Sending God's Word to the Unreached

In only a few weeks, Andrew and I are returning to see some pastor friends in Southeast Asia. We would love to share with you about our trip. E-mail me at bgilstrap@bscm.org to receive details of our trip (and photos of our last visit).

While visiting our Good News sharing friends, we want to share God’s Word with them in a way they can understand and share. Many of the villagers where they live cannot read so we are taking several dozen solar-powered, digital audio players to give them as gifts.

  
Story Teller

We are taking the MegaVoice Story Teller players which have God's Story pre-recorded on them to be shared with other villagers. (See samples HERE).

If you would like to give a SPECIAL GIFT to help us take these MegaVoice players to our friends, you can send a financial gift through PayPal for 1 or more players by clicking HERE, or send a check to the address below. Here is the cost: 

• 1 STORY TELLER Player w/ Bible Stories pre-recorded) = $19.00 (includes S/H)
• 3 STORY TELLER Players w/ Bible Stories pre-recorded) = $55.00 (includes S/H) 

GIFTS CAN BE SENT UNTIL FEBRUARY 10, 2012

CLICK HERE to donate through PayPal to this effort to get God’s Word to our friends who are Good News sharers who live in some of the most remote parts of the world (or send your check to the address below.)

SECONDLY, we would also appreciate any support you might feel led to give to help Andrew and me go to see our friends. You can e-mail me at bgilstrap@bscm.org to receive details of our trip (and photos of our last visit) and/or CLICK HERE to donate to our trip by credit card or through PayPal. Just enter the amount you would like to donate (or send a check to the address below).

Mail Your Check or Money Order Payable to:

BOBBY GILSTRAP
Baptist State Convention of Michigan
8420 Runyan Lake Road
Fenton, MI 48430 

CLICK HERE to help us on our trip. We are grateful for any help you can give.

Finally, as we go, please remember to pray for us as we travel and spend time with many new friends. Your prayer support will be much appreciated. To join our prayer update list, click HERE to be added to our list.

GIFTS CAN BE SENT UNTIL FEBRUARY 10, 2012

“Changing the Name”

Is there any value in changing the name of the Southern Baptist Convention? That debate has been raging in recent months across the convention since SBC President Bryant Wright appointed a special committee to study and report back to him regarding the issue.

I would personally be supportive of a name change, as I have repeatedly seen the negative impact of the convention’s name in our northern context. However, that is not the issue that most concerns me at this juncture. My concern is about the heart issues that lie much deeper.

Over the years, I have watched as numerous churches have changed their name in an effort to be more effective in reaching their community. A notable motive. What has made a name change effective?

I have discovered that it is not as much about the actual name as it is about the heart and focus of the congregation. If the church changes it’s name yet maintains the same attitudes and approach to ministry as before, the name change will be of little to no value. But, if the church has refocused and transformed itself to have new attitudes and direction prior to a name change, it will often find a new level of effectiveness.

My question for our convention is what is our heart condition? If our heart condition remains the same, a new name will make very little difference. However, if we are seeing a revival of evangelism, missions and the things that God has commanded in His Word, we will see His blessing on a new name.

Help Spread God’s Word This Christmas

WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE A SPECIAL GIFT THIS CHRISTMAS? This January, Andrew and I are returning to see some pastor friends in

  
Story Teller                       Envoy Player 

Southeast Asia. We want to share God’s Word with them in a way they can understand. Many of the villagers where they live cannot read so we are taking several dozen solar-powered, digital audio players to give them as gifts. We are taking the MegaVoice ENVOY players with the New Testament pre-recorded on them. We are also taking MegaVoice Story Teller players that we can record selected Bible Stories for them to listen to and share with other villagers. (See samples of both HERE).
If you would like to give a SPECIAL GIFT this Christmas to help us take MegaVoice players to our friends, you can send a financial gift through PayPal for 1 or more players by clicking HERE, or send a check to the address below. Here is the cost:

• 1 STORY TELLER Player w/ Bible Stories pre-recorded) = $19.00 (includes S/H)
• 3 STORY TELLER Players w/ Bible Stories pre-recorded) = $55.00 (includes S/H)
• 1 ENVOY Player w/ New Testament pre-recorded = $37.00 (includes shipping and handling)
• 3 ENVOY Players w/ New Testament pre-recorded = $100.00 (includes S/H)

CLICK HERE to donate through PayPal to this effort to get God’s Word to our friends who pastor churches in some of the most remote parts of the world (or send your check to the address below.)

SECONDLY, we would appreciate any support you might feel led to give to help Andrew and me go to see our friends. You can e-mail me at bgilstrap@bscm.org to receive details of our trip (and photos of our last visit) and/or CLICK HERE to donate to our trip by credit card or through PayPal. Just enter the amount you would like to donate (or send a check to the address below).

Mail Your Check or Money Order Payable to:

BOBBY GILSTRAP
Baptist State Convention of Michigan
8420 Runyan Lake Road
Fenton, MI 48430 

CLICK HERE to help us on our trip. We are grateful for any help you can give.

Finally, as we go, please remember to pray for us as we travel and spend time with many new friends. Your prayer support will be much appreciated. 

GIFTS CAN BE SENT UNTIL JANUARY 30, 2012

Simplified SEARCH TEAM Training

After personally dealing with more than 100 search committees, I developed a training to use with the pastorless churches of our association in 2001. After almost 11 years of working with these teams, I saw a trend among search teams that led me to condense this training into a 1-hour, simplified approach to helping a church search team as they seek God's direction for a new staff leader. This VIDEO training covers the following:

• 5 Key Stages for the Search Process
• 6 Rules for Success
• 5 Things to Prepare
• 10 Essentials to Know about a Candidate
• 4 Guidelines for Interviewing
• 10 RED FLAGS
• Tips for Presenting Your Candidate

View this training HERE. When you log into our MICHIGAN TRAINING PORTAL on the e-quip site, you can download the PowerPoint notes and additional printed resources for this training. If helpful, you can also download an MP3 recording of the training for use on your computer or portable device.

My prayer is that this training will be of particular help to medium and smaller size churches that need additional help as they seek to find God's person to serve their congregation. Especially in remote areas, the training can be viewed by a search team together and then additional consultation or coaching can occur with associational or state convention leaders via phone or web conferencing.

View the SIMPLIFIED SEARCH TEAM TRAINING video HERE.

My Spiritual Birthday

Born in Texas, our family moved to Guatemala to serve as Southern Baptist missionaries when I was an infant. At six, we returned to Georgia. Although I was young, I understood my sin was what separated me from an eternal relationship with God.

At six, I felt convicted of my sinfulness and knew I needed a relationship with Jesus. So, I accepted Jesus to be the ruler of my life. Because I accepted Christ at an early age, I knew I needed to live my life to please God. Over the years I stayed committed to Jesus and my church. Christ has sustained me and given me strength in the midst of hard times, providing for my every need as I have sought His direction. Without doubt, committing my life to Christ has been the best thing I have ever done.

If you have never made a decision to commit your life to a relationship with Jesus Christ, I would encourage you to do so today. For more information, explore the MostImportantThing website or The Kristo.

You'll never regret making your own decision for Christ.

Well Grounded Church Planters

The church starters who came from Jerusalem contributed to the church start in Antioch in at least three ways:

1. They were especially suited to reach the Jewish people,
2. They were knowledgeable of the inception of the Jerusalem church and how it operated, and
3. They had been good students of "the Apostles' doctrines" and were now ready to pass on that doctrine to the new Christians at Antioch.

The church starters who came from Cyprus and Cyrene made a very vital contribution to the Antioch church. Some of them had a strong doctrinal foundation and others had an ability to communicate the Gospel to that culturally pluralistic city. All of them were brought together here for the same purpose" (Daniel R. Sanchez, Ebbie C. Smith, and Curtis E. Watke, Starting Reproducing Congregations (Denton: Moonlight Studios, 2001), 33).

 

Today the church planter (ordained or laity) must be a good match for the ministry focus group as well as having a keen understanding of how the church functions. He must also be firmly grounded on Biblical doctrines before launching into a community to proclaim the gospel message.