Pastor Bryan Koch of Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Reading PA was elected on the nominating ballot for a full term as Assistant Superintendent.  He, along with Secretary-Treasurer David P Crosby, Sr was elected to represent PennDel on the General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God.

Congratulations are extended to the men and women who were ordained into the Full Gospel Ministry.  We pray the Lord’s richest blessings will rest upon them, their families and of course, their ministries.

I Have Issues

There are so many  shoes we have in our closet:  House Shoes (making your house a home), Painful Shoes (grieving with friends and family), Work Shoes (asked to do jobs that drain your energy, Sneakers (always running) and the list goes on!!!

As ladies, we love our variety of shoes.  A  new pair of shoes can change the direction of our day and lift our spirits like nothing else; however, a pair of shoes that don’t quite fit right can make our whole body ache!

Our guest speaker, Jelly Valimont, author of “I Have Issues,” will identify with us as she speaks about her journey as a pastor’s wife in Griffin, GA.  Let’s walk together at Ministers’ Wives Retreat to discover ways “our feet” can fit into the many shoes we wear! 

Friday PM will be a fun night of ice breakers to get to know each other.
Saturday AM will feature Jelly as we ponder why we wear the shoes we do
Saturday afternoon spa: Treat Your Feet, Manicure, Haircut, Manicure and more
Saturday PM will be testimonies and Jelly will speak.
Sunday AM will feature Jelly as she challenges us to “walk in the Spirit.”

Please register early. If you have never attended a PennDel Ministers’ Wives retreat, you can use the $20 coupon to reduce the cost of your weekend.  There will be partial scholarships available on a first come, first serve basis.  Email or call to request a scholarship Marjie@penndel.org or 717-795-5921.  Please note:  there will be no refunds after September 1.

Please encourage your staff wives to join you (even if their husbands are not credentialed).  If they are not credentialed, they did not receive a brochure, so feel free to copy it for them.  However, this weekend is only for pastors’ wives, not lay church staff.  Encourage ministry wives in your town to attend with you.

Extra incentive: Receive a gift if you are a driver for another minister’s wife who is not from your church.  Ride together – that is part of the fun of the weekend!

Note to husbands: Please encourage the church board to provide the funds for your ministry wives.  This weekend is designed to pamper, renew, and refresh your diligent wife.

Any questions?? Call or email Marjie Tourville at 717-795-5921 or Marjie@penndel.org.  I’m so looking forward to being with you September 16-18, 2011.

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You’ve heard it said, “you can’t judge a book by its cover.”  It doesn’t end there.   I’ve discovered as well that you can’t judge a golf club by a golf score and you can’t judge a tool by the end product it produces.   Listen, just because you got a golf club on sale that originally goes for $300 doesn’t mean your score is going to improve that much.   Really?   You think such an inanimate object is going to have that kind of affect? Sure it can give some assistance to progress, but not enough to get you from a 120 to below 80 on the course.

Let’s face it, we are infatuated with tools, resources and any new gadget.  We see them and just imagine what we could do with them.   I’m right there.  My favorite stores are Best Buy, Ace and Radio Shack.  Why, because I like tools, gismos and gadgets.    But just as a golf club doesn’t guarantee a better score, a tool cannot guarantee a better product.   It will assist, but it will not produce.   The production is still up to the one utilizing the apparatus.   Before Craftsman was a tool, it was a person and Skil was what he had, not what he used.

The Seven Project is a tool that was brought to our District Youth Ministries in 2004.   As any tool it carries great potential.   It is a piece of equipment designed to help build a bridge from the local church to the public school.   This tool will be on display at this year’s Minister’s Summit taking place May 5th in Camp Hill High School.  Pastors and Leaders are invited to be a part of this school assembly and @Night outreach.   Space is limited for the daytime assembly.   If you are interested in attending the school assembly during the afternoon of May 5^th or would like more information, please contact Jason@7project.org or call 717-645-5467.   The evening event is open to all.   It’s just a tool, but like any tool in the right hands, it carries great potential for building student’s hope and God’s Kingdom.

Mike has served as a church planter extraordinaire!  During his first term he concentrated on planting the church where it didn’t exist in the North District.  He held open air crusades, did radio work, children’s ministries, built churches and started a Bible School.  The Lord enabled them to plant churches in the capital cities and other areas.  25 main churches and 25 daughter churches have been planted with one of the church surpassing 1,000 in attendance.  More recently, a TV ministry has been added in the area to continue reaching lost people.

After 15 years of ministry in the North District, Mike relocated to the Plains of the Caribbean and conducted 30 open air crusades.  A national pastor partnered with Mike and the Lord began an intense ministry of planting over 20 churches in little more than 6 years.  All of this was accomplished in an area identified as a “red zone” – a place with communist guerrilla activity.

A number of years were spent in the Western District and then in Medellin, Antioquia where he concluded his ministry.  Medellin is known for being the drug capitol of the world, violence and the “second Vatican.”  More than 50 churches were planted in the Western District under his guidance and ministry.

Mike and Aldona have helped with radio work, open air crusades, remodeling buildings for new church plants, mentoring, teaching seminars and preaching.  Another important ministry has been to help raise up the Foundation, “Hands Reaching Out” that not only ministers to the poor but has a training ministry to keep people from Drug addiction, HIV/AIDs, and other problems. This ministry opened doors to plant churches.  9 Boot Camps to train the Colombian church pastors to plant churches were an integral part of the ministry during these last years.

Mike and Aldona wish to thank all the pastors, churches, and individuals that have faithfully supported their work as missionaries to Colombia.  Because of their dedicated ministry, hundreds of churches have been planted,  the gospel is being preached, and lost people have come to know Christ.  Thank you, Mike and Aldonna, for your obedience to God’s call!

AMENT, Jason (Licensed) – To Northwest

BENNETT, Homer D (Ordained) – To Potomac

BOUSA, Jess J (Licensed) – To Potomac

HOLLEN, Nathan (Licensed) – To Northern New England

KOLLAR, Nathan (Licensed) – To Southern California

LINDSAY, Michael (Licensed) – To Ohio

STREET, Jack (Licensed) – To Potomac

VISSER, Virginia (Licensed) – To Michigan

Ministers Transferring In:

BUCHANAN, Charissa A (Certified) – From Ohio

CLAFIN, Ken (Ordained) – From Montana

DECAN, David (Ordained) – From Montana

HULETT JR, Robert (Ordained) – From New York

LEACH, Brad (Ordained) – From Michigan

LECOCQ, Anthony J (Licensed) – From Southern Missouri

MCELHANEY, Steven D (Licensed) – From Georgia

Church Transitions:

New and Upgraded Credentials:

Licensed:

Dennis Mark Bupp

William Whisel

Ordained:

Corbyn M Bartels

William C Cross

Jeffrey L Dean

Albert DiSalvatore

Ashley M Dukeman

Kevin Folk

Courtney L Good

Christopher D Griffin

Daniel C Haas

Sean A Hinton

Scott M Kramer

Jesse A Ledbetter

Daniel W Mortensen

Kwaku Owusu-Boachie

James D Paisley

John Rehill

Rickey K Roth Jr

Philip D Sinclair

Jonathan D Srock

Steven J Trader

Mark P Tuttle

Elizabeth A Wirtz

Helping You Answer GOD’S CALL

The network secretary’s office is here to assist you in “Answering God’s Call!”  If you have questions on the credentialing process, please go to  http://penndel.org/credentialing and access credentialing information under the heading, Ministers Resources.  Here you will discover the process, qualifications, educational requirements, and the steps to receiving a credential.  Send an email from the page to receive answers to your questions.

I must say, I agree.

However, such a statement invites many questions, including the structure of such a local church, the means by which it gives hope to the world, and, maybe most importantly, the kind of leadership we recognize and train for the sake of the local church.

Most leadership training tends to focus on the pastoral gift/office, as well it should.  The vast majority of credentialed local church leaders are pastors, or under shepherds of the Chief Shepherd.

But are they the only ones?

Well, no.  In fact, it has become a recent trend for the word “pastor” to be used for absolutely anyone in credentialed ministry, as a substitute for the old word, “reverend.”  But not everyone in credentialed ministry is called or gifted to be a pastor.

Ephesians 4:11 tells us that the Master Carpenter has given five (some translators say four, combining the last two) leadership gifts to the Church, that is, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

The last three seem to be the least controversial, although it seems that some “evangelists” are more itinerant prophets or teachers than they are gifted soul-winners and equippers of the same.

The most controversial are apostles and prophets.  Are there apostles and prophets today?  I would say absolutely yes, but we are having great difficulty defining them.

The harder of the two to define is probably the gift of apostle.  Some seem to define it as simply someone who is a great Christian leader in the church or in the world.  It has to be more specific than that.  Some seem to equate it with the traditional office of ‘bishop,’ but the New Testament seems to indicate it to be more relational than hierarchical or ruling.

Here is my short, thumbnail list of what I believe are biblical criteria for ‘continuing (those since the foundational twelve) apostles’:

They must be sent. The word “apostle” simply means ‘sent one.’  The foundational

Twelve and Paul (Gal. 1:1) were sent by the Master himself.  Subsequent ones were also sent by the Church.  Probably the clearest example of this today are those missionaries who are called and sent to pioneer in unreached territories for the Kingdom (Rom. 15:20).

They must be Spirit-anointed.  Not just led by the Spirit, but used in supernatural ways (2 Cor. 12:12).  Signs and wonders are part of Kingdom expansion (Mark 16:20, Acts 2:43).

They think in strategic terms.  Not only do they lay a foundation in new territory for others to build upon (1 Cor. 3:13), relationally they become spiritual fathers (1 Cor. 4:14-15), training up leaders to replace themselves.

• Bethany Beach/Ocean View, Delaware (Tim Satryan)
• Braddock (Brian Bolt) *
• Cranberry, Venango County (Chris Clark)
• Downingtown (Sam Masteller) *
• DuBois (Chris Clark)
• Elsmere Hispanic, Delaware (Tim Satryan)
• Fogalsville (Mark Caston)
• Frackville (Richard Earl)
• Gettysburg (Gerry Stoltzfoos) *
• Greensburg (Don Immel) *
• Hanover (Gerry Stoltzfoos)
• Inner city/South Side Wilmington, Delaware (Tim Satryan)
• Lewisburg (Jon Baker)
• Marshall’s Creek (Jim Rugg)
• Milton (Jon Baker)
• New Castle/Minquadale, Delaware (Tim Satryan)
• Philadelphia (Dan Clark)
• Pottstown (Steve DeFrain)
• Southside Pittsburgh (Jeff Leake) *
• Three Springs (Dan Fox) *
• York (Gerry Stoltzfoos)

 *  Church Planter has been  identified and in process.

20/20 PLAN  

• Our goal is to plant 20 churches with an initial investment of $20,000.00 each.     
• PennDel has committed the first $200,000.00 for the Church Planting Fund.
• Please partner with us as we plant many more churches in PennDel through the Church Planting Fund. 

20/20 PLAN

• INVEST THROUGH THE 20/20 CHURCH PLANTING FUND

Provide funding up to $20,000.00 as part of the 20/20 Church Planting Fund.

• PAY IT FORWARD

50% of the new church’s tithe will be used to invest into new church plants by replenishing the 20/20 Church Planting  Fund until the original investment is paid forward. 

• MULTIPLICATION PARTNERS

Once the original investment has been replenished in the 20/20 Church Planting Fund, the newly planted church will continue to invest 1% of their annual income in the 20/20 Church Planting Fund until they plant a church as a parent.

• If someone wrote a book about your leadership style, what would they title it?

“Influencing others the Jesus way.”  Hopefully my leadership style reflects the nature of Christ in pulling out the best in others.

• What is the personal mission statement for your life and how did you develop it?

My personal mission statement is:  “Giving myself fully to the cause of developing people and investing in leaders for the sake of church health.  This was developed when I first went into full-time ministry.  I was influenced by a book I read by Laura Beth Jones called “The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life.”  I have kept this mission statement active in my life since 1985.

• What has given you the greatest feeling of accomplishment in your ministry?

Being able to assist in helping unhealthy and dysfunctional churches back to health and growth.  This, next to leading somebody to the Lord, is the most fulfilling accomplishment in ministry.

• How do you go about communicating your vision so that others will remember it?

Repetition!  Starting every meeting with a verbal reminder of mission, vision and value.  Also, I think it’s important to corporately pray together for the fulfillment of the vision with your leadership team.

• What are some of the tools that you have found helpful for strategic planning?

The Malphurs Group led by Dr. Aubrey Malphurs.  This group helps train leaders to strategically envision tomorrow today.  They are great thinkers who constantly assess the effectiveness of current models.

• What are some of the things you have learned when it comes to raising significant funds and mobilizing people to accomplish a major undertaking?

Raising funds starts with having a believable cause for which you can represent with passion.  Mobilizing people comes as a direct result of you, the leader, earning their trust.

• How do you maintain a hectic, demanding schedule and still remain highly energized?

I am still learning this.

• What are the tools that you depend on to help you with time management?

Right now, I attempt to review my schedule at the beginning of each week with my executive assistant.  In addition, I try to build in time for the “unplanned” or the “spontaneous” or the “interruptions” that are a part of any minister’s schedule that can lead or turn into divine appointments.

• How have you managed to prioritize your time with your wife Gail and your daughters?

Well, they are my priority!  So their events and activities have always been a priority in my schedule.  Obviously, with the girls out of high school and involved in less activities, this is easier now than when they were in junior high and high school.

• What boundaries have you established to prevent your ministry from having negative consequences on your family?

Good communication.  But, in addition to having good communication, there must be a willingness to change or to reschedule and/or restructure if your wife or family points things out that are lacking.  So, we have tried in our family just to be open and honest about our schedules and to have fair expectations for each other and then to adjust accordingly.

• How do you stay motivated over the long haul? 

I sincerely feel called to what I am doing and the passion to continue resourcing churches for health and growth is stronger now than ever.  So honestly, my motivation is tied to my call.

• Who is a person that you have coached who is now coaching others and what did you do to influence that reproduction?

Chad Gilligan, lead pastor at Toledo Calvary comes to mind.  He was the children’s pastor with me.  When I transitioned to the district superintendent, he became the lead pastor of Toledo Calvary.  While the children’s pastor, I regularly gave him opportunities that would expose him to functions and duties of the lead pastor.  Consequently, I feel that Chad was more than ready to accept his responsibility and is doing a great job in taking the church places where I could have never taken it.

• What are some of the qualities have you looked for when you have hired staff?

Attitude.  It’s all about a healthy proactive attitude.  I suspect that 75 percent of the questions I use in interviews deal with determining someone’s attitude.  People skills and attitude are so important to me.  There are a lot of resources that can help staff do their job well, but attitude is something that they control, and I really try to find out a person’s capacity of having a good and healthy attitude.

• How have you instilled in others a sense of personal responsibility (ownership) for the growth and success of ministry?

Allowing your team to operate in the realm of their giftings.  I believe it’s vitally important that your team and your staff feel both valued and needed.  It’s also important that those team members, who are better gifted or stronger suited in some areas than you the leader, that you let them flourish and that you allow them to truly function and grow in the area of their giftings.  That takes personal security on the part of the leader.

• How have you continued to intentionally build relationships with non-Christians while you are in full-time ministry?

This is my greatest weakness right now and it is really bugging me.  Prior to the role that I am in now, I was active in the high school where my kids went to school.  I was active in our neighborhood and our community, but being in this position, being so mobile and living in a smaller neighborhood where neighbors on both sides of me are born again Christians, I’m finding it very hard to build those relationships with pre-Christians.

• Do you have a group of friends that you can go to when you are dealing with personal heaviness? How did these friendships develop?

Absolutely.  I truly believe that isolation in the ministry is lethal.  Good friendships are not optional for ministers; they are very essential, and yes, I have two or three persons in my life that I feel I can be vulnerable and honest and they can, in the same way, ask me the hard questions and I do feel comfortable in sharing with them the personal heaviness issues of my life.

• What are some ways that you constructively handle criticism?

First of all, listen to it and then act on it if it has merit.  I think it’s very important for us to not disregard criticism, but rather use it to make us a better leader or more effective in our ministry.

• Tell us about an idea that you were absolutely sold on, but it took you several tries to accomplish that idea? How did you overcome the roadblocks?

Both in my pastorate and district superintendent roles, early on, I had come into those positions with some new ideas that I was very excited about, however, when I presented the ideas to our leadership team, I could tell they were cautious.  The one for the church had to do with establishing some backyard barbeques on a Sunday night during the summer.  The one for the district had to do with the role and the function of our sectional presbyters.  I decided, instead of just pushing my idea through and saying I really feel strong about it, I backed off and waited.  It was my desire for them to feel comfortable and to have buy-in before the ideas were implemented.  I learned that if I had pushed my idea through, out of respect they would have accommodated that idea because I was the new pastor/district superintendent; however, I’m not sure I would have had as much buy-in as I did by waiting and letting the Lord allow the idea to grow on them.

• What growth principles have you used to move a plateaued ministry or group to the next level? 

There are several personal and church spiritual health assessments that I have used.  I encourage you to find one that you are comfortable working with, but the issue here is, what do you do once you realize where you’re at?  I discovered that the assessment part is not as difficult as what you do with the information that the assessment has provided.

• What steps did you take in leading a group from low morale to building positive morale?

First of all, you have to get everyone to agree about where the level of moral is at.  Then after we are in agreement with our moral, we begin to collectively paint a picture of the preferred future.  What do we want the ministry to look like?  How do we want to function as a team?  What values do we want to see drive us in ministry?  And then, you have to hold yourself accountable and hold each other accountable to the development of arriving at that preferred future.

• What has helped you to bounce back from loss or discouragement?

The call.  Again, I go back to the call in my personal mission statement in life and the motivation that there are still many many souls to reach and to bring into the kingdom of God, and so there are times when in the ministry you are discouraged, you feel like you don’t have the skill-sets to be able to accomplish it, but I come back to the fact of my calling—that God has called me and put me on a journey to strengthen the health of the church so we can take as many people to heaven as possible.

• What spiritual discipline do you regularly practice in your life and how does it help you?

I am currently trying to listen more carefully to the whisper of the spirit—even on a daily basis.  I am discovering the ministry can get real noisy and it’s a discipline just to try to eliminate some of the unnecessary noises.  I’ve found this to be especially helpful in allowing my public ministry to be more prophetic in nature.

• What are the things that have helped you to take significant faith risks in your life?

It starts by making sure that my motives were pure and right.  Then it’s ultimately a leap of faith but having a confidence in my heart that what I was about to do had the approval of God.

• What is a prayer you have been praying for a long time?

Lord help me to grow in humility; give me wisdom beyond my years of experience; keep my motives pure; and let your anointing be fresh and evident.

It was in my junior year of high school that God began to lay a burden on my heart to prepare for pastoral ministry.  Like many, my reluctance gave way to a sense of destiny to “change the world.”  My passion grew as God worked in my life especially during those times recognizing His Spirit was working through me to impact the lives of my friends.

Preparing for a life of ministry yielded three results.  The first was the realization that no matter how much training I received, I would never be ready until I got my feet wet and became involved in ministry.  The second was that without the empowering of the Spirit, my efforts were amiable at best and useless for eternity.  The third was the desire to be a life-long learner, endeavoring to develop the skills and abilities He gave me along with learning new approaches that He could use for His Kingdom.

On the one hand, He makes us His tools.  He fashions us and makes us into instruments that will fulfill His purposes.  On the other hand, He gives us tools to improve our effectiveness in His service.  We also must work to sharpen our skills and continually strive to be faith servants.

As we gather for our annual District Council/MinistrieSummit, we are emphasizing the importance of the Master toolmaker placing His tools in our hands as we endeavor to serve Him.  “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry…”  I Timothy 1:12