1. family and parenting
2. children

Aftermath of Courageous Faith Ed Stetzer Speaks
Japan’s Disaster to Hit Theaters
to the IPHC
Making Church
April 2011
for
Kids
How to transform your
outreach to children
Do you have
talent?
The Fine Arts
Festival is the
opportunity for
you! Categories
include
singing, drama,
instrumental,
preaching, art, and
more. Enter by
yourself or with a
group.
Editor in Chief
Publisher
Greg Hearn
CEO, Lifesprings Resources
Executive Editor
J. Lee Grady
News Editor
Mégan Alba
Associate Editors
Robyn Keeler, Sara Ray
Editorial Committee
Nina Brewsaugh,
Annetta Lee, Kimberly Wilkerson,
Kathryn Shelley, Jennifer Simmons,
Sherrie Taylor, Shandra Youell
This year,
we’re adding
two more
categories:
Excel – Fine
Arts showcase
categories for
young adults ages
20-25
There’s something
for everyone
at Youth Quest
2011. For more
information,
call (866) 2631623 or visit
www.iphc.org/yq.
Vol. 8, No. 4
Dr. Ronald W. Carpenter Sr.
If you love the
challenge of
memorizing
Scripture, join
Bible Quest.
This fast-paced
competition is all
about knowing and
recalling passages
of Scripture.
Quoting Bee – A
Scripture quoting
challenge open
to all Fine Arts
participants
April 2011 Graphic Designer
Beth J. Wansley
WEB DESIGNERS
Timothy W. Beasley,
Kalanda Kambeya
General Superintendent
Youth Quest 2011
07/ 8/20
- 07/2 /20
Dr. Ronald W. Carpenter Sr.
Executive Committee of
the Council of Bishops
World Missions Ministries
A.D. Beacham Jr., Vice Chairman
Discipleship Ministries
J. Talmadge Gardner,
Corporate Treasurer
ATLANTA
Hyatt Regency
Evangelism USA
D. Chris Thompson,
Corporate Secretary
Hotel
IPHC Experience (ISSN 1547-4984) Vol. 8 No.
4, is published monthly except in July and
December by Lifesprings Resources of the
International Pentecostal Holiness Church,
2425 West Main St., Franklin Springs, GA
30639. Printed in the U.S.A. MMXI. Address
editorial comments to IPHC Experience, P.O.
Box 9, Franklin Springs, GA 30639. Or email
sray@lifesprings.net.
COVER PHOTO: © ThinkStock.com
LSR 2011099
12 Cover Story
Reinventing Kids’ Ministry for a New Generation. Don’t get stuck in a spiritual
rut! Children’s pastor Don Webb shares how you can transform your outreach to
children.
PLUS: 8 No-Nos of Children’s Ministry
4 My Experience
Kevin Bordeaux was a teenage fugitive.
But when he prayed a desperate prayer—
“God, if You are real, help me”—heaven
sent a miracle.
7 Expressions
18 Emerging
Voices
Church planter Hector Andrade,
originally from Mexico, is a
compassionate defender of
immigrants. Today he is breaking down
ethnic barriers in the IPHC as he plants
churches in Minnesota and beyond.
We cannot do effective ministry without
apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and
evangelists. This is one of the secrets of
the first-century church.
By Bishop Ronald W. Carpenter Sr.
20 Encourage
8 Events
22 E-Resources
IPHC missionaries respond to Japan
earthquake / SCU breaks ground on new
dormitory / Ministry leaders get preview
of new movie Courageous / Ohio church
hosts 40-day fast / California boy gets a
miracle / Ron and Nan Carpenter heal
gender tensions in Romania / Emmanuel
College basketball coach TJ Rosene has
winning faith
PLUS: News Briefs
Ed Stetzer, leader of the missional
church movement, offers his candid
advice to the IPHC.
Florida pastor Teryl Todd, who grew
up in the IPHC, has written a book
about overcoming one of life’s most
poisonous emotions. It’s called The
Danger of Anger.
23 E-Mail
Letters and commentary from our
readers.
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How to
Experience God
I Was a
Teenage
Fugitive!
When I prayed a desperate
prayer—“God, if You are
real, help me”—heaven
sent a miracle.
BY Kevin Bordeaux
I remember going to church as a child and being taught stories from
the Bible. I also remember beating up a kid at a vacation Bible school.
The teacher kicked me out because of my rough behavior.
I stopped attending church when I was eight or nine years old. By
the time I was 17, I had purple hair, and I was playing in a grunge
rock band. Skateboarding was my only hobby.
My life spiraled out of control when I left for college at East
Carolina University a year later. I quickly became addicted to
hard drugs and alcohol, and I experimented with every drug
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I could find. By the time I was 19, I had
three charges against me and was finally
kicked out of college for threatening to
beat up a professor.
It was during my final months at ECU
that I realized God was chasing me down.
As I look back on those years, it seems as
if He were leaving “bread crumbs” along
the way for me so I could find Him.
My best friend and drug buddy gave
his life to Christ during that time.
I didn’t even believe God existed.
I thought church was a stupid concept.
But my friend, unlike most Christians,
decided to retain some of his nonChristian friends. I was one of them.
He would still skateboard with me
from time to time, but now I saw a sparkle
in his eye. He looked and acted differently.
“I am so thankful
that when my
heart was far from
God, he chased me
relentlessly—and His
love overtook me.”
At the same time, I began to have
some “God encounters” on my campus.
One day when I was in a bathroom
coughing up phlegm (from smoking too
much marijuana the night before), a young
man asked me if I was okay. I told him:
“Dude, I smoked 10 blunts with some
friends last night.”
I said this to impress him, but his
response was shocking. He said: “Hey,
look, man, Jesus wants to save you. He
loves you!”
I responded: “Hey, maybe I’ll do that
one day. But I need to get cleaned up and
have some fun first.”
He didn’t condemn me or preach at
me. He simply said he would be praying
for me. As he left that bathroom, I could
sense something profound that I couldn’t
describe. Today I know it was the Holy
Spirit’s anointing.
God continued to chase me after I was
kicked out of ECU. I was hounded by
the Holy Spirit. My friend kept sharing a
little bit of Christ with me each time we
skateboarded. Finally, on the weekend of
March 1, 1999, I cried out to God while I
was attending a party.
I walked outside and prayed a
desperate prayer.
“God, I am so tired of being so empty,”
I said. “If you are real, help me.”
He heard my cry. At 4 a.m. my life was
changed forever. Two of my closest friends
and I were drinking beer and tripping
on acid. All of a sudden everything went
black. I felt as if I had been thrown into
eternity.
When I snapped back into reality,
I thought I had experienced a bad trip.
I looked at my two friends, and they
were as white as ghosts. They were feeling
something too.
I did not know God, but I knew some
type of spirit had entered the room. I felt
so much conviction from the Holy Spirit
that I took a Valium so I would pass out.
My friends didn’t want to talk about what
happened. We were so scared!
The next Monday night I went to a
service at Clinton Pentecostal Holiness
Church in Clinton, N.C. Some of my
skateboarding friends would attend
meetings there from time to time. That
night I gave my life to Christ, and
immediately I was delivered from my
alcoholism and drug addiction.
And I fell in love with the One who
had been pursuing me.
Since then, I have earned two ministry
degrees. I also toured with a Christian
punk band. And today my wife and I
are planting a church in Florida. I am so
thankful that when my heart was far from
God, He chased me relentlessly—and His
love overtook me.
Kevin Bordeaux and his wife, Dianna,
pastor The Well Community Church
in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. Log on at
thewellpsl.com.
Have you had the Experience? Send your testimony to Sara Ray at
sray@lifesprings.net.
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5
Here are five simple steps you can
take to begin a relationship with God:
1. Recognize your need. The Bible
tells us that “all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23,
NASB). All of us are sinners, and we
must admit our need for a Savior.
2. Repent of your sins. Because
God is completely holy, our sins create
a wall that separates us from Him.
By confessing your sins you will find
forgiveness. “Repent” means to make
a 180-degree turnaround. The Bible
promises: “If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and righteous to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
3. Believe in Jesus. God worked a
miracle when He sent His only Son
to die for us. We don’t have to pay for
our sins … Jesus paid it all! We can’t
work for our salvation. It is a gift from
God, and all He requires is that we
believe. Put your faith in Him. The Bible
says: “For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish, but have eternal life” (John
3:16).
4. Receive His salvation. God has
given us this free gift, but we must
accept it. Thank Him for sending Jesus
to die on the cross for you. Thank
Him for His amazing love, mercy and
forgiveness. Then ask Him to live in
your heart. His promise to us is sure:
“But as many as received Him, to them
He gave the right to become children of
God...” (John 1:12).
5. Confess your faith. The Bible
assures us: “If you confess with your
mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in
your heart that God raised Him from
the dead, you will be saved” (Rom.
10:9). You have been born again and are
now part of God’s family. Tell someone
else what Jesus has done in your life!
This amazing experience can be yours.
Embrace God’s love and receive the
salvation that only Jesus Christ gives.
Five Gifts We
Must Embrace
Instructing and inspiring church
leaders who sense God’s calling
to fulfill the growth mandate.
Redemption World Outreach Center
Greenville, SC.
You may register by calling Evangelism
USA at: 405-787-7110 ext. 3318
May 2 – 4, 2011
We cannot do effective ministry without apostles,
prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists.
BY BISHOP RONALD W. CARPENTER SR.
G
od’s redemptive purpose can be summed up in one statement:
He intends to plunder hell and populate heaven. God wants
to minimize the number of people who are eternally lost and
maximize the number of people who are eternally saved.
The day is coming when those who gather
around the throne of God will be numbered as
“ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands
of thousands” (see Rev. 5:11). This is why Jesus died and created the
church—to be God’s vehicle for transporting redeemed sinners from
earth to heaven.
The success of God’s redemptive plan depends largely on how
effectively the church carries out her purpose of winning the world to
Jesus. That’s why it is so important for the 21st-century church to operate
in the power of the first-century church.
How do we do this? The apostle Paul listed five special gifts Jesus
gave to the church when He ascended: “He gave some, apostles; and
some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers”
(Eph. 4:11). These gifts are actually gifted people, given by Jesus to enable
us to accomplish a mission that would otherwise be impossible.
The church cannot minister effectively without these gifts, but we have not always
appreciated them. Pastors and teachers have operated with acceptance for years. After
the second century, evangelists were not widely acknowledged until the mid-1800s.
And while prophets and apostles were active in the New Testament church, their
modern counterparts have only recently been acknowledged. But I believe God has been
working historically to restore proper focus on these gifts so the church can fulfill its
21st-century mandate. Consider these facts from history:
• The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century brought a refocus on justification
by faith, the universal priesthood of believers and the authority of Scripture.
• The Wesleyan Reformation of the 18th century brought a refocus on personal
holiness and sanctification.
• The missionary movement of the 18th and 19th centuries brought a refocus on
evangelism and soul winning.
• The Pentecostal revival of the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought a refocus
on miracles and the gifts of the Spirit.
• The office of the evangelist was given a refocus by God in the 1940s and ’50s
through Billy Graham, T. L Osborne,
Oral Roberts and others.
• The church in the 1970s saw a refocus on
intercession and spiritual warfare.
• The ministry of the prophet became more
accepted in the 1980s.
• God gave the church a renewed focus on
the ministry of apostles in the 1990s.
What is the gift of the apostle? He or she is
a person with the special anointing to provide
authoritative leadership for a group of churches.
This often involves the founding of new
churches or the grace to bring revitalization to
established churches. Apostles also are gifted to
establish and maintain spiritual order.
New Testament prophets know the heart
of God and declare God’s revealed strategy
and purpose to the church. They also point out
the areas where the church is out of alignment.
Prophetic ministry is primarily corrective.
An evangelist is uniquely anointed to preach
the gospel in such a powerfully persuasive
manner that people feel compelled to repent of
their sins and be saved. Every believer is called to
be a witness, but not every believer is gifted as an
evangelist.
Of the five gifts mentioned in Ephesians
4:11, only pastors stay in one location. The other
four are usually itinerant. The word “pastor”
comes from the Greek
word poimos, which means
“shepherd.” Pastors feed,
lead, guide, protect, heal and
oversee the general welfare of
the flock—and are called to
lay their lives down for them.
Teachers are uniquely
anointed to understand the
deep truths of the Word of
God and to explain those
truths to others in such a way
that believers grow in spiritual
maturity.
All of these gifts are vital. But we must
remember that God never gives gifts or
anointing for self-glorification. So often people
get carried away with the gift but forget the
Giver and why He gave the gift in the first place!
Why did Jesus give these special ministry
gifts? The answer lies in Ephesians 4:12: “For
the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
This is God’s original “church growth”
formula. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors
and teachers are not called to build their own
ministries. God uses them to empower the
church. In the IPHC we believe in doing
ministry God’s way. Let us embrace the fivefold
ministry and welcome all of God’s vital gifts so
we can reach the end-time harvest.
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7
Taking new
territory at SCU
Devastated: The Sendai earthquake was one of the world’s most powerful.
1900, when seismologists began keeping
records.
As soon as news of the quake
hit, People to People Ministries, the
humanitarian arm of the IPHC, sprang
into action. The ministry set up a fund for
disaster relief.
Doug Beacham, executive director of
World Missions Ministries, said the IPHC
will likely partner with other Christian
relief agencies in order to provide the best
possible assistance to Japan. Board and
Bamba will oversee the church’s relief
efforts in the coming weeks.
Despite the magnitude of the disaster,
many Japanese Christians believe the
Holy Spirit will use this event to bring
spiritual awakening to Japan. Historically,
the country has been resistant to the
message of Christianity—with only a
small percentage of Japanese describing
themselves as Christians. Most Japanese
are either Buddhists or followers of the
Shinto religion.
IPHC Missionaries Respond to
Disaster in Japan
Churches began relief effort after the March 11 earthquake.
BY Mégan Alba
IPHC missionaries working in Japan
are safe but shaken after surviving the
9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the
country in March—spawning a devastating
tsunami and triggering dangerous
radiation leaks at nuclear power plants
along the northeastern Japanese coast.
Hiro and Eryn Bamba, missionaries
based in Tokyo, were inside a Tokyo
building with their children when the quake
hit on March 11. “We are used to having
frequent small earthquakes in Japan, but
this one was incomparably bigger than any
we have ever experienced,” Hiro said.
The IPHC has two churches in Japan,
and neither reported any damage. Russell
Board, continental director of the IPHC’s
mission work in Asia, was not in Japan at
the time of the disaster, but he returned
a few days later. “We came back to a
different country,” Board said, describing
the shift in national mood.
At press time the death toll stood at
10,000-plus, with more than 17,000 people
still missing. Japanese officials fear that
most of those missing people were swept
out to sea when 33-foot waves crashed
on the coast near the city of Sendai. The
waves reached as far as six miles inland in
some places.
In the aftermath, millions of people
were left without electricity and water.
The Sendai quake was one of the five most
powerful earthquakes in the world since
Quotable
“In a country that has been shaken to its core, we
can be a firm foundation of love and support. I am
confident that the IPHC will do its part to share the
love of Christ with Japan.”
—Bishop Ron Carpenter Sr. in his March 11 statement on the Japan earthquake
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SCU Breaks Ground on Residence Hall
The new dorm will meet demand for growing enrollment
For the first time in a decade,
officials at Southwestern Christian
University broke ground for a new
building on the campus in Bethany,
Oklahoma. The university hosted a
groundbreaking ceremony March 10
to celebrate the construction of a new
dormitory, scheduled to open this fall.
“This is truly a banner day for
Southwestern Christian University,” said
President Ed Huckeby. “Today we look to
the future and what is ahead.”
Students, faculty and staff, as well as
members of the SCU Board of Regents,
guests from the IPHC Global Ministry
Center and various local and state
officials, attended the ceremony.
Daniella Looper, a sophomore at
SCU, said the dorm is much more than
a building.
“It is a stepping stone for the future
and the purpose of the school, which
is to lead students to Christ so they are
then enabled to lead others to Christ,”
said Looper, who serves as a student
resident assistant at the school’s oldest
dormitory.
The university is building the
dormitory in response to unprecedented
growth over the past academic year.
SCU’s decision to move to the National
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) sparked a 66% increase in
undergraduate enrollment. University
officials say current student housing is
at maximum capacity, and more room
will be needed to accommodate new
students this fall.
The two-story building will house 64
resident students as well as a first-floor
conference center that can be utilized as
classroom or meeting space. Officials
say the building will open in time for the
fall 2011 semester.
IPHC Leaders
Get a Preview of
Courageous
enforcement officers who all struggle
to connect with their children. When
tragedy strikes, the men are left to
wrestle with their hopes, fears and
faith.
“This movie will cause you to
reexamine your role as a father and the
head of your household,” said Talmadge
Gardner, director of Discipleship
Ministries for the IPHC.
Bill Terry, director of Men’s
Ministries for the IPHC, said the film
will help men become better fathers
and husbands. “If a man wants to
understand more about his identity,
manhood and family relationships, then
this movie is a must for men,” he said.
Sherwood Pictures’ biggest hit was
Fireproof, the 2008 drama that starred
Christian actor Kirk Cameron. It cost
only $500,000 to make and became
the highest grossing independent film
of that year—making more than $33
million. Courageous has a budget of $1
million, but like Fireproof it was filmed
almost entirely in Albany, Ga., and in the
Dougherty County (Georgia) area.
Most Sherwood films use local
actors from Sherwood Baptist Church.
Courageous also features actors who
auditioned for lead roles.
To learn more about the
movie or to see the trailer, go to
courageousthemovie.com.
The film about fatherhood will hit
theaters in September.
However, a 2006 poll conducted by the
Gallup organization showed that interest
in Christianity is rising among Japanese
teenagers and younger adults.
Beacham is hopeful about Japan’s
future. “While our hearts go out with
genuine sympathy and sorrow for those
who have been negatively impacted,
if the Lord will somehow use this to
demonstrate Christian love, that will be a
critical way for the Lord to open doors for
the communication of the gospel,” he said.
To give online to the People to People
relief fund for Japan, go to iphc.org/
asia-pacific-disaster.
Several IPHC leaders recently
attended a screening of the upcoming
movie Courageous while attending a
meeting for the National Coalition of
Ministries to Men in Atlanta. The movie,
which will premier in theaters in
Courageous premiers in September
Hiro and
Eryn
Bamba
and
children
» SCU
Students
Spend
Spring
Break
in Haiti
September, is the latest production from
Sherwood Pictures, the film company
based at Sherwood Baptist Church in
Albany, Georgia.
The film’s tagline is: “Honor Begins
at Home.” It tells the story of four law
A group
of 14 Southwestern Christian University
students traveled to Haiti on March 11
to bring aid and comfort to victims of the
2010 earthquake that destroyed the capital
city, Port-au-Prince. “Haiti has turned my
world upside down,” said Kristin Brown, a
junior at SCU, who said Haitians are some
of the most loving people she’s ever met.
For 8 of the 14 students, this was their first
overseas mission trip. Team leaders said
20 people prayed to receive Christ during
an evangelistic campaign. The trip was
sponsored by The Awakening, an IPHC
ministry that mobilizes youth and college
students in missions.
» Church
Offers
Free Meals,
Clothes
Ebenezer PH
Church in Nashville,
N.C., has begun a new outreach to their city
called “Meeting the Need, One Need at a
Time.” The ministry was launched in 2010
when local church member Mike Langley
approached Pastor Vernon Potter about his
desire to share Christ with the poorest people
in the city. Now the church regularly hosts
free meals and invites the community. The
church also distributes toys, clothing and
other items, and visitors can take what they
need after they hear a gospel presentation.
More than 50 people attended the last meal.
“We have witnessed firsthand that it is more
blessed to give than to receive,” said Potter.
» Dr. Kenneth
Benson Dies
Dr. Kenneth D. Benson,
former IPHC pastor
and educational leader,
died March 2. He was
ordained with the IPHC in 1956 and served
as assistant pastor and then senior pastor of
the Holmes Memorial Church in Greenville,
S.C., for 25 years and at the Charlotte Church
in Charlotte, N.C., for 14 years. He was also
president of Holmes Bible College for 16
years and a member of the IPHC’s General
Board of Administration (GBA). He is survived
by his wife, Dorothy; a son, Jonathan Benson,
and his wife, Lisa; a daughter, Martha
Kramer, and her husband, David; and six
grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held in Danville, Va.
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Breaking the Gender
Barrier in Romania
Bishop Ron Carpenter and his wife
modeled ministry partnership.
The fast at Celebration Center has also been a time of worship.
Ohio Church Hosts 40-Day Fast
Celebration Center members turned off their TVs and focused on God.
Pentecostals are not known for observing the season of Lent, a time of contemplation
and repentance leading up to Easter that is celebrated by millions of Catholics,
Anglicans, Lutherans and other Christian traditions. But one IPH church in Ohio broke
the trend by declaring a 40-day fast from secular entertainment during the Lenten
season.
Rob Clegg, pastor of Celebration Center in Belpre, Ohio, said he felt God directed him
to call his church to the fast as a way to encourage spiritual renewal. The pastor came
across research indicating that the average Christian spends less than 15 minutes each
day in prayer and Bible study but spends hours watching television or movies or surfing
the Internet.
Clegg called the church to a 40-day fast from secular entertainment. The church
has also been studying the book 40 Days With Jesus, and they have signed a covenant
agreement recommitting themselves to return to Christ.
Church member Jeff Adams said signing the covenant was a significant moment for
him. “I recognize by putting my signature on this covenant that God will be the number
one priority in my life. And by doing so, I earnestly expect, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
to be transformed—both personally and in my family,” he said.
You can learn more about the 40-day fast and Celebration Center on their blog,
belprecelebrationcenter.com.
California Boy Gets a Miracle
Sany Ramirez was healed of a brain tumor.
One year ago Sany Ramirez was diagnosed with an inoperable
brain tumor. Doctors told his family nothing could be done to save
his life.
But today, Sany (pronounced “Sunny”) is off all medications
and continues to show improvement daily. He is a walking, talking
miracle who tells others, “I’m already healed. We’re just waiting on
Sany Ramirez
God to give [the doctors] the paperwork.”
Sany and his family attend Zion Worship Center in Moreno Valley, California, part of
the IPHC’s West Coast Hispanic Conference. His faith has inspired everyone at the church,
especially conference Royal Rangers Commander Joe Vargas.
Sany’s illness has led the boys in Vargas’ Royal Rangers group into deeper and more
meaningful prayer times. “Our group now really believes more in the power of prayer than
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In Romania, where
women are often
required to wear scarves
on their heads during
worship, or remain silent
in church, old religious
traditions are changing.
IPHC Presiding
Bishop Ronald Carpenter,
along with his wife, Nan,
helped change some of
those patriarchal mindsets recently when they
traveled to Eastern Europe to preside over the
ordination of two new ministers. Tiberiu and
Timotei Bulzan are the sons of Teodore Bulzan,
bishop of the IPH churches in Romania.
During the service, Carpenter invited each
minister’s wife to participate in the ordination
service. Including the women in the ceremony
“apparently had never been done in the past,”
Carpenter said.
Carpenter credited his wife for helping to
break down cultural stereotypes during the trip.
Several ministers were impressed with Nan’s
presence and contribution to ministry, and they
asked her opinion on various issues.
“One pastor even stated that the ministry
relationship between my wife and me had a
profound effect upon him, and he would be a
better husband and minister because of it,” he
said.
The Carpenters also visited IPHC leaders
in Budapest, Hungary, where they joined in a
midweek worship service and hosted a forum
for local pastors.
ever before,” Vargas said. “Sany has showed
us that we should never, ever give up.”
Sany’s parents, Eladio and Sylvia Ramirez,
say their son’s ordeal has increased their
faith. They now have a special message
for any parent with a sick child: “God has
everything in control. He is more powerful
than any medical doctor or medical
treatment.”
As for Sany, he says God has only started
using him. He plans to become a preacher
when he grows up.
Some might say he’s already fulfilling that
calling.
To keep up with Sany’s progress, visit
facebook.com/westcoastrangers.
Emmanuel’s
Basketball Coach
Says Faith Is His
Inspiration
TJ Rosene took the EC Lions to a
championship this year.
By Trevor Lanier
Behind every great team there’s
always a great coach with an inspiring
story. That certainly is the case for
Thomas “TJ” Rosene, the head coach for
Emmanuel College’s men’s basketball
team. His spiritual journey is one full of
passion, hardship and championship while
serving God through playing and coaching
basketball.
Rosene has been in the spotlight
since March 5, when the Emmanuel
College Lions won—for the first time in
school history—the 2011 SSAC Men’s
Basketball Championship. Emmanuel was
also awarded the SSAC Sportsmanship
Team of the Year. The Lions represented
the SSAC in the NAIA Division I Men’s
Basketball National Championship in
Kansas City, Mo.
Rosene was raised in a God-loving,
family atmosphere. Throughout his
childhood and teenage years he developed
A real winner: Coach TJ Rosene is serving
his fourth year at Emmanuel College.
Go Lions! Emmanuel won the SSAC championship on March 5.
a passion for basketball. He played at
Oconee County High School in Watkinsville,
Ga., and set many school records in three
years.
It’s no surprise that after high school
he signed to play college basketball at
Presbyterian College. Later, he continued
playing at Reinhardt College while
majoring in physical education. However,
despite all of his success on the court,
something just didn’t seem to settle right
with Rosene. While in college he strayed
from God and went down the wrong moral
path.
“By the end of my college career I had
so much regret,” Rosene told Experience.
“I focused on self-gratification, but it only
left me empty and unfulfilled. Finally, I
realized how detrimental it was to my
life.”
At that point Rosene decided he had
to do some soul-searching. Through
reflection and prayer—and listening to
counsel from others—Rosene began to find
his way. Before graduating from Reinhardt,
he felt God leading him to become a
basketball coach. He found peace in that
calling and finally accepted the forgiveness
of Christ, even though he had a hard time
forgiving himself for his failures.
“I am so grateful God gave me the
opportunity to live for Him,” Rosene says.
“I decided I was not going to live a life
filled with regret, but I would let God use
my experience to positively affect other
people’s lives.”
At Reinhardt College, Rosene served
one year as the men’s basketball assistant
coach, two years leading the women’s
basketball program and two years as
the men’s basketball head coach. While
Rosene’s time there was successful, he felt
God was calling him to something more.
In summer 2007 he accepted the head
basketball coach position at Emmanuel
College.
Rosene moved to Franklin Springs,
Ga., with his wife, Erin, and son, Boston.
They soon discovered the God-centered
community at Emmanuel College. During
their time at Emmanuel, Rosene and his
wife had their second child, Isabella.
“I am honored to serve at Emmanuel
because I never have to wonder if this
institution is straying from its mission,”
Rosene says. “Without a doubt, I know
my co-workers and friends are earnestly
seeking God’s heart.”
Rosene is currently serving his fourth
year as the EC men’s head basketball
coach and ninth year as a head coach in
the Southern States Athletic Conference
(SSAC). During his tenure as a SSAC coach,
Rosene has received several coaching
awards.
While winning is important to him,
Rosene believes the greatest part of his
job is seeing what his players do after
graduation. He believes all of the hard
work, long hours and deep conversations
are made worthwhile when he sees them
making a positive impact in the world.
Says Rosene: “I don’t consider what I
do a job; rather, I consider it a blessing. I
have the opportunity to pour my heart and
soul into 52 college guys. My ambition is
not to cut any guy short from what I can
invest in him. I want all of my players to
leave Emmanuel prepared to be honorable
husbands, fathers and leaders.”
In retrospect, Rosene has learned
the joy in life comes from the journey,
not necessarily the destination. Through
learning from his trials and triumphs,
Rosene has been able to teach his players
to become better athletes and servants. As
he continues coaching, Rosene encourages
his players to reach for the stars—and to
remember to enjoy every step along the
way.
You can follow the Emmanuel College
Lions on their journey at goeclions.com.
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11
COV ER STORY
Reinventing
New
Generation
for a
Don’t get stuck in a spiritual rut! Here
are key steps you can take to transform
your outreach to children.
BY DON WEBB
I
’ve heard all the excuses.
“Lord, You want me to
work with children? You are
talking to the wrong person! Do
you know how old I am? I am
not qualified!”
I’ve said those things. Yet seven
years ago I renounced my excuses
and said yes to God. Now I know
that God is looking for ordinary
men and women who will allow
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Him to ignite a passion to reach
children and teens with the truth
of God’s Word. I’m convinced
winning children to Christ is the
best way to reach the world.
I’m as ordinary as any other
man or woman who works in
children’s ministry. But what I do
is not ordinary. I work alongside
one of the greatest pastors in our
denomination. God provided us
w w w.i p h c E x p e r i e n ce .co m | A p r i l 2 0 1 1
13
with a 900-seat children’s theater, and
kids who come to our church are being
changed by the awesome power of God
every week.
Would you like to see the children in
your church fall in love with Jesus and
begin to develop a real daily relationship
with Him? Would you like to see
children begging their parents to bring
them to church? Would you like to see
children praying so fervently in your
church that God answers by sending
miracles? I know this can happen!
Here are some practical steps you
can take to see God move in your local
children’s ministry regardless of the size
of your church. It begins with an army
of one. You can be the “ordinary” vessel
He uses to pour out His vision and
Spirit.
Receive the power. There are
days when I feel inadequate. Sometimes
I tell myself, “There are other people
who could do a better job as children’s
pastor.” And there are moments when
I want to walk out the door and slam it
behind me. I have to remind myself that
while there is nothing super about me,
I am just a regular guy who has been
called by God to deliver the gospel to
the children of our generation.
Every day I ask God for
His anointing because
I know that makes
all the difference in
the world. Samson
was an ordinary
man, but when
the Spirit of the
Lord fell upon
him, he became
extraordinary.
When you find
yourself questioning your qualifications
to work with children, or you are feeling
discouraged or overwhelmed, ask God
for a fresh anointing. You will receive
strength you never knew existed. You
will become creative, innovative and
empowered to win the hearts of kids.
You must go high-tech. The
message of the Gospel never changes.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today
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and forever (see Heb. 13:8). But if you
want to be successful in reaching kids,
your methods of teaching must change
constantly.
The days of flannel graphs and
felt boards are over. Kids speak a new
language today—it’s called technology.
They are computer-savvy, and they live
in a world of iPods, iPads, iPhones and
cool video games. You must seek out
innovative and sophisticated methods
that capture their interest without
compromising the integrity of God’s
Word or watering down the message of
Pentecost.
Today’s children are accustomed
to every gadget known to mankind.
Use every opportunity to make
your presentation of the gospel
technologically advanced. (Often I’m
the most “technologically challenged’
person in the room, but I have great
team members who help me stay on the
cutting edge.)
Just remember: While we need
to incorporate technology, kids need
more than a show. While it is great to
utilize lasers, pyrotechnics, fog and haze
machines, goofy costumed characters
and wacky puppets, you can’t trust
those things to do the Holy Spirit’s
job. Buildings and set decorations don’t
change lives—only people who are full
of the Holy Spirit do that.
Get out of the old box!
Allow God to help you think creatively.
Don’t do something because it has been
done that way for umpteen years. If it
wasn’t working before, it probably won’t
work now.
On the other hand, Samson threw
away the very thing that brought him
victory: the jawbone. Don’t throw away
the things that work. Don’t toss out
the jawbone of fasting and prayer. If it
worked once, it will work again. Remain
open to God’s direction; ask Him to
help you be creative and innovative in
your approach.
What your kids probably don’t need
is another classroom setting. They are
in classrooms every day at school. They
need to learn to worship. You must teach
your children to become worshipers.
At our children’s ministry (which
we call The Filling Station), we seek to
be different and fresh each week. We
open with prayer, praise and worship,
and special music or dance. Then we may
have puppets, an offering time, a drama
or comedy sketch, a game, a brief video
clip, an illustrated sermon or prayer
around the altar. Ask God to lead you
in the planning and direction for each
service. He knows your children and
their needs. And He knows the best way
to reach them.
Engage the senses. Children
learn better when the message is given
in shorter bites. Their attention span
is not so long. So you should reinforce
lessons with visual aids, object lessons,
multimedia, hearing, touching and
participation. You should also make
changes in your worship area, and repeat
your central message or theme often.
(But I must add this note: If your
message is anointed of the Lord, kids
will sit through a 30-minute sermon
without squirming—and sometimes
they will end up at the altar seeking
God’s face.)
To teach the concept of giving, we
operate a fully functional “bank” for our
kids. When a child brings an offering,
he goes to the “Bank of the King James”
where “tellers” exchange his paper
money or checks into rolls of pennies.
We then receive the morning offering
in five-gallon buckets that are
designed for competition
between either boys
vs. girls or Team
A vs. Team B.
continued on page 16
No-Nos of
Children’s Ministry
Avoid these pitfalls as you develop
a dynamic outreach to children.
By Don Webb
1.
2.
3.
4.
Don’t make it a one-man
show. You can’t do this ministry
alone. Don’t be afraid to teach
others how to do what you
do. Give them a chance to
make mistakes. Give them
opportunities to grow in their
ability to reach kids for Jesus.
You’ll burn out if you try to do it
all yourself.
Don’t sound desperate for
helpers. You need volunteers,
but avoid placing “statements
of desperation” in your church
bulletin. Be positive. Recruit
workers by saying, “Here’s an
exciting opportunity to serve!”
You’ll be surprised at how many
people respond. Refuse to
accept just anyone who “bites”
at the opportunity to work in
your ministry; choose only
those best suited. There are
incredibly talented people in
your congregation who need to
know they are needed.
Don’t screen workers
improperly. You can’t afford
to forgo careful screening
of anyone who works with
children. Be diligent in requiring
criminal background checks
and updating these at least
every two years. Don’t hesitate
to advertise this policy. Parents
will feel more secure placing
their children in your care when
you take the security of their
precious cargo seriously.
Don’t neglect your own
spiritual nourishment. Serving
is wonderful, but it does not
replace your own time with God.
Don’t allow the busyness of
ministry to cause your personal
5.
6.
7.
relationship with God to suffer.
You must ensure that you and
your volunteers attend a church
service every week to receive
spiritual encouragement from
your senior pastor. An empty
spiritual life will lessen your
ability to guide your kids and
your team members into a
vibrant relationship with Jesus.
And whatever you do, put your
own family first!
Don’t ignore what children
are saying. You can learn a
great deal by paying attention
to what your children have to
say. Get to know the kids in your
ministry personally. Are they
developing a closer relationship
to God through your guidance?
Do they understand what you’re
teaching? Constantly change
your methods to keep their
attention.
Don’t shut out your pastor.
Your senior pastor is your
friend. Be sure your vision
is the same as his. If it isn’t,
you don’t have any business
leading your department. Ask
to meet with him once a month
to share the great things God is
doing in your ministry. Express
your love, appreciation and
support to your pastor through
e-mails or other personal
correspondence.
Don’t call your ministry
Children’s Church. Nine- and
10-year-old boys and girls
don’t think of themselves as
children. They are way too cool
for children’s church—that’s
for little kids! But the same
10-year-olds would love to
8.
come to Paradise Island, Dry
Gulch Junction, Inspiration
Point or some other cool place.
(Even the name Kids’ Church is
better than Children’s Church.)
Our children’s ministry is
known as The Filling Station.
Having a unique identity like
this places vision and values
on your ministry. It is helpful
to theme your meeting area
around your logo—a few palm
trees, for example, or a small
tent, a grouping of patio lights,
or whatever your budget
will allow. It also provides
an escape from ordinary
classrooms.
Don’t ever say your church is
too small to do cool things!
Creativity has little to do with
budget. You probably have
enough stuff lying around
your house to create an
interesting new look in your
church classroom. Kids are
not asking you to give them
Disney World; they just want
you to show them love and to
teach them the truth. I have
found some really cool stuff at
the dollar store, the thrift store
and even at a landfill! Give
everything a good cleaning,
and the kids will love it! No
matter how small your church
is, don’t hesitate to aim for
the moon. God’s Word tells us
that we have not because we
ask not. It may take a while to
get there, but God specializes
in the impossible and delights
in giving us the desires of our
hearts. Keep your motives
clean, maintain the integrity of
your ministry, and fast and pray
for your children. God will work
through you!
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15
iphc
graduate
school
scholarship
Church Institutions is now
receiving applications for
the $5000 Graduate School
Scholarship. To be eligible,
you must be an IPHC
member with a transcript
proving your enrollment in
a graduate program other
than at an IPHC institution.
Application deadline is
June 17, 2011.
After all the children have placed
their offerings in the appropriate
buckets, we pray and give thanks to
God. The buckets are then weighed to
determine which bucket is the heaviest.
A winning team is announced.
My team members and I have been
drenched in yucky green slime by our
children multiple times because the
kids either met or exceeded an offering
goal given them. As a matter of fact, I
have endured so many pies in my face
I could never count them! I believe
children who learn about tithing and
giving when they are young will grow
up to be responsible adult givers.
To assist with teaching about right
and wrong and responsibility to God,
we use illustrations, gospel illusions,
video clips, comedy, puppets and
goofy costumed characters. A pirate
named Captain Deceit, for example,
entices people to make bad decisions
and wrong choices. Often there are
consequences for yielding, and most of
the time Captain Deceit is defeated by
using God’s Word.
Don’t just teach…get
your kids involved. Our
For additional information or to
request an application, call
405-787-7110 x3325,
email syouell@iphc.org or go to our
website at www.iphc.org/discipleship.
media department consists of adults
who operate computers for Media
Shout, television cameras and
switching, pyrotechnics, fog/haze/
bubble machines, video, sound and
specialty lighting for our weekly
services. Our older children may also
apply to serve as media interns, and
they are trained extensively in these
areas.
Our stage manager, in fact, is a very
responsible 10-year-old boy who takes
his job very seriously. It is not unusual
for our senior pastor to ask some of
our knowledgeable and dependable
children to help in the media
department of the main sanctuary.
We are instructed by God’s Word to
“train up a child…”—and I believe
that includes training them to serve.
Don’t try to do everything alone—
recruit other children to help run the
children’s ministry!
Our children are encouraged to
participate in drama, praise movement,
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April 2011 | www.iphcExpe rie nce .co m
quizzing, games, physical challenges,
puppetry, mime routines and music.
Our praise team consists of both
adults and children. This helps kids
develop their talents. It also teaches
them commitment and responsibility
since they are not allowed to sing on
the praise team unless they attend
rehearsals.
Make church fun for
your kids. I have found that kids
tend to pay attention better when
we teach to puppets or costumed
characters on stage instead of teaching
directly to the audience. Often kids
will interject their own thoughts and
ideas about what should or should not
be done by the characters.
We constructed something called
the Awesome Testimony Machine—or
ATM—inside our children’s sanctuary.
This is where children can leave their
prayer requests and share praise reports
when God answers them. We teach
our kids that God not only hears our
prayers, but He also answers!
During one prayer time, some
children were looking at a piece
of paper and laughing. When we
approached them (thinking they were
misbehaving), they explained, “We’re
not playing; we’re happy because we are
checking off prayer requests that God
has already answered!”
We also give our children rewards
for memorizing Scripture passages.
If they bring visitors to church with
them or compete in other challenges,
kids can also earn what we call “CitiBucks,” which may be spent in our
Amazin’ Gracie’s Store.
Involve the parents so
you can reach them. God
instructed me to teach a three-week
series on water baptism. In one service
we dramatized our Lord’s baptism
by John. We ended the month with a
service during which any children who
showed they understood and chose to
follow the Lord in water baptism could
do so with their parents’ permission.
Parents and family members were
given personal invitations to attend.
The Filling Station was
full that day. Every seat
was taken, and people
were standing wall to
wall. Even the halls
outside were filled with
people watching on the
television monitors. We
baptized 56 children that
day, and we experienced
an awesome move of the Holy Spirit in
the service.
Another time, our children were
taught about Holy Communion. Again,
we chose to dramatize the Last Supper
on stage. On the last Sunday of that
series, we allowed children to partake
of communion if they had their parents’
permission. We sent out letters to the
parents several weeks ahead of time so
they could pray about it and discuss it
with their children.
Several of the parents responded to
their children by saying, “No. We don’t
believe you understand yet.”
But the children responded, “We
have accepted Jesus, and we understand
about communion,
and we want to
participate!” Finally
the parents who had
doubts ended up
granting permission.
It was beautiful
to watch as parents
observed their
children taking
communion. We had set up tables on the
stage, and some men portrayed Jesus and
the disciples at the table. Then tables
were set up on the main floor, with
places for people to sit and partake of
communion with Jesus and His disciples
in costume. The anointing in the service
was heavy. Tears flowed, and families
joined in a beautiful act of worship.
Now those children understand why
we embrace and teach communion.
Nothing is more exciting than seeing
young children experience God and
grasp the truth of His Word!
When I took the reins of the
children’s ministry at my church, I began
to pray for three specific things: (1) that
every child would accept Jesus as his or
her personal Savior and begin to develop
a personal relationship with Him; (2)
that each child would be baptized in
the Holy Spirit and allow the gifts of
the Spirit to be manifest in his or her
life; (3) that the children would learn to
share Jesus Christ, and that evangelism
would become normal and natural for
them. That is still my heart’s cry today.
Do we have other prayers and goals
beyond that? Absolutely. But those three
things will forever change their lives.
I pray that you will set the same
goals—and that as you surrender to His
empowering grace, the Lord will help
you to launch a powerful and effective
kids’ ministry that will revolutionize
your church and community.
Don Webb is children’s pastor at Tree of
Life Ministries, a church in the IPHC’s
Appalachian Conference. He and his
wife, Dale, have two daughters and six
grandchildren. Don says his greatest joy is
that all of his children and grandchildren
are serving the Lord passionately.
Rope Cour
se
Archery
July 12-16
Greensboro, NC
"Mission
possible"
Rappelling
Praise Band
Canoeing
Water Park
Camping
Wall Climbing
Arcade
Movies
Black Powder
Pageantry
Songs
Skits
Hiking
Food
Fun & Fellowship
Rifle Range
Spiritual
Paintball
FCF
Archery
Paintball
Rope Course
Zip Line
Devotions
Special Speakers
Swimming
...much more
Swimming
w w w.i p h c E x p e r i e n ce .co m | Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 1
17
Breaking
Down Walls
for Latinos
Church planter Hector Andrade,
originally from Mexico, is a
compassionate defender of
immigrants.
by J. Lee Grady
Hector Andrade and his wife,
Raquel, grew up in Mexico, so they
don’t like snow. But today they
endure cold weather in Minnesota
(where winter temperatures can
reach minus 40) as they plant
churches in the United States.
The Andrades are missionaries
to this country, and they have
already planted 21 IPH churches
in Minnesota and Texas, mostly
among Hispanic immigrants.
Because of their own experience
of immigration, they have special
concern for people who leave their
countries to find a new life in
America.
A first-generation immigrant, Hector left the
Veracruz region of Mexico when he was only 17 to
work in the vegetable fields near Mission, Texas. (“They
paid me about $1.50 a sack,” he recalls.) He was able to
attend college and learn English and computer skills.
Then he moved to Minnesota in 1992 because he knew
it would be easier to practice his new language there.
It was in Minnesota that Hector found Jesus Christ.
He had attended a Pentecostal church for many months,
and he read the Catholic Bible from cover to cover. But
he still struggled to believe that as a Catholic, he had
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Apr i l 2 0 1 1 | w w w. i phcE xp erien ce. com
Hector and Raquel Andrade both came to the U.S. from Mexico.
not been taught complex biblical truth. “I called the only born-again
Christian I knew in Mexico, and he showed me that I was facing
two roads—a wide road to hell and a narrow road to eternal life,”
says Andrade. “He prayed for me, and I received the Lord while I
was home in my apartment.”
After marrying Raquel (who grew up in El Mante, Mexico),
Hector received valuable ministry training from Charlene West, an
IPHC missionary who served in Latin America. In 1996, Hector
was installed as pastor of Comunidad Cristiana in Worthington,
Minn. While he continued his theological studies, his wife obtained
her master’s degree and became an educator. Most of their church
members are from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Their early years in ministry were not easy. Not only is
Minnesota brutally cold, but the spiritual climate—dominated by
non-Pentecostals—is sometimes hostile toward Pentecostal faith.
Hector didn’t feel totally qualified for the pastoral job, but his lack
of training was offset by his infectious spiritual passion.
“Even when I made mistakes, my congregation was very
patient,” he says with a laugh.
Today, at age 41, Hector serves as an overseer of churches in
the Northern Plains Conference, and he focuses on reaching the
booming Hispanic population in the United States. He is quick to
remind everyone that Latinos are a strategic priority.
“Today the IPHC is growing because of work among
Hispanics,” he says. “If you take out the Hispanic growth, you will
have a dying denomination. The same is true of the American
church as a whole. U.S. churches will die in 10 years if you remove
minority churches.”
He adds: “We must become a multicultural movement.”
This was Andrade’s prophetic message in February when he
addressed leaders at the IPHC’s Centennial Celebration in Falcon,
N.C. He told the audience that denominational leaders must both
(1) empower immigrant leaders and (2) embrace them and extend
compassion.
He also believes that Anglo Christians must renounce hurtful
stereotypes of immigrants, and he urges church leaders to engage in
more meaningful cross-cultural experiences with minority groups.
“We have to learn to understand each other,” Andrade says. “Please
learn how minorities think. Please don’t judge us. We do things
differently, but the way we do things is not necessarily wrong.”
When Andrade started his work in Minnesota, he worked another
job while pastoring. He started his district with no money, which was
why his district grew slowly in the beginning, he believes. He suggests
that more money should be invested in planting ethnic churches if we
want to reach all nations. Yet, he says, some Anglo leaders tend to look
down on immigrant church efforts because they are not well funded.
Andrade reminds people that if Jesus were on earth today, He would
help those who are marginalized.
“Jesus spent time eating with all kinds of people, conversing
with them and relating to them culturally,” he explains. “This is a key
to reaching Hispanics. Jesus invested quality time with people. He
reproduced Himself in those He chose to be great leaders by setting
the best possible model for them. He always treated His followers as
partners in the Kingdom and never as members of a less privileged
subculture.”
Andrade’s church-planting strategy is unique. Because immigrants
move often to find jobs, he trains church members to develop a
missional mindset. When church members relocate to another city,
they open their homes for Bible studies and begin new churches. In the
“Gloria a Diós!”: Worship at Comunidad Cristiana
past, Andrade sent his associate pastor and 25 members to open a new
church in Rochester, Minn.
“This has been our strategy since the year 2000,” Andrade says.
“Our people believe church planting is important.”
And while Andrade focuses on Hispanics, his master plan includes
targeting other minority groups—including the large number of
Ethiopian, Sudanese, Eritrean and Somali immigrants living in the
Minneapolis area.
To contact Hector Andrade, e-mail him at: ccw@frontiernet.net
or log on at ccworthington.org.
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19
It’s often said that church planting is the best way to
evangelize a community. Do you agree?
A Church Growth
Expert Speaks to
the IPHC
Ed Stetzer, proponent of the “missional
church,” offers his advice to our movement.
An interview with Ed Stetzer
I
t’s a rare moment when a respected evangelical
leader has really nice things to say about a
Pentecostal denomination. But the IPHC has
found a friend in author and
church growth consultant Ed Stetzer.
Currently Stetzer serves as the director
of Lifeway Research (part of the
Southern Baptist Convention), and he is
Lifeway’s missiologist in residence.
Stetzer could well be called the philosopher of the
contemporary American church planting movement,
otherwise known as the missional movement. He
has planted churches in New York, Pennsylvania and
Georgia and has trained pastors and church planters on
five continents. He has taught at 15 seminaries and has authored numerous
books, including Breaking the Missional Code (with David Putman, 2006)
and Planting Missional Churches (2006).
After Stetzer spoke at three IPHC church planting conferences, we
talked to him about his views of our denomination.
Why has church planting become so popular all of a sudden?
Stetzer: That’s due to many factors, one of which is the recognition that
North America is more of a “missionary situation” and in need of more church
plants. Church planters are responding to the need for gospel-preaching
churches that win an increasingly lost culture to Christ.
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But to be fair, part of the reason is
dissatisfaction with established churches.
I think many church planters have
determined that church revitalization is
not worth the work (a view I would not
agree with).
What are the smartest things people are
doing today in terms of church planting?
Stetzer: I’d say the smartest thing people
are doing today is to plant churches with
the idea that they’re going to plant more
churches, not within the first five or 10
years, but from the very beginning. The
International Pentecostal Holiness Church’s
Antioch School is a good example of this.
They are helping people to see early on that
church planting is essential for each church
to own.
When we look in the New Testament,
we see the Jerusalem church became
rather lethargic and unengaged in
mission. The Jerusalem church generally
sent people out to check up on the
theology of other
church plants rather
than actually to plant
more (with the brief
exception of one trip
when Philip was sent
into Samaria). On
the other hand, the
Antioch church was
a vibrant sending
church, multiplying
itself. That’s the
model we need in our
churches today.
What are the
dumbest things people
are doing in church
planting? What mistakes are people making
that the IPHC should avoid?
Stetzer: They are planting churches that
are simply gathering groups of religious
customers who want to have church in a
“fresh” way. Thus, church planting doesn’t
actually lead to more men and women
being challenged with the claims of the
gospel, following Christ and becoming
born-again believers. Instead, it just simply
shifts sheep around.
Stetzer: No, church planting is not always the best way
to evangelize a community. I think people are the only way
to evangelize a community, and I think church plants are
an effective means for deploying people. I don’t think we
need a “best.” We need a “both.” We do need church plants
evangelizing people who are not being reached by established
churches. But at the same time we need established churches
evangelizing people from their own contexts and
communities.
You’ve spent some time with IPHC leaders
recently. What have you learned about us?
Stetzer: I’m hesitant to say one way is the best way to
grow leaders because I think you can’t make that statement
without recognizing that we have multiple ways to train
and deploy leaders. When people go to your educational
institutions, leaders are produced, both for church planting
and for established church ministry. When leaders are raised up
from your alternative credentialing track, perhaps from other
language and ethnic groups, that’s a successful way to produce
leaders. So I think we need multiple ways to raise up leaders for
the harvest.
“The Antioch church
is a vibrant sending
church.… That’s the
model we need in our
churches today.”
Stetzer: I’ve learned that the International
Pentecostal Holiness Church is actually right now in
some of its best times. My experience has been, in
listening to other Pentecostals, that some look back
to Azusa and the movement that exploded out of
there, or they look back to the ’40s and ’50s as the
golden era in evangelism and church planting.
Yet when I talk to leaders of the IPHC, what they indicate
to me is that now is the golden era in many ways. I think
that’s a testament to the focus on evangelism and church
planting that you have maintained.
One of the most crucial needs for church planting is trained
leaders. What is the best way to grow and develop strong leaders,
in your opinion?
Every denomination and
group has its quirks and
weaknesses, especially when
it comes to their outreach
strategy. What would you say
are the IPHC’s weaknesses?
Stetzer: The reality is
that in any movement a
minority of churches are
actively involved in church
planting. I would say that
if the numbers hold true with the other Protestant and
even Pentecostal churches we have studied, the majority of
people in the majority of IPH churches are unengaged in
meaningful ministry and mission. Thus, we have more of a
spectator approach, with a few churches being involved in
church planting, and a minority of Christians being involved in
ministry and mission out of their own church. I think that’s a
weakness for all of us to address.
.
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One Pastor’s Victory
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The Danger of Anger by Teryl Todd
(Ministry Solutions, $13.99)
Florida pastor Teryl
Todd was a successful
pastor, but a storm was
brewing inside his soul. He
was full of anger, and after
he reached his late 40s, he
found it more difficult to
keep a lid on his damaged
emotions. Finally, during
a staff meeting at his
Teryl Todd, and wife, Kathy
church, he yelled at a staff
member and demoralized everyone in the room.
“What scared me is that I couldn’t explain why I ‘went
off’ like that,” Todd says. “My actions were uncalled for.
It shook me up so badly. For the first time I admitted
that I had a problem. The incident launched me on a
search for healing.”
Todd’s search resulted in a powerful encounter
with the Lord and a deep deliverance from anger and
bitterness. It also became the message of a book he
wrote last year, The Danger of Anger. In it he chronicles
his own painful discovery that he had harbored
unforgiveness in his heart.
His anger problem, Todd writes, was rooted in
the fact that he had never learned to practice total
forgiveness.
“I practiced a kind of partial forgiveness that says,
‘I forgive you as long as I don’t have to see you again,’”
says Todd. “The real indicator of this kind of ‘surface
forgiveness’ is that we usually want those who hurt us
to suffer for what they did.”
Todd and his wife, Kathy, were both raised in the
IPHC, and his father, John B. Todd Jr., is an IPHC
evangelist. Kathy’s father, Calvin G. Wellons, served
on the Emmanuel College board. Both Teryl and Kathy
attended Emmanuel, as did their two daughters. Today,
Todd pastors Evangel Assembly of God in Tallahassee,
Florida.
“I love the IPHC!” Todd says, noting that his church
was originally planted by former IPHC members who
had endured a difficult church split.
The Danger of Anger is full of insights, not only for
ministry leaders but for anyone who struggles with
negative emotions. Todd explains that anger is really a
failure to trust God.
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“Anger can grieve the Holy Spirit,” he says. “It is
scary to realize that on one hand I can fast and pray
for a greater manifestation of the Holy Spirit, while at
the same time I can grieve the Holy Spirit by ignoring
or falling short of God’s grace.”
Todd says he regrets that he ignored this truth for
so long. He says his anger scared and intimidated his
wife and caused her to “walk on eggshells” while she
attempted to control the atmosphere in their home—
making sure that “things didn’t upset Daddy.” Kathy
then began praying and fasting for her husband.
“God answered Kathy’s prayers by allowing me to
get desperate enough to reach out for help,” Todd
adds. “I don’t deserve her love. Kathy is a Proverbs 31
woman. I did a wonderful day’s work the day I married
her.”
Todd’s book is a refreshingly honest look at a
problem many pastors refuse to address from the
pulpit. It would make an excellent group Bible study—
or a life-saving resource for anyone dealing with
anger issues.
Todd offers this counsel to anyone who is stoking
the fires of bitterness: “If you are struggling with
anger, don’t deny it. Admit it. Identify the root,
appropriate God’s grace, let the Holy Spirit heal your
emotions, and be free in Jesus’ name!”
You can reach Teryl Todd at teryltodd@evangelag.org.
–J. Lee Grady
You can order this book from Lifesprings Resources,
800-541-1376 or online at lifesprings.net.
The IPHC has replaced
the paper reporting
forms with the new
ERS (Electronic
Reporting System).
The basic reporting
(Lite version) is at no
cost to the conference.
You can activate your
Conference with
Martus Solutions
on this website:
http://iphcdb.com/
“I’m still trying
to take in all that
took place at
the Centennial
celebration! What
an awesome time.
I can’t wait to
watch the services
again!
–Tim Suber,
Rocky Mount,
North Carolina
After the Japan disaster on March 11,
many IPHC members asked us for
reports on our missionaries there. We
are happy to learn from Russell Board,
our regional missions director, that all
IPHC members are safe after the quake
and tsunami. Also, Emmanuel College
students Brandi Gibson and Mary
Stewart, who were serving as interns in
Japan, are now safely serving in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. Our readers posted
some comments about Japan online:
Good news about Brandi Gibson and
Mary Stewart. God help them to minister
to those affected! Let this bring the
people of Japan to Your feet, Lord!
Comfort those who have lost loved ones.
Diana Orea
Lynchburg, Virginia
Our prayers are with you all. May His
divine covering continue to provide His
shelter, as He did thus far, and may He
give [our missionaries] wisdom as to
how to go about rebuilding the hopes
of a shattered people and a shattered
nation.
Moses Kumar
Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh, India
Praise God for His keeping hand and
staying power. Be with your people, God,
and give them strength and peace.
June Moye Jennelle
Thank you, God, for watching over Brandi
and Mary, and for protecting them from
the earthquake and tsunami.
Justus Muyoti
Kitale, Kenya
Glad Brandi and Mary are OK. Please keep
us posted as we continue to pray.
Ed Herschman
Charlottesville, Virginia
We want to involve our children’s ministry
in some type of “kids-to-kids missions.”
We have considered ziplock bags filled
with basic needs. Would this be possible
to distribute through any other relief
organizations?
Jan Cromer
Editor’s note: Please contact the IPHC’s
People to People ministry on how you
can help kids in Japan. You can reach
Matt Bennett at mbennett@iphc.org or call
405-787-7110, ext. 3212.
If you would like to donate to the
IPHC’s ongoing disaster relief efforts in
Japan, you can give online at iphc.org/
asia-pacific-disaster.
Editor’s note: You can send your article
queries to Associate Editor Sara Ray at
sray@lifesprings.net. We are especially
interested in testimonies and news items.
w w w. i ph c Ex per i en ce. com | Apr i l 2 0 1 1
23
If you need assistance with
activating the conference,
contact Bill Cox at bcox@
martussolutions.com.
ISSN: 1547-4984
LifeSprings Resources
2425 West Main Street
P.O. Box 9
Franklin Springs, Georgia 30639