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THE
REGIONAL CHURCH of LANCASTER COUNTY
is a cooperative network of Christian leaders dedicated
to relational partnership in the work of the Kingdom of God in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania.
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What
is meant by the "REGIONAL CHURCH"?
Quite
simply, the “regional church” (as it pertains to Lancaster
County) is the Body of Christ in the county of Lancaster as seen
from a “heaven’s eye view”. When God looks upon
His Church in our region, He sees more than our separate camps,
communions, confessions and councils. He sees a “regional
church”, made up of believers in every community, every church
and every walk of life. The Regional Church of Lancaster County
believes that the most powerful witness of God’s love (and
therefore the most practical and effective evangelistic strategy
given to us by our Father) is the relational biblical unity of His
people (John 17:23). It is the prayer of Jesus for the unity of
God’s people that envisions us and keeps us committed to our
vision.
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OUR
VISION for Lancaster County
•
To encourage and help equip the whole church to grow and mature
in Christ (Ephesians 4:1–16)
• To strategically work together to revive and revitalize the
church in our region (Revelation 2:2–7)
• To serve together as a loving and united Christian witness
to every resident of our county (Luke 10:25–37)
• To work and pray for the ultimate spiritual and social transformation
of Lancaster County (2 Chronicles 7:14; 1 Timothy 2:1–4)
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What
do we mean by
"SPIRITUAL AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION"?
Spiritual
Transformation:
when the battle waged in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 6:12) shifts
to favor the church on earth.
Social Transformation:
when an increased number of adults attend church, the rate of adult
conversion growth in the church increases, new congregations are
being planted, hunger for God’s presence is evidenced in God’s
people, and crime rates, divorce rates, domestic violence and poverty
are declining.
That this sort of regional transformation is possible
can be attested by the fruit of major revivals in American (and
world) history, as well as the testimony of various nations and
communities in the world today.
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OUR
VISION for Other Regions
Apart from the united local work, The Regional Church of Lancaster
County is committed to giving its resources (human and otherwise)
to partner with cooperative efforts of the Body of Christ
(1 Corinthians 12:12) in other regions of our nation and the world.
Through mutual commitment, initiatives to fulfill the Great Commission
will extend beyond Lancaster throughout the earth (Matthew 28:18–20).
God is uniting churches regionally
around the world, including regions contiguous to us—York,
Lebanon, Reading, Harrisburg, Bucks/Montgomery Counties, Coatesville,
Baltimore and surrounding counties—and
we are committed to interrelating with them.
We see this “stewardship of
our wider region” as part of Lancaster County’s unique
calling in the purposes of God for our present day. We believe,
with many Christians from the area, that God has given Lancaster
a privileged opportunity to be a light to the nations.
One remarkable fact (documented
by the Pocket Testament League) attests to Lancaster’s faithfulness
in the Great Commission: Lancaster County gives more per capita
to Christian world missions than all the other counties in the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania gives more per capita than all the
other states in the Union. And the United States gives more per
capita than any nation in the world.
If we can increase the number
of believers in Lancaster, we increase the number of givers, gifts,
resources and people to fulfill Lancaster’s destiny—and
therefore help fulfill the Great Commission and hasten the coming
of the day of God (1 Peter 3:12).
•
Our Vision (top)
• Our Strategies
• Ways to Participate
• Our History
• Our
Present Council
•Top of Page
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OUR
STRATEGIES
What
are the four mission strategies
of the Regional Church of Lancaster County?
PRAY: to
blanket the region with continual prayer and worship.
It is the vision (and the daily goal) of
the Regional Church of Lancaster County to encourage increased,
united prayer and worship throughout our region. To that end, we
have worked hard at networking prayer groups and praying people
in Lancaster County. Regional worship events, community concerts
of prayer, county-wide prayer initiatives, worship conferences,
houses of prayer and pastors prayer summits are all part of the
efforts of the Regional Church in helping to blanket our county
in prayer.
Over the past 5 years, we have encouraged
major local prayer initiatives wherever we have been aware of them,
and we have initiated several of our own (in partnership with an
increasing numbers of area churches and ministries, as well as WDAC
and WJTL).
We have sponsored:
•
3 regional devotional books, encouraging unity and prayer
•
Lancaster County Prayer Watch (a movement to network our region’s
pastoral prayer groups). Within this network (and reaching outside
of it) we have held, in the past 2 years, 3 regional prayer summits.
•
A Call to Fast (21 days of fasting and prayer from January 2-22,
2007)
•
Season of Worship (a 90 day call to regional worship and prayer
preceding the 2004 presidential election)
•
The Throne of Grace (52-week prayer and fasting initiative from
the National Day of Prayer 2003 to the NDP 2004)
•
OctoberFast (2002)
WITNESS:
to saturate the region with the gospel witness of Jesus Christ.
We have encouraged involvement in various
countywide and community evangelistic events and initiatives, including
Lancaster Family Fest, Mission Media, the Lancaster Prayer Crusade,
the Alpha program, Urban Reign (Nicky Cruz evangelistic events in
Lancaster City) and creative outreach related to The Passion of
the Christ, the Chronicles of Narnia (The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe) and The End of the Spear.
Believing that the most effective evangelism takes
place through the local church reaching out in love and unity to
the community around it, we strongly support continued church planting
in our own county, and we’ve created a venue for church planters
(from varied doctrinal camps) to come together in a growing network
of support, discussion and prayer.
TRANSFORM:
to mobilize initiatives to transform our communities with the love
of God.
We have been involved in Lancaster HOPE
initiative, Lancaster Family Fest, local emergency response programs
(coordination of county-wide response to hurricane damage, etc.)
and other community outreaches and initiatives.
In 2004, we produced our first daily devotional:“ONE:
One Day at a Time” for Lancaster County. It consists of 365
daily devotions written by hundreds of Lancaster Christian leaders.
In 2005, we produced a second devotional, "God Stories",
which focused on personal testimonies and prayers. In 2006, "God
Stories 2" was produced, with entries from Berks, Chester,
Lancaster and Lebanon counties. In sharing these remarkable devotionals
with the local Body of Christ (and the unchurched community), the
spiritual gifts and seasoned perspectives of our region’s
Christian leaders encourage and equip us all.
We also maintain this website (www.theregionalchurch.com)
with updated information on various regional Christian events.
GUARD:
to guard the well-being of the church through fellowship, relational
reconciliation and accountability, intercession and spiritual discernment,
and the love which covers a multitude of sins.
We have taken a stand with area leaders
on social issues demanding a biblical response. We are building
the kind of relationships with leaders countywide which foster trust,
honesty and deeper commitment to the good of one another and the
Body of Christ as a whole. We have partnered with area leaders to
pray for spiritual breakthroughs in our communities, our county’s
families, schools, government and marketplaces. Our members are
committed to building strong relational networks with other Christian
leaders in their own communities throughout the county. In Lancaster
City, groundbreaking partnership is growing among the historically
divided Hispanic churches.
The
Regional Church of Lancaster County has also initiated or participated
in various reconcilition events (Anabaptist Reconciliation) and
special prayer events aimed at protecting our county spiritually.
http://anabaptistreconciliation.org
A
footwashing between Anabaptists and members of the Swiss Reformed
church.
A major conference dealing with repentance and reconciliation
between these two historic Christian communions took place at
Petra Christian Fellowship in New Holland, Pennsylvania in April,
2005. |
ONE MISSION, MANY PARTNERSHIPS
•
Our Vision
• Our Strategies (top)
• Ways to Participate
• Our History
• Our
Present Council
• Top of Page
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WHAT
ARE SOME WAYS TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in the vision and mission
of the Regional Church?
No
matter where God has placed you in leadership—whether in congregational
or ministry service, or in the marketplace of education, commerce,
the arts, the media, or government—you have been called to
embrace the vision of biblical unity and Kingdom transformation
for our region.
Together let’s embrace the life-changing
power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Together let’s devote
ourselves to building relationships and cooperating in specific
ways that position us for the ANSWER to Christ’s prayer that
God’s people be ONE.
• Work
for Christian unity and relationship
within your own sphere of influence.
• Actively participate and partner
with others in various regional
initiatives and events.
• Contribute financially
to events and initiatives which further the unity of
the body of Christ in our region. Contribute
financially to the common corporate work of
The Regional Church of Lancaster County.
E.
Daniel Martin,
church planter and former Bishop with the Lancaster Conference
of the Mennonite Church, has been a member of the Regional Leadership
Council. His position in the Mennonite community is already a significant
one, but he sees his role in the Regional Church as an eye-opening
opportunity for further ministry to the larger Body of Christ in
the county.
“Becoming
a more active participant in The Regional Church of Lancaster County,”
says Martin, “has made me aware that although we function
in various streams, we are all ‘one river Christians’,
receiving and expressing our life through the river that flows from
the throne of God.”
•
Our Vision
• Our Strategies
• Ways to Participate
• Our History
• Our
Present Council
•Top of Page
A
TIME TO GIVE: Your support is essential in the ongoing ministry
of the Regional Church of Lancaster County.
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OUR
HISTORY
“Charismatics
and non-charismatics; reformed and dispensationalists, traditional
and nontraditional all praying and working together. Wow! Look out,
Satan, this is getting dangerous!”
—Doug
Winne, pastor of Lancaster Evangelical Free Church
“People have been praying for 30 years...looking toward
unity.”
—Keith Yoder,
executive director of Teaching the Word Ministries and chairman
of The Regional Church leadership council
The
Regional Church of Lancaster County
is a
cooperative network of Christian leaders dedicated to relational
partnership in the work of the Kingdom of God in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Though
this recent network may still be a “stranger” to many,
it is actually the reasoned result of three decades of prayer, and
of the relationships established throughout those years.
A
20-Year Prayer Meeting
For
the past 25 years, a monthly pastor’s prayer gathering has
been meeting at the Leola Family Restaurant, praying for unity,
revival and a general spiritual awakening to visit our county. Average
attendance at this meeting through the years has been 15 to 25 pastors.
Over time, 5 particular leaders
emerged to coordinate the prayer group. In 1999, these men (Larry
Kreider, Director of DOVE Christian Fellowship International; Sam
Smucker, pastor of the Worship Center in Leola; Barry Wissler, pastor
of Ephrata Community Church; Mike Shelley, pastor of Lititz Christian
Church; and Jim Eikenberry, former pastor at ACTS Covenant Fellowship
in Lancaster) decided to invite leaders of like-minded prayer groups
to get together for specified prayer for Christian unity.
A
"Regional" Prayer Meeting
These meetings of area prayer group
leaders began in January of 2000. United in their vision for a spiritually
revived Lancaster, they were also of one mind about the ultimate
fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus in John 17:20–23. As they
considered the vision of the “regional church” in other
regions, there was a growing desire for a similar demonstration
of God’s Kingdom in Lancaster County. A task force was commissioned
to develop a process to begin to identify leadership for this effort.
A
Council of Leaders
In September of 2000 a retreat was held
where approximately 75 Lancaster area Christian leaders (leaders
in congregations, ministries, education, government and the marketplace
of business and commerce) came together for vision sharing, prayer
and discernment.
As a result of this process, 26 leaders were confirmed to serve
as the first Regional Leadership Council. This number has been as
high as 31. It presently stands at 22, each serving a one-year renewable
term, each committed to a personal and focused role for the year
ahead.
An
Executive Team
4 Council members were originally appointed
as an Executive Team, to help discern significant regional needs
and bring them to the Council table. This team has since grown to
6.
In June of 2002, the Council hired and commissioned
a communications director to serve as a part-time creative communicator
and relational “point man” for the vision of the Regional
Church of Lancaster County.
“I pray...that all of them may be one,
Father, just as you are in me and I am in you...so that the world
may believe that you have sent me.”
A
Harmonized Church
“Though
we each represent a unique approach to faith, we must admit that
not all of us embody and apply or live out the full range of truth
in the life of the church. We are all somewhat selective---and that's
OK if you look at the bigger picture...one church with a diversity
that can be harmonized, not homogenized.” —Keith
Yoder
The
Regional Leadership Council:
A listing of the members of
the Leadership Council of The Regional Church of Lancaster
County
A
Fellowship of Leaders Linked by the Love of God
We
are careful here to point out that The Regional Church of Lancaster
County is not a group focused on forming a corporate government
that leads or rules over the church in the county. It is not a bureaucratic
organization of churches and leaders, but rather a practical and
relational fellowship of like-minded individuals who are committed
to a common biblical vision. This network is devoted to encouraging
and empowering the church of Jesus Christ throughout our region.
•
Our Vision
• Our Strategies
• Ways to Participate
• Our History (top)
• Our
Present Council
•Top of Page
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A
WORLD FOUND BY FAITH AND LIT BY LOVE
The prayer of Jesus for the
unified witness of his church holds forth its own promise of a world
transformed by faith (John 17:21–23). That witness, a possibility
within the grasp of all Christians willing to embrace the vision
of biblical unity, is a marvelous means to a marvelous end: “that
the world may believe.”
That witness is the driving dream
from God that moves the Regional Church of Lancaster County forward.
It is a dream that many share.
“It is encouraging
to see the Body of Christ praying together,” says Sam
Smucker, pastor of the Worship Center in Leola and a member of the
Regional Council. “As ministers, we have prayed together
and our hearts have been opened to one another. I believe as we
do things together to impact our communities with the gospel of
Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit will flow mightily.”
Dona Fisher, director of the
Friendship Foundation and chairman of the National Day of Prayer
for Lancaster County, also shares that dream. And she adds a prayer
to it, “My prayer for the Regional Church of Lancaster
County is to witness God at work, blending our business, professional
and church communities together in a unity of hearts, minds and
spirits. As the Lord is honored, God’s love will abound and
his Kingdom be expanded until Christ’s return.”
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•
Our Vision
• Our Strategies
• Ways to Participate
• Our History
• Our
Present Council
•Top of Page
• Contact Us
—————————
A
TIME TO GIVE: Your support is essential in the ongoing ministry
of the Regional Church of Lancaster County.
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