churches that he planted with his Thai wife in Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand. In both cases, they used a strategy of reaching children first in the community, engaging in a long-term discipleship and supporting their needs in the community, as well as reaching out sensitively to their parents. Revd. Yeo outlined some of the challenges that hinder the spread of the Gospel among the Thais, particularly the strength of Thai Buddhist cultural identity and the communal shame experienced by those who convert.
In the second case study, Pastor Jason Young spoke of the market-place churches he had been involved in helping to start and support in Hong Kong. According to Jason, the marketplace today is possibly the largest, most ripe and urgent mission field within the cities of Asia, brought about by rapid urbanization and migration. He shared wonderful testimonies of a few “ecclesia in the market-place” stories where literally people had been brought to faith, discipled and nurtured in communities by teams of work-based Christian leaders who had established credible churches that “met In the marketplace context, let by marketplace leaders, for marketplace mission and multiplication.”
The final case study featured church-planter Dwight Martin, who grew up as a missionary kid to American parents serving in Thailand. Today, with his wife Kay, he continues to serve there, leading the Association of Free Church (AFT) in Thailand, which is making a profound impact in five provinces located in central Thailand. Working with a Thai pastor, they have already planted thousands of house churches and seen mass baptisms of new believers in their thousands – something previously unheard of in the so-called ‘hard ground’ of Thailand. Participants watched a short video of baptisms and a testimony.
Pastor Dwight shared how they learned simply to look for people of peace in the villages they went to. They told them stories of how Jesus had changed their lives, then enquired: “Do you have a problem in your life? Then Jesus can help you.”
As we heard amply illustrated each of the case studies shared, God is on the move in Asia. Many were impacted by what they heard. Each of the presentations were followed by group discussion. There was lively discussion and feed-back with much learning taking place also during question-answer time with the 3 presenters.
Those who attended the conference were a mix of students (from SBC and a number of doctoral students from ATS accompanied by Dr. Jay Moon, Professor of Church Planting and Evangelism), local church members, mission leaders, scholars and visiting pastors from the US, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand and India!
We thank God for what was heard and learned in the time spent together that weekend.
Written by Revd. Manik Corea.
You can watch the opening session HERE.
CCM TEAM INTERVIEW: CAROLYN MOORE ON THE NEW GMC, DEVELOPING LEADERS, AND CALLING
You can:
See HERE for the GMC Grant Match Application Link.
THE ASBURY MULTIPLICATION FELLOWSHIP
The Asbury Multiplication Fellowship is a 1 year fellowship program designed to develop healthy church leaders to make disciples and multiply churches
Each year we select 15 church leaders from across the United States to participate
(Domestic USA ONLY. Churches must be within 1-3 years of starting to apply.)
Selected church leaders will:
- Receive $10,000.00 in grant funding dispersed throughout the year
- Join a cohort with other church leaders in the fellowship from diverse contexts for 10 months
- Participate in regular coaching calls with a veteran Asbury church multiplication coach
- Receive Exclusive Invitation to CCM Multiplication Conference at ATS
You can apply HERE.
FINAL REMISSIONING LAB FRIDAY
Dear Church Leaders,
It has been a great first 5 months of ReMissioning Lab. Thank you all who have been able to join me as we examine deeper ways we can return to the mission of God. Below you will find the video recordings from the first 5 months of ReMissioning Lab.
Join me for the final ReMissioning Lab on Friday 9:30am EST/2:30 UK. For ReMissioning Lab #6 we will explore Celebrate Small Victories. The vital work of turning back on mission and not being discouraged requires the small victories.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – 2 Timothy 1:7
Carson Daniel, Coordinator of the Asbury CCM
Recordings:
- Month 1: Assessment and Observation
- Month 2: The Why and Importance of Context
- Month 3: The First 5 Marks of a Healthy Church
- Month 4: The Second 5 Marks of a Healthy Church
- Month 5: Being Patient in Change
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