Guess how Ramiro and Melissa Cruz would spend one free night a week. Get some extra sleep? Nah. Read that book? Not likely. Binge-watch the latest Marvel show on Disney+?
Even 133 pages of bureaucracy and beliefs in two languages didn’t discourage Iglesia Reformada 2:42 in Mexico from joining Converge, just like dozens of Greater Caribbean churches have done in
Many of you have been following Adam Reardon’s church planting journey. He and his family have been real heroes for all pastors and church planters to emulate. They have displayed
At Heartland Church, prayer is the vital foundation of their church and ministry. The congregation comes together for 21 Days of Prayer every January and August at the start of
Our Story B gave his life to the Lord in 2015. He lived in India for 3.5 years doing the work of the Lord with his family’s ministry. After returning
At Converge MidAmerica | Southeast | Caribbean, we believe that the best way to fulfill the Great Commission is by making disciples who make disciples and planting churches that plant
My name is Gary Ricci and I am the pastor of New Hope Christian Community Church. Our church was planted in 2009 in Round Lake, Illinois. I was the associate
Church Planting Weekend is an annual movement-wide celebration for Converge. During the first weekend in June (or any weekend between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day), take time during your services
Temple Hill Baptist Church in Cadillac, Michigan has been doing a Missions Garage Sale at the end of August for several years. The purpose of the annual garage sale is
Before we hit the ground running in 2022, let’s take a look back at all that God has done in 2021 through Converge MidAmerica | Southeast | Caribbean! We are
Written by Ben Greene Outside South Carolina’s first Converge church, Hurricane Florence was thrashing pines and palmettos. But inside, Source Connection was worshiping Jesus for the first time. Pastor Paul
Leadership is lonely. It’s easy to feel alone as a church planter, especially in the early days. It can be difficult to pour time and energy into an event or
In 1852 when Gustaf Palmquist started the First Swedish Baptist Church in Rock Island, IL. In 1856, the Swedish Baptist Churches came together for their first gathering in Illinois. Did
When you think of the Bahamas, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Beautiful beaches? Crystal blue water? Relaxation? While most view the Bahamas as a place for
Twenty years ago this fall, Converge MidAmerica experienced a breakthrough moment in launching four church plants within five weeks of the attacks at the World Trade Center on 9-11. Up
Located in Sterling Heights Michigan, Hope Arabic Church was launched in November of 2014. The church began from just 27 people attending the first service to 247 people attending right
On a recent trip to Mexico, Jessy Padilla and Ernie Cabrera had the opportunity to experience how God has been at work through the local church in Los Luz and
On a recent trip to Haiti, the president of Converge, Gary Rohrmayer and the vice president of church partnerships, Ernie Cabrera, had the opportunity to experience for themselves what God
By Ben Greene Shortly after walking out of the Atlanta Transitional Center, a man who finished his prison sentence called Converge pastor Dennis Spears. “Hey Pastor D, how you doing?”
NextSteps is designed for any church leader who embraces the missional lifestyle, and aligns the ideas and tools around building healthy church systems that allows the church to actualize its
In a desire to get critical training materials into the hands of church planters earlier in the process, Gary Rohrmayer in partnership with CoachNet.org has provided a one hour, free, webinar through each stage of the FirstSteps Church Planting Process. Each
Here are four simple reasons you can share with your church that will touch their hearts and give them a fresh perspective on the impact of church planting. 1. It
On December 3, 2020, Pastor Will Woods celebrated his 51st year as pastor at Altona Baptist Church on St. Croix. Last week, our Converge MidAmerica team caught up with Pastor
I’m so excited that our Converge churches all around the United States are taking a weekend this summer to highlight church planting. If you haven’t heard about Church Planting weekend,
The number one reason we should be sold out to church planting is the Glory of God. Yes, church planting is the central vehicle for achieving God’s mission. Yes,
NEXT STEPS TO LEADING A MISSIONAL CHURCH Orlando: June 9-10, 2021 Chicago: August 18-19, 2021 One of the differences between a follower and a leader is that a leader knows
KODY: I was on staff at a multi-site church in Nashville, and as we had a new pastor and kind of began to get to know him a little bit,
Pastors are a gift from God. That’s why we love that the month of October is Pastor Appreciation Month. This year has been extra tough on them. I can only
This month we highlight Charley Dever who is planting in Knoxville, TN. Charley moved from Chicago area and was in the midst of building a launch team and then COVID-19
Remember Dug, the talking dog from the movie “Up”? He had a device that allowed his master to hear and understand him. What we discover is that as much as
Cory Ball is Lead Pastor and Church Planter of Redemption Community Church in Kirkwood, MO which part of the St. Louis metro area. Launched in Feb 2020 Cory like other
In this sermon, Bryan Moak shares about how to keep the fundamentals of the Gospel at the forefront of your life as found in John 12. Below you can download
In this sermon, Bryan Moak shares how we can forget what is behind and live in the hope of Christ, as found in Philippians 3:4b-14. Below you can download the
In this sermon, Bryan Moak shares about church essentials as found in Acts 2:42-47. Below you can download the video for use in your church service. We hope this video
Pastor, this fall would be an excellent opportunity to take your church to a deeper level as you relaunch your church. Converge MidAmerica’s 21 Days Campaigns are an opportunity for
Joshua Young leads Redeeming Hope. A handful of people just came to Christ through his ministry and we couldn’t be happier for this new life!
Jesus did not tell us to “go make leaders” but he did tell us to “go make disciples” (Matthew 28:19-20). If your church does not have a strong spiritual formation
Over 100 churches participated in our 4 -week Relaunch coaching cohorts. Using Zoom, all participants gathered in a large group, focusing on insights of relaunching in light of COVID-19. The real power of the coaching
In this 2-part sermon series, Gary Rohrmayer shares Seven Qualities of a Remarkable Citizen as found in Titus 3:1-2. Below you can download the video and notes for use in
https://vimeo.com/425333558 “Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah
Now more than ever is the time to rally in prayer. Consider starting a 21 Days of Prayer campaign digitally for your congregation.
In taking this evangelistic journey, we will take a close look at the Three Spheres of Outreach which include: 1) The leader and the people they connect with during the week, 2)
The next step is to help leaders understand the spheres of outreach that exists within their community. Today we are going to move from understanding to implementation. If we, as
If a leader is going to raise the evangelistic temperature of their church they will first need to understand the three spheres of outreach: Level 1: These are people who
We recognize that life and ministry are stressful and being compounded with the COVID-19 pandemic. To help with this reality, we compiled a listing of MAP Counselors throughout our region who
Every church this fall will have an opportunity to relaunch and retool their ministry. We hope this series of articles will inspire and practically assist churches as they look into
Overview Our mission is a relational mission. Doing mission with others involves trust. Building and maintain relational trust is critical for any church to succeed. Gary Rohrmayer walks us through
Maybe you’ve been hosting online services for ages now, or maybe (like many others) you’ve been forced into online church by COVID-19 restrictions. Either way, we want to help you
Overview Prior to granting a license, a church should establish policies regarding the licensing procedure. Get the Free Download [email-download download_id=”4619″ contact_form_id=”723″]
Overview Because of the growing number of Converge MidAmerica churches, there is a need for a guide that will assist churches in evaluating potential candidates for ordination and a suggested procedure for
This ebook provides fourteen devotionals built around the tactics the enemy uses to attack the church and provides the scriptural antidote to overcome them. Could your leadership team identify how the enemy is seeking to attack the church?
It is surreal to think that we are approaching the end of the fifth week of the Covid-19 quarantine. In fact, some of us have been in this longer than
We are offering 7 different breakout opportunities throughout the week. You can jump in on any of these Zoom calls for an opportunity to encourage each other, share ideas and
This week we began offering Zoom calls for our pastors to come together to share ideas, encourage one another and pray for each other. We have had at least six
It is a fairly common statistic that 80% of funding for your ministry comes from 20% of the people in your church. Though some experts are seeing the trend move to
Strengthening our prayer life through fasting helps us align our lives and our churches in what God is doing around us. There are several biblical reasons why one should engage
This story has been reposted from Converge’s Newsline. Subscribe to Newsline here. Grace River Church, St. Peters, Missouri, celebrated the grand opening of its new location on December 8, with
Fourteen years ago, our family decided to use the Ministers Assistance Program (MAP). Our daughter Kallie, who was a teenager at the time, was struggling emotionally with a tragic event
Hello! We are Philip & Betsy Barr, Converge entrepreneurial church planters in Knoxville, TN. We were inspired by The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 and founded Barr 3M
I believe every healthy church can play a role in church planting. I believed this when I started this job a little over two years ago, and I believe it
Joseph Taylor is a church planter in Chicago, IL. As he is finishing up his residency at Missio Dei Chicago, we asked him to share about his residency. Why and
If you are going to grow a church significantly one of the skills you are going to need is to learn how to create and shape the culture of your organization. So how does one build a culture of generosity?
I am passionate about church planting for a number of reasons: Church Planting is the main vehicle for expressing God’s mission. Church Planting is a key strategy in fulfilling Jesus’
We believe that every healthy church should play a role in multiplication. Would you prayerfully consider how God can use your leadership to lead your church in this multiplication effort?
When the thought of doing a residency was first proposed to me I was certain my family and I were not going to do it. I had already taken a
You may be wondering what to expect at Connect, how to take full advantage of the conference, or why you should even attend. Here are a few tips to help
You probably have a lot of family and ministry memories in your office; here are a few of mine. One of my favorites is my bobblehead of Henry Aaron. He
We have a new wave of church planters! Have you met them yet? Danny and Ibeth Flores – R Church, Elgin, IL R church is a church plant in the
Every church has a First Impressions Team — those who welcome greet and serve all who attend your public gatherings. But how many churches have a Second Touch Team —
