During its recent constituency session at Nosoca Pines Ranch, the Carolina Conference celebrated 30 new church plants that were started between 2011 and 2015. With an average of six new church plants per year in the last quinquennium, the Conference is setting its hopes high for the next five years. The Conference has a faith goal of planting 12 new church plants per year between 2016 and 2020, which is a total of 60 new church plants. Although this is exciting, it is critical that new church plants are not ignored once they attain group or company status.
Many mission groups are healthy and have an excellent lay leader. However, several groups are seeing little to no growth, and need a couple or a family to help them evangelize and bring in more members. To attain company status, a mission group must have 30 baptized members, and an average attendance of at least 30. Important factors for church growth include a positive relationship with the mother church, a leader that is focused on evangelism and relationships, a good location and facility in a populous area, and good structural health. Some groups and companies in the Conference are missing one or more of these attributes, and desperately need the assistance of their fellow church members in the Conference.
Brad Cauley, Conference church planting coordinator, believes that just two people coming into a small group can help spark growth. The Conference is urging missionary-minded Adventists to prayerfully consider assisting a mission group in North or South Carolina. Whether you are willing to move to a new area, join a small mission group planted near you, or visit a group once a month to assist in the services, your help will prove vital to their growth.
Several groups that would benefit from your consideration are Gaffney Mission Group, Outer Banks Living Waters Mission Group, Stanley Mission Group, Kannapolis Harvest Mission Group, and Valdese Great Hope Mission Group. The Gaffney group is specifically looking to increase their attendance by having Adventists from surrounding counties join them in their missionary endeavor. The Kannapolis and Valdese groups are small congregations with good leadership who need a few more members to boost evangelism and discipleship. Mission groups are not the only congregations that could use the assistance of fellow church members. The Charlotte Myanmar International Company and the Lumber River Company would also love to have new members come to help spark growth in their congregations.
There are many other groups and companies in the Carolina Conference that would also benefit from new members with a missionary mindset. Even small churches, such as the Orangeburg, S.C., Church, would benefit from new workers in their field. If you are excited about the opportunity to assist in the growth of the smaller congregations, please contact Brad Cauley by email, bcauley@carolinasda.org, or by phone, 704-596-3200, ext. 5711.
Carolina | August 2017
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