Central Ohio District Assembly

[Greg Farra]

We closed our DA today with an ordination service in which we now have seven newly ordained pastors (including one Deacon). Three were women, which is nearly half. I also received my first district lincense. When I went up to receive it, our DS said' congratulations, welcome to the front line'! :smile:

Dr. Jerry Porter was our General, and he was awesome. He challenged us the last two days to each win a person for Christ and to plant organic churches in the district. He said that we need to go into the poorest areas to reach those people for Christ. Every pastor was to write his name on a piece of paper and somewhere we'd like a church plant. Those will be posted on the district website. A very good Assembly, I'd say.

[Paul DeBaufer]

We closed our DA today with an ordination service in which we now have seven newly ordained pastors (including one Deacon). Three were women, which is nearly half. I also received my first district lincense. When I went up to receive it, our DS said' congratulations, welcome to the front line'! :smile:

Dr. Jerry Porter was our General, and he was awesome. He challenged us the last two days to each win a person for Christ and to plant organic churches in the district. He said that we need to go into the poorest areas to reach those people for Christ. Every pastor was to write his name on a piece of paper and somewhere we'd like a church plant. Those will be posted on the district website. A very good Assembly, I'd say.

Congratulations to all the Ordinands. I think it thrilling that there were so many women being ordained.

Congratulations on receiving your first District License!!!

I love Jerry Porter. He told me to start a church last year. I think church multiplication is his thing.

[Greg Farra]

Thanks, Paul. Yes, he did make the impression on us that multiplication is his thing!

[Greg Farra]

Oops, I made a mistake. There were two women, not three, ordained! It was a long day.

[Gene Tatsch]

We closed our DA today ... and to plant organic churches in the district. ...Thanks for the update ... my old roots are in central Ohio.
Question: do you have any clue what he meant by "organic churches" ... in the Nazarene context. Could be interesting.
thanks/gene --

[Greg Farra]

Thanks for the update ... my old roots are in central Ohio.
Question: do you have any clue what he meant by "organic churches" ... in the Nazarene context. Could be interesting.
thanks/gene --

I may be wrong, but from what little I've read on organic churches is that they are put where people are, rather than new building and the like. It could be a house church, at a coffeeshop, wherever- even a bar. It sounds like you engage the people where they're at, not inviting them to come, but going to them. Maybe I'm off base or wrong or simple, but that's my impression. I don't think he was opposed to what we consider traditional plants, but wanted us to think outside the box.

So where were your roots here in Ohio, anyway?

[Gene Tatsch]

Greg -- early on, our family lived on the Hilltop in Columbus, then in 1951 moved to between Worthington & Delaware - that area has changed a WHOLE bunch!

I've read Frank Viola's stuff on organic church plus a smattering of other views.
All of which seem to point to things operating the institutional church organizational structure/hierarchy.
Which is why I'm curious what a GS might be thinking for a "Nazarene organic church". (Before the NazNet crash a someone reported being part of such a group ... in Texas, I believe.)

[Greg Farra]

Greg -- early on, our family lived on the Hilltop in Columbus, then in 1951 moved to between Worthington & Delaware - that area has changed a WHOLE bunch!

I've read Frank Viola's stuff on organic church plus a smattering of other views.
All of which seem to point to things operating the institutional church organizational structure/hierarchy.
Which is why I'm curious what a GS might be thinking for a "Nazarene organic church". (Before the NazNet crash a someone reported being part of such a group ... in Texas, I believe.)

That area is crazy. I knew a guy that lived just south of Delaware and I don't think there could have been more than one or two lights between Worthington and Pollack Road.