Church Strengthening
Protected: Healthy Churches have Healthy Pastors!
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Converge MidAmerica Team
June 7, 2023
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Thank you for joining us for our 2023 Converge Celebration Banquets in Chicago and Orlando. Our Chicago Banquet and the inaugural Southeast Banquet were both incredibly successful because of your attendance
On the far right of this photo stands a man from Kuwait whose search for the Christian faith brought him to our doorstep. With burning questions and a deep desire
In an effort to promote healthy, missionally engaged churches we are encouraging all of our churches and church plants to join us in establishing a church health rhythm. Why
Pastor Robert Gentry from High Hill Christian Church (High Hill, MO) speaks on his experience and journey with the Natural Church Development Survey, what he has learned and identified as growth opportunities and his
May is “Church Health Month” around here at Converge MidAmerica. It is a season in our calendar where we encourage churches to take a close look at both the quality
Many of you have been following Converge’s Church Planting in Michigan. In the last twelve years, we have grown from 50 churches to 78 churches. Rise Church in Romulus, MI, led
This article was originally authored by NCD International. Grace River Church in St. Peter’s, Missouri doesn’t sound at all like the kind of place you’d find bloody wars or even
One of our values in Converge MidAmerica | Southeast | Caribbean is that no pastor would ever lead alone. Although being a part of Converge allows you to lead alone
In August, one of our Converge MidAmerica pastors Avdal Boktor, Lead Pastor of Hope Arabic Church, hosted the Evangelistic Live Free Festival for the first time ever in Windsor, Canada.
This past August, Hope Arabic Church in Sterling Heights, Michigan, held a large three-night outdoor event in tents for the first time in the church’s history. Over 1,800 people showed
God is at work at Mosaico Church! Mosaico Church is a church plant launched in July 2021 in Nashville, TN. Pastor Ramiro Cruz gave Converge MidAmerica an update on the
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
This article was written by Rob Nash, a pastor at Sawyer Highlands Church. This article originally appeared on Converge.org. Have you read that “The average pastoral tenure in a church
This article was written by Rob Nash, a Pastor at Sawyer Highlands Church. In 1852 ● There were thirty-one states in the Union ● Peter Roget’s first thesaurus came in
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
This story was written by Billy Hardy at Leaf River Baptist Church in Illinois. I began serving the people of Northern Illinois at Leaf River Baptist Church in July of
This story was written by Pastor Jerry Troyer at Eastport Baptist Church in Eastport, MI. We are a small church located in northern lower Michigan. This past weekend we saw
Converge MidAmerica|Southeast|Caribbean is thrilled to partner with the KINEO Center, a ministry created just for pastors and church leaders. With so many pastors suffering from depression and burnout today, KINEO’s
Max Lucado wrote, “This my God is my prayer. Draw me from Your fire, form me on Your anvil, shape me with Your hands and let me be Your tool.”
https://convergemidamerica.org/21-day-cherish/Pastor, doing a focused four-week series on a specific topic can take your church to a deeper level. Converge MidAmerica’s 21 Day Campaigns are an opportunity for you as the
Growth can hurt as well as help. Every pastor deals with the ups and downs of ministry growth and the anxiety that can come with it. Ralph Moore talks with
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?”
By Darryn Sheske I’m sure the biggest leadership mistake I made in the first three years of planting Heartland Church was to avoid teaching about money. I’d heard one of
One of the differences between a follower and a leader is that a leader knows what the next steps are for their organization. Even if they don’t know what the
This month we are focusing on the ministry of Mercy Road Church in Redford, MI. Established on 10/10/10 at 10 AM, Mercy Road had a unique beginning as a joint
This past week 27 pastors, church planters, and church leaders came together to learn about Next Steps for their church. Bryan Moak kicked things off with a high-energy training on
This month’s highlight is on The Orchard Church in McHenry, Illinois. Established in 1994, The Orchard’s vision has remained the same throughout the years it has existed: Making Fully Functional
I am seven years into my first tenure as a senior pastor. The congregation I am blessed to serve in that capacity consists of roughly 300 souls near the urban
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
This week, we’re excited to highlight one of our partner churches in Geneva, IL: Chapelstreet Church. Chapelstreet Church has been a Converge MidAmerica member for many years. In 2000, they
Grace Bible Church has been a part of Converge long before I became the pastor as they were founded and led by the late Pastor Rod Walker. I became pastor
When our church celebrated our one-year anniversary, I realized that we were actually going to make it as a church. We had all the things going that a healthy church
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
For several years now, we have been declaring May is Church Health Month! In Converge, we are sold out to church planting as well as very serious about church strengthening.
Believe it or not, Berkeley Community Church launched right of the last pandemic, the Spanish Flu. A women’s bible study in the Detroit area wanted to start a church in
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
I had always believed church to be a safe place. Through years spent attending and pastoring various churches, I developed a deep love and respect for the local church. But
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
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
If you are going to grow a church significantly one of the skill you are going to need is to learn how to create and shape the culture of your
As much as I would love to hit the reset button on 2020, that isn’t going to happen. So instead of focusing on what “isn’t” right with 2020, I have
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
Every year my wife makes me go to the doctor for a check-up. It’s not my favorite thing, but I do it anyway, even though I feel fine. Why? I
“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?
Overview This ebook is designed to be used in a leadership setting with your church board, church staff, ministry team or even in a small group setting. Our prayer is that God
Overview Prayer is more about bringing our desires, passions, needs, concerns and circumstances into missional alignment, rather than for our own personal fulfillment. In this short book on prayer our
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
In just a few days, we will be celebrating our first “virtual” Easter Sunday in our churches. I’m pretty sure it is accurate to say that none of us have
I never thought the day would come, that due to COVID-19 every pastor in America would be forced to do what I’ve been doing for the past 10 years. You
It is surreal to think that we are finishing up week three of the Covid-19 quarantine. Nothing is normal for any of us. To be honest, I’m starting to forget
As we enter week two of the Coronavirus quarantine one thing is clear – the “novelty” has worn off. In some ways, last week was filled with our pastors operating
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
My bookshelves are filled with books on church health. Most claim to hold the key to seeing your church break the “code” for effective ministry. There is not one pastor
DOWNLOAD TO LISTEN NOW! With the increasing urbanization and growing ethnic diversity in our world and nation, there may be no more important topic to deal with than the
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
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?
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?
December is the largest giving month for most churches and non-profit organizations. Early in my ministry, I learned that most non-profits see 25% of their giving revenue come in during
EXHAUSTION I am a married pastor with six kids. Life is busy with vehicles breaking down, house projects never-ending, deadlines needing to be met, and to-do lists filling my time
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
Death is certain. On April 17th, 1790, in Philidelphia, a famous statesman, philosopher, printer, scientist, and abolitionist died at the age of 84. His impact on America lives on today.
We get calls from churches from time to time asking if they should be doing a financial operations audit. The answer to that is YES. Why? Because you want to
“Momentum… it’s God’s work. Spiritual leaders can neither create a movement of God’s Spirit nor control it. But a leader should build an atmosphere charged with a desire for spiritual
“God never estimates what we give from impulse. We are given credit for what we determine in our hearts to give; for the giving that is governed by a fixed
We are serious about strengthening our churches! Why? Because scripture mandates it. The Apostle Paul in his letter (actually a field manual) to Titus, who was serving as a regional leader
May is “Church Health Month” around here at Converge MidAmerica. It is a season in our calendar where we encourage churches to take a close look at both the quality
When we say we are better together, we really mean it! Last year, a group of churches in Michigan was looking for opportunities to connect with each other, but in
There is a lot of material on how to break growth barriers from an organizational perspective but little from personal development outlook. This series of webinars is design to look
