June 2023 - Converge MidAmerica

Over the last year we have seen the Lord expanding our district into Mexico – 14 new affiliate churches in one year! This growth is God’s faithful answer to years long prayers of various leaders within Converge MSC. A very tangible fruit of this growth is the Converge Mexico Annual Conference. On June 1-2, Converge churches in Mexico held the second annual conference with the participation of twenty-one Mexican churches. Converge pastors and leaders from the US and Mexico collaborated together in planning, leading and teaching the plenary sessions and workshops. Even the worship team was a mix of musicians from the US and Mexico. This only reinforced our motto “Juntos Somos Mejores – We are Better Together,” which was emphasized all throughout the conference.

One hundred and fifty pastors, church staff members and lay leaders gathered at Iglesia A Su Imagen (Made In His Image Church) in Queretaro, Mexico to worship, learn, meet for the first time and grasp the vision of Converge. Pastors received training and at the same time were able to connect with other pastors from Mexico and the US. For many, the most important lesson learned was that they did not have to walk their journey alone. Six new Mexican church planters are now planning on joining Converge as well as other guest churches interested in affiliation. We are very excited to see how this movement is spreading and pastors are finding new friendships and companionship in ministry. As Jesus said in John 17:21-24 “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

The 2024 conference is already being planned and we would love for you to participate. If you and your church are interested in partnering with the Lord’s expansion of His church in Mexico, please contact us to learn more. It’s an opportunity for you, a stateside pastor of a Converge church, to meet, encourage and hopefully become a partner with a Mexican pastor and church. During your time in Mexico you will attend and teach at the conference, and then be paired-up with a local church which you will visit and preach at on a Sunday morning. Or maybe your church would like to financially offset the cost of the conference, support gifts can be made online.

Please visit our new Converge Mexico ministries webpage to learn more and what the Lord is doing through Converge Mexico.

Healthy Churches have Healthy Pastors!

“If the pastor isn’t healthy, the church isn’t healthy.” This statement has never been truer than it has been in the last couple of years. Pastors have struggled to stay healthy with all the issues surrounding COVID, let alone all the other myriad of issues that regularly surround church leadership. Some pastors have simply thrown in the towel and said “I’m done with ministry. It’s just not worth it”. How sad when that happens! Many of these pastors held those feelings to themselves and never felt comfortable talking with anyone about their struggles. Obviously, we want our pastors to be able to share with each other. We, as regional leaders, want to be there as well. But sometimes you need to talk to someone who is outside your circle, someone who has the ability to walk with you, confidentially, and spiritually.

Converge MSC has just such a resource, it’s called the MAP program. The MAP program (Minister Assistance Program) exists to allow pastors, spouses, and any children living in your home to do up to 9 counseling sessions each per year with a licensed professional counselor for only $25 a session. That also includes any other full-time pastoral staff at your church, along with their spouses and children as well.

Counselors can be chosen from a list you can find on our website https://convergemidamerica.org/counseling. Each counselor has been vetted regarding their testimony in Christ, their agreement with our Converge Statement of Faith, and their education and licensing qualifications. Each counselor has also agreed to the MAP program policies and procedures. We are always eager to add more counselors in our ever-expanding region, so the list is always changing.

We have sought to make the MAP program as “doable” as we possibly can so that you might say yes to this opportunity. You don’t have to be in crisis to use the MAP program (although if you are, please do). We know that it’s important to do an annual physical with your doctor to make sure there is nothing going on in your body that will make you sick. We believe it is important to do a check-up to make sure you’re mentally, spiritually, and emotionally healthy as well.

The MAP program exists in no small part because of your generous giving. Each year we spend $20-30k to allow our pastors and families to use the MAP program, and we would love for that number to climb as more and more pastors and families see the incredible importance and benefit of seeking out counseling. So thank you for your generosity.

Pastor, we encourage, no, we implore you to not take lightly the gift of the MAP program for yourself and for your family. Don’t keep yourself from resolving issues, conflicts, tricky relationships, or anything else that you need healing from so that you might be the healthy pastor your church needs. You are loved!

Juntos Somos Mejores – We Are Better Together!

Healthy Churches have Healthy Pastors!