State of the Union Point 1: Risk for Global Partnership Opportunities

sgc updates
Written By Mark Prater
 
 

In 1927, Roland Allen wrote a book entitled, “The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church.” 

He starts the book by describing what you see in the NT - the gospel is shared, people are born again, and churches are planted as the gospel reaches more and more people. Allen goes on to argue that that kind of spontaneous expansion is not limited to the apostolic age but continues today.

“By spontaneous expansion I mean something which we cannot control. And if we cannot control it, we ought, as I think, to rejoice that we cannot control it. For if we cannot control it, it is because it is too great, not because it is too small for us. The great things of God are beyond our control.”[1]

 That would describe what I see in SGC right now - opportunities to partner with churches throughout the world that is beyond our control because it is God’s doing.

Currently, we have at least 75 churches outside of the U.S. pursuing partnership with SG and we will potentially adopt 62 of those churches in the next 2-3 years.

Let us take the greatest risks of all for the greatest cause of all-the preaching of Christ to every tribe, tongue, and nation.

[1] Roland Allen, The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church, Wipf & Stock Publishers 1997, pg.13

Mark Prater

Mark has served as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church since 2002. In 1996, he helped plant a church where he served as senior pastor until 2002. Mark has also served as the director for the Sovereign Grace Church Planting Group and regional representative overseeing the Northeast region of churches in the United States. Mark and his wife, Jill, have three adult daughters and ten grandchildren. They make their home in West Chester, Pennsylvania. You can follow Mark on Twitter and his weekly video podcast.

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State of the Union 2021 Intro: Risk for the Cause of Christ