Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1997 - Rparchives.org

166 MINUTES OF THE 1997 SYNOD OF THE
new work (Licentiate and Ruling Elder Fik and Ritva Menbere sent to Elkhart, IN)
For a fuller report, please see the January 1996 issue of the Covenanter Witness.
Goals for 1995-2000
8 New Mission Churches by 2000
comprised of at least:
1 new mission church in each Presbytery
4 new mission churches which are daughter congregations
1 Ethnic (cross-cultural) mission church
The Synod of 1995 adopted this numerical goal for Home Missions for the
remainder of this decade with an emphasis on "daughtering" new works. Our
hopes are to have at least one new work in each Presbytery, to have at least four of
the new works be daughtered by a parent congregation and to have at least one of
the new works be predominantly cross-cultural.
If all of the ministries listed above were to be blessed and prospered by our
Lord, seven of these eight projected new works are already within view!
In addition to the goal of more mission churches, we will continue our emphasis
on evangelism and strengthening newer congregations - that is, those who are
receiving aid through the HMB. Our desire is to be:
Helping Presbyteries Plant and Multiply Congregations
"Daughtering"
In the past twenty years at least seven existing congregations have daughtered a
new work in a nearby area. This means they have nurtured, trained and sent out
some of their own members to be the founding laborers in a new ministry. There
are more than a dozen existing congregations who could possibly daughter a new
work in the next fiveto seven years.
To get this emphasis underway, the HMB will be presenting a workshop at
RPInternational 96 on "Daughtering a New Ministry". Special invitations will be
sent to congregations who may be able to daughter a new work, urging them to
send their pastor and ruling elders to this workshop at the conference. The
workshop is open to any and all who are interested in this subjea.
Evangelism Explosion
Trainees from White Lake, NY, Lisbon, NY and Second Indianapolis have been
given scholarships to attend EE training in the last year. As a result, at Second
Indianapolis, one sixteen week training session has been completed by 9 people
and a second sixteen week training is now underway with 12 people participating.
Teams are going out almost every week to share the gospel with a variety of
contacts.
In Lisbon, NY, Pastor Wade Mann reports that
"Evangelism Explosion was the stimulus I needed to more
faithfully and effectively accomplish the task of equipping the
saints in evangelism....We have witnessed professions of faith by