Part 3 of the Accelerate: Story video series opens with the statement, “If Christ can come and relate with us equally, the church of God today must do the same thing.”
Most in Foursquare would agree with such a charge. However, living out this statement can be challenging. Often the difficulty is less in the desire to connect, and more in the mode.
Is connecting about giving to others? Is it about ignoring differences? How do we actually relate to one another equally?
In “Accelerate: Welcome,” men of different ethnicities—with different titles and roles in The Foursquare Church—affirm that we must take action. We must welcome one another.
“The Western church should come to terms with what to do,” says Senior Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel of Fountain of the Living Word Chapel (Orange Foursquare Church) in Orange, N.J. “They should understand that these immigrants that are coming need the gospel; need to be pastored. And if they can’t reach them, they should be able to support somebody who can reach them.”
The “Accelerate: Welcome” segment of the Accelerate: Story series creates space for cultural differences—for people of all ethnic backgrounds. It challenges current efforts and draws us back to the center of the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19, NKJV).
As Northeast District Supervisor Robb Hattem states, “My hope would be that we as pastors and churches … our arms would be open … it is obvious that the world has come to us.”
Watch the full video to learn more about how we as members of the Foursquare family can move past ourselves and accelerate kingdom work.
This story and others like it are available on the 2011 Accelerate: Story DVD for $39, as well as in the 2012 Experience Kit for $149.
By: Ashley Wolpert Miller, a freelance writer living in Long Beach, Calif.
