Pray_for_TCT_Church_Planting_Network.pdf

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you.—2 Thessalonians 3:1 (NASB)

In 2002, we embraced a strategy to fulfill our church mission that has come to be called “Treasuring Christ Together” (TCT). The strategy has three aspects: multiplying campuses, multiplying new churches, and multiplying mercy through our Global Diaconate.

From the beginning, our prayer was that we be used by God to plant not just one church but a network of churches that work together to plant more new churches. All of our TCT church plants embrace our mission, our Elder Affirmation of Faith, and our essential commitments to church life. My aim is to give you some highlights in that journey and ask for your prayers.

Earlier this year, the elders approved a partnership with Global Church Advancement (GCA), a church planting consultation ministry lead by Dr. Steven Childers of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.

In April of this year, we called together all of our church planting pastors (listed below) along with leaders from the TCT churches to a church planting vision summit meeting.

• 2003—Desiring God Church, Charlotte, North Carolina
• 2005—Treasuring Christ Church, Raleigh, North Carolina
• 2006—All Nations Christian Fellowship, Brooklyn Center
• 2006—Grace Community Church, Memphis, Tennessee
• 2007—Glory of Christ Fellowship, Elk River
• 2009—Kaleo Church, El Cajon, California
• 2010—Jubilee Community Church, Minneapolis
• 2010—Urban Harvest Fellowship, North Little Rock, Arkansas
• 2011—Christ Redeemer Church, Woodbury
• 2012—Redemption City Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan

At that meeting, we took steps to establish a national TCT Church Planting Network, as well as a subordinate Twin Cities Regional Network, the first of what we pray are many regional networks. We identified a leadership team for both the national and Twin Cities networks to think, pray, and draft vision and strategy plans.

October 10–12 we gathered again for our second summit meeting, this time on the topic of ongoing spiritual health and renewal. We thought and prayed about ways to build into our network a relentless pursuit of God in worship, individually and corporately, as a network of local churches whose desire and treasure is Christ Jesus.

Join us in prayer as we look ahead to the next few months. Pray for …

• A new church planting resident slated to begin in January 2012.
• At least six spiritually mature men who sense a call to become church planting coaches and are willing to attend a coaching training atthe GCA Church Planting Conference held January 24–25, 2012.
• Monthly meetings of the Twin Cities Network to begin in February 2012.
• Brett Louis, lead planting pastor of Christ Redeemer Church in Woodbury, as he plans for a public church plant launch in late Winter/early Spring 2012.
• Anticipated church plant launches in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Dayton, Ohio.
• God to continue to call church planters from Bethlehem, the TCT churches, Bethlehem College and Seminary, and from our networking at Desiring God events.

That the Word of the Lord will spread and be glorified,

Kenny Stokes
Lead Pastor, Downtown Campus

Bethlehem’s TCT church planters (and some co-laborers) at a TCT Summit meeting