Growing Together

There are many ways a church can engage its community. Trinity Presbyterian in Cedar Rapids, IA, does so by offering English classes to immigrants, partnering with other churches, and raising future leaders through their internship program. This young church demonstrates that a church need not be well-established to make a difference. Any church can be an outward-facing congregation. Listen in to this conversation with Trinity's pastor, Isaac Ferrell.

While every church should be engaged in ongoing renewal, revitalization is the intentional effort to grow in both inward-facing church life and outward-facing community engagement. A church must flourish to nourish and disciple its members and reach its community. This work requires distinct skills when one serves in a rural community or small town. Tune into the conversation with Erik McDaniel, pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in the small town of Jasper, Tennessee.

While today’s culture of individualism rejects institutional entities, the church is God’s counter-cultural, redemptive institution that best meets our deepest needs. On this episode of Growing Together, we will talk with Brad Edwards about his new book, The Reason for Church, and hear how the church, as the Bride of Christ, is the necessary institution that alone can answer the longings of weary individualists.

Listen to Brad's podcast: PostEverything

Read Brad's book: The Reason for Church

While immigration is a hot topic in today’s news, God’s Word, in Deuteronomy 10:19 instructs us to love the stranger, for we were strangers in the land of Egypt. Today, more people than ever live in a country other than where they were born. MNA’s Refugee and Immigration Ministry assists our churches in welcoming the immigrant and refugee, providing hope that only the gospel can offer.

For more information: https://pcamna.org/ministry/refugee-and-immigrant-ministry/

A church plant is borne out of the hope that God's Word will not return void. Therefore, sharing the gospel with folks is key to any church plant. Hope Presbyterian Church in Ocean Springs, MS is a great example of listening, loving, and sharing the gospel with those who need Christ.

For more information:

•  [email protected] 
• https://www.planthopeos.org/.

Steve Jeantet transitioned from being an Executive Pastor in Sarasota, FL, to planting a church in that community. While his pastoral role changed, his engagement in his community remained consistent. Listen to how his passion became an avenue for evangelism and discipleship. 

Churches are wonderful places because of their tapestry of differences. With our unity in Christ as the foundation, we can enjoy and celebrate diversity without fear of division. Nevertheless, differences can be unsettling and even disorienting at times. Yet to strive for uniformity at the expense of diversity, misses the work of Christ in the Body. There should be diversity in the Body, where people of common language, culture, or interests might gather not to the exclusion of others but to strengthen the common bond we have in Christ.

Communities are often ill-prepared when a natural disaster strikes. Into that need steps MNA’s Disaster Response to support PCA churches in disaster-affected communities through a network of staff and volunteer damage assessment teams, first response teams, site managers, and key leaders. In light of recent hurricanes on the East Coast and fires on the West Coast, Disaster Response brings help and hope. Hear from Mike Kennamer, DR’s Warehouse manager and George Sayour, whose church, Meadowview Reformed Presbyterian, has a long history of working with Disaster Response.

For more information: https://pcamna.org/ministry/mna-disaster-response/

Planting a church often brings a diverse collection of people together. That is even more the case when the planter is from India, his wife is from Korea, and the new work is in Seattle, WA among high-skilled immigrant works in the tech industry. Listen to Sagar Mekwan's story of what God is doing to build his church in Seattle.

For more information: 

• https://give.pcamna.org/to/eastside-church-plant-sagar-mekwan/ 
• Eastside Church Plant Prospectus

Launching a daughter church is no simple task. As with parenting, birthing a new church can be fraught with anxiety and conflict and with joy and celebration. When parenting a plant, churches need to consider the costs and benefits, and having a good midwife certainly helps. If the PCA had a midwife or doula, it would be Ted Powers, Director of The Midwest Alliance. He’s overseen countless plants nationally over the past 25 years and, more recently, focusing on the 14 presbyteries of the Midwest, as the Director of the Midwest Alliance. Few people in our circles are more knowledgeable than Ted about preparing to parent a plant, and that is what we will be talking about today on Growing Together.

To learn more: https://www.midwestalliancepca.com/