{"id":1259,"date":"2019-04-08T14:21:19","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T19:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/?p=1259"},"modified":"2019-06-27T11:16:46","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T16:16:46","slug":"from-the-ashes-the-prophetic-rebirth-of-a-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/2019\/04\/08\/from-the-ashes-the-prophetic-rebirth-of-a-church\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Ashes: The Prophetic Rebirth of a Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

The congregants at Light House Covenant thought their church was dying, but God had other plans. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The empty, crumbling building looked like a lost cause to the Pampa, Texas, community. The ceiling had caved in, the central heat and air no longer worked, and the moldy roof had collapsed in the foyer. Sound equipment, church chairs, and other equipment had been sold off. Insurance had been canceled. Thirty years prior, it had been prophesied that Light House Covenant would become a light in a spiritual darkness, but with the building in disrepair and only four members left, it seemed that prophecy would go unfulfilled. All the signs pointed to a dead church.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pastor Mike Carlisle had been leading the congregation at Full Armor Biker Church in Amarillo, Texas, for two years when he learned of the little church in Pampa that was clinging to its last hope. He sensed the Lord wanted him to help this tiny flock. \u201cIt was a church without a leader,\u201d he says. \u201cWe were told it was possibly a dead work, but we could give it a try. What I saw upon arrival was four people hoping life would return to their church and to their community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Pastor Mike and his wife followed the Holy Spirit\u2019s leading and began driving an hour every Sunday, bringing with them a worship team and a conviction to speak life into a seemingly dead work. They did not come to lead, but to serve. God honored their obedience and change happened quickly. In August 2017 the church board asked Mike to step into the role of pastor, and in October the church changed its name from Light House Covenant to Full Armor Biker Fellowship. The small congregation, led by Pastor Mike, refocused itself as a missional outreach to the biker community in Pampa.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In what could only be God-ordained time, Bishop Beacham put forth the goals for Arise 2033<\/a> around the same time the church took on its new name. Pastor Mike knew the new focus from church to missional outreach was in perfect alignment with the IPHC\u2019s vision of revitalization. He reached out to Pastor Josh Hannah, who leads the IPHC\u2019s church revitalization training, and also connected with Pastor John Leggett, who had successfully taken his church in Wichita Falls, Texas, through revitalization. Together, they developed a revitalization strategy and set goals for church attendance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Within the first three months of revitalization, the church grew from four members to 45 in attendance, and they experienced almost 20 percent growth every month since then. The original one-year goal was to have 100 in attendance; the church surpassed that with 138 in attendance on the first Sunday in October 2018. Today, the church\u2019s average weekly attendance is 119, with 48 salvations and 51 baptisms in the past year. Mike also continues to pastor Full Armor Biker Church in Amarillo, which meets on Sunday nights and averages between 60 and 80 in attendance. In addition to a thriving fellowship, the congregation has been able to undertake $50,000 in renovations without incurring debt. Man has planted and watered, but God has clearly given the increase.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>More importantly, the outreach is changing lives. Pastor Mike says Christian businesses are on the rise in town, and the community has welcomed the church with open arms. The church is open five days a week with various programs for the community, including Celebrate Recovery on Friday nights. \u201cWe are the church that everyone talks about (in a positive way)\u00a0 even if they don\u2019t attend they know who we are and where we are,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The prophecy that was given in the 1980s has indeed come to pass. Just 18 months after the dying church was on its last legs, Full Armor Biker Fellowship is thriving and shining a light in its community. Of course, numbers only tell part of the story. Pastor Mike emphasizes that each statistic represents a life changed, and that is what really counts. \u201cThe growth has been unreal but the changed lives, people set free from addictions, and restored to their families and the body of Christ has made it all worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Leading A Revitalization Effort<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Walking through the revitalization process with Full Armor Biker Fellowship has given Pastor Mike a firsthand understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities a pastor faces during a church\u2019s rebirth. He emphasizes that catching the vision for Arise 2033 and following Compassion Church\u2019s revitalization program have been vital to healthy church growth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHaving the church open and inviting and making people feel wanted and cared for and following the systems is what has helped us grow,\u201d he says. \u201cThis training is about bringing people to your church through waves, connections, and specific outreach events at specific times, and learning how to keep them connected all while using statistical data that is proven to grow churches. It is about the why \u2013 soul winning – but the how is equally important.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He shares these key suggestions for pastors embarking on church revitalization:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

-Remember to include those who were there before you got there and consider their feelings. If you change without including them you send a message that says, \u201cGod wasn\u2019t doing anything here until I arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n

-God might have called you to ministry, but it means you must take the lowest role as servant of all.<\/p>\n

-Clean the bathrooms when no one is watching, and when no one else can or will.<\/p>\n

-To serve as a shepherd means sometimes you have to carry the sheep.<\/p>\n

-Help people find a way to serve as fast as you can.<\/p>\n

By:\u00a0<\/strong>M\u00e9gan Alba<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The congregants at Light House Covenant thought their church was dying, but God had other plans. The empty, crumbling building looked like a lost cause to the Pampa, Texas, community….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[375,54],"tags":[364,365,366,154,293],"class_list":{"0":"post-1259","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arise2033","8":"category-evusa","9":"tag-fromtheashes","10":"tag-fullarmorbiker","11":"tag-fullarmorbikerfellowship","12":"tag-rebirthofachurch","13":"tag-revitalization","14":"entry"},"title_es":"De las cenizas: el renacimiento prof\u00e9tico de una iglesia","content_es":"Los feligreses de Light House Covenant pensaron que su iglesia se estaba muriendo, pero Dios ten\u00eda otros planes.<\/strong> El edificio vac\u00edo y desmoronado parec\u00eda una causa perdida para la comunidad de Pampa, Texas. El techo se hab\u00eda derrumbado, el calor y el aire central ya no funcionaban, y el techo enmohecido se hab\u00eda derrumbado en el vest\u00edbulo. El equipo de sonido, las sillas de la iglesia y otros equipos hab\u00edan sido vendidos. El seguro hab\u00eda sido cancelado. Treinta a\u00f1os antes, se hab\u00eda profetizado que Light House Covenant se convertir\u00eda en una luz en una oscuridad espiritual, pero con el edificio en mal estado y solo quedaban cuatro miembros, parec\u00eda que la profec\u00eda no se cumplir\u00eda. Todas las se\u00f1ales apuntaban a una iglesia muerta. El pastor Mike Carlisle hab\u00eda liderado la congregaci\u00f3n en Full Armor Biker Church en Amarillo, Texas, durante dos a\u00f1os cuando se enter\u00f3 de la peque\u00f1a iglesia en Pampa que se aferraba a su \u00faltima esperanza. Sinti\u00f3 que el Se\u00f1or quer\u00eda que ayudara a este peque\u00f1o reba\u00f1o. \"Era una iglesia sin un l\u00edder\", dice. \u201cNos dijeron que posiblemente era un trabajo muerto, pero podr\u00edamos intentarlo. Lo que vi al llegar fue que cuatro personas esperaban que la vida regresara a su iglesia y a su comunidad \". \"\"<\/a> El pastor Mike y su esposa siguieron la gu\u00eda del Esp\u00edritu Santo y comenzaron a conducir una hora cada domingo, trayendo con ellos un equipo de adoraci\u00f3n y una convicci\u00f3n de convertir la vida en una obra aparentemente muerta. No vinieron a liderar, sino a servir. Dios honr\u00f3 su obediencia y el cambio sucedi\u00f3 r\u00e1pidamente. En agosto de 2017, la junta de la iglesia le pidi\u00f3 a Mike que asumiera el papel de pastor, y en octubre la iglesia cambi\u00f3 su nombre de Light House Covenant a Full Armor Biker Fellowship. La peque\u00f1a congregaci\u00f3n, dirigida por el Pastor Mike, se reenfoc\u00f3 como una misi\u00f3n misional a la comunidad de motociclistas en Pampa. En lo que solo pudo ser el tiempo ordenado por Dios, el Obispo Beacham propuso los objetivos para el Levantamiento 2033<\/a> aproximadamente al mismo tiempo que la iglesia tom\u00f3 su nuevo nombre. El pastor Mike sab\u00eda que el nuevo enfoque de la iglesia a la divulgaci\u00f3n misional estaba en perfecta alineaci\u00f3n con la visi\u00f3n de revitalizaci\u00f3n de la IPHC. Se acerc\u00f3 al pastor Josh Hannah, quien dirige el entrenamiento de revitalizaci\u00f3n de la iglesia de la IPHC, y tambi\u00e9n se conect\u00f3 con el pastor John Leggett, quien hab\u00eda tomado con \u00e9xito su iglesia en Wichita Falls, Texas, a trav\u00e9s de la revitalizaci\u00f3n. Juntos, desarrollaron una estrategia de revitalizaci\u00f3n y establecieron metas para la asistencia a la iglesia. \"\"<\/a> Dentro de los primeros tres meses de revitalizaci\u00f3n, la iglesia creci\u00f3 de cuatro miembros a 45 en asistencia, y desde entonces han experimentado casi un 20 por ciento de crecimiento cada mes. El objetivo original de un a\u00f1o era tener 100 asistentes; la iglesia super\u00f3 eso con 138 asistentes el primer domingo de octubre de 2018. Hoy en d\u00eda, la asistencia semanal promedio de la iglesia es de 119, con 48 salvaciones y 51 bautismos en el \u00faltimo a\u00f1o. Mike tambi\u00e9n contin\u00faa pastoreando la iglesia Full Armor Biker en Amarillo, que se re\u00fane los domingos por la noche y tiene un promedio de entre 60 y 80 asistentes. Adem\u00e1s de una comunidad pr\u00f3spera, la congregaci\u00f3n ha podido realizar $ 50,000 en renovaciones sin incurrir en deudas. El hombre ha plantado y regado, pero Dios claramente ha dado el aumento. \"\"<\/a> M\u00e1s importante a\u00fan, el alcance est\u00e1 cambiando vidas. El pastor Mike dice que los negocios cristianos est\u00e1n aumentando en la ciudad, y la comunidad ha recibido a la iglesia con los brazos abiertos. La iglesia est\u00e1 abierta cinco d\u00edas a la semana con varios programas para la comunidad, incluyendo Celebrate Recovery los viernes por la noche. \"Somos la iglesia de la que todos hablan (de manera positiva), incluso si no asisten, saben qui\u00e9nes somos y d\u00f3nde estamos\", dice. La profec\u00eda que se dio en la d\u00e9cada de 1980, efectivamente, se ha cumplido. Apenas 18 meses despu\u00e9s de que la iglesia moribunda estuviera en sus \u00faltimas piernas, Full Armor Biker Fellowship est\u00e1 prosperando y brillando una luz en su comunidad. Por supuesto, los n\u00fameros solo cuentan parte de la historia. El pastor Mike enfatiza que cada estad\u00edstica representa una vida cambiada, y eso es lo que realmente cuenta. \"El crecimiento ha sido irreal, pero las vidas cambiadas, las personas liberadas de las adicciones y restauradas a sus familias y al cuerpo de Cristo han hecho que todo valga la pena\". Liderando un esfuerzo de revitalizaci\u00f3n<\/strong> \u00a0<\/strong> Caminar en el proceso de revitalizaci\u00f3n con Full Armor Biker Fellowship le ha dado al Pastor Mike una comprensi\u00f3n de primera mano de los desaf\u00edos y oportunidades \u00fanicos que un pastor enfrenta durante el renacimiento de una iglesia. \u00c9l enfatiza que capturar la visi\u00f3n para Arise 2033 y seguir el programa de revitalizaci\u00f3n de Compassion Church ha sido vital para el crecimiento saludable de la iglesia. \"Tener a la iglesia abierta, invitando y haciendo que la gente se sienta querida, cuidada y siguiendo los sistemas es lo que nos ha ayudado a crecer\", dice. \u201cEsta capacitaci\u00f3n consiste en llevar a las personas a su iglesia a trav\u00e9s de oleadas, conexiones y eventos de divulgaci\u00f3n espec\u00edficos en momentos espec\u00edficos, y aprender c\u00f3mo mantenerlos conectados al mismo tiempo que se usan datos estad\u00edsticos que han demostrado que crecen iglesias. Se trata del por qu\u00e9: ganar almas, pero el c\u00f3mo es igualmente importante \u201d. \u00c9l comparte estas sugerencias clave para los pastores que se embarcan en la revitalizaci\u00f3n de la iglesia:\r\n