Blog Archives
Grow in Your Leadership
Recently a good friend and one of my mentors, Austin Gardner, began a podcast on leadership. It has quickly become one of the things I look forward to most each week! I encourage you, if you are in any type of Christian leadership role or desire to be some day, check it out! It will be a great investment of your time. Each week for 10-20 minutes you will hear loads of practical & biblical advice. This is one of those things that will be invaluable in ministry.
You can check the website above for updates each week or subscribe for free in iTunes by clicking here.
The Spanish podcast, which is also helpful and sometimes deals with different issues, can be found here.
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Church Planting Conference Streaming Live Now!
There is an amazing conference going on at this very moment (Thursday at 10 AM through Friday at 1:30) and you can join in by clicking this link. Dr. Earl Jessup and others are speaking about planting churches here in the US and around the world. Unfortunately, I am not able to attend this conference in person, but I’m so thankful that they are streaming this. I need to learn!
Let me know if you have any problems getting connected.
Here is the conference schedule:
Thursday
10:00 – 11:00 am Session 1 With Earl Jessup
11:00 – 12:00 pm Session 2 With Earl Jessup
12:00 – 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 pm Session 3 The Man God uses for Church Planting Chris Gardner
2:00 – 3:00 pm Session 4 Involving others in the Ministry Jeff Bush
3:00 – 3:15 pm Break
3:15 – 4:00 pm Session 5 Launch Promotion Jason Holt
4:00 – 5:00 pm Session 6 Austin Gardner
5:00 – 7:00 pm Diner
7:00 – 8:00 pm Church
8:15 – ? Discussion
Friday
9:00 – 10:00 am Session 7 Austin Gardner
10:00 -11:00 am Session 8 With Earl Jessup
11:00 – 12:00 pm Session 9 With Earl Jessup
12:00 – 1:00 pm Session 10 With Earl Jessup
1:00 – 1:20 pm Q & A With the Panel
Check Out This Awesome New Resource!!
I strongly believe that Latin America is one of the ripest areas in the world for church planting. The countries are open. The people are receptive. The Gospel is starting to take root. I believe we are on the verge of seeing a massive revival!
If you get a few minutes, I want you to check out this a brand new website chock full of resources for church planting in Latin America. It’s called The Latin Bridge. You see, in order to see this revival come to pass in our generation, we need more laborers and we need to get the right tools in those laborers’ hands.
If you or somebody you know are interested in becoming a church planter, or if you’re a layman or pastor that wants to have a part in seeing people reached with the Gospel we’d like to be a bridge. Check out the website here!
The Ball Is Rolling–Fast!
It’s official….
Well, almost.
The application has been sent and we have an interview with Macedonia World Baptist Missions tomorrow morning. Lord willing we will start raising support in 1 month. wow….
It is incredible to see how God has worked in His timing and opened so many doors for us. We are very excited to be going to Colombia, South America to plant churches, win the lost and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are about to start filling up our deputation schedule. If you would like us to present our work in your church please let me know. Send me a message, or give me a call at: 770-519-1689.
God Is Working in Bogotá!
Before coming to Colombia, a mentor and pastor friend of mine recommended that I get together with Freddy Nieto while in Bogotá. He’s the pastor of Iglesia Bíblica Bautista de Suba (Suba Biblical Baptist Church) and is doing an incredible work. We met up with him and his wife this morning and spent several hours learning about the way that God is working in Bogotá and the surrounding areas. Unfortunately we weren’t able to go to any of their church services, but we were able to tour the church’s beautiful facility and spend several hours with this precious pastor and his wife. Their church runs about 500 and they see people saved every week. There are many studying in their Bible Institute getting ready to go out into the rest of the country to reach the lost. Amen!
Be praying with me if you will, as Brother Freddy asked me to consider coming back in January to preach their annual youth camp. It would be an awesome opportunity but we’ll have to see if finances and time permit and ultimately if God opens the doors for this.
Later this afternoon we met up with a new missionary family, Daniel and Jennifer Mee along with their beautiful little baby girl Eliana (definitely made me miss my daughter Amira). They work with ABWE and just arrived here in the country about a month ago. They gave us some great advice about deputation, moving to Colombia and general tidbits of info they wished they’d have known before moving here. God is really working in their hearts and they are excited to be part of a movement of church planting and evangelism here in Bogotá and around Colombia.
After a delicious dinner with the Mee family we went to the Bogotá Baptist Seminary that is sponsored by ABWE and enjoyed their evening chapel service. There are quite a few young people studying in the Seminary to become pastors and missionaries and even to be laymen in the churches. There were maybe 40 in the room, then another 90 or so studying online through correspondence courses. Praise God for what he is doing in this ministry! The Lord has already used them to start dozens of churches around Bogotá and there are plans for even more churches down the road as God permits.
What we are finding is that God is definitely working here. It is incredible! People are finding hope. Souls are being eternally saved. Lives are being changed. Families are being restored. Revival is being experienced. It is great!
However, even with the wonderful news about what God is doing in this place, we must be honest with ourselves.
Let me throw some stats at you… I live in the US state of Georgia. According to the 2010 US Census, there are 9,687,653 people in Georgia. That’s just a little bigger than the city of Bogotá–smaller, if you include Bogotá’s larger metro area. In 2005 there were an estimated 8,190 Baptist churches. That’s one church for every 1,183 people. Do we need more churches there? Of course!
Yet… in this city of over 8,500,000 people (11,000,000 according to some statistics) there are maybe 25 or 30 churches, total. Only 25 or 30. That’s all. To me, at first, honestly it seemed like a lot. It seemed that this city, at least, was being reached. But that’s only one church for every 440,000 people. Wow.
God is working here.
But the need is still great.
What are we doing to reach this city?
What are we doing to reach the world?
What will you do?
We’re leaving tomorrow. I am thankful that we’ve been able to spend this time here. God has worked in my heart and I am more excited than ever about coming to this beautiful country and to these beautiful people to tell them about my beautiful Savior. He loves them and gave his life for them. The least we can do is deliver the message!
The Vance Family 