Ministry

In a previous post, I had spoken about how Abimael Borbolla, District Superintendent of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, woke up the pastors and executive committees of the District of Yucatan when he alerted us that the our rate of growth, what he called the “Yucatecan Rhythm”, has been limited to 2.7 churches per year.

Granted, any growth is progress, but we need to take several things into consideration when we analyze this growth. First of all, records show that there are 188 Assemblies of God churches in the Yucatan. It is generally believed that the average church hovers at a attendance of between 75 and 100, which means that there are 18,800 people entering our churches during any given week. Adding 2.7 churches to this figure yearly, we can see that the Assemblies is adding 270 people per year in a best-case scenario, a growth rate of roughly 1.5%.

When we compare this growth with population figures we see the stark reality. As of the the 2010 census the state of Yucatán boasted 1,955,577 inhabitants⁽¹⁾. At 18,800 congregants, that means that the Assemblies is currently reaching less than 1% of the people of this state. Furthermore, knowing that the population is growing at a rate of 1.6% annually⁽²⁾, our growth rate of 1.5% means that we are actually losing ground.

So the logical conclusion is that, if we plan to see the Great Commission fulfilled in the state of the Yucatán, we need to get busy planting churches. Nevertheless, increased activity alone will not insure the success of this endeavor. Our vision must be to plant churches that do more than survive, they must thrive, starting a cycle of reproduction that will effectively disciple the population. The dissemination of that vision is the goal of the current series of Church Planting Training Seminars during the months of April through June.

Together with Abel Can, and Fernando Diaz, District Missions Director and Secretary-Treasurer of the Missions Committee respectively, along with missionaries Lidia Pompeyo, and Norma Uitzil, we’re attempting to introduce pastors to effective methods of church planting. The 5-hour conference covers such subjects as the role of intercession, the responsibilities of the mothering church, the necessity of understanding the community, strategies to use to gain entrance into that community, and the elaboration of a chronological plan which ties all of the elements together. Our desire is to stimulate the district on toward the goal of planting 100 new churches in the next two years.

We’ve held one conference in the series already, which was well attended and received. Pray for as we travel and teach the series this weekend and throughout the next two months. Pray also that it will result in being the shot in the arm that the “Yucatecan Rhythm” needs. Click here for more photos of the event.

(1)“Mexico en Cifras”. INEGI. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
(2)“Mexico en Cifras”. INEGI. Retrieved May 8, 2011.

There is just something about harmony that makes things special. In music, it fills the spaces; it adds depth and color. What might be impressive as a solo piece becomes something positively majestic when instruments and voices blend together in perfect harmony.

In ministry, it is just the same. We celebrate the accomplishments of the individual, but we strive to see the all the members of the Church working together in unity. While God can do much through the efforts of one surrendered heart, what can be accomplished when an entire community of believers makes itself available to be used by Him can be truly staggering.

This is the type of harmony that I believe we can achieve here in the Yucatan in the area of church planting. We’ve spoken already of the ministry of church planting that we are undertaking in coordination with the Jesus Film in the Maya language, a ministry designed to plant new, indigenous works in unreached areas. Now, we are seeing others join the vision of expanding the influence of the Kingdom of God as the District of Yucatán promotes the planting of reproducible churches.

Durning the month of January, district officials have invited Abimael Borbolla, the district superintendent of The Mexican state of Oaxaca to tour through the state of Yucatan and to challenge church leaders to look beyond their four walls, to reach out into unreached areas, and to plant new works, new works designed to grow and plant others.

The picture he painted was challenging. Since 1943, the birth of the Assemblies of God in Yucatán, 188 churches have been founded and sustained. When we compare these numbers to the 3,363 cities, towns, and villages that exist in our state, we find that only 6.5% of its inhabitants have access to the message that we preach. (Actually, the actual percentage would be lower as certain cities have more than one A/G church.) What is more sobering is that, at our current growth rate of 2.7 churches per year, we would not be able to finish the task of establishing a congregation in each location until the year 3258.

Nevertheless, I left the conference full of hope, not from the view of the enormity of the task, but from the comprehension of what we could achieve if we work together. As he challenged those of us assembled to plant new works, Abimael showed us that, if each church would commit itself to planting just one new, reproducible church every 5 years, the task could be accomplished in only 25 years.

The work is difficult but not impossible. As we see a vision cast and a church respond, we are beginning to see harmony take shape, a harmony that will enable us fulfill the calling to make disciples here in the Yucatán and beyond. As I reflect on the possibilities, I’m more excited than ever to be a part of what God is doing among us.