Marketing Against The Grain by Valeri Lea

“Marketing” can often be an uncomfortable topic within faith-based organizations. However, the sole purpose of marketing is to change human behavior, which is the common purpose within ministry. So, it only makes sense for those in ministry to practice basic marketing principles to spread the Good News.

 

Writing the Plan

Plan the work and then work the plan. Never skip the important step of mapping out your marketing plan. It is critical for you not only staying on track and on strategy, but for measurement of your activity as well.  If nothing else, start simple and just focus on one part of your ministry that you’re trying to grow.

·        WHO are you trying to reach? Know your city or your target audience. Some of your tactics will differ depending on the demographics of your city. Useful sites to understand your demographics are:

o   www.city-data.com

o   www.quickfacts.census.gov 

·        WHAT are you trying to do? Beyond just winning souls . . .

o   Increase participation in outreach programs?

o   Increase attendance in youth programs?

·        HOW will the activity you’re going to do reach your objective?

·        WHY?

o   Are there no other churches taking this approach?

o   Are you offering something nobody else can?

o   Has the market been saturated yet?

·        MESSAGE: What’s the one thing you want them to remember?

o   A good common practice in crafting your message is to imagine that you only get 30 seconds with your target audience, so what will you say that will change their behavior? What is the one thing you want them to remember about your conversation?

 

Once you’ve mapped out your plan, ensure that you adhere to these basic principles.

• Be SURE: Simple, Unexpected, Relevant, Engaging
• Everything counts because everything communicates. This not only includes what you say and do, but what you don’t say and do. EVERYTHING counts.
• Perception is reality. Regardless of what you thought you communicated, what THEY thought you communicated IS what you communicated.
• Do Something! Don’t let lack of knowledge (or lack of faith) keep you from launching your plan. You can learn how to do anything. There are tons of DIY sites out there. ehow is your friend. Look it up.
• Have a clear call-to-action for your target audience. In other words, be very clear on what you are asking them to do.
• Measure results. It’s important that your call-to-action is something that you can measure, so you know if your plan worked or not.

 

Two types of communication

Direct:  The one-on-one communication. This is always done either in-person, on the phone, mail, email, text, etc.

Mass: One-to-many. This entails reaching people through PR or advertising, hosting events or being a part of events through affiliations, website or socially.  

 

Direct Communication

•        You don’t need permission for direct mail. Email, you do.  There are lists online you can purchase.

•        Assess how your audience consumes information. Make a guess if you have to. Just do something.

•        Collect the right information from people and maintain a quality database. For example, if you have a young target audience, be sure to ask for email addresses on your visitor cards.

 

Mass Communication

If your budget is tight, PSAs are free.

Public radio and television stations are required to donate a certain amount of time to running Public Service Announcements (PSAs). PSAs are advertisements that announce community events, charity events, or support non-profit organizations. They are similar to press releases, but they are not as detailed.

EVENTS ARE A MUST. Choose the right one and get media involved if you can. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

This goes back to understanding your city and demographic, as well as establishing your objective. For example, in an impoverished community, you could give away free breakfast.  Do it at a local McDonald’s or other fast food places. Choose a local radio station that reaches the demographic you’re looking for and provide them with PSAs as well as an opportunity to cover the event via live remote. Radio stations dedicate so many hours each year on community events. It helps to build their brand. Offer them:

•        Radio exclusivity on site

•        An opportunity to display signage on site

•        Their logos/links will be on your website and mentioned in your social media

•        Give them your graphics for their e-newsletters and website

•        Offer them someone (like the pastor) to do an on-air interview

In return, they’ll want to know how many people you are expecting and the demographics, as well as how else you are communicating the event. They don’t want to show up at an event that isn’t well attended.

 

Consider collaborating with for-profit Christian organizations to build awareness about your church, like Christian Bookstores, for example.

 

Integrate Your Communications

It’s important for there to be consistency in messaging between the site and the vehicle (a specific channel or publication for carrying the advertising message to a target audience) you’re communicating with. People will be confused if they see an ad or a direct mail and go to your site and they don’t marry up with one another. Also, you need consistency in messaging in all of your vehicles at once so you get more “bang for your buck”.

 

Close the Loop

•        Measurement is important

•        Maintain a quality database

•        Have a clear call-to-action

•        Measure results

•        Refine your plan

•        Communicate again

•        For example, if you send out a direct mail piece as just a general introduction to your women’s ministry that you’ve started up, ask them to bring it in for a free t-shirt or free cup of coffee so you know  1) that the communication vehicle is effective and  2) that your message (even the offer of free stuff) is compelling enough for them to act.

Tips for your Website

·        Do NOT program your site using Adobe Flash. It prohibits users from visiting your site via iPad or smart phone.

·        In that same note, make sure you program your site to be responsive for mobiles

·        Content

o   Keep it very visual

o   Keep it fresh with Blogs

o   Videos are attractive to users

·        User Experience (UX) – ensure it is easy to navigate. Do analytics on it and ensure that your top visited pages are front and center. (There’s a Gateway Church example.)

·        Collect information from your target audience every chance you get to aid in future communication.

·        Make it easy for people to contact you— Live chat, Email, phone, etc.

 

Get Found

·        Search Engine Marketing (SEM): spend money on Pay Per Click and Google Adwords

·        Search Engine Optimization (SEO):  the bigger you are, the easier you are to be found. When someone searches for something in Google, crawlers use those terms and go out and find sites that are applicable. How are you applicable? By using those terms on your site.

·        Identify 10–20 key search terms. Think about what terms people would enter to find you and ensure they exist everywhere in writing—in the code of your website and in the content.

·        Make sure that everything links together. The more links you create, the bigger you are. Link to your social media. If you have an external blog, link to that. Link to the district and national sites or other like-minded sites. When you write blogs on your site, be sure to include links to other relevant websites within your blogs.

 

Social Media

Facebook is a good place to start…

1. Be sure that the tone/personality of your Facebook page reflects your church.
2. Content is “King” so don’t reinvent the wheel by duplicating your church website on your Facebook page. Don’t just post info about the church, but relate to your audience on common topics of interest. Draw them into a conversation.
3. Comments spur conversation, so encourage engagement.
4. Keep it fresh: never let your Facebook page get stale; users expect constantly changing content.  
5. We Have a Winner: utilize contests, drawings, and etc.
6. Leverage any visual assets you have: pictures, videos, etc. Your logo should be your avatar/profile picture so you’re recognized.
7. Let Users Guide Content: be flexible in execution.
8. Set Engagement Goals: thank users when they help goals be reached; let the fans do marketing for you.
9. Start a Conversation: ask questions, show that your church is always listening.
10. Fans Only: Fan totals are the most transparent metric on Facebook, but not the only. Engagement is important as well.

 

11. Don’t forget to implement an Influencer Strategy. Connect with other influential pages and you’ll get exposure to their followers.

 

Facebook Frequency:

·        Quality, not quantity, counts when publishing to your wall. Posting less often results in a 40% higher engagement rate compared with posting more than 3x/day and 5x/week.

·        Best Times: Work time of 3 PM Wednesday and “off-work” hours of 8 PM-7 AM Wednesdays/Sundays (all ET).

·        Format:

o   Ask questions: Generate more than double the amount of comments than non-question posts.

o   Fill in the blank: 9x more comments.

o   Post manually: FB algorithm doesn’t look favorably on auto-posting and 3^rd party publisher tools. When publisher tools are used, content had 61% less visibility than manual posts.

·        Length:

o   Posts less than 80 characters in length receive 66% higher engagement than longer posts. More concise posts generate the most engagement. Only 5% of all retail brand wall posts are less than 40 characters in length, even though these receive 86% higher fan engagement.

·        Be realistic:

o   Average engagement : 23% comments, 77% likes

o   Meaning that out of 100 posts, you will get 23 comments on average and 77 likes on average.

**Research from Buddy Media, social software. Analyzed user engagement of Facebook Wall Posts from 100 of the world’s largest/most prestigious retail brands for 6 months in 2011.

 

Twitter:

·        Again, maintain the personality of the church

·        Content should be more newsworthy than Facebook, because it’s not an open forum for conversation.

·        Follow influential tweeters and comment on their posts.

·        Tweet and Retweet.

·        Play the hashtag game. Common topics. Goes viral. Also, helps you track popular trends.

·        twitter.com/search – this site allows you to see what conversations are happening about a certain topic—it’s important to listen to those conversations. Listening helps to craft your message.

 

Twitter Frequency:

• The five most-engaging brands tweeted 45 to 70 times per month, whereas the five least-engaging brands averaged 95 to 115 tweets per month.
• Best times: Tues/Wed/Thurs, 5-6 AM; 7-8 AM.
• Bit.ly (URL shortening service) suggests Mon-Thurs, 2 PM (so evidently before they check Facebook, they’re on twitter!)
• Format:
• Mix up tweets/retweets: Employ a mix of tweeting your own content and retweeting related content.
• Keep it original. Don’t duplicate content from FB or another source. Use the mediums differently.

**Source: Research from Yesmail, a company that makes email-marketing software, tracked and analyzed the Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and email campaigns of leading retail brands during the first quarter of 2012. The brands studied include Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, H&M, J. Crew, and Ann Taylor.

 

So What if You Asked?

Use free online survey tools to allow you to receive feedback from your audience: surveymonkey.com.

Ask your congregation what they want communicated to them: when and how often.

Breaking all the Rurals by Shannon O'dell

The Pentecostal Messenger had the privilege to sit down with Pastor Shannon O’dell of Brand New Church and discuss his heart and vision for rural America. The following interview will discuss both the opportunities and the challenges of pastoring in rural America.

PM: Tell us about the community in which Brand New Church is located.

SO: Brand New Church is located in Bergman, Arkansas, population 407. There are currently about 20,000 residents in the county and the two largest towns within that county have populations of 12,000 and 800. There are a lot of small communities. Our campus in Bergman is literally located across from six chicken houses.

PM: How broad is the reach of BNC (Brand New Church)?

SO: In April of 2013, BNC will celebrate 7 years of being in existence. We currently have 13 campuses, as well as an iCampus (Internet campus), and we currently broadcast 3 live services through our BNC app. The BNC app is the most effective piece of technology we use. We have 2600 people in attendance each weekend at our campuses, with an additional 400-600 viewers weekly on our iCampus and BNC app.

PM: Share with us a little about what you mean by “Unwritten Rural Rules.”

SO: The Unwritten Rural Rules are unspoken rules that many people have concerning rural America. Expanding from the original thoughts in my book, I’d say the number one Unwritten Rural Rule is that you have to have small vision or small mindedness. This type of mindset keeps leaders from abounding in rural America. Another Unwritten Rural Rule is that people are not called to rural America. For example, let’s say you come out and say you are called to rural Africa, to a village of 88 people. Churches would send you, commission you, pay you, pray for you, and send you Dr. Pepper every month. But if you told them you were called to a small town of 88 in rural Arkansas, they would be left with a totally different impression. You would be called crazy, and it would be considered vocational suicide! However, what if God IS actually calling people to be used in a place of obscurity? These are things that are unspoken and unwritten in ministry. Another Unwritten Rural Rule that exists is that people believe things have to be as they’ve always been and they should never change. However, God wants us to live and dream the Ephesians 3:20 dream, “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (NKJV).

PM: BNC is literally out in the middle of nowhere, yet you guys are so cutting edge. What is your response to the pastors and ministers who say “we don’t have the money or funds for that?”

SO: Excellence doesn’t cost a lot of money. Excellence is just a matter of preparation. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to communicate to a rural community that we have an expectation that God might show up at this service! Those are simple things. Paint is cheap. It doesn’t cost much to ditch foam cups and get the nicer coffee cups with the little sleeve. That is a small example that costs only pennies extra. It costs little to keep the children’s area cleaned and painted with fresh paint. Another easy upgrade is to spend a little extra and move your TVs into the 21^st century! Get rid of the big nasty 500 pound square televisions; there are affordable flat screens available that will make everything look much nicer. Going to the next level doesn’t cost much. Unfortunately there are those that resist change saying “this is the way we have always done it.” We need to realize the goal isn’t to benefit ourselves; it is to benefit the families who have not yet attended our church. We need to do everything we can to draw people and young families in. People are drawn to excellence and excellence glorifies God. Much of what we do at BNC is on a small budget. We make sure our restrooms are clean and the paper products are top quality. We want people who come to our church to know “We’re ready for you; we have been waiting for you to get here!” We need to host those who attend our churches as if we were hosting them in our own homes.

PM: In your book you make the statement: “We find church buildings on most street corners in small towns. The prairies are dotted with churches everywhere. But that is part of the problem.” Can you share a little more on that?

SO: I believe the most churched and unchurched place on the planet is rural America. People often think because their grandmother chartered the church or their family donated the pews, etc., that they will inherit their place in the kingdom of God. This is based on something that has nothing to do with a relationship with Jesus Christ.  It’s like the quote, “Just because you enter a donkey in the Kentucky Derby doesn’t mean he’s going to win.” There has to be life change and relevance in the church in order for people to grow. Revelation 20 tells us the fruits of the labor will make declaration to our eternal inheritance. This is done through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, not what we inherited from our family. Rural towns aren’t seeing a lot of life change. They aren’t thriving and seeing people hungry for the word of God like they should be; many just exist.

PM: What would you say to a rural pastor who feels like they are stuck?

SO: The first thing I would ask him is, “Are you doing everything you can to meet with Jesus every day?” Secondly, if he is married, I would ask, “Are you passionately pursuing your own bride before you pursue God’s bride?” If pastors will grasp those two things it will exponentially grow their churches. You’ll never be able to grow a church just because you have a great building or just because you have a great sermon. A church grows because the Spirit of God is channeled and working through the pastor’s life.  If he is married, then it will be channeled through the replication of Jesus’ passion for His bride, the church, in the pastor’s marriage. When God is high and lifted up, He will do the drawing. That is all the marketing you need. The last thing I would tell them to do if they want to see rapid growth is to go out and meet the needs of the poor. If you are in rural America, then you have poor people in your community.  

My son came to me one day and asked me if he could cut the ends off of his shoes. I had no idea why he was asking this. He told me his friend Sean had the toes cut off of his shoes and he wanted to be able to run in P.E. like Sean. Then I realized it. Sean’s family couldn’t afford shoes, and the ones he had didn’t fit, so they cut the toes off so he could get his foot in them. So, I went to the school and spoke with the counselor. I asked her if there was a possibility that a second grade child needed new shoes. With tears in her eyes, she looked at me and said, “Yes, there is a possibility that may be true.” I went to my team and said, “I know there isn’t much we can do because we don’t have a lot of money, but I think we can supply shoes for every impoverished kid in our area. We were able to get $21.00 shoes for $10.00, and we bought hundreds of pairs of shoes for the kids in our area. As soon as we did, the promise made in Isaiah 58 fell on us, and God became the breath of our ministry. He went before us and He guarded us at our back. Ever since we have begun to bless the last and the least, God has exponentially blessed us. We now have Mercy Malls that reach hundreds of families each month. We feed them, clothe them, provide child care, we have even put tires on cars. It was like God could not wait for us to get on board with His heart. There are desperate people all over rural America. We have to have a large vision to reach them. One of the greatest tools of the enemy is to shrink our vision. When we allow him to make us small-minded, then he keeps our ministries from being effective and flourishing the way God desires. But God wants to show up in those places of obscurity to reach the lost, the last, and the least.

PM: What is the biggest challenge of pastoring in Rural America?

SO: The biggest challenge is that in rural America everyone shops at the same Wal-Mart, attends the same school, and shows up at the same community events. When you as a pastor face betrayal, you still have to see the people that betrayed you on a consistent basis. But betrayal is just expected. Ed Young Jr. says, “When you’re great, people hate.” It’s almost a promise that if you love people, you’re going to be betrayed. When you live in a small community, betrayal is tough, because people gossip and word moves quickly. What may be a whisper in a large city is a megaphone in a small rural community. We have to realize that we are called to go through it and love people enough to risk being betrayed. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t escape the fire. God let them go into the fire to prove to them that they are fire proof.  In the ministry you have to realize that you’re going to go through the fire.  

PM: What is the biggest opportunity of pastoring in Rural America?

SO: The biggest opportunity is that the same “megaphone effect” of betrayal, gossip, and slander, could also be life change, inspiration, and evangelism. Because word moves quickly in rural communities, a positive message moves just as fast as a negative one! It is because of this that people in our community know where they can go if they need food, clothes, or to just be loved. Growth can happen very quickly in a small community, and when God does it in a small town, you know it’s Him.

Father of Soul and the Band

Tom Skiles, Joe Skiles Sr, John Skiles, and Bob Kelley

By Solid Rock Family Church
Soul. Sole: These words sound the same, but they have two different connotations. Soul, S-O-U-L, represents a human being. Sole, S-O-L-E, represents a base or foundation (from dictionary.com). For two words that represent two different things, they coexist with one another in relation to the Great Commission. When Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, N LT), He’s saying, in summary, “Go win lost souls.” To win souls we need to set a “sole” foundation in which we choose to live a life like Jesus.

Debuting in their first performance, I introduce you to Father Soul and the Band.

OK. You caught me. There is no such band known as Father Soul and the Band, but metaphorically speaking, we know them as Joe Skiles Sr. and his Band of Brothers: Bob Kelley, Tom Skiles, Mark Skiles, John Skiles, and Guy Provencal.

For the past ten years, Pastor Joe Skiles Sr. of Solid Rock Family Church in Jefferson City, MO has been establishing a sole foundation for his church to plant churches where they need to be to win souls. Pastor Skiles: “I have never considered myself a church planter, but I was always interested in it to the degree that I wanted our ministry to do that.”

Pastor Skiles has been the sole foundation (also known as the “mother church”) for three established church plants: LifeRock Church in Columbia, MO (pastored by Bob and Debbie Kelley), SOS Church in St. Louis, MO (pastored by Tom and Darla Skiles), and Solid Rock at the Lake (pastored by Mark and Julia Skiles). In addition, the church has two church plants underway: one in Destin, FL (soon to be pastored by John and Sula Skiles), and the other in Tucson, AZ (soon to be pastored by Guy and Catherine Provencal).

Some pastors desire their leaders to go through a Church Planting Program before being released to go plant a church. “There’s never been a particular program where we train church planters. I understand that way and the significance for it, but for me it’s always been praying, asking God, and keeping it in front of the people who someday will plant the churches. For me it had to be the Who? Where? When?” explains Pastor Skiles.

All of the Church Plants Pastor Skiles has released have been God-given, where he becomes their Sole Father, the foundational church, to fully support what they are doing. It was Pastor Skiles’ every intention to support his church-planting pastors financially and spiritually as they begin or began the process of planting their churches until they were fully established financially.

There is no right way to start a church plant. “We really don’t have a model; we just go with the individual. We begin to pray for when it is going to start, where we are going, and how much we can do. That’s what they come to us with, and then we begin to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for direction. It’s like when the Holy Spirit said to send Paul and Barnabus to different places. It’s the Holy Spirit who leads the individual to plant a church, rather than a church-led program,” stated Pastor Skiles. This is what Pastor Bob, Pastor Tom, Pastor Mark did and what Pastor John and Guy are beginning to do.

There is no question that church plants have had its number of success and failure stories. It all draws back to you, the leader, being called by the Holy Spirit to be a church planter to win lost souls, all with the support of your Sole Father. “All of the church plants mentioned are successes. They are doing awesome things and endeavoring to plant other churches.” When you see success, you are inspired to do more. Pastor Skiles laid the foundation of church planting, and that seed took root and is growing in the church plants he supported to grow beyond themselves. A chain reaction has begun!

Each church plant is different. For these pastors they have all branched from the “mother church,” Solid Rock Family Church. “Having that mother church is significant. Church plants have a high rate of success when a mother church is involved,” explained Pastor Skiles. Church plants are something special. As they were founded on the foundation of their mother church, they are becoming a sole foundation as they begin to grow, raise leaders, and win souls through their ministry. The fruit of Pastor Skiles’ support shows through the church plants he has helped establish. Pastor Tom now runs 500+ in attendance, Pastor Bob 200+, and Pastor Mark 100+, and they continue to grow.

“We’re all in this together. You cannot have the mindset that ‘this is my territory and you can’t have anything in my territory.’ If it’s a God thing, it doesn’t matter. You release people to do ministry. You can’t control them, but you send them with God’s blessings and with the Holy Spirit through wisdom and direction. When you train up a leader, you allow yourself to succeed in the areas where God puts you. Our involvement has been in trying to give a little bit of oversight in finances, not to the point of taking away their independence. It is a matter of trusting them, but with some accountability, knowing what they are doing, and staying in touch with them.”

As the number of church plants increase, it’s important for the pastor to fit into the area where he or she has been called to win lost souls— culturally, socially, and spiritually. For Guy it was the hot air of Tucson, AZ; for Pastor John, it’s the white, sandy beaches of Destin, Florida; for Pastor Bob, it is the college town of Columbia, MO; for Pastor Tom, it is the metropolitan area of St. Louis, MO; and Pastor Mark, the tourist town of Lake of the Ozarks, MO. Each person has his own cultural atmosphere he’s attracted to that allows him to fulfill the calling of God in his life.

As the Soul Father releases the leaders to reach their area, they each have a different approach on how to start. For some, it’s taking time to develop a team and build their church through their team, as was the case for Pastor Tom. For others, their style may be just to start providing services to the community and build from there, as was the case with Pastor Bob and Pastor Mark. “There is no set formula for how to develop a church plant. It all depends on the individual and their personality, along with the Word of God as their foundation.”

Church Plants birthed from a mother church is trending across the world. There may come a day when an individual comes to you, the Sole Father, and tells you he/ she have been called to plant a church. “Be open-minded to the Holy Spirit and open-minded to release people to go minister to the world. One of the biggest struggles for the PCG is releasing people to go do ministry,” Pastor Skiles said. When you release someone to do ministry for God’s kingdom, God WILL bless your church. “Every time we have released somebody into the ministry, God has always blessed our church both financially and numerically. It’s the result of sowing seed.”

Don’t be afraid to release leaders. That is what the Great Commission is all about. That is what discipleship is. “If we can’t look over our shoulders and ask ‘Who can take this?’ or ‘Who can do what I’m doing?’ then we are not doing our jobs. Be open to the purpose and the Will of God. Always get God’s answer to the Who, Where, and When. If it’s God’s “who,” and the who is aligned with the “where,” the Holy Spirit has led them. “When” is also significant with your planning. When you have those three aligned together, then you will be blessed.”

“If we are going to grow as an organization, WE MUST PLANT CHURCHES.” We have an obligation to win souls. We are in this together.

Joe Skiles Sr. has been a sole foundation for many leaders, who have been released to win souls for their kingdom, whether it is to plant churches, lead church camps, pastor a church, etc. He has brought together a band of leaders who represent God, but also the fruit of his labor. Altogether they are doing some mighty things.

Here to change the world one church at a time, Father Soul and the Band.

Women with a Mission

In the city of Poptun, Guatemala, approximately 70 percent of girls between the ages of 10 and 19 have been molested by a friend or family member. Many of these girls are forced to live on the streets, some of them pregnant due to the molestation by family members. All of these girls were abandoned by those who should care for them. Seeing this travesty happening in their community, an amazing couple from a Pentecostal Church of God named Cony and Luis Paredes accepted their mission and opened their hearts and small home to these young girls. The mission became known as the Ahikam Girl’s Home.


In June of 2011 the Women of the Pentecostal Church of God accepted their mission to partner with Ahikam Girls Home by building a facility to house these young girls whose lives had known only abuse and abandonment. By August of 2012 we had raised close to $50,000 to complete that Mission! Ahikam has now expanded its reach to all children regardless of gender due to the tremendous need in the area. Children are now being sent to Ahikam from the Guatemalan Court System with absolutely NO FUNDING from the government.


The building project has faced several delays and set-backs, but under the leadership of our missionaries, Les and Charlene Melton, we are hopeful that the Ahikam Children’s Home will be officially occupied in the near future. We will complete the mission!


On August of 2012 our mission brought a team of women and a few brave men from across the United States to Poptun and were met by missionaries Les and Charlene Melton and daughter Rosalie. While there, we worked at the construction site and ministered to the children in their current rented facility. We ministered to Momma Cony and Papa Luis, giving them some much deserved time off; for Momma Cony, a day at the beauty shop. While in Guatemala we conducted workshops to teach the children various crafts, and we purchased much needed appliances, food, and supplies to care for their physical needs. We shared the love of Christ with each precious child and ministered to them both physically and spiritually. Our time in Guatemala concluded with a powerful communitywide dedication service at the construction site of the new Ahikam Children’s Home. At the end of the service, the children displayed a table of the items they had made. Many items were purchased by those in attendance. I wish you could have seen their faces as people began to purchase these items!


Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to provide your love, prayers, and continued financial support for these precious children of Ahikam. Join the mission; get connected to Empowered Women’s Ministries.

The Problem with Outreach IS Outreach

The very use of the word “Outreach” (the act or process of reaching out) implies one thing: we are IN something. You can’t reach OUT of something, unless you are IN something.

Think about this:Why do we struggle with outreach? Why do we stand divided over methods of outreach? Why do we print publications with outreach methods? Because somewhere along the line we have shifted or moved IN to something that we now are struggling or feeling compelled to reach OUT of. Perhaps our focus has been on going to church, rather than being the Church. When “the Church” is a building or a place, rather than “you and me,” we are forced to create or delegate outreach. On the contrary, when we view ourselves as the Church, we realize that outreach, as we traditionally refer to it, is not a program, but rather our life. “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them.’”— (Luke 15:1-2 NKJV)

Notice Jesus is living his life with the lost in mind. The Pharisees and scribes were focused on other things. They were IN something that Jesus was OUT of. This was not an outreach dinner. This was not a program. This was Jesus in real life setting the example for us on the priority of the lost. Jesus responds with three powerful parables, focusing on the priority of the lost. Notice his mindset: “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?”— (Luke 15:8 NKJV)

#1. Awareness (light a lamp).

For too long we have forgotten the principle of all things lost. We all, at one time or another, were lost (Romans 3:23). Oh, but how easy it is to forget about the lost! We need the Holy Spirit to shine the light of his truth into our hearts so that we become aware of the lost. They are all around us, just turn the light on.

#2. Get Dirty (sweep the house).

Something tells me this lady, sweeping the floor of her home, created quite the mess. Notice her willingness to get dirty and stir up some dust to find what was lost! I’m not suggesting to partake in the sin to reach the sinner; I’m just saying, don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty. Leave the ninety-nine and reach the one.

#3. Diligence (search carefully).

We’ve lost our stamina in reaching the lost. Excuse the pun, but when it comes to “the lost,” no one is a “lost cause.” Who is it that you have written off that you need to diligently pursue? Maybe that foul-mouthed neighbor is your next deacon? Or maybe he is your deacon? No, I’m kidding! But you get the point: SEARCH DILIGENTLY!

A few weeks ago our family went shopping. With three young children, our trips to the mall are not for the faint of heart! My wife and I smiled as we watched our children innocently play a game of “tag” among the racks of clothing. In a split second the situation changed when our youngest daughter disappeared. We stopped everything and focused on one thing. We did things you don’t traditionally do in a store. We SHOUTED, RAN, PUSHED and SHOVED frantically searching for our daughter. At that moment, nothing else mattered but our child who was lost.

As a father, I’ll never forget that moment. Today, may outreach never become delegated to a person or program, but rather the life we live in pursuit of the lost.

To me, that is relevant.

By: Randy Lawrence Jr

Different Strokes

By Wayman Ming, Jr.
Different strokes for different folks! Have you ever heard that saying before? If so, you know that it is often used to describe the reality that everyone is different. What liberating and freeing fact! We didn’t all come off of an assembly line looking and acting the same. We are God’s custom design.

What image comes to mind when you think of the word “evangelism?” Does it evoke enthusiasm for reaching your friends and family members? Or does it overwhelm you with negative connotations? The stereotypical street preacher, megaphone in hand, blaring and bellowing out indictments about the end of the world? Or the “never say no” Mormon at your front door seeking to proselyte you?

The enemy of our soul has literally hindered the expansion of God’s kingdom because we haven’t realized that evangelism is not built upon a “megaphone in hand,” but a commitment to strategically being ourselves in evangelism.

Simon Peter used a “confrontational” approach.

On the Day of Pentecost he proclaimed the gospel with such boldness that he confronted his own people with crucifying the Messiah! He reached 3,000 for the Lord in one day. Some people in our world today won’t come to Christ until someone like Peter confronts them with the gospel.

The Apostle Paul used an “intellectual” approach.

Read any of his letters in the Bible, especially Romans, and you will see that he was a master at laying out a sound explanation concerning the truths of God. He was a master at crafting a road to Christ. In our educated society today, some people need to hear the gospel not only declared, but defined and defended.

The blind man used a “testimonial” approach.

The blind man was effective just like Peter and Paul; yet, he refused confrontation like Peter and intellectualism like Paul. He simply spoke from experience and said, “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.” How many people will come to Christ simply because someone is able to say, “I don’t understand a lot of things, but one thing I do know; I once was blind, but now I see.” They don’t need confrontation or debate; they simply need a testimony.

The Samaritan woman used an “invitational” approach.

When she experienced Christ, she immediately went to her town, loaded up her van, and brought a bunch of people to hear Jesus for themselves. Her simple invitation brought salvation to her city. How many people in America would experience Christ if someone would just go to the special effort of inviting them to a credible life-giving church or outreach event?

Dorcas used a “service” approach.

She was constantly performing loving acts of service to those who were in need in her community. In fact, her work was so special to God that when she died a premature death, God sent confrontational Peter to raise her from the dead and put her back into the evangelistic ministry. Although the service approach to evangelism tends to get less press than the others and is often longer in producing fruit, it is one of the most important of all evangelistic approaches. Dorcas is able to reach people that nobody else can reach.

Friend, your greatest asset in the kingdom of God is to strategically be yourself! You may preach it from the housetops like Peter. Or define and direct people into the Kingdom like Paul. Or draw people to the feet of the Master with your kindness and generosity like Dorcas. Or perhaps…you may simply reach people in your own unique way like none of the above. Remember, when it comes to evangelism, there are “different strokes for different folks”!

Refurbish the Upper Room?

“There is evidence of considerable change in Christendom’s ‘upper room,’ that is, the Pentecostal movement, which has traditionally emphasized the infilling of the Holy Spirit as recorded in Acts 2. Many old fixtures are being discarded as new ones take their places. Further restructuring of the Pentecostal chamber is also being contemplated in the wake of the charismatic revival of recent years.”

These words may come as somewhat of a surprise to many of you who have walked the dusty roads of America’s recent past, preaching a Gospel of transforming, enabling power – Pentecostal power! They keynote an article appearing in the April 1, 1966, issue of Christianity Today. Written by James S. Tinney, the article is entitled, “NEWS: Special Report – Pentecostals refurbish the Upper Room.”

The article quotes the alleged statements of certain executives of leading Pentecostal organizations, either completely out of context, thus becoming of the most tragic examples of subjective reporting to appear in Christian publication, or the article points up a dangerous trend in Pentecost which must be carefully and prayerfully evaluated in the light of the Word of God.

Perhaps, before we consider the article, it would be profitable to remind ourselves that the Bible, because it IS the Word of God, does not change! Any attempt to modernize it to suit any proud and decadent segment of progressing Christendom would be as futile as the vain attempt to erase a sunset simply by drawing the shade, or to empty the ocean with a teacup!

The first are of “change” in Pentecost’s “Upper Room” is the desire to eliminate the emotionalism, which has been a part of the Pentecostal pattern since the beginning.

Four Yale University students are reported to “represent an emerging new Pentecostalism that has little in common with the Holy Roller image. Today, gymnastics in the pews and lusty Gospel music are confined largely to rural congregations and ten revivals. And a new generation of Pentecostals wants to keep them there, if they have to be kept at all.” The report continues: “A recent article in the official journal of the largest Pentecostal denomination urges that leaders today ‘remain ever alert to the dangers of such worked-up excitement’.”

It would be infinitely more impossible to “fall in love with Jesus” through a genuine experience of salvation, or to “adventure with Him” in the power of the Holy Spirit, and remain emotionally unmoved, than it would be to fall in love with one’s life partner and continue in stoic silence.

Who could read the account of that first outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2, when accusations were flying from religious adherents, “These men are drunk!” without realizing there were some serious emotional affectation? Not one of the Pentecostal believers condemned these emotional expressions as “fevered exhibitionism,” but humbly acknowledged them as both reasonable and proper. It is note strange that many preachers become more emotionally stirred in a Civil Rights rally than in a religious service? The real truth is that they are not really in vital contact with things spiritual. They have a religion of the head, but not the heart. In an acquiescent sort of way, they have subscribed to the tenets of faith of some religious body, but have never known the transforming power of the living Lord!

Often it depends upon who is emotional. Some groups are quick to label emotional manifestation among themselves as “evidence of spiritual depth and devotion, but find it convenient to brand as “wild fire and fevered exhibitionism” any similar experience in another.

The article further states: “The changes are partly the result of a more educated clergy.”

I am not acquainted with the four Yale students mentioned, but I do not hesitate to state that one could have doctorates – earned, if you please – from Yale or any other secular college, or from many of our church-related institutions, and be as ignorant of the true interpretation of God’s Word as a Hottentot of Africa!

Some time ago, I listened to the representative of a Full Gospel Bible college as he advertised for students. “This is a ‘middle-of-the-road’ college. It is neither rigid denominationalism nor radical Pentecostalism. It is middle-of-the-road.” I weighed those words carefully.

The only explanation, from a Biblical standpoint, is that the school is neither hot nor cold – and the Lord had a word for this condition in the Revelation, Chapter 3, Verses 15 and 16. On the other hand, it could mean the school would be equally at home in the church or the world – that the fountain could bring forth both bitter water and sweet, and, if convenient, both God and mammon could be served without offense to either. Of course, we know this to be Biblically impossible.

This school did not so begin. I have personally attended services in the parent church sponsoring that power of God, when they were stretched out in the aisles until movement was virtually impossible. It was a thrilling sight, and I observed nothing but a wholesome, “decent and in order” atmosphere in this emotional outburst.

But the church has evidently decided to “refurbish the upper room.” And what are the results? I recently attended a mid-week service, a regular evening service, and sat among worshippers numbering only sixty, by actual count, where hundreds had previously jammed the auditorium in a similar service.

How different the account of our Pentecostal Church of God colleges!

Call it “radical Pentecostalism” if you will, but if it fills our churches with devoted communicants, not dead corpses; if it produces holy lives, and hearts whose only desire is to glorify God and worship in His house; if it produces workers and missionaries and builders for God – and it does! – Then I want to go on record as supporting it!

If this is fanaticism that sent our preachers into new areas of labor, without sufficient food, without adequate transportation, without change of clothes, with shoes worn out, and established churches amid flying rotten tomatoes and eggs, amid jeers and scoffs – that caused the Pentecostal message to be winged around the world – then I want it!

By “refurbishing” we apparently mean we should be more interested in status symbols than in spiritual stability; two Cadillac’s in every carport, two boats in every family, and the latest, two Christmas trees in every home. If status symbols become necessary in our sophisticated society, for the Christian they should be “prayer bags” in the knees of our trousers, rather than money bags in our pockets; worn leaves in our study Bibles, rather than volumes of best sellers in our libraries; heaven’s sunshine on our countenances, rather than degrees of distinctions hanging on our walls which money may secure or men may confer.

If “refurbishing” means, by education alone, we have now come to know more than God, in pride we are now discarding clearly-stated Biblical principles in an attempt to write our own bible, then count me out.

Secular education without spiritual edification would attempt to teach us as Pentecostals…

• How to remain a Pentecostal without retaining the “Holy Roller image”…
• How to court ecclesiastical favor without compromising evangelistic fervor…
• How to believe in the miraculous without believing for miracles…
• How to join hands with the worldly crowd without judging their worldly ways…
• How to deaden our spiritual sensitivities without completely denying our Lord…
• How to dissipate the opposition without destroying it…
• How to win over the enemy without wounding him…
• How to borrow the heathen ideologies without burning the heathen idols…
• How to pamper and protect the “Pentecostal” weaklings and world-lings while attempting to project the Pentecostal witness…

THIS CANNOT BE DONE!

Wisdom and knowledge must be set on fire by the Holy Ghost if it is to serve us, and settle us in Christ, rather than sever us from Him!

Another program of “refurbishing” is attributed to the leader of a large Pentecostal organization: “The Pentecostal experience, contrary to much of the publicity, does not center around ‘speaking in tongues,’ more formally identified as glossolalia, but in the belief that the infilling of the Holy Ghost should follow conversion.”

If this statement is not misquoted, or taken completely out of context (and knowing, as I do, the person who is reported to have made the alleged statement, I have every reason to believe it was!), then Pentecost, as the founders of his denomination knew it, has most certainly undergone the “refurbishing” process already. Such a statement could only mean that a person might receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost without speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. If this could be true – AND IT POSITIVELY IS NOT! – and any spiritual mountain top, so long as it “follows conversion,” could be considered the infilling of the Holy Ghost, then the Pentecostal upper room has experienced some radical changes.

If “refurbishing” means we are now to take “Zedekiah’s pin knife” and shred Biblical passages from the sacred Canon of Scripture in order to be accepted in a changing society, thereby denying certain clear passages setting forth the historic Bible pattern for receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost; if “refurbishing” means we are to become tomb stones instead of lively stones, then I, for one, wish to state emphatically that I will resist this process with every power available to me!

If “refurbishing” means, by the construction of our new church edifices, we suddenly find ourselves surrounded by multitudes that feel their temple too modern and their members too sophisticated for the God of true Pentecost, then please mark me as a dissenter.

The article mentions still another detour from the plain path of Pentecost: “Extremely narrow legalism is on the way out. For years tongues-groups believed the observances of certain prohibitions to be a sign of holiness.”

Apparently, this “refurbishing” means we are now to take to our lives certain worldly practices in the present mad rush toward world-conformity – rather than daring to be different – and abdicate our Scripture-taught faith in a life of holiness and separation. Have we forgotten that God said: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord God Almighty,” II Corinthians 6:17,18?

The Pentecostal Church of God of America will not become apart of this “refurbishing” process. We are Christ-honoring, Spirit-led, Bible-believing Christians. We do not sell “sacred sawdust,” or blessed “anointing oil,” or scraps of soiled undershirts of some evangelist. We do not believe in the purely human impartation of spiritual gifts by some self-styled prophet. We do not believe that everyone who takes an aspirin is eternally doomed – though we strongly hold that God’s ultimate best is that we trust Him completely. But WE DO attempt to “contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), to cling to the “old paths, where is the good way” (Jeremiah 6:16), to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), and to “stand fast in the liberty where with Christ made us free” (Romans 1:4), it seems we do well to yield to that same spirit.

Need I remind you that God will NEVER encourage you to be less dedicated, less Christ-like in your separation from the world, less heavenly-minded than you presently are. So, when anyone tells you it is not necessary to be so narrow or legalistic, please remember that word does not originate with God!

Finally, the article indicates this “refurbishing” is, in a large measure, due to the cooperation with other non-Pentecostal bodies of believers.

The watchword of the National Association of Evangelicals, with which this Movement is affiliates, has ever been: “Cooperation without compromise.” Always is constituent members have believed in fellowship with all Christian believers without forfeiture of the doctrinal distinctive of any!

Now, if “refurbishing” our Pentecostal upper rooms means, by association with others, we must compromise our convictions, desert our dedication, deny our distinctive, drop our devotion, and, possibly, sacrifice our salvation, then better we go it alone in a world where fellowship is so obviously important and earnestly desired. BUT THIS IS NOT NECESSARY!

By remaining the Pentecostals we are, we can enjoy our experiences, believe our Bibles, exploit our educational advantages, and appreciate our association with all true believers. But we must remain men and women of high purpose and solid resolution, refusing to bend or bow to pressures, both within and without, and refusing to settle for a religion of expedience rather than experience!

I DO NOT FEEL THE PENTECOSTAL CHURCH OF GOD OF AMERICA IS READY TO “REFURBISH” ITS “UPPER ROOM!” We will continue to resist the deadly, destroying influences at work to muffle the true Pentecostal witness in this hour of crisis!

I’ve been to Pentecost’s Upper Room. AND I LIKE IT – JUST AS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN!

by former PCG General Superintendent R. D. Heard
as reprinted in The Pentecostal Messenger, May 1983