Cornerstone Church Network Issued two press releases today, reproduced below. Note that one location for the Missional conferences is FBC Pomona, who just voted UNANIMOUSLY in favor of supporting the Region Board (see www.hisbarkingdog.blogspot.com):
Release #1:
Rome Wasn't Built in a Day
by Bill Nicoson
The shaping of any new organization is huge work. It is, at times, extremely overwhelming. Some have questioned why the process is taking so long. While bringing shape and form is truly is a labor of love, it also is a labor that is extremely time intensive.
My friends, this is a work in progress. It will never be finished. To say that it will be completed takes our eyes off Christ. To have everything figured out moves us from trusting in God and puts the "genius" on us. Cornerstone Church Network will always be evolving. We want to go where the Lord is working and work with Him. This means the scope of our mission will always be changing.
I am grateful to the Vision Architects for their dedication and desire to follow God as we endeavor to bring Cornerstone Church Network to life. We have prayed and sought God's direction for this new movement. Our hope is that Cornerstone will be a band of brothers and sisters committed to reaching our world for Christ.
I have a friend who writes, "To lead is to be led. It is to be mastered by the Master. Before we can be driven we need to be drawn. Full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Any form of leadership that is independent of the leading the Holy Spirit is immediately and completely disqualified. Leadership in the name of Jesus means that we follow Jesus in everything we do." - Taken from Leadership Under the Radar by Douglas Webster.
Why Join Cornerstone?
We want to take the world for Christ and we want you on our team. Our network will connect you with leaders who sharpen and encourage you. We won't hire experts in specialized fields of service but we will put you in touch with successful practitioners that see the big picture as it relates to God's kingdom.
In addition:
You don't have to change your current situation to become a member. All we are asking is that your church pastor sign our Statement of Faith, which will be renewed annually, and commit financially to support Cornerstone. The annual membership fees will be fairly based upon your church's budget. You can pay either a lump sum or spread it out through mission giving.
As a member, you must agree to be either a mentoring, teaching or coaching church, or to be mentored, taught or coached by another Cornerstone church. This gives us accountability and fosters relationships with one another.
Cornerstone is a home for those who have no place to go or who have been waiting for this new movement to develop. Our commitment is to serve local churches and help them to do mission together. We do not intend to compete with or take from other denominations or regions, etc. Our aim is to enhance the ministry and effectiveness of the local church.
We are having several Missional Churches Conferences in May and one in April throughout the country (a list of conferences appears in this issue of eConnections). You can register for these conferences on our web site at http://www.ccnetonline.org/. We'll be distributing membership applications at the conferences, plus a downloadable version will be available on our web site commencing April 25.
Best Practice Churches
On another front, Cornerstone is in the process of identifying best practice churches. The purpose of this will be to strengthen our network in terms of resources. For example, if your church wants to know who is doing small groups well we will be able to provide you with the top five or six churches that have a best practice in that area. We also intend to partner with other groups who will provide many opportunities for churches to participate in ministry - groups like International Justice Mission, Wycliffe Bible Translators and others. We are currently investigating other outreach organizations that are having an amazing impact among Muslims. Again, we want to serve the local church. Nothing more. We are here for you.
The challenge for you and for me is to think about the future. Keep your eye on the prize. Phil. 3:12, "I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize." (CEV)
Release #2:
Missional Church Conferences
An Introduction to Cornerstone Church Network Cornerstone Church Network is sponsoring conferences where you can learn more about who we are and what we do. We're grateful to these churches for offering their facilities and for their support. Then in September, we're planning a national conference to officially launch Cornerstone Church Network. We'll announce details of those plans soon. Check out the areas where we'll be meeting and make plans to attend a meeting near you. To reserve a spot, please visit our web site at http://www.ccnetonline.org/ and register for the conference you want to attend. Include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and the date of the conference.
Tuesday, April 25 - 1:00 p.m.
Windsor Baptist Church
213 Little Conestoga Road
Uwchland, Pennsylvania 19480
610-458-5177
Paul E. Chaya, Pastor
Tuesday, May 2 - 10:00 a.m. - includes a hosted lunch
First Baptist Church of Marshalltown
700 Olive Street
Marshalltown, IA 50158
641-753-3528
Richard Sipe, Sr. Pastor
Tuesday, May 9 - 1:00 p.m.
Burncoat Baptist Church
475 Burncoat Street
Worcester, MA 01606
508-853-6240
James A. Fontaine, Pastor
Thursday, May 11 - 1:00 p.m.
Karl Road Baptist Church
5750 Karl Road
Columbus, Ohio 43228
614-436-8358
John Kirn, Contact
Tuesday, May 16 - 1:00 p.m
Holiday Inn1616 West Crawford Street
Salina, KS 67402
(Holiday Inn number: 785-823-1739)
Jim Bridges Contact person 785-825-4643
Thursday, May 18-21
ABC-NW Annual Meeting
Bill Nicoson will speak at a breakfast meeting.
509-845-1897
Jim Amend, Contact
Tuesday, May 23 - 1:00 p.m.
First Baptist Church of Pomona
586 N. Main StreetPomona, CA 91768
909-629-5277
Glenn Gunderson, Sr. Pastor
Thursday, May 25 - 1:00 p.m.
Peters Creek Baptist Church
6300 Library Road
South Park, PA 15129
412-833-6111
Gregory Adkins, Sr. Pastor
3 comments:
I'm not all that sure about the Rome analogy but thanks for the update... I have a desire to hear about the Cornerstone movement more frequently… Keep us posted!
enjoy, ron
The press release indicates that Cornerstone will be seeking to collaborate with parachurch ministries like Wycliffe and International Justice mission. Does this mean that ABC International Ministries will no longer be supported by ABE/Cornerstone churches?
Rome may not have been built in a day, but neither was it built in isolation.
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