LeadershipConnexion SPRING2023

SUMMIT23
SAY YES TO
HIS CALL
WHEN MAY 1-3, 2023
WHERE
REGISTER
CHRISTIAN LIFE CHURCH
BENSALEM, PA
penndel.org/summit
FOR MORE INFO:
HOTELS, EVENTS, SESSIONS,
CHILDCARE, LUNCHEONS
PLEASE VISIT: penndel.org/summit
In a recent report, disappointing
statistics were identified that in
many (37%) Assembly of God
churches, there were zero (0)
people brought to faith in
Christ during the year 2020.
THE REPORT OF THE “AG
Looking Forward” committee
also identified that there were
zero Water Baptisms in
52% of our churches, and no
Spirit Baptisms in 58% of our
churches. From the AG
Looking Forward committee
came a theme:
SAY NO TO ZERO
“Say NO to Zero!”
God has not called His people to mediocrity! He
has called us to excel, to prosper, to succeed and
to THRIVE! I know that there are some who will be
concerned about using language that sounds like the
prosperity movement of the past. Let’s deal with that
concern. When we are saying success or prosperity, we
are not suggesting that it is God’s will that all believers
are materially rich or wealthy. That position is both
scripturally and historically unsustainable. However, we
can say, with confidence, that God will help us prosper
within any context that He allows us to experience.
For example, Joseph prospered while being a slave in
Egypt (Genesis 39-50). Daniel prospered while being a
captive in Babylon (see Daniel 1-6, esp. 6:28). Paul framed out
his personal prosperity as inward contentment regardless of
external circumstances (Philippians 4:11-13). Although sacrifice
and discomfort may be seasonal rhythms with which we must
contend, we believe that God is able to help us THRIVE within
unlikely circumstances. Dave Roever has led a massively
successful evangelistic ministry despite the injuries that he
sustained in Vietnam. Joni Ericson-Tada has led a robustly
effective ministry despite being a quadriplegic due to a diving
accident when she was a teenager.
When Robin and I began our lead pastoral ministry in
Uniontown, I noticed that there were no overtly effective
Pentecostal ministries in our county. I heard multiple stories
of ministries that were on track to break through the glass
ceiling, but it seemed that once a church reached a certain
numeric benchmark, it would implode. That was the case of a
charismatic ministry across town. When it reached seventy-five
or so, an affair stopped the ministry in its tracks, and the church
never fully recovered. Just before arriving at Faith Assembly,
the church was growing, a new building was erected, and it
seemed that breakthrough was within reach. However, internal
strife grew into significant division, and once again the church
of seventy-five or so was cut in half. When we arrived at the
church, we had a plan: care for the church family, and reach
out to the community. We had a plan on how to execute our
plan! We visited every church member in the first ninety days,
then visited them again in the next three months. Connecting
with everyone in the church was essential to building trust and
confidence. Additionally, we planned creative ways to present
a simple gospel message every other month. We promised
our church that we would announce when the gospel would
be presented simply so that they could, with confidence, invite
their unsaved friends and loved ones to church and have an
opportunity to respond. It worked! Slowly but steadily, the
church family grew confident that in each service an invitation
would be given and a clear path to responding to the gospel
would be explained. We held Sunday evening outreach services
in local parks and parking lots. We grilled hot dogs and enjoyed
the stories from the men from Teen Challenge. Sometimes we
planted, sometimes we watered, and many times we harvested.
The church prospered, evangelism succeeded and our once
divided church THRIVED in fellowship, community and mission.
Although outreach and evangelistic methods may change
in time and context, we are called to THRIVE as a missional
community…as the Church! Each week we hear reports of
churches that are seeing effective missional results as they
present the gospel. They are prospering, and that excites me! I
love a promise I came across in Isaiah 44:3 (NLTse):
“For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and
to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out
my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing
on your children. They will thrive like watered
grass, like willows on a riverbank. Some will
proudly claim, ‘I belong to the LORD...’”
Some of us are serving in what seems to be “parched fields.”
Be encouraged: God can water that which seems to be dry and
wanting for life. Much of American culture has become dry and
hardened toward Christianity…but God has the wherewithal to
moisten the soil so that it is receptive to the seed of the gospel.
In the process of moistening the soil, He will also “quench your
thirst.” He will sustain us as we plow, plant and harvest. Jesus
shouted out “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone
who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures
declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (John
7:37-38)
THRIVE – this is what God desires for His church.
In the first century, the church faced tremendous
opposition and persecution. Nevertheless, the church
THRIVED. Time and again we read words like “the
message about the Lord spread widely and had a
powerful effect.” (Acts 19:20)
As a Pentecostal fellowship, we as spiritual leaders must SAY
NO TO ZERO! A spirit within us must declare “we will never
be content with zero missional results from our labor!” God
has called us to missional effectiveness. Saying YES to
His call and standing in faith that God will anoint
and empower us to His purpose, will enable us to
participate in a great harvest. Our generation NEEDS
the Gospel. Let’s pray and believe like the early church did,
(Acts 4:23-31), so that we may see results like the early church
experienced.
“And through the hands of the apostles many
signs and wonders were done among the
people…And believers were increasingly
added to the Lord, both men and women…”
(Acts 5:12 & 14; NKJV)
NETWORK SUPERINTENDENT | Donald J. Immel | 717.795.5921 | don@penndel.org
LEADERSHIPconnexion | Spring 2023 3