Blog

A New Transition for Us in Ministry

By charlie worley
So I have been serving as a transitional pastor for the past twelve years. It has been challenging but rewarding, hard work, but worth it. Now at the age of 75, I am doing some transitioning myself. Read all about it in the blog.

So I have been serving as a transitional pastor for the past twelve years. It has been challenging but rewarding, hard work, but worth it. Now at the age of 75, I am doing some transitioning myself.

I am leaving transitional church ministry as an intentional interim pastor with Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM) to become a church planting catalyst and coach for the Converge Northwest District of Converge Worldwide (www.convergeNW), formerly known as the Baptist General Conference. It's a move from helping churches transition between pastors to helping church planting churches and church planters multiply new churches. It's also a move back to what I have done for many years of my ministry life. A big step of faith is required but we believe God will use us as we scale back to more of a part-time ministry which we so enjoy.

Big steps of courage are required for such a change but here's what I can tell you.

Lots of faith is required. This ministry transition is requiring that we build a support team that will pray for us and support us by providing a part-time missionary income. As interim pastor, the churches I served supplied a full-time or part-time salary. Like the past two and a half years in-between interim pastorates, we have seen God supply our needs with no income from churches. Now we trust God to provide spiritual and financial support year-round in the amount of $2,500/month.

If Satan does what he can to discourage and destroy existing churches, we know he will work overtime to prevent new churches from being born and then survive in their early months and years of ministry. In church planting, prayer becomes the most important ministry because without it, churches being conceived and then born require much fervent intercession to succeed and survive. That kind of prayer will need to start with me.

Planting churches requires qualified church planters. My new role will require that I find and recruit potential church planters. This is a ministry that brings me great joy and fulfillment. Like a fisherman that searches diligently for prime fishing spots, I will be working hard to discover the churches and places where planters can be found and caught with a vision. It will take all kinds of church planters and sponsoring churches to reach all kinds of church planters and church plants to reach all kinds of people in all kinds of places. We have yet to discover what Luke 10:2 will do to multiply disciples and churches.

For many years now my life mission has been expressed in these words: "By God's grace and power, my life purpose is to help recruit, equip, train, deploy, and coach servants of Jesus Christ as faithful laborers in His harvest fields." It's time to reignite that passion through church planting with Converge in the Northwest.

Currently, Converge Northwest has about 100 member churches in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Our goal is to see 25 more churches planted in our area by the end of 2025. We are off to a good start working with 5 church plants in various stages of development. I long to see church planting movements of different ethnic and people groups. For example, I am beginning to coach a Filipino church planting couple, Alvin and Juana Rebong, who are currently in Saipan while they wait to get a Green Card to plant Filipino churches, beginning in Seattle. We also greatly need Hispanic church plants as well as other ethnic plants.

 

If you are interested in joining our support team for prayer or have questions, contact me personally at coachcharlie@coachandequip.org.

If you are interested in helping us by joining our support team for a one time gift or regular financial support no matter how small or large, follow the directions below:

Online giving: give to Converge Northwest (pushpay.com) – choose fund "Church Planting Catalyst."

Support via check: address your support to the following address -  

     Converge Northwest

     PO Box 33705

     Seattle, WA. 98133

NOTE: Checks must be made out to Converge Northwest with a note in the memo line that states "Church Planting Catalyst"- Worley. Without a note in the memo line, funds can't be directed accordingly.

All support gifts are tax deductible.

 

[Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash]