May 2017 Volume 3, Issue 3 Inside this issue:

Why Bring Up the

“Team Thing”? by Jim

Anderson

1

Sharpening the Sword

by Ken Roberts 2

Grounded in the

Word by Billy Miller

2

Building Strong,

Healthy Teams by

Paul Laursen

3

HNI Pre-Conference

Intensive 3

An International

Ministry Update by

Paul Ai

4

AIMS Equipping for

the Harvest Training

Conference

4

By-Vocational Ministry

by Dennis

Calhoun

5

New Members 6

HNI National Assem-

bly Speakers and

Workshops

7

Notable News! 8

WHY BRING UP THE “TEAM THING”?

HARVEST NETWORK

11125 West Point Douglas Road

P.O. Box 54

Hastings, MN 55033

Phone 651-438-2596 office@harvestnetworkintl.org

other parts in their roles, re-joice with one another when there’s a victory and care for one another when difficulties are encountered. Our physi-cal bodies are hardwired to do this naturally. But teams of fallen human beings must be trained and well led if these dynamics are to be real-ized. Therefore, “team-building” is one of the essen-tial skills in a Christian lead-er’s skill-set. I urge every HNI leader to invest the time and money to attend this year’s Inten-sive and National Assem-bly. Paul Laursen, a remarka-ble leadership coach and teammate himself, has assem-bled a highly qualified team of leaders to address this cru-cial topic. Come early to Charlotte on June 20 and enhance your team-building and team-leading skills. As your teamwork skills develop, you will see the fruitfulness and joy of your ministry as-signment grow exponentially! Go team! I’ll see you in Charlotte!

We all be-lieve in good t e a m w o r k . The tremen-dous power of teamwork can be ob-served every-where on a d a y - t o - d a y

basis. The advantages of good teamwork are so obvi-ous they require no explana-tion or defense. A good team can accomplish more than a group of disorganized indi-viduals. We see this principle demonstrated in sports, in business and in friends-helping-friends move into a new home. The advantages of teamwork are self-evident. For this reason, this year’s HNI Intensive will focus on the leadership skills Christian leaders need to build and lead healthy, high-functioning teams. Why make this a priority? The answer to that ques-tion is also self-evident. Good teams do not just happen. Teams can also be dysfunctional and dis-ruptive to accomplishing an organization’s goals. We all know this. You’ve probably experienced this frustrating fact.

Here is the truth about teamwork: Effective, high functioning teams are in-tentionally built and care-fully maintained by leaders who understand the dy-namics of healthy team-work. These skills must be learned. They do not come naturally. Remember, this “team thing” is the very foundation of God’s strategy to transform the earth through the gospel of Christ. Jesus has called each of us to join His team called the Church. He calls His Church to function as His body in the world. This is a high call indeed! The Body of Christ is intend-ed to be the ultimate team led by the ultimate Leader. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, the Apostle Paul uses the picture of a physical human body to illustrate how healthy teams should function. He explains that each part needs to know its unique role in relationship to the team’s goal and do it wholeheartedly. He teaches us that we must fully support the

Watch the assembly promotional video

and register today at

www.harvestnetworkintl.org.

Jim Anderson HNI Presiding

Elder

Page 2 HARVEST NETWORK - May 2017

SHARPENING THE SWORD

GROUNDED IN THE WORD

Third, I then use God’s written Word (logos) on certain topics I’m struggling in and His spoken Word (rhema) to fight the good fight of faith. I meditate on these words. I speak them out. I use them as a counter to my own self-talk and as a shield against the enemy’s fiery darts of doubt, discouragement, and disillusionment. As I speak with Christian leaders across our country, I find that—because of the great obstacles they are facing, the Church is facing, and our nation is facing—many of them are greatly discouraged. A new surge of hope and faith is needed. And I be-lieve that one of the only ways it can happen is through daily meditation on God’s Word—written and spoken. It’s time to freshly sharpen our sword.

In seasons when I’ve experienced great obstacles in my life or leadership, I find that I often become confused in the fog or weary from warring and waiting. During these seasons I’ve

found three fundamental things re-garding God’s Word that I always need to go back to. First, I return to God’s written word (logos), find passages on the topics that I need encouragement in (i.e. faith, hope, perseverance, provision, etc.) and then begin daily meditating on those passages. It’s like going back to Christian Faith 101. I put these scriptures on 3x5 cards or write them out in a notebook and carry it

with me, or even write them and post them around my office on post-it notes. It is only God’s Word that sus-tains me in my weariness and increases my faith to persevere during these sea-sons of great obstacles in my life or leadership. Second, I return not only to specific passages in God’s written Word (logos), but I return to those “promises” that God has previously spoken to me through His spoken Words (rhema). This is why I keep the things God has spoken to me in my journals. Returning to the “words” God has spoken to me helps me get out of my fog and refocus on what God has previously said to me and promised to me. These promises give me hope, build my faith, and give me direction on where to refocus.

Ken Roberts

speaker, trainer, author

and coach

Recently I’ve seen a barrage of commer-cials urging folks to buy silver or gold. But as important as precious metals may be as a hedge against financial chaos , the re ’ s

something more profitable than silver and more precious than gold. That something is wisdom. Wisdom is the dynamic pairing of knowledge and insight with the un-derstanding of how to use them to great effect. And in a world where everyday people are increasingly con-fused about matters as fundamental as sex and marriage and the very ex-istence of right or wrong, wisdom has never been more needed or less com-monplace. Even the Church is strug-gling. Far too many Christians have lost their footing in God’s Word and

are now mired in the wisdom of this world—without even recognizing it. My first clue came a couple of years ago in a meeting with a group of local pastors. One of my friends, a success-ful Southern Baptist minister, was tell-ing about the guy who’d grabbed him after church the preceding Sunday and demanded, “So you mean to tell me Jesus is GOD?” But the kicker came when my pastor friend added, “And he’s one of my deacons!” Then there was the conversation I had a couple of years ago with one of our youth leaders, a young man who’d grown up in church and in Christian school and in close connection to my family. I’ll never forget my shock when he told me he was confused about whether or not the Bible really condemns homosexual activity. I’ve listened to many young, Christian

professionals wonder aloud if Chris-tians should support laws that reject homosexual marriage. I’ve heard them explain why church attendance isn’t important. I’ve watched as more and more professing Christians cohab-it before marriage and as fewer and fewer professing Christians seem to care when they do. I’ve listened to young, Christian couples disparage the thought of having children and watched other Christian couples com-pletely reject biblical discipline in favor of more modern (and far less effec-tive) means of child training. You need WISDOM AND COUR-AGE to face the day, but it matters where that wisdom comes from. That’s why you must be GROUND-ED IN THE WORD OF GOD. In the opening session of this year’s HNI Annual Assembly, you’ll hear God’s call to that end and receive tips on how to do it well.

Billy Miller

lead pastor

Page 3 Volume 3, Issue 3

BUILDING STRONG, HEALTHY TEAMS

to be involved. That is not the experience that most pastors are having today. In light of that, I wanted to bring to you input from three very differ-ent perspectives on leadership but with the same goal. As we look forward to our seminar in Charlotte, you can expect to gain relevant concepts for today and tomorrow from people who are in the trenches and are successful in this new day of calling forth gifted people to join with them in reaching the lost and unchurched and as a result multiplying the throngs that will join together around the throne!

I hope that you are planning on participating in this year’s Pre-Conference In-tensive in Char-lotte this June. As leaders, we all

face the challenge of identifying, nurturing and releasing strong, healthy leaders who will repro-duce strong, healthy leaders. Quite daunting. I have invited three excellent, experienced leaders to join me at the Intensive; they come from quite different backgrounds with unique perspectives on leader-

ship. Brad Kehn is a younger, successful pastor, Paul Romanick is a highly effective leader of global training for a great mis-sions organization and Finn Laursen is a former teacher, school superintendent and now director of an influential organi-zation supporting Christian teach-ers in public schools across the country. The challenge of leadership for today is dramatically different than it was in my first church. It is also tremendously different than the wonderful time of the charismatic renewal when I came to faith. Then we just opened the door and excited people wanted

Paul Laursen regional coordi-

nator for AIMS

Page 4 HARVEST NETWORK - May 2017

AN INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY UPDATE

Paul Ai is starting

a Lighthouse Chil-

dren’s Refuge

Center in Cambo-

dia in order to

change the local

Vietnamese com-

munity. The chil-

dren are fed and

educated while

being taught the

Gospel message of

Jesus. To learn

more about this

ministry, you can

watch the video

documentary at:

www.facebook.c

om/Paul.VOI/

posts/

10155291073804

665

Ruth and I had the privilege to p r each thr ee nights in the na-tional stadium of Yagon/Myanmar. Each night 35,000

people showed up, and almost 2,000 people accepted Jesus. Next, we went to another town. We traveled seven hours by bus to min-ister for two nights. Each night 5,000 people showed up, and around

500 accepted Jesus. As we met with people, we found out that there are many unreached tribal groups. We then traveled 14 hours by bus, six hours on a moped and 25 minutes by foot. We reached this un-reached tribal village and asked if any-one was sick. We were led to a house and met a lady who had been para-lyzed for a year. We prayed for her, and 30 minutes later she clapped her hands. After one hour, she walked around her neighborhood to invite people to come to her house to meet

with us. Fifteen came; all of them accepted Jesus. They are reachable, yes reachable, but we need people to go to them. We are starting to train 32 students, so they can be sent out to these reachable tribal groups. Please pray for us and join us in training and sending soul winners and church planters to these reach-able villages!

Dr. Paul Ai

Register at:

www.aims.org

Page 5 Volume 3, Issue 3

BY-VOCATIONAL MINISTRY

Know your limits. There will be things you can do, and there will be things you can’t do. Be okay with that. Don’t com-pare yourself to others. Com-paring will certainly kill your joy. Be intentional about resting. Ministry and marketplace needs are always going to be there. Early on we learned we must take time to rest, enjoy the down time and refresh. Your identity can’t be in your work—we must rest. Understand times and sea-sons. Working bi-vocationally may just be a season, as a pio-neering season. Embrace it. The upside is you have less fi-nancial stress, which can some-times be one less battle to fight. Share ministry with others. You don’t have to be a super hero. Being bi-vocational allows others to help carry the weight of ministry and step into the places they are called to fill. Know as a bi-vocational leader that you bring an expertise to ministry which is unique to your call. You bring a balance. You bring a fresh perspective. You bring an anointed marketplace, ministry leader!

We are appearing on the scene quietly. We are more common than you may think. We face different chal-lenges and have different skill sets. We have successes and set-backs. We are bi-vocational lead-ers. We are pastors and leaders of youth, children and worship min-istries. Bi-vocational ministers are incredible servants who fill a huge need among many American con-gregations today. My wife and I serve today in bi-vocational ministry as Lead Pas-tors of Souls Church in Prince-ton, MN. Full-time ministry was not an option for us when we were asked to take over the church in 2010, nor when we re-launched it in September 2014. So we embraced what was before us—an assignment to ministry (sacred calling) and a responsibil-ity to the marketplace (secular careers). We clutched both with arms wide open and an even big-ger, flexible heart.

The marketplace was a place we both started as we began to serve God, even before we ever entered “full-time” ministry. My wife of 8 years has worked for over 20 years at Fairview Home Care and Hos-pice, and I have worked at Lunds & Byerlys Grocery Stores for com-ing up on 19 years. While it has had many benefits and rewards, there have been many challenges. The ability to balance both mar-ketplace and ministry can at times be hard, draining, overextending, and downright wearing at times, but if done with wisdom and a proper perspective, it can be an extremely fruitful blessing. Bi-vocational ministry is nothing new. Nor is it something to be looked down on. If you remember, Paul was a “marketplace & minis-try” man: “Paul went to see his friends, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them” (Acts 18:2-3). While we believe there will come a day that the dream in our heart will release us into a “full-time,” paid ministry, there are five lessons we have learned along the way to effectively embrace a marketplace and ministry calling. Don’t see your marketplace & ministry as a lower calling. One of the biggest mistakes is to think you’re second class as a bi-vocational minister. Every church is different. Every call and God-given assignment is unique. Em-brace where you are, and run your race.

Dennis Calhoun

lead pastor

Page 6 HARVEST

Christopher Yarber assistant pastor Cornerstone Church of Americus Americus, GA This is one of the bigger seasons of Christopher Yarber’s life: ordained in April through HNI,

graduated in May with a B.S. in Pastoral Ministry from Lee Uni-versity, getting married to Maigan in June, all while taking up the call of assistant pastor at Cornerstone Church of Americus un-der Lead Pastor Kevin Brown. “Maigan is very supportive. Her father and grandfather were pastors,” Chris said. Chris became interested in joining HNI after attending a nation-al assembly. “As Dave Browning was teaching about leadership in the church, I saw that Christianity is culturally relevant and we can share the gospel in a way that’s nurturing and relevant. I saw the passion Harvest Network people had in being real

Christians and loving God and His people, and I want-ed to combine that with my passion to show the world that we’re relevant and not extremist.” While Chris does enjoy golfing, biking and reading (ministry, fiction, history), what he says he loves to do is talk. “I love having the deeper conversations with peo-ple—even with people I don’t know well. What kind of encounters have you had with God lately? How has your life changed in recent months? How’s your soul?” He highly recommends Good Faith by David Kinnaman (president of Barna Group) and Gabe Lyons, both for pastors and for their congregations. “It connects with my passion to show the world that Christianity is not irrelevant or extreme. This Faith has a good balance of research and Biblical insight.”

Jill Boche, general license director of children’s ministry The Harbor Church Hastings, MN

Fifteen years ago, Jill Boche married Blake, her high school sweetheart. Now, they are in full

swing: raising four children (ages 7-14) and ministering in vari-ous capacities, including—but not limited to—Blake working for a senior services company, and Jill directing the children’s ministry at The Harbor Church. “Blake ministers to old people, and I to the young,” she laughed.

After four years directing the children’s ministry, Jill received a general license through HNI in April. “I come to ministry from a nursing career, so having seasoned ministers around me is real-ly important. I believe being part of this network provides an awesome opportunity to learn from and sharpen one another.”

Jill has many interests: she loves to worship, teach kids, read, cook and play board games. Still, her passion centers on shep-herding children in their relationship with Jesus Christ. “I have a passion to see the next generation experience revival and change the culture around them rather than be changed by the culture around them.” When she looks back, she believes her many ex-periences on the mission field as a young person shaped her to be a person on mission for life—not just while in another coun-try. “Going to the mission field in my formative years was pow-erful for buying into the gospel and caring for the lost.”

Jill recommends My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers.

“It’s what I buy for people when I begin to disciple them.”

Doug Kileteny Harvestime Outreach Church Hudson, WI

During Doug Kileteny’s four years in YWAM in Africa, he met and married Rebecca. “We served right out of high

school,” Doug said. “I was really passionate and want-ed to serve the Lord. Now, God has us here [in Wis-consin] for the American Church.”

He graduated from Indian Wesleyan University in Bib-lical studies in late 2016. Now he spends his time work-ing as a project coordinator for a translation service company and serving at Harvestime Outreach Church wherever they need him, for Doug loves to pray, lead worship and preach. “I think my central passion is preaching. I love seeing the lightbulbs coming on in people’s hearts about what God is trying to say to them.” In April, Doug gained a general license through HNI. “I see myself being used as a pastor or in cross-cultural ministries or planting a church, and I felt it was a good thing to have a covering and get involved in a network of believers who do the same thing.”

He used to play soccer, but right now he’s engrossed in

researching and reading philosophy, theology and

church history. Prayer is his biggest passion right now.

He loves to recommend The Power of Prayer by E. M.

Bounds. “It’s a lovely book. It has heavy content and

speaks deeply about prayer.” He also recommends

Samuel Chadwick’s The Way to Pentecost. “I really love

the fire in Chadwick.”

Welcome, New Members

Page 7 Volume 3, Issue 3

Tell us your prayer re-

quests, praise reports and

notable news. Give us updates on your

ministry.

jherbert@harvestnetworkintl.org

Page 8

NOTABLE NEWS!

“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray,

I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners

in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it

until now.” Philippians 1:3-5

————————————–—— PRAYER REQUESTS

————————————–—— Please pray for Pastor Chris Gardner, Cathy and their family. Chris’ father passed away on April 18. Chris pastors at Joyful Life Church in Champlin, MN. David K. Miller, a former HNI member, passed on May 7 due to a heart attack. He had been living in Texarkana, Arkansas with his wife, Diana. Please keep the Miller family in your prayers. Please continue praying for Pastor Joel Rogers who is on a waiting list for a double lung transplant. Joel pastors at Gatekeepers Ministries in Lake Wyle, SC.

————————————–—— HNI MEMBER EVENTS

————————————–—— On March 31, LIFE Church in Jacksonville, IL sponsored a Women’s Gathering called “The Women’s March.” Over 70 women from across central Illinois attended this powerful night of ministry. HNI member Kathy Lane led the event. Pastor Dennis Calhoun hosted a marriage retreat entitled “Your Time Starved Mar-riage” on April 28-29. Dennis pastors at Souls Church in Princeton, MN. On April 2, Pastor Bob Swanger at River Church in Delaware, OH hosted Doug Pol-lock, author of God Space.

————————————–—— PRAISE REPORT

————————————–—— Bishop Francis Macharia, House of Hope Christian Fellowship from Nairobi, Kenya would like to thank the HNI members for prayer. The drought is over and God is providing them rain. The farmers are now planting. Please pray for an abundant harvest.

——————————————– MINISTRY UPDATES

————————————–—— Dr. Carolyn Herbert in Elyria, OH recently launched a new ministry called “Strength to Strength” providing spiritual direction to women of all ages. Check out her website at www.carolynherbert.com. Her recent blog “What Will Come Out if Someone Bumps Into You” is located on the homepage. In March, Pastor Peter Johnson from Has-tings, MN began a position as chaplain for two Presbyterian Homes sites. Pastor Paul Romanick who is the Global Coordinator for AIMS in Colorado Springs, CO was in Thailand on April 18-23. He led the “Equipping for the Harvest” Training Conference. An average of 100 students at-tended from approximately 12 surrounding countries. Pastor John Hutton at GO Church in Jack-sonville, IL has just completed renovating their church building by doubling the size of the sanctuary and constructing a new fellow-ship hall. The Harbor Church in Hastings, MN hosted a “Going Deeper in the Holy Spirit” seminar on April 1-2 with Lee Grady. Jim Anderson pastors at The Harbor Church.

HARVEST NETWORK

ADMINISTRATION STAFF

How we can serve you?

Kristie Farmer Website & Database

Administrator kfarmer@ harvestnetworkintl.org

Judy Herbert Communications

Coordinator jherbert@ harvestnetworkintl.org

Julie Johnson HNI Administrator office@ harvestnetworkintl.org

HARVEST NETWORK

BOARD OF ELDERS

Jim Anderson The Harbor Church

Hastings, MN janderson@

harvestnetworkintl.org

Kevin Brown Cornerstone Church

Americus, GA kbrown@

harvestnetworkintl.org

Tom Herbert Freedom Community

Church Shrewsbury, PA therbert@

harvestnetworkintl.org

Dale Sisam Life Church

Eden Prairie, MN dsisam@

harvestnetworkintl.org

Bob Swanger River Community

Church Delaware, OH rswanger@

harvestnetworkintl.org

2017 HNI REGIONAL RETREATS

Northeastern: September 9

MN/WI: October 12-14

Ohio: October 16-18

East Coast: October 19-21

Central States: October 26-28