Born for such a time …

A message from our executive director, Dr. Terry Goodwin

Did you ever get that feeling? It is as if fear, anxiety, calm, and a sense of destiny all roll into one. The feelings are so intertwined that you can’t separate one from the other. As I watch a surreal scene unfold around me I can’t shake the feeling that I was made for such a time as this.

I have been preaching about the decline of Christianity and the institutional church for many years. Sometimes to opposition. Many times to deaf ears. Occasionally someone connected to the message. Now here we are sitting in the new normal. A world of “social distancing”. Churches around the country scramble to get live feeds online and add electronic giving options.

The survival of the institution appears to be at stake. Limitations and restrictions on gathering divide churches and leaders. What are we to do? We are the church and Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against us. He was not speaking of the building or the institution. In fact , not many years later He destroyed the very symbol of that institution – the Temple.

We are in fact living in one of the greatest opportunities for the church in my lifetime. We have the hope of the world – Jesus! The very things that many people have placed their hope in are crumbling around them: stocks are plunging; government structures, the healthcare system and public schools are all struggling to adapt. Things are changing rapidly around. The fear of the unknown future grips more people each day. God is not shaken.

People are scared. Many are shut in their homes. They are lonely, afraid, concerned about getting food, medicine, help if an emergency arises. It is time for God’s church to rise up and meet the challenge like David met Goliath on the field of battle. We have the technology to organize and mobilize. We can still make disciples even if we can’t assemble and that is the greater command of Christ.

My destiny is to help Christians see the opportunity, get equipped to take hold of it and unite us all to serve the poor, widows and those most at risk from this pandemic. Please don’t do nothing and wait this out. There are millions of vulnerable people around this country that need us now more than ever. They need our Lord and Savior more than ever. If we rise up together the church will come out of this stronger and more united than ever before. It might not be wrapped in the institutional form you have grown so used to but God never promised to sustain the form. He promised to sustain His church, which is you and me.

Please connect with us. Fill out the virtual volunteer form. We can help those most at risk from this virus and we can do it from the safety and comfort of our homes. We can still fulfill the commands of Jesus to love our neighbors as ourselves. We can be the bearers of the hope of the world. We can still fulfill the Great Commission and build God’s kingdom through this pandemic. Go to this link and fill out the form.

God Loves You and Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life

written by Jessica Sanford, a Sun Ministries missionary

“God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”

I’m sure by now, millions of people— Christian or not— have heard this statement. It’s interpreted most often through our individualistic filters. God wants me to be a pastor! God wants me to get married! God wants me to be a poodle groomer!

There is one caveat. The thing most people don’t tell you about God’s wonderful plan for your life... This plan is the same plan for every person who submits themselves to His will.

It’s not a plan to make you comfortable and rich. Not to fan the flames of your ego. Not to make you “the man” or give you a long, fulfilling ministry. It’s not even for you to be a designer dog groomer.

“You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:18-29

If we look to the whole of scripture, we see a different plan. We see something wholistic. We see a plan that is about much more than our own desires.

His plan for you: to refine you by fire in order to bring you into His Kingdom purpose

What is His kingdom purpose?

• God is gathering His people to Himself. John 4:34-38 paints a picture of a field that is ready to be harvested, and all of the people involved in the growth working together to gather. We have the privilege of being a part of this harvest, even if we didn’t do the work of sowing or growing.
• God is setting apart a people. (Titus 2:11-14) This people keeps itself from the corruption of the world and fervently seeks to do good works.
• He is adorning His Bride (Revelation 21). The fulfillment of His kingdom purpose is that Christ’s bride would be spotless, pure, and adorned with good works.

The thing most people aren’t told about God’s plan for them is that It has very little to do with YOU and everything to do with what God wants to do in partnership with you.

Are you willing to lay yourself down in order to accomplish His Kingdom purpose?

New Ways to Connect with Us

Clint Eastwood once said “A good man knows his limitations”. I am trying to be a good man. I have spent the last ten years investing in a group of young and gifted leaders in Sun Ministries. They are exceptional people. They live their whole lives dedicated to Jesus. They hold nothing back. They are brave, intelligent and spiritually gifted servants.

What I have done very poorly is connect with you – those outside the ministry. That is going to change. In the next few months you will see a roll out of a variety of tools that help you connect to the vision, mission and people of Sun Ministries. The start of this process is an updated web site and a mobile App.

We are defining the roles available for you to connect to the work. We are defining pathways for volunteers, missionaries and work groups. We will help connect your church to the training that God has given us to help you connect to your community and reach the nations from right where you live. Look for the roll out coming soon. The Facebook page is the best place to stay informed until these upgrades happen.

https://www.facebook.com/sunministries/

Getting Serious

A message from our executive director, Dr. Terry Goodwin.

We started Sun Ministries in 2006 with no experience at running a ministry or non-profit. We have been in training for many years now. As we begin 2020, I feel like we are just getting started with the growth of the mission. God has shown us how to enter the most devastated areas of our country. He has given us teaching and resources to launch a movement of disciple multiplication in America. The movement will take place outside the institutional church.

We are now focused on recruiting, training and relocating Missionaries to America. We currently have locations in St. Louis, Missouri and Barnsdall, Oklahoma. We have pathways to help you engage in an active and authentic Christian faith. We can connect you to the mission field right here in America. We can train you and support you, no matter if you want to be a part-time volunteer doing your part in the bigger picture or a full-time laborer in the field.

God has brought the nations to us. We don’t need to travel overseas to reach the nations. This great melting pot called America has lured them to our shores. Maybe it is time for you to send that email and explore the harvest fields of God. The harvest is ripe and plentiful. It is the laborers that are few. terry@sunministries.org

Returning to Action

A message from our executive director, Dr. Terry Goodwin.

It has been a long time. Life goes on and the ticking clock pushes us closer to the end of this life. Tick – tock – tick – tock clicks the passing of the chronos  - the finite time we have on this earth. A few years ago I came face to face with my mortality. I had 16 surgical procedures in 2 ½ years. I thought I may never work again. The end of my calendar was staring me in the face. In that dark and desperate time I found a second chance at life. The Kairos of God swept in and I was lifted up again to continue the work He had called me to do all those years ago.

I am no different than you really. We all will leave this earth. We will all succumb to the Chronos ticking clock. No one gets out alive. Throughout the New Testament there is an urgency proclaimed: Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand. They lived and acted as if the return of Christ could happen at any time. The measure of our service will not be placed upon scales balanced by wealth, possessions or church attendance. The other side of the scales of God’s justice are balanced by obedience, sacrifice, and the deeds we do in service to God on behalf of others.

Now I am focused on the Kingdom of God. I am looking at my mortality as an unknown deadline to complete the work I have been assigned to do. I cannot afford to waste another moment of self-indulgence or indifference to the hurting. We all end up in the cemetery. The Chronos seeks to put us there. The Spirit of God seeks to give us life in this age through the selfless service to others on behalf of Jesus. That is where I found life. I will not exchange it for the fleeting temporary pleasures of this world.

Why is it important for church leaders to understand the Dones

Earlier this year I attended a men's prayer breakfast at a local church. I had not been to anything like this in quite some time. I was invited by a friend and it is a church that supports Sun Ministries so I went. There were about 60 men in attendance. As the speaker started his presentation I was very interested in what was on his mind. It would indicate to me what the church thought was important.

After a little bit of event promotion and pleading for involvement he got to his main topic. To my surprise it was The “Dones”. He quoted statistics and made his case for why these “lost sheep” must be returned to the flock. I was astounded at the way he derided people for leaving the institution. It became obvious to me that he wouldn't recognize a “Done” if one was right in front of him because there I was – right in front of him.

I don't blame him for presenting slanted information. Most of the information on The “Dones” comes from institutional church leadership sources. They are desperately trying to figure out how to get them “back in the fold”. This is the source of their error. I never left the fold. I am still as much a part of God's church as ever. What this man did was to regurgitate information and propaganda. He then decided to cast these people in a negative light. That is beyond excuse.

He had at his disposal a real life “Done”. This church has connected with Sun Ministries and even supported it. All he had to do was ask and I would have taken the time to give him first hand understanding of the “Dones”. I could have introduced him to dozens of them. I could have helped him understand their motivations for leaving and what they are doing outside his system.

I think every church leader and even those people that remain in the institution should make the effort to understand the “Dones”. We are a part of God's church. We are not likely to come back. We do long to have unity in the body of Christ. So I am making it easy on you. Do you want to understand the “Dones”? It's your move.

I encourage you to participate. Use this link to join the Meetup group and register to attend a Meetup of The “Dones”.

Meet the "Dones" group - Click Here

Would you rather have us come to you? I would be happy to bring a couple of people to meet with your staff and answer any questions you may have. Just email me - terry@sunministries.org

We look forward to having you meet us. 

Why is it important that the Dones Connect

The Bible contains a lot of instruction for the church. There are instructions for structure, leadership, operation, priorities and function. The “Dones” have left an institution that many felt was not found in the Bible. Some search for that more organic and supernatural expression of faith they see displayed in the Bible. This desire has led many of us out of the institution.

Genesis 2:18 - And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone;

From the beginning God has had a design for His children to live together. Jesus clarified this more when He spoke of our love and unity.

[John 13:35 NASB] 35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

[John 17:22 NASB] 22 "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;

Love and unity are not just important concepts to God. They are indicators of our union with Him. One reason the “Dones” must connect is to display to the world that we are of the father and disciples of Christ. We cannot do it apart from each other. Leaving the institution is just one step on the journey. We must move on to do church the way God designed it to be done. This will require us to connect with each other.

We encourage you to participate. Use this link to join the Meetup group and register to attend a Meetup of the “Dones”.

Meet the "Dones" group - Click Here

We look forward to having you join us.

Who are the Dones

The “Dones” is a label given to one of the fastest growing religious groups in America. The term applies to people that have left the institutional forms of church after years of involvement. The “Dones” are, quite simply, done with church but not with God.

I am a “Done” by that definition. I was raised outside the religious system of America. After accepting Christ at 13, I tried to fit into the church system that was presented to me. I pursued religious education reaching a Ph.D in theology. I was ordained by a mainstream denomination and was selected to a district level leadership position. The more I learned, the more I began to question the practices and systems that I could not find supported in Scripture.

In 2008 I resigned my positions in the denomination, turned over my ordination and moved my family to one of the most devastated areas in North St. Louis. Many thought that when I left the church that I was leaving God. In fact, I met Jesus outside the camp and embarked on a learning journey with Him. I now feel called to help others on that journey by sharing my spiritual gifts and experiences freely with others.

There are Many “Dones” in America today. Some estimates put the number at over 30 million with multiple millions joining them each year. There are some important things to consider about this movement.

1. God has a design for His church. Just because we left the institution does not mean we don't need each other. The “Dones” need to connect in order to be the church that God designed.
2. It is important for those that remain in the institution to understand the “Dones”. There are many misconceptions about us.

With these two things in mind we have decided to form a group where “Dones” can connect and those in the institution can meet us and gain understanding. Me and a few others have embarked on this attempt to bridge the gap, foster unity and help to unite God's children. We encourage you to participate. Use this link to join the Meetup group and register to attend a Meetup of the “Dones”.

he "Dones" Group Click Here

We look forward to having you join us. This is a time of great change in American Christianity. God is doing something big and we are all a part of it.

Relationship vs. Collaboration

I am often contacted by people who want to work with us in some way. The buzz in social service circles is “collaboration”. Grant funders go to great lengths to promote collaborations. They design grant opportunities that require it. This has created a great deal of interest in working together. These types of relationships may be beneficial to reduce redundancy of efforts and overlap of services. I have rarely seen collaborations produce long term beneficial results. If anyone cared to examine the number of attempts at collaborating with the number of sustained collaborations they might agree with me.

I believe that my obedience to the Gospel of Jesus places a higher burden on me than just collaborating. I must seek relationship first when anyone wishes to work with us. Those that also seek relationship find us a willing work partner. The difference, in my opinion, is personal. When we start with relationship we put people above everything else. We can then care for each other first and then for our joint efforts. We may laugh together, cry together and pray for each other. We will find ways to benefit each other through sacrifice and service.

As a minister of the Gospel, I recognize that the Good News of Jesus is all about relationships. It repairs our broken relationship with God. The Gospel teaches us to love each other and have relationship with other followers of Christ. God makes this relationship special through the presence of His Spirit. But the Gospel doesn't stop there. It continues teaching us to have relationship with others by showing them love. This is often done in the form of sacrificial living and serving on our part. Then the Gospel compels us to a radical course. We are instructed to love our enemies. This is not only radical but difficult.

Collaboration indicates from the very start that we are coming together to do a task or fix a problem. I am not called to Sun Ministries to fix anything. When we start with relationship, we can focus on the real goal of loving each other. When we all get better at loving each other, those different from us and our enemies I am sure our problems will fix themselves. I consider myself an ambassador of Jesus and an agent of reconciliation. If you want to work with us it must start with relationship. If that interests you then call or email me and we can sit down over a cup of coffee and see what God will do through us - tegether. terry@sunministries.org 636-544-2151

Planting Churches without Church Planting

The modern approach to church planting is directed at producing an institution or another branch of an existing institution. People plan, organize, hire and fund an effort that, if successful, will result in an institutional church structure that can sustain its own cost of existence. This is not what we do at Sun Ministries. Sun Ministries exists to facilitate the planting of churches we call faith communities. We do not do this by planting churches or creating institutions.

Sun Ministries plants “churches” by making disciples and teaching them to make disciples. As these disciples gather together they naturally form a church. Isn't that really the church? The church is a gathering of disciples. It is “Ekklesia” in the Greek. As the disciples gather together they are taught how to function as the church as outlined in Scripture. They are taught biblical teachings on leadership, spiritual gifts, baptism and communion, etc ...

Sun Ministries then uses its resources to help the local church rebuild the inner city. We resource housing, businesses, vehicles and training. We help supply a wide variety of things to the work of caring for the local community. We are not a church. We do not run or oversee the churches we “plant” We offer training, leadership, resources and a connection to other churches. We continue our efforts to make new disciples and gather them into new churches.

We have made much of our basic training available for free at www.discipledrivenchurch.org We have established The Church@HydeParkand are empowering it to minister in its local community. If you would like to learn more or connect with our work in any way just email me – terry@sunministries.org

Tools for Planting Faith Communities – Summary

Imagine with me for a minute. What if the church was operating by God's design? What if we all shared our resources, cared for our communities, served each other in love and lived the supernatural aspects of our faith that God designed for us? Would the world be different if the church focused on making disciples, loving each other and caring for the poor, widows and orphans instead of building a religious organization that divides over doctrine and spends the majority of its resources on buildings and staff?

What we look forward to at Sun Ministries, what we long for, is a unified, organic, unhindered expression of the supernatural God we serve. We don't seek to control but rather to empower and release. We are not the new denomination or clergy class. We offer assistance for free with no strings attached. Our goal is to assist and become less needed. We are a tool for the mission – Plant Faith Communities that live and operate by God's design based on spiritual gifts under biblical leadership structures.

We have successfully planted the first Faith Community – the Church@HydePark.

We have explored, learned and put into practice the biblical design for God's church. Now we want to help others do the same. If you feel the call and are ready to answer it, you should connect with us. The church by God's design must be interdependent with each other. Here some ways you can connect with us:

Email – Terry@sunministries.org

www.sunministries.org

FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/sunministries/

Don't go it alone. Together we can see the church by God's design flourish in our lifetime.

Tools for Planting Faith Communities – Part 7 of 7

The Resistance Radio Show is the expression of what we believe God is doing in America today. He is calling His people out of a centuries old system. He is stirring discontent in people’s hearts. People are leaving the institutional church at an increasing rate, and statistically, the church is failing in everything from financial giving to theological aptitude. He is setting the stage for reformation.

This show was born out of several experiences. First was the call out of an empty and unbiblical religious system, and into the Kingdom, into a life of faith and relationship. He led us to deny ourselves, make disciples, engage the spiritual battle, and realize our spiritual gifts. Then He led us into the darkest part of our city. He started a missionary work in north St. Louis, MO.

This work is now dedicated to helping others find their way back to God's design for church and life. The Resistance Radio Show was originally a live, 2-hour talk show broadcast on KXEN 1010AM in St. Louis, MO. These shows have been edited into shorter podcast episodes available through iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. The topics explore what we have learned as we walked in the modern day reformation. We use music, satire and plenty of scripture to expose the corruptions of the modern church systems.

This tool is great for those who want to explore the topics on a deeper level but can't connect with us in person. All of the episodes are available on WordPress - https://theresistanceradioshow.wordpress.com/

Please subscribe to the PodCast to stay up on new episodes as they release. You can also connect with us on FaceBook - Click Here

Tools for Planting Faith Communities – Part 6 of 7

When God places His Spirit in us, it kindles in us a desire to be fruitful and serve God. This is the natural result of being redeemed. Many today are frustrated in their walk with Christ because they struggle to find their place in the church and the fruitfulness they desire. They seek for service instead of purpose. They look to unbiblical church and leadership structures to define their role in God's kingdom.

God has designed works for you to do (Ephesians 2:10). He has placed His Spirit in you to guide you to those works. Do you think He would have gone to all that trouble if He didn't intend to show you the works He designed for you to do?

Many fail to find their Ephesians 2:10 works because they fail to seek them in the way God designed.They fail to see what is in the way of finding them. Are you ready for some real hard truth? Here it goes. The only thing in the way of you finding your place in the church and your Ephesians 2:10 works is YOU!

Many today are tired of hearing about the wonderful plan God has for our lives but never being shown how to find that plan. We developed this next tool to help people find their Ephesians 2:10 works.

Finding God's wonderful plan for your life comes the same way everything else does. Through your loving surrender to God and your intentional pursuit of His design for our lives and churches. We cannot find God's plan outside His design. Give God another 50 days to show you the path to spiritual fruitfulness.

Download 50 Days to Spiritual Fruitfulness for free by clicking here.

Tools for Planting Faith Communities – Part 5 of 7

[1 Timothy 4:7 NASB] But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness...

This is the first step for a Christian on the path to living by God's design. We must discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. I find that some Christians today are still living in bondage. They have never cleaned house and put on the armor of God. Instead they live with fear, bitterness, greed, lust, and pride. All of these rob them of the joy that God promises to us in Christ.

Everything you need to be free from your sin, shame and guilt has been provided for you in Christ. You must do what is necessary to apply His atonement to your life. You can choose to walk in these sinful behaviors and God will allow it. Removal of the effects of this is not automatic. The removal of the eternal punishment is automatic in Christ. Freedom requires us to be consecrated. Consecration requires discipline.

We have assembled a devotional called 50 Days to Spiritual Freedom. This tool was designed to help you put some basic spiritual disciplines into your life. It identifies root sins and behaviors that are hindering your joy and fruitfulness. This is a personal journey tool. It helps you to come before God in an organized way and focus you on breaking free from the harmful effects of sin and your past. I promise that if you give this a try, 50 days from now you will be walking in a new and spiritually invigorated way.

50 Days to Spiritual Freedom is available free by clicking here.

Tools for Planting Faith Communities – Part 4 of 7

The defining task for every Christian is a command given by Jesus to the disciples in Matthew 28:18-20. It is historically considered the primary task of the church. However, this command was not given to a organization. It was given to Christians. They were told to teach it to other Christians. We should have been taught to obey this command. For many Christians, the concept of making disciples is foreign or it is handed over to the clergy as their responsibility. In order to rediscover the church that God designed, we must rediscover how to make disciples and teach them to make disciples.

Do you know how to make disciples? Are you a disciple? Do you have a plan for making disciples and teaching them to make disciples? All of this is necessary to rediscover the church by God's design.

The concept of making disciples scares most Christians today. What a clever scheme by the devil - remove the training and equipping of disciple-making from the people and instead set up an ever increasingly ineffective structure to do the task. It is no wonder the church in America is dying. We have robbed God of His most effective evangelistic tool – YOU! Your testimony of grace and transformation is designed by God to declare His glory and reach others for Jesus. The trouble today is that so few are equipped to make disciples.

We have put together The Disciple-Makers Handbook to help equip you to be a disciple and make disciples. Remember this – we teach what we know but reproduce what we are. You will not be effective at making disciples unless you become a disciple. Jesus always starts with the foundation first and that is you.

You can download the book for free by clicking here.

Tools for Planting Faith Communities – Part 3 of 7

Being the Church – Planting Faith Communities in a Post-Modern World - This book is born out of reformation. The church that Christ started on the Day of Pentecost was a loosely structured organism that operated under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and manifested His power through the spiritual gifts of the disciples. By the time of the Protestant Reformation, the church was a strictly structured and ordered organization with a leadership structure that had little in common with the early church or the instruction of scripture. This present reformation is about returning to God's design. We must stop planting new organizations and return to building the organism. How can it be bad for Christ followers to live by God's design? How can it be bad for the church to order itself under the structure designed for it by God and instructed in scripture?

[John 5:19] Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

Jesus modelled for us the importance of following God's design. That is how He worked. This book is a big picture work. Consider it a fly over of God's biblical design for His children and His church. The theology I will discuss will likely challenge many of the current practices of the modern church. The theology is plain and simple yet controversial. It would not be controversial except that many who profess Christ are ruled more by the practices and traditions of their church than they are by scripture. It was this way when Christ walked the earth. See what He said about the religious leaders of His day.

[Mark 7:7-9] 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition."

This book can be considered the “What to do” for the church by God's design. It takes you through the basics of understanding your Gospel, baptism, spiritual disciplines and gifts, consecration and gathering together. It is designed to help you get focused and moving together to serve the world in the Love of Jesus. A free Bible study is included in the Appendix to help you and others to explore together.

Click here for free ebook

Tools for Planting Faith Communities – Part 2 of 7

Disciple Driven Church – The Coming Reformation - This was my Phd. Dissertation that is now turned into a book. This was where I began to put into words the journey that had begun with a call from God to plant churches. Not to plant what I saw all around me in America. God called me to plant what I saw in the Bible. This book originally came out in 2009. It has been a long learning process to discover how the church by God's design is meant to operate today in America.

In the beginning of this book I outline how the American church is dying. This fact disturbed me greatly and it still does. The Jesus I know is awesome and I have dedicated my whole life to serving Him. How come others weren't getting what I had found? I looked back through history and pinpointed some moments where major changes took place in the church. Each of these brought us further from God's original design. The church has gone down the slippery slope of compromise and continues its slide.

This book outlines the corrupt practices that permeate American churches and modern American Christian culture. Look at this book as the “What not to do” guidebook for the church. This is the book that put feet to our journey. If you are discontent with the state of the modern church, you may find answers here. Remember as you read it that forsaking corruption is not enough. You must go further and do what is right. Many today in America speak out about the church but continue to partake in it. You cannot remove the yeast from the lump. You must start fresh. We will outline that in our next post.

The Disciple Driven Church – The Coming Reformation Ebook is available free at this link.

Click here for Free Book

Tools for Planting Faith Communities – Part 1 of 7

Sun Ministries now turns its focus to helping others plant faith communities. We sincerely believe that the local church is the hope of the world. In order for it to be that hope, it must be the local church that God designed. This means it must free itself from the harmful practices and structures that have infected the modern church. It must follow God's ways and not man's ways. This is a difficult thing to do in our modern times where most churches around us follow similar unbiblical patterns. Many people have great affection for their church, the people there, and the things that happen there. Our affection for God must overtake all of those things. Jesus said if you love Him you will obey Him. Obeying Him extends to how we operate as a church.

Today in America, nearly every expression of Christianity that surrounds us has adopted many of the same corrupt practices. What appears to be normal is accepted as right. In order for the church to operate by God's design we must go through a process of deconstruction and then rebuild only that which we find in scripture. The Bible contains a sufficient amount of instruction for how the church is to be organized, led and operate. We do not need to make up our own ways.

Over the last ten years we have developed a series of tools that are helpful for people that desire to live their Christian faith according to God's design. These tools will be outlined in this BLOG series. They will be presented in the order we see as necessary for you to engage in the Christian faith as God instructs us to in the Bible. We will start with outlining the history of the practices that have infected the church. We will call this the “What not to do.” We will follow that with instruction on being the church by God's design. Then a lesson in making disciples as instructed in Matthew 28:18-20, commonly called the Great Commission. We will continue with a focus on your own spiritual freedom and then how to become spiritually fruitful. At the end we will introduce you to our Podcast called The Resistance Radio Show. This tool helps you explore these topics more deeply.

All of the tools presented here are available free of charge. There is no denomination or organization to join. We are here to help you and unite you with others that are seeking to experience what they read in the Bible. Enjoy your journey.

How do we plant faith communities?

Sun Ministries plants faith communities by operating in eight core values

Properly structured and functioning church leadership - God has designed the church to function in a certain way. This way is defined in Scripture and must be followed. A return to this design is the fundamental first step of reformation.

Sacrificial attitude towards money – living a moderate lifestyle. Jesus said you couldn’t be His disciple unless you sell all of your own possessions. He also says you can only serve one master.

Building the Sacred assembly – no unbelievers in the worship gathering. The most dominant and unbiblical corruption of the modern church is that unbelievers are allowed in the worship gathering. This practice is not supported in Scripture. Correcting this error is foundational to restoring the sacred assembly.

Believers working in their spiritual gifts. The church is designed to function on the basis of spiritual gifting. The only way for the church to function by design is to teach and lead every disciple to operate skillfully in their God given spiritual gifts.

Spiritual Warfare praying  Prayer is the key to living a victorious life. Spiritual warfare praying is the key to walking in the Spirit and obeying Christ.

Manifest power, presence and leading of the Holy Spirit  The New Testament emphasizes the spiritual dimension of the Christian life. The disciple of Christ is empowered to walk in the Spirit. Knowing and understanding spiritual gifts, prayer, and spiritual warfare enables the disciple of Christ to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Discipleship for personal consecration and spiritual freedom. This core value highlights the need for spiritual transformation, sanctification, and maturity. As we fulfill the Great Commission we bring people to maturity in Christ. This process frees them from sin and their past and leads them to find their Ephesians 2:10 works.

Love. Without love, everything else is meaningless. Jesus said the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another.

So how do we live out these core values? We start with disciples making disciples in obedience to the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. As we gather around this core mission we find that the focus of the congregation stays on serving the world. This is the core of the Christian faith. Be a disciple, make disciples and serve others in love.

The Church@HydePark is the result of the leadership of Sun Ministries making disciples and teaching them to make disciples. We help these disciples rediscover God's design for the operation of the church. As other local churches are planted by Sun Ministries both across North St. Louis and the country, we will unite them in service to each other and the world. We are facilitating the launching of a movement. No denomination, no clergy class, no consumer mentality. Instead, we see a movement of unity based on service led by spiritual gifts making disciples that make disciples.

Sun Ministries' role will decrease as each faith community is established locally. In Hyde Park, you will see Sun Ministries' visibility decrease as the role of the Church@HydePark increases in service to the community. Sun Ministries will continue to work in the background training, resourcing and empowering the local faith community. This frees the leadership to work to establish new faith communities in other areas. This is where we find ourself in 2018. We are ready to work to plant new faith communities in new areas.

Planting Faith Communities

As we've stated in the last few blog entries, Sun Ministries is focusing on what we've always wanted to do: make disciples and plant faith communities.  The Church@HydePark is the first faith community planted by Sun Ministries. We say planted because like a seed we will nurture it and help it grow. Modern Christianity in America is largely an institutional endeavor. The New Testament contains no instructions for establishing an institution over the church. It does contain ample instruction on how the church should be organized, led and operate. We are looking to help people discover the organic and mission oriented nature of the Christian faith as instructed in the Bible.

Sun Ministries supports the leadership and provides resources to stabilize and establish the local church. Then Sun Ministries releases the faith community to pastor the community by sharing the Gospel of Jesus and meeting the needs of those around them. Sun Ministries plays an ongoing leadership role by promoting unity through service among the local faith communities.

For many years we have referred to those supported by Sun Ministries as “Missionaries”. We did this because without a local faith community it was hard to put what we were doing into generally understood terms. We are no longer using this designation. The staff of Sun Ministries is simply spiritually gifted leaders who have dedicated their whole lives to the vision and mission of Sun Ministries. Our goal is to plant faith communities that operate on the basis of spiritual gifts under biblical leadership and function by God's design. In order to facilitate that we must start with spiritually gifted leaders who will equip people for the works of ministry. These leaders are the staff of Sun Ministries.

The New Opportunity Center Expansion

The facility that will replace the Penrose Project is located at the corner of 14^th and Salisbury. The first stage will be to finish the garage at 3624 N. 14^th. This will house our woodshop, maintenance services, rehab and auto repair shop. Phase two will finish the lower level of 3628 N. 14^th where we will relocate The Second Chance Bazaar. Phase 3 will bring the sewing center into the building. Phase four will add the audio and video recording studio.

There is no time frame for completing this project. We are still recovering from the damage that was done to us. We invested two years, hundreds of man hours, a considerable amount of money, and our reputation into a project that was ended outside of our control. We also realized the need to focus on making disciples and developing faith communities. We will spend 2018 rebuilding our relationships with volunteer groups and our supporters. There is a lot to do.

Our goal is to focus our energy on the core businesses that allow us the flexibility in our schedules to do what our mission and name declares. We are first and foremost a ministry.

If a business is not accomplishing our vision and mission then it does not serve its intended purpose. This is the conclusion we have come to regarding Sun Cafe. Sun Cafe has become the most visible expression of our ministry. Some people even refer to us as Sun Cafe and not Sun Ministries. This is not what we want to be known as. We are not a restaurant. We have also concluded that Sun Cafe has not moved the mission of Sun Ministries forward in proportion to the effort, management time, and cash required to operate it. So we have made the decision to permanently close Sun Cafe.

Upon completion of the Opportunity Center Expansion, we will have all of our core businesses operating out of our own facility. We will prioritize adding alternative energy sources to the building to lower our overhead. This will give us the lowest possible operating overhead and allow us to operate with as little management time as possible. It will give us new tools for empowerment and the operation of our core mission. We are ready to plant more faith communities.

Moving Forward

We had embarked on the Penrose Project because it was an incredible opportunity. The building would have been an impressive resource, we could stabilize and expand our businesses and offer all kinds of empowerment for the community. And then, after two years of labor, networking, and promotion, we got the letter from the city that they didn't own the building and were immediately cancelling the lease.

We have suffered greatly due to this error. Our reputation has been damaged. We have alienated financial supporters. Our relationships with volunteer groups were damaged as we had to cancel at the last minute, leaving them no place to serve. We lost revenue from our woodshop. We incurred debt and spent thousands of dollars on obtaining the building. Most importantly, we did not get to add the Art and Technology Center to our community. Instead, the building is used as storage by the City Treasurer's office as it sits and deteriorates. What could have been an incredible community asset will instead sit and continue to be a blight on our neighborhood.

The result of these events over the last two years have caused us to re-examine how we approach our work in the city and the businesses we run. Sun Ministries is going back to basics. We have wandered off track a little. Our good intentions to build the community and form beneficial partnerships did not take into account the greed, corruption and incompetency that has led to the current conditions all around us. We firmly believe that God is doing a great work in the inner city and we are called to facilitate that work.

We know our primary function as Sun Ministries is to plant faith communities that operate by God's design. These faith communities will rebuild the inner cities of America. We cannot do this in partnership with the government, people motivated by greed, or people looking to control our work or control those in our community. We want to see unity in our community and these things can never achieve unity. They are fundamentally divisive. They bring their unholy motivations into everything they do.

Sun Ministries has had a rough year. We are turning the corner as we move into 2018. We are refocused and ready to continue planting faith communities that are united to serve by showing the justice, mercy and love of Christ to the world. We plan to do this by multiplying disciples that live under the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. We have already been doing this through the Church@HydePark.

Today we are announcing that the Opportunity Center expansion will still take place. It will happen in a building we already own. It will take a little longer to accomplish but it will happen. Once it is finished we will have an incredible tool of empowerment in the Hyde Park neighborhood. The goal is to concentrate on our core businesses and the tools we need to fulfill our mission. The complex will house an expanded woodshop and sewing center, an audio and video recording studio, our second hand store, our maintenance services and rehab operations and give us space for the Opportunity Garage.

What will be missing from this version of the project? There will be no space dedicated to community use. This facility will be for our use. It is unfortunate, but the facility is not as large as 1901 Penrose. We really wanted to facilitate that kind of space but we are not able to do that in this building.

What happened to the Penrose Project? Part 2

In order to complete the lease of the property, a law would have to be passed through the Board of Alderman and signed by the mayor. The bill was submitted by our alderman and passed through the board vote. When I got the paperwork, I noticed that the original proposed lease document had been passed and signed. I asked why they changed their minds only to find out they submitted the wrong bill. They quickly submitted a repeal and replace bill (Board Bill 304) which included the correct version of the lease with the shorter term and oversight board requirements. That bill also passed the Board and was signed by the mayor and all required parties.

We were full speed ahead and very excited. We had hundreds of volunteers lined up. It was spring break time and the weather was cooperating. All we needed were the keys. We insured the building, as was required by the lease terms and asked for the keys. We were told it would only take a few days. We started working on the outside of the building. We were cleaning, landscaping and painting. We asked to get let into the building and started removing the trash and debris. The project was on track and looked like it would soon be open.

As we worked with a large volunteer group one day, we were told to leave the premises. Immediately after this my emails and phone calls were not returned. I still did not have keys but I had a signed copy of the lease and insurance on the building. I couldn't understand what the problem could possibly be. Several influential people agreed to look into it for me. Everyone that did would soon stop returning my phone calls and emails. I knew there was a problem but I never expected what came next.

Approximately three months after the lease was signed, over two years since we started the whole process, I got a letter from the city of St. Louis. Are you ready for this? They didn't actually own the building! They had offered an RFP to sell a building that they did not own. They passed two bills through the Board of Alderman, had both signed by the mayor, signed and executed a lease with us, supplied us with copies of all of these documents and did not own the building.

We were floored. We had invested hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in the project. We had weathered all the issues and obstacles. We accepted the restrictions and the shorter lease terms. We arranged for and scheduled hundreds of volunteers. The cost to us was staggering. We had taken on debt expecting to have facilities for expansion. We shut down our woodshop in order to prepare it for the move. We invested labor and money over a 2 year period. All we got was a letter saying the city didn't own the building so the deal was over. The Penrose Project was dead. 

What happened to the Penrose Project?

It was our most ambitious project in our ten year history. We proposed to take a long vacant police station and turn it into an asset of empowerment for the community. The property is located at 1901 Penrose in the Hyde Park neighborhood of north St. Louis. It sits across the street from Windsor Park. We proposed a facility that would house our woodshop, sewing center, maintenance services and our main offices. We would add to that a computer lab, an audio and video recording studio, a metal shop, an auto shop and common space for the development of art and technology programming for the community by providing the space at cost for other community groups to use.

The City of St. Louis offered the property through an RFP (Request for Proposal) in the summer of 2015. We answered with our proposal and were selected to purchase the building. Over the course of the next year and a half we put hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into the Penrose Project. We developed the plans, wrote dozens of grant proposals, lined up hundreds of volunteer hours and spent time and money stabilizing the property. We met with the city building division for the details of the plan. Everyone was helpful and excited for what we were doing.

As the plan came into focus, we took on a couple of private investors to help cover the costs we were incurring through the project. We cleared one hurdle after another. The only hurdle we could not clear was the purchase price of the building. So Plan B was proposed: the city would lease the building to us for 99 years for a dollar a year. We would invest the money needed to improve and repair the building.

Then the obstacles came. The local developer that had written the RFP objected to the lease terms. Then the Alderman changed the terms. Our agreement for a 99 year lease was reduced to a 20 year lease that would have to be renewed every 5 years. Other restrictions were added as people tried to use their influence to take control of the facility. A community oversight board would be required and have say in how we used the building. All of these terms were imposed on the project after we agreed to the 99 year lease.

Our goal was to have a place that would benefit the community. We were taking all the risk. The building was vacant (and still is). We were the ones investing the time and money into repairing the building. There was no guaranty in the new lease that we would retain the building for more than six months. It could be taken away at any time and for any reason with six months notice.

Our Board of Directors considered aborting the whole project. Our desire to empower the residents and rebuild the neighborhood outweighed our concerns over the powers that were souring the deal. We were willing to risk much because we felt the benefit far outweighed the negative possibilities, so we proceeded with the plan.

Origins - Part 4

The first three parts of this series were written in 2006 as I was starting Sun Ministries. Much of what is cited about the condition and operation of the American church is still true today. The decline has increased. Sun Ministries was started in order to facilitate the planting of faith communities (some would call churches). We needed to undergo some training in God's design for the church before we could facilitate others in that work. God was faithful to take us on a great journey that has equipped us to help others find the church that God designed.

The church that God designed has some very unique features. Here are a few.

1. It is formed, led and operates on the basis of spiritual gifts that God bestows on those who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
2. It is led by the operation of spiritual gifts and not offices.
3. It is unified with other locations through a common bond and dedication to God.
4. It focuses on making disciples and teaching them to make disciples.
5. It cares for each other and the community where it is located.

Sun Ministries has planted the first of these faith communities in the Hyde Park neighborhood of North St. Louis. It is called the Church at Hyde Park. It is named simply so that it is easier to interact with future faith communities. It is named by its location because that is the pattern we see in Scripture. This first work is now growing by making disciples and teaching them to make disciples. It is led by spiritually gifted leaders. It shares what it has as we see the early church did in the Book of Acts. 

We now have a functioning model of what God called us to facilitate. We have learned how to make disciples that can make disciples. We understand how spiritual gifts are to operate and leaf the church. We are ready to multiply the movement towards God design for His church.

As we prepare to increase our efforts in the area of our original calling we have discovered that some of our businesses actually hindered our work instead of helping it progress. One example is Sun Cafe. The demands of running the cafe were drawing too much resource and energy away from our ministry goals. It was not facilitating the work we feel is our primary mission. The cafe was also a highly visible expression of our work. We were becoming known by Sun Cafe. So we shut it down. We are looking at ways to make Sun Cafe work for the goals of the ministry. If we can see a way to make that happen we will reopen. If we do not see a way to do that, it will remain closed. All of our businesses are tools to facilitate the spiritual work of Sun Ministries. We cannot invest time and resources into any business that does not support our mission.

So today, after ten years of preparation, we are ready. We are planting faith communities that operate by God's design for His church. These communities are based in spiritual gifts and led by Biblical leadership. They make disciples and teach them how to make disciples. They care for each other and their community. They all work together in unity to support each other and serve the world. I thinks things are just getting started.

Origins - Part 3

Larger suburban churches are seeing their growth as blessing from God when in actuality they are losing ground. According to Barna Research only 1% of American churches are actually growing from anything other than transfer growth from existing churches. In his book titled “Planting Growing Churches”, author Aubrey Malphurs points out some startling facts about the American church. He says 80 – 85% of American churches have stopped growing or in a state of decline. There are approximately 350,000 congregations in America. 30, 000 ceased to exist in the 80’s and it is estimated that another 100,000 have ceased to exist between then and now. Why is the church in America dying at such a pace? The eye has told the hand it has no need of it. What will be the result of this? See what the rest of the 1 Corinthians passage has to say.

1Cr 12:26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if {one} member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

1Cr 12:27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.

1Cr 12:28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, {various} kinds of tongues.

1Cr 12:29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not {workers of} miracles, are they?

1Cr 12:30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?

1Cr 12:31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.

Two things are outlined in this section. All the members will suffer when any part of the body suffers and we will miss a more excellent way of fulfilling God’s ministry. It is with all of this in mind that God has brought me to this place today. I see the warning in Acts 20:28 "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” I look at the church in America today and I do not see the leaders heeding this warning. God did not say be on guard for a portion of the flock or shepherd some of the church.

So I asked myself “what am I to do”? I cannot sit and watch the bride of Christ suffer. This is where Sun Ministries comes in. I must ask you to stop at this point and consider what I have said. If you disagree with me at this point on the condition of, future of, and God’s intention for the church, you may want to stop reading. If God has not convicted you by now that the church needs help and inter-dependency then you will be following the idea for wrong motives. If you have examined the Scripture and your eyes have been opened or your existing convictions have been confirmed, then you should continue.

What is Sun Ministries?

The word Sun here is the Greek word sun {soon}. It means “with”. It denotes union, a companion or to come alongside. The purpose of the ministry is to come along side the local church and help to strengthen it. This will be a challenging and complex undertaking. Remember what I quoted earlier, no one knows how to do this. We are entering uncharted territory. I believe that God will build His church and that He can direct our steps. I have many ideas on how to accomplish this objective but I must remember what 1 Corinthians says.

1Cr 12:31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.

Our basis for ministry will be the unity of the body of Christ around a core of truth. We will outline what we consider to be God's design for the church. Any church that can be dedicated to functioning by God's design can be included in our network of inter-dependent churches. Our goal is to provide all support free of charge. Faith communities we plant can request assistance of the ministry in many forms. We will utilize many different methods to meet the needs of these churches. Some of the support ideas already planned are financial assistance, short term work teams, ministry teams to assist the church in discipleship development, training materials designed with disciple multiplying and biblical church function in mind, and service opportunities with other small churches. 

We will be the organizer and overseer of many short-term mission opportunities. Imagine being able to go to Sun Ministries web page and sign your small group up for a short term mission trip that is within 3 or 4 hour drive from home. You load up the team on Friday night, work all day Saturday, feast with the church on Saturday night and join them in worship on Sunday. Your whole team can be back home by Sunday night. No time off work and the chance to be a blessing to another part of the body of Christ and with very little monetary expense. Now imagine a network of churches using the gifts of the body of Christ in such a manner to organize service events and reach their local area for Christ. When you start to see the picture I am painting here you can only imagine the impact we can have on America for Christ as we utilize the gifts and resources God has given us to reach all parts of America and not just the booming suburbs.

Our ministry will operate through spiritual gifts. At the core of this ministry is prayer. Without prayer we cannot be successful in ministry. It is the power of God. Team building will be an important part of our ministry. The Leadership Center trains and equips our teams and other volunteers for service. They will be responsible for equipping the leaders of our ministry with proper training, materials and opportunity. It will also make and distribute materials made especially for the needs of the small church and our ministry. They will also work with volunteer members to give them opportunity to use their God given gifts to care for the bride of Christ. They will organize short-term mission trips and put into action the priorities of the ministry. It will oversee the daily operations of the ministry