Mission FAQs
You talk a lot about coaching. What do you mean by that?
Why is church planting important here in Tennessee?
Does Redeemer partner with other organizations?
You talk a lot about coaching. What do you mean by that?
Ephesians 4:11-13 says: "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping (or "coaching") of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."
The word often translated "equipping" is a rich word. It's used in other passages to indicate preparing someone for their proper use (Heb. 13:21), restoring someone back to the faith (Gal. 6:1; 2 Cor. 13:11) and mending a net (Matt. 4:21). Probably the best translation into English is "coaching." Many of us grew up with coaches that trained us in the fundamentals of a sport or a job. We believe that it is the role of our leadership to provide solid spiritual coaching for you, other believers and other leaders. According to Ephesians 4, that will build up a unified and mature church.
What is the Launching Fund?
From the inception of Redeemer we committed to give 10% of our internal offerings toward launching new churches and other mission-minded leaders that will multiply transformed hearts from our city to the ends of the earth (see Acts 1:8). We handle these funds through our Launching Fund.
Why is church planting important here in Tennessee?
4 out of 5 of Tennesseans say that religion is an important part of their daily life (Gallup). But church records reveal that about 1 out of 5 are actually attending here (American Church Research Project). Now, we're not fixated on people going to church, but on Christ! What these stats reveal is that when it comes to spiritual matters, the majority of Tennesseans say one thing but do another.
Still, one might expect that churches would at least be growing with this amount of talk about religious life. But that's not true either. The percentage of church attendance in Tennessee is actually in decline. This includes evangelical churches! (the American Church Research Project). And this reality remains true across all of North America. For we know that 4 out of 5 churches are either plateaued or in decline. (Win Arn)
Furthermore, the rising generations are by-in-large ignorant of scripture. “Two-thirds of ‘millennials’(18- to 29-year-olds) don’t read the Bible or other sacred texts. This certainly would account for the results of a 2009 poll that found that more Americans mistakenly attributed a Scripture passage on poverty to President Obama, Oprah, or Angelina Jolie than to the Bible. Only 13 percent correctly identified the passage as being from Scripture.” (www.huffingtonpost.com, “The Biblical Challenge from (and for) Millennials,” 6/8/10)
Starting new churches is the way to reverse these stats! Research shows that church planting is the most effective way to reach people for Christ. Consider the following facts:
1. New churches are the most cost effective means for evangelism. (Bob Logan)
2. "New churches best reach the unchurched. Dozens of denominational studies have confirmed that the average new church gains most of its members (60-80%) from among people outside any worshipping community, while churches over 20 years old gain most of their new members (0-20%) from people moving from other congregations. Therefore new churches are 5-10 times better at drawing new people into the Body of Christ." (Redeemer Church Planting Center - not officially affiliated to RCC)
3. New churches best reach new residents, new generations and new people groups. New residents are disproportionately found in new congregations because newcomers do not need years of tenure before their voices are heard or before they can gain real leadership and influence in the church. New and younger generations are found in large numbers in new churches, because there is greater openness to new ministry approaches and to new leadership. Newly arrived groups of people are found in new congregations because of a contextualized approach in evangelism, worship and discipleship. (Language, cultural sensitivity, worship styles). (Redeemer Church Planting Center - not officially affiliated to RCC)
Unfortunately, not enough emphasis is being placed on church planting. Between 2000-2005 there were 214 new churches started in Tennessee. But 303 more churches needed to have been launched to compensate for the decline in percentage of church attendance. (American Church Research Project).
These are some of the reasons why we feel called by God to start new, gospel-centered churches. But don't misunderstand. We don't want to start churches just to launch more institutions. We want to launch people who are on mission to reach the people around us. And church planting is the best way to do that.
We hope that God will open your eyes to your friends, family members and neighbors who need Jesus. And we hope that you'll join us in reaching them through the mission of planting churches.
Does Redeemer partner with other organizations?
Absolutely! We work with many local organizations like Young Life, Doe River Gorge, Campus Crusade for Christ, The Well, Coalition for Kids and Boys to Men. We also have formal partnerships with these organizations:
Acts 29 Network – Redeemer
is also an active part of the Acts 29 Network,
an inter-denominational church planting movement that trains, funds,
and sends pastors into varying cultures with the gospel to start new
churches. This year alone this network of new churches will plant 25
churches in the United States and at least that number in the nations
of Mexico, Colombia, India, and Canada. Acts 29 has a prayer goal of
starting 1000 churches in its first ten years.
Casa De Libertad and Fundaninos - We have recently entered into a partnership with an 
Acts 29 Network church in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Like Redeemer, Casa De Libertad has a vision to plant Gospel-Centered churches in Guatemala and around the world. Casa De Libertad also has put us in a working relationship with Fundaninos orphanage. Presently we are seeking to serve both of these organizations and help them impact central America with the Gospel.
Trinity
Arts Center – Redeemer places a high value on
the arts. That’s
why sharing our facility with the Trinity Arts Center has become a great
fit. Trinity Arts is dedicated to a three-fold mission:
developing high quality arts education programs that are consistent with
Christian principles; supporting the personal, professional, and
spiritual growth of Christian artists in the region; and creating
opportunities for our students, instructors, and partners to serve,
love, and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those in the Johnson
City and Tri-Cities communities.
We've
also found that our neighbors at Summit do a good job at connecting,
caring and consulting Christian leaders in order to accomplish the work
God has called them to do.