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Pastimes : Ask God -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Investor2 who wrote (11168)	2/22/1998 7:28:00 PM
From: Jane Hafker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

Investor2, I can truly say that unless something is very off there, you can't go too wrong looking for the nearest Calvary Chapel. You will have an excellent chance finding yourself in the company of precious and lovable people who truly love and serve Jesus and joyously wait for His return and soon coming, in addition to finding people with just great personalities. They get together just enough, not too much, and are totally sane. Most of them I have met are also completely up on the international and internal things that need watching, and I miss not having one here. You can't go wrong by checking them out. Whether or not you will want to stay, who knows. I just know nothing gets very far off course there, if off course at all.

To: Investor2 who wrote (11168)	2/22/1998 11:11:00 PM
From: WTCausby	Respond to of 39621

I2: I believe that in finding a church, the first and foremost thing to do is to ensure that it is a Bible believing church. This may sound strange since all churches should be "Bible believing." However, unfortunately, there are some churches that go off on doctrines that are not scripturally sound. You asked should you be judgmental of a church. My answer is yes in this way - you should judge the church based on the Biblical standard. Look through the first couple chapters of Acts and read Paul's letters to the Corinthians. Also, look at Jesus' letters to the seven churches found in the book of Revelation. If the church is "Bible believing," then it is a matter of personal fit. I fully believe this is an acceptable criteria for individuals or families. You should be comfortable around the people and the people should be friendly and welcoming to you and your family. Finally, I would caution you (and anyone else who may be reading this) that you should be careful about rejecting a church because a message from the pulpit or a Sunday School class might seem sharp somehow. The Lord often speaks through such messages and sometimes the pain we feel (myself included) as a result of a message is really the Lord dealing with something in our lives. If this happens to you in a church then look no further as you will definitely have found your church for the Lord truly dwells in such a place! Best of luck in finding a church. In Christ, Tom

To: Investor2 who wrote (11168)	2/23/1998 2:09:00 AM
From: Barnabus	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

Re. choosing a church... A) What does its statement of purpose say? B) Does the statement of purpose mention the Great Commission? C) Does the Church primarily grow by: 1- Transfer growth 2- Biological growth 3- Conversion growth D) Or is the church growing? F) Does the pastor model soul-winning? G) Does he train the membership to become soul-winners? H) Are you impressed by the "pastor" when you leave the church, or are you impressed with Jesus, the Kingdom of God, the Word, etc. when you leave the sanctuary? I) Is the Church one you could bring your friends to and be reasonably sure they will be presented with a clear presentation of the gospel within a relatively short period of time? J) Is the Church planting any new churches, sending out missionaries, developing ministers? K) Do they have their books audited yearly? L) Do they have bonded counters for the offering? The above should give you some direction---don't get too discouraged about finding a perfect church. None exists. Why? When you and I attend them, we show they are not perfect. Soul-winning can and should be a norm for all healthy churehes, however, not just by the pastor (that too), but by the laity... One pastor can lead 52 people a year to Christ and in ten years have 520 people---with moving and dropouts, he will have 20% of those people. OR that pastor (or a trained layperson) can train two people a year to become soul winners, and those two train two more, etc. and the growth eventually becomes astronomical: 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1024 1048 And those are soul-winners alone. Kennedy of Florida has done a superb job at Coral Ridge Presb. in Florida. John Maxwell has done a sensational job in Lancaster, Ohio and San Diego, Calif. utilizing the above approach. When I was younger, I use to go and "sit at the feet" of these soul-winners---to learn how to do it. Remember, the core of the gospel is the GREAT COMMISSION. Most churches are, however part of the GREAT OMMISSION. Have a great week. Jack