The following article first ran in the November edition of the Multipliers Monthly email. If you are interested, you can sign up for the mailing list.
This past year, two churches that have been part of the NAB Multiplier community for a long time both went through the process of becoming autonomous from their sending churches. We wanted to feature them together, as they’ve journeyed similar paths this year.
Introduce us to yourself/family, your congregation, and your location.
Drew: My wife Carissa and I live with our two toddlers in Medina, Ohio, a small suburb not too far from Cleveland. I pastor Disciples Church (yes, another NAB church did inspire this name).
Josh: I’m from Bismarck, North Dakota. My wife Kasey and I have three boys: Sam, Will, and Jack. Our family moved to Bismarck in 2019 to plant Missio Church.
How did your campuses/plants start? How were they originally sent out?
Drew: Our church was sent out five years ago as a campus by Heartland Community Church, which is located just twenty minutes away on the other side of Medina. Heartland chose a campus model to provide a massive amount of support for our staff and congregation but was open to the campus becoming autonomous one day. One of our major goals in multiplication was creating more opportunities for individuals to step into the work of ministry.
Josh: We were looking for a sending church to partner with, and Century Baptist was looking for a planter to start a new church that would reach the south side of Bismarck. Around the same time that Century was getting more serious about planting, God was preparing Kasey and I for a new ministry season. We got connected with the leaders of Century and began making plans for how to start a new expression of the church.
What prompted the decision to pursue autonomy, and what has that process been like? . . .
Registration for The Gathering is now open.
Every three years, middle and high school students from across the NAB come together in Orange County for an experience unlike any other. For five jam-packed days, students hear from gifted speakers, sing praises to God, dive into the Word, engage in service projects, and interact with others from across Canada and the US.
The Gathering takes places July 13–18, 2025.
If you are looking for ideas for fundraising, need help setting up a budget, are wanting resources to prepare your students for a missions experience, or would like a fundraising letter template, we now have a Gathering Planning Packet available to download at the link below.
Beyond just a time of personal instruction and growth, the kind of engagement taking place in the Year of Equipping is growing roots that go deeper and wider than just the individual experience. Tony Engeler, the director of Summer Camps and Retreats at Camp Caroline, said, “I couldn’t help but share the lessons I’ve learned over the dinner table with friends.” More than that, he said, “It has already led to numerous conversations back home with my staff for changes and perspective changes we need.”
These kinds of shifts in perspective that lead to real-world changes in how we follow God on mission are exactly why the missional trainings in the NAB exist, whether it’s Year of Equipping, Blue Ocean, Ethos, or Discovery.
Would you consider partnering with us in these missional efforts by giving $50, $100, or more to the Ministry Resource Fund? Your gift will not only, in part, support the Year of Equipping, it will also go toward training churches and leaders across the NAB as they find ways to engage missionally with their cities, towns, and neighborhoods, sharing the story of a God who is up to something new in our world.
Give to the 2024 Christmas Offering
As you consider donating to the NAB in tax year 2024, here are a few factors to keep in mind to make sure that we are able to give you a tax receipt for calendar year 2024:
- If you are sending a check, please make sure the check and envelope postmark are both dated no later than December 31, 2024.
- Online credit card transactions must be charged and processed no later than December 31, 2024.
- The deadline to receive Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) forms at the NAB’s Roseville, California, was December 16, 2024.
- The deadline to donate stock prior to the end of the year was December 10, 2024.
In addition to giving via check or online, you can also donate via Text to Give, and if you are Canadian, e-transfer is also now available; simply send your e-transfer to givecanada@nabconf.org and designate your gift to a specific fund by inserting that information in the note field.
Please note the NAB International Office is closed beginning at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific) on Monday, December 23, 2024, and reopens at 7:00 a.m. (Pacific) on Thursday, January 2, 2025.