Just One Neighbor....

Just one family on our street goes to Church. Just one family on our street in a million streets across America. I know it's not about going to Church. I know people long for friendship and relationships. But how many of my neighbors and your neighbors actually invest time in these wonderful people?

We took our Mormon neighbors out for pizza the other day. It was a fun time. I wonder how many "Christians" have taken the time to know them? They are really nice people. They do not see things the way we "Christians" do, but they are still committed people. Who will reach them if we judge them, mistrust them, sterotype them, and neglect them?

What will we do about our neighbors?

What are you doing?

THIS TEAM IS ALSO DOING IT!

Here is a picture of our planning session as Bob Ransom leads the Northwest District in stepping higher for the Kingdom. We now have three teams; Healthy Church Initiative, Community & Church Multiplication. These three teams are leading this district toward reaching the millions of unreached people in the Northwest. I assist with the Healthy Church Initiative to bring congregations to health so that they will be able to make healthy disciples who make healthy growing and reproducing disciples.

Please pray for this team as we release territory and ministries for Christ.

It's Being Done!

Tomorrow I head south for Dever Conner Missionary Church located near Albany, Oregon. I have the privilege of worshipping with them in the morning and coaching them in Healthy Church Principles on Tuesday night.

Pastor Don Snell is leading this church for long term growth and sustainability. He is implementing a strong prayer base and leading the Church in a strong love environment. We are seeing the results. In addition to this, Pastor Don is leading his Church family by teaching them that all believer's make disciples who make disciples.

I want to ask all of you in my blog-land to daily pray for this Pastor and congregation located in the Northwest District of the Missionary Church.

By the way, this pastor checks my blogsite -why not post a prayer or word of encouragement.

Any Takers For Portland Oregon?

The Harvest awaits workers in Portland, Oregon. I took a drive this afternoon and took one of these scenic pics. Wouldn't you like to live here and serve here? Can you see Mt. Hood in the background?

A Glimpse at My Harvest Field in St. Louis

This is just one view of thousands of subdivisions like this one.

MY RESPONSIBILITY

God continues to enlarge my territory and stretch my vision. As I look at the cities of Kansas City and St. Louis I have nearly 5 million people many of whom are lost with my area of responsibility. Recently at a leadership training event with Bob Ransom and Jeff Getz with U.S. Ministries, Missionary Church, Inc., I was greatly challenged. What will I step up to the plate and call my responsibility? How many lost people will I be responsible for reaching?

I have gone on record and want to go on record with you, I am claiming the 5 Million people in Kansas City and St. Louis as my responsibility over the next few years. Reaching this population will be my responsibility.

HOW CAN I REACH THIS MANY FOR CHRIST? Well, that's the real question. I will use every believer in every denomination or group that cares about reaching lost people. I will make disciples who make disciples who make disciples in and outside of the Missionary Church. We will help the Missionary Church make disciples while also helping every other person and group or denomination succeed at making disciples that give birth to churches. We will network with everyone in these cities who share the same passion of making disciples who make disciples who make disciples.

We are building the kingdom and we are focussing on reaching whatever of the five million who have not yet had the opportunity to accept or reject Jesus. We are not "just" building the Missionary Church. We will in the course of making disciples expand our own movement --BUT it is the Kingdom of God that is more imprtant to me, to my U.S. Ministries Director, Bob Ransom, and even the President of the Missionary Church, Dr. Bill Hossler.

WE CARE MORE ABOUT REACHING LOST PEOPLE -THAN BUILDING OUR OWN CHURCH. WE WILL WORK AND NETWORK WITH EVERY PERSON WHO SHARES THE SAME VALUE OF PUTTING GOD'S KINGDOM FIRST. There you have it, we will even make disciples for other groups and churches. We want to reach the Five Million and we will only succeed as we help each other partner with God.

I'm taking responsibility for the nearly five million within my reach. What about you? What about the people in your city? Who will take responsibility for them? Why not you?

Most Recent Prayer Update

Dear Partners in Ministry,

After just getting in from meeting (in Indianapolis) with Bob Ransom, our U.S. Ministries Director and Missionary Church President, Dr. Bill Hossler and other team members, I am pumped. It is exciting to be part of a denomination that cares more about reaching and discipling lost people than expanding the Missionary Church. When we care more about (the kingdom) of reaching lost people even though they are in another town and in another state or in another Church and not "just" overseas ---I believe God will bless us.

In the morning I leave for Portland, Oregon (very early) and I will be attending the District Board meetings, a Pastor's Cluster and Coaching Dever Conner. I will be out for a week or so.

Please pray for many leads I am following up on. I have received great interest in both Kansas City and St. Louis. Many people are concerned more about the harvest of reaching and discipling lost people than they are about having secure pay checks and financial stability.

What I know is this...Making Disciples who make disciples will cost nothing. Anyone can do it with the will to do it. But, we do have financial needs because we want to help any way we can to bring families and other leaders to these target cities. Please pray for more people and resources for this ripening harvest field. If you cannot move to these target cities, maybe you can help others move.

We have a growing number of people who are willing to be bi-vocational to make this new movement of making disciples who make disciples possible. I praise God for birthing this sacrifice in the hearts of many people.

Please pray for our safety and protection and for wisdom in the days ahead. Please pray for my fundraising efforts to be successful as I raise the remaining half of my support. Please pray that God will deliver people eager to know Christ in my path so I can also be at the business of making disciples who make disciples.

Here's what I know for sure. If I can make a disciple who makes a disciple who makes a disciple who makes a disciple --we will create a movement for God that cannot be stopped. We are on the verge of seeing this new kind of Christianity actually in action, finally in the United States.

Please pray and give as the Lord leads...

I love you,

BOB

Bob Carder
Mission District Leader
Missionary Church, Inc.
636.698.4708

IF YOU'VE GOT GUTZ

Answer the next post.....titled, "Before I Address It"

I dare to dare you. We need everyone's help on this matter. What is discipleship to you? How do we disciple people? What will we teach them and how?

You know more than you think and it is easier than you think.

I'm waiting for your responses..

Before I Address It...

Before I tell you how to Make Disciples -I guess I'd like to know how you think we should make disciples? Let's say you have a new believer who just accepted Christ, what would you do to disciple this person. How would you go about it? What would you teach? How would you determine what the person needed?

I look forward to hearing from you...If you have the COURAGE!

I'M ASKING GOD A FOR NEW MOVEMENT

What will it take for God to create a Movement in America?

Here it is in the most simplistic form.

You make a disciple who makes a disciple who makes a disciple who makes a disciple (this is called making disciples to the fourth generation).

If you will do this -You will create a movement that cannot be stopped. We call this a Disiciple-Making Movement.

When every believer is taught to make disciples and then they make them -then and only then will America be reached for Christ.

Coming next: How to make disciples?

I'm still alive!

I'm in Indianapolis for a few days of Church Planting meetings and training. It was great tonight. It is amazing how what I learned in Keystone Training and what I am hearing here is dovetailing together. Everyone is saying the same thing. Everyone is going back to the mandate of making disciples.

I'm very honored to sit with the President of the Missionary Church, Dr. Bill Hossler and U.S. Ministries Director, Bob Ransom and listen to their hearts and hear them say in one way or another that they care more about reaching lost people than just expanding the Missionary Church. We just want to reach lost people and help everyone reach lost people because reaching lost people is what matters most to God.

We all agree that we must claim our regions for Christ and then work with every person and every denomination and every pastor who cares about reaching lost people. For instance if we are ever going to reach Kansas City and St. Louis for Christ we will need to partner with everyone in every group who care about reaching lost people. I'm for reaching lost people and I have a growing passion to join hands and hearts with everyone in these cities for the sake of the Gospel and for the sake of reaching lost people for Christ.

We all agree that we need to lead the Church in America back to the mandate of reaching and discipling lost people for Christ. It's not just about planting new Churches it is about Making Disciples who are taught to make other disciples.

I'm encouraged by the fact that there is not just one way to do it. There are many ways to reach lost people. Even some Churches in America are reaching some lost people. I celebrate reaching lost people and without the American Model we would not have those souls that have been won. BUT, I'm not ready to let the Church in America off the hook. I still keep pressing them to make disciples who make disciples. I still speak out against the "Come and See" Model of reaching lost people. I will celebrate the "Come & See" Model when they lead the people who "Come and See" to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples. So there you have it -I'll brag on the American Church when the American Church gets off it's butt and back in the trenches Monday through Saturday in Making Disciples.

Give me your thoughts....

Because of Easter - We Share Seven Together's

Happy Easter to ALL my blogging friends!

1. CRUCIFIED Together With Christ (Galatians 2:20)
2. BURIED Together With Christ (Romans 6:4)
3. RAISED Together With Christ (Colossians 3:1)
4. SUFFERERS Together With Christ (Romans 8:17)
5. GLORIFIED Together With Christ (Romans 8:17)
6. CAUGHT UP Together With Christ (I Thessalonians 4:17)
7. ENTHRONED Together With Christ (Revelations 3:21)

We acknowledge the Death of Jesus on our behalf. It was on the cross where Jesus took the entire weight of sin, though sinless, He took our sin upon Himself. Three days later He AROSE victor over the grave and death. Because He lives we celebrate these Seven Together's. Happy Easter!

A Kingdom Vision....

A Kingdom Vision goes beyond....
It goes beyond our ABILITIES
It goes beyond our GIFTS
It goes beyond our BUILDINGS
It goes beyond our BUDGETS
It goes beyond our BOUNDARIES
It goes beyond our GENERATION
It goes beyond our NAMES
It is about ALL WHAT God can do....And when He does He does so well.

Movements Vs. Institutions

God creates Movements - we like to create Institutions.
We can choose to be part of God's Movement.
A Movement is greater than we are....

You cannot OWN a Movement
You cannot CONTROL a Movement
You cannot PROGRAM a Movement
You cannot SCHEDULE a Movement
You cannot FINANCE a Movement
You cannot STOP a Movement

All around the world God is blessing with explosive transformed lives. We can try to do this and have tried on our own. God wants to start a Movement in America, something that only He can do, so that that when it is done, everyone will know with certainty that God showed up.

If we took God out of our Sunday Morning "Come and See" Worship event, what would be left? The sad thing is, in many places across America, nothing would be different. Nothing would be different because we are good at Owning, Controlling, Programming, Scheduling, Financing, and Doing our thing. If you took God out of what you do, what would remain. Sadly, most everything if not everything remains in "Americanized Christianity" - Because we are good at doing Church without God. We need God to create a Movement and we should all want to be part of it.

Ooooh this is something to think about....

God Has Chosen You!

"You did not choose Me but I have chosen you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My Name He may give it to you." John 15:16

We Are All Chosen To:
1. GO
2. Bear Fruit
3. Bear Fruit That Remains
4. Have a Special Relationship With the Father

We like to focus on the "so that whatever you ask of the Father in His Name, He may give it to you", part of this verse. But I challenge you to focus on "bearing fruit, so that your fruit will remain" part of this verse. The only fruit I know of that remains is transformed lives.

In America we focus on many of the wrong things while the main thing is staring in our faces. People are everywhere and they need to be transformed by the power of God.

I Love This Modern Paraphrase:

A modern summary of communal beliefs as found in the words of the ancient nicene creed (circa 451 a.d.).
We believe
in one God,
the father, the almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only son of God,
eternally begotten of the father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation
He came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
He became incarnate from the virgin Mary,
and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under pontius pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
on the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
we believe in the Holy Spirit, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father (and the son).

With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic church.
we acknowledge one baptism and celebrate the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen!

*holy catholic = universal church

Prayer Letter Week of April 6, 2006

Dear Faith Partners (Prayer Warriors),

How can I thank you for your daily prayers for us and our ministry. We have continually asked you to pray daily that God would protect us from the enemy and that God would give us wisdom in the decision we are making. God continues to be gracious upon us.

Many of you have been visiting my blogsite www.theplanter.blogspot.com where I keep more updates on our vision for Kansas City and St. Louis. As you know these days require a different kind of ministry and approach to making disciples. Actually we are trusting God for a whole movement where we can make disciples who actually make other disciples who also make other disciples. We are not re-creating the American model - we are praying for God to create a New Testament system of multiplication where every Christ follower makes a disciple who makes a disciple who also make disciples. Sounds heavy?

It is Biblical when you believe the Supremacy of the Great Commission. Just think if every believer in America would make one disciple this year and that disciple made one disciple this year. And then next year we do it all over again and again. If we would all do that for ten years America would be mostly filled with Christ followers. Of course God wants us to make more than one disciple per year and we should. But just think if we started out by believing the Great Commission is a mandate by God for each and everyone of us? This is what I am asking you to pray for, a movement where every believer makes disciples who make disciples.

I know some are gifted in Evangelism and their calling is greater. But that does not dismiss us from obeying. Please pray for the established Church to catch this vision too.

A few other prayer requests: I have about 20 people I am processing at present. We have two guys committed to going to Kansas City this summer. I am working on getting several as well for St. Louis. (Please pray that God will give us workers for this harvest and that God would give me wisdom as we select leaders). Sometime this spring I will call all my church planters together for a time of training. Also I am continuing to raise my financial support -God has been gracious and I am still about half way from our goal and the clock is ticking. Please keep praying that God will also raise up the resources that are needed.

I love each of you,

BOB

Bob Carder
Mission District Leader
Missionary Church, Inc.
636.698.4708

Every Day!

Everyday I come across someone who is either tired of the pastorate or who has left the pastorate. These are godly people who love Jesus and want to serve Him. However, they are disillusioned with the Americanized version of Christianity. Often they indicate that they feel more like a slave to the already reached than a servant of Jesus Christ. They are often beaten, battered and bruised, victims of the organization. For many their hope is shattered. Some are disillusioned.

As I speak with these individuals passion begins to rise as I speak of reaching people for Christ who reach others for Christ. I tell them that all they really need to do is make disciples who also make disciples. From these brief encounters with godly men my hope for America is renewed. I am finding people who are willing to give it all up for Jesus and fulfilling the Great Commission. Several who have left the ministry indicate freedom to make disciples who make disciples without the chains of serving the already reached who love sitting in a pew and making it their contribution to Christ.

God has led us to create a disciplemaking system where disciples are made to the 4th generation. (By that I mean, I make a disciple, they make a disciple, who makes a disciple, who makes a disicple to the fourth generation.) When you get to the fourth generation you have created a movement of disciple-making that cannot be stopped.

If you are among the disillusioned with American Christianity -please call me, I have a new home and ministry for you.

Pottery pieces found in South Dakato for a modest fee

Oregon -Arrowheads sent to me as a gift

Will We Sit Back And Watch This Happen?

Staggering estimates! More reasons for Christians to make disciples who make disciples.

UK - will be majority Muslim by the year 2040.
France - will be majorityMuslim by the year 2030.
USA - will be mostly non-Christian by the year 2035.
World - Islam will be the dominant religion by 2050.

If you want to make a difference and fight against these estimates, try making one disciple who makes one other disciple this year. And then, next year do the same thing again, and then do it again and again. We will reach our world for Christ if every believer made one disciple every year who made another disciple who made another disciple every year.

We would not have exponential growth -we would have geometric progression growth which is unlimited.

The Supremacy of the Great Commission by Richard Greene

The Supremacy of the Great Commission demands that we give it our attention, obedience and resolve.

It is not another program, method, strategy, formula, or idea to add to your ministry. It is (should be) your ministry!

It is the supreme, defining, authoritative, and specific mission to which we have been called by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we must know it, understand it, own it and do it. Anything less is to dishonor it and the One who gave it.

Heading Home - Yeah!

I'm leaving at 1:00 p.m. today for the airport. Whew -what a time of intensive training. We were done after lunch yesterday, so I took a walk and came back to my room and took a nap. I must have been tired because I slept right through our evening sharing time. This morning at 10:00 a.m my friends came looking for me to see if I was alright. I'm just beat!

But, around 9:00 p.m. I will arrive in St. Louis and I'm looking forward to being home with Michelle. I'm home until after Easter when I have another 8 days of travel.

This training has impacted my life greatly. We were faced with the terrible state of the current church model and her ineffectiveness to reach our culture. We are clearly losing ground. At the same time I felt relieved and refreshed that I am no longer in the Hagar system for doing Church. (I'll tell you more about Hagar later.) At the same time I have been encouraged because I am trying to create a different type of Disciple-making Multiplication System. I am encouraged to see that God has led me to this point and He is up to something in the world and especially in America today.

So my primary goal is not to plant churches. My primary goal is to make disciples who make disciples who make other disciples. If we will do this God will give birth to a different more fluid and freeing type of Church that keeps the Supremacy of the Great Commission and the need for the Holy Spirit's leadership as two main priorities.

One Plus One Equals More

We have been tricked by the enemy or even the modern organized Church into believing that attracting large groups of people to our church services will result in more people being won to Jesus Christ and made into disciples who also make disciples.

Year..... Come & See Evangelism............... Disciples Making Disciples

1........................365.........................................2
2 ..................... 720...........................................4
3 ................... 1090 ...........................................8
4.................... 1460..........................................16
5.................... 1825..........................................32
10.................. 3650.......................................1024
20.................. 7300................................ 1,048,576
30............... 10,950 ...........................1,073,741,824
33............... 12,045...........................8,589,924,592

The Come & See model illustrates our approach to making disciples in America. We focus most of our energies into trying to attract people to attend our services so they can hear about and respond to Christ. The final column represents the New Testament model of making disciples who make disciples. As you can see, one on one disciple-making is the right way to do it. If every believer in America would invest their time and resources into making one disiciple who makes another disciple and continue doing that for 33 years will result in a net of 8,589,924,592 disciples being brought into the kingdom.

So now you see why I'm exciting about creating a disciplemaking system in America. Give me your thoughts on this matter.

A Cute Reminder to Pray - From Aunt Harriette