Sunday night, we closed out our sermon series; God's How To Manual, taken from the book of James. This sermon finale, was how to pray about your problem. Towards the end of the sermon, I began to think about how this tied into praying for our Senior Pastors for our Monday focus.

Then it came...straight from our Senior Pastor..."The #1 struggle for pastors is their prayer life...starting with this guy right here." (points to self)

You think the devil is attacking you regarding the quality of your relationship with God and here is a man with 20+ yrs of Senior Pastor, plus a few more, in Associate and Youth ministry and he still struggles with prayer. I felt better for a moment until I realized perhaps I'm in significantly worse condition in my prayer life than I thought.

Then came the closing remarks...a meeting b/w Billy Graham and a dear, fellow pastor of a large NYC congregation.

Dr Graham, if you could do it all after again... famous last question, right?

Dr. Grahams' response... I wish I could have been a greater person of prayer.

So, needless to say, today we work on our prayer lives utilizing the subject matter: an increase in the quality of prayer life for our pastors. Pray an ever-growing and deepening relationship with God for our pastors. Pray for a strengthening, that they are equipped with knowledge, wisdom and confidence to do and succeed at the work and ministry to which they have been called. Pray for an increase in revelation during their prayer time; that whatever the need, that they would sense their effectual and fervent prayer accomplishing much for the glory of God.


-PNC

It's amazing how things come together. Yesterday, we focused on praying for how the church engages its community. Today, we pray over church effectiveness and efficiency. And in the few hours prior to writing this post, I heard the story of a young man who attended Saturday night's church service. The church actually has two Saturday services,(in addition to three more on Sunday morning) but they were late for the first one. The young man ended up talking with the young adult pastor for the remainder of the first service, then proceeded to stay for the entirety of the second.

Those involved in the conversation were excited for the young man's enthusiasm regarding the service, as he has been in a difficult place of late. But in hearing the story, I was excited for the investment the pastor took in reaching out to someone in need. Granted, that's part of the job description, but in the middle of the service, I'm sure there's other things needing attention.

The fact that this pastor recognized "leaving behind the 99, to look after the 1" means much to me and hopefully even more to the young man in a difficult place.

As we pray for church effectiveness, these are the stories we need to hear more often. As that effectiveness continues, we'll hear more like this young man's response..."that was the best service I've been a part of in a long time." Now, I have no idea how long "a long time" has been, but God certainly used this opportunity to make an impact, and I hope you will agree with me in prayer, it will be positive and long-lasting for eternity. And may there be many more moments for many more "1's" such as was this case, just a few hours ago.

-PNC

Last night we had our church-wide, small-group year end gathering. There are those who attend church and those who become the church; and while there are many reasons people may find themselves in any given service, if you aren't eventually getting "plugged in" with the body of Christ, you are genuinely missing out.

The strength of the church is in the people, so its influence and impact in the community is directly affected by the maturity and depth of faith within the lives of believers. A shortfall of evidence pointing to a depth of faith will disengage a non-believing community instead of engaging a community desirous to know the difference Christ has made in our lives.

The difference between those two congregations and their communities over a period of time is significant, to say the least.

Pray that church members and attendees will be a people desirous to grow in the knowledge and grace of God. Pray that their lives will prompt conversation and interaction with those in the community that will cause people to recognize a genuine distinction and inquire as to the reason. Finally, pray for increased opportunities within church life, for members and attendees to come together and learn and share life together; for friendships to be formed and strengthened; for unity and oneness of purpose for the glory of God.

For the few moments I had to myself earlier this evening, I thought about the previous post on support systems, in light of praying for missionaries.

I know there are tons of prayer support and that's great. There's financial support and that's certainly needed. There's preparation as they enter the field and resources as they continue the good work of advancing the Gospel, and those are required.

But what a sacrifice!! The family they leave behind. The friends. The daily contact with people who speak their primary language. The safety and comforts of home. Resources and supplies just minutes from where you live.

Missions is a calling. It's a step of faith, on par with Peter stepping out of the boat. Yet, the reward that awaits in heaven...only bits of it are seen on earth. Just enough to stay encouraged to keep up the good work.

Pray for missionaries and their families, that they will be strengthened and encouraged to continue to the work God has called them to. Pray for an increase in support, whether through prayer, finances, resources or people. Pray for a multiplication effect of their efforts. Pray that they will not be discouraged, and that their moments of frustration, worry and questioning will be few and short-lived. Pray the Holy Spirit to remind them...they are valuable, they are appreciated, they are needed and they will be rewarded by God for their faithfulness to His plan for their lives; for having set theirs aside for the gains of eternity.

-PNC

Last night, during our Wednesday Night Prayer service our church prayed for the Koch family , and the community of Glad Tidings Assembly, (see 6/10/15 prayer post), and I reflected and prayed for the support system that exists in the body of Christ.

In particular, I thought of the pastors, deacons, administrators and staff, who help the church move forward, daily, acting on the vision of their Senior Pastor.

So, as you pray today, for deacons, admins and staff of churches around the globe, keep in mind, the community in Pennsylvania. Pastor Koch was incredibly involved in that region in other areas of influence and leadership beyond the 4 walls of Glad Tidings church. I'm sure an incredible system of people will indeed, "step up their game" during this difficult and challenging time, but I also considered how many churches may not have such a great system(s) in place, should tragedy ever strike elsewhere.

Pray the miraculous in the situations such as the Koch family, that congregations go through together. Pray for strength, for those who step in and step up to make sure church operations and services continue w/o interruption. And most importantly, pray for an increase during that time...that God would provide; resources, finances, growth in numbers and depth of maturity. As we prayed tonight, may this time (and others like it) be a time for churches to be an increased light to their community.

May they truly witness, blessings from ashes.

-PNC

Wednesdays we focus on praying for Youth & Children's Pastors, for those coming behind us are facing a world, many of us, thought we would never be dealing with.

It's even more difficult when your world changes in the blink of an eye, and you find yourself dealing with issues you never imagined would happen, let alone, happen like this and/or this quickly.

That said, we interrupt today's prayer focus to share with you the need of a church in Pennsylvania. The Senior Pastor of Glad Tidings Church was involved in a motorcycle accident while he was riding with his wife, this past Sunday night. Pastor Bryan Koch has had his leg amputated. Abdominal surgery was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, which went well. Another surgery is scheduled for Friday, 6/12, regarding his right hip

Sadly, his wife, Lynn did not survive the accident. The church's website has requested prayer for Pastor Bryan's recovery as well handling this news, as he become more aware of his situation and the loss of his wife.

Specifically pray for the following:

• For peace and comfort for the family as they deal with the loss of Pastor Lynn
• For Pastor Bryan: Healing of any internal injuries and that there would be no infection whatsoever
• That the church will pull together in trusting God during this time of great loss and need
• Please pray for the medical team treating Bryan and managing his care. Pray for guidance and wisdom as they make decisions moving forward.

Please, cover this church family and the Koch family in your prayers, not just for today, but as the Holy Spirit brings them to your remembrance. May the miraculous be done in this life-changing ordeal, for His glory and His Honor.

You can follow their updates @ www.gtaog.org

-PNC

Our Worship Pastor has spoken on this topic on a couple of occasions in the past year or two, and I was reflecting on it, yet again, as I considered the role Associate Pastors play in the church.

While Associates, whether overseeing a college/career group, leading worship & the arts, a seniors group, or whatever their title may be, are not "calling the shots" if you will, concerning the overall direction and vision of the church, they are in positions where they have the opportunity to lead by example.

It's so easy to get "caught up" in the position and the responsibilities and in the 2015, the technology that comes with ministry. but as the pic and song declares, worship comes down to an audience of One. Or as it was stated in one of my favorite television shows, a constituency of One. It was stated yet again, the other day, that for a leader, if nobody is following them, then it's just someone taking a walk.

Whether it's in worship or some other group within the church, the effectiveness of Pastors is more loudly preached through the consistency of their lifestyles than what they say from the front of the room. This shouldn't be a surprise, since people "in the pews" hear the same thing throughout the week, whether on the job or online...consistency counts.

As you prayer for Pastors in various "Associate" roles, pray for a consistency in their lives; that the depth and maturity of their walk with God will be made transparent to those who "follow" where they are leading.  And it's more-so, God leading through them, than anything else, especially if they are keenly aware of the comparison made in this posts' title. Pray that members of these groups would be encouraged and challenged throughout their times together, to increase in the understanding and knowledge of God and the impact they are able to make in their worlds,as they apply what they've have learned.

-PNC

The title of this post is a statement spoken by our Senior Pastor in practically every prayer offered during the first minutes of the opening lines of his sermon.

As he offered these words during Sunday nights' message, the phrase stuck with me, as I considered the struggle Pastors face, in delivering a fresh sermon every service.

The position, the influence, the attention of people coming to you with so many interests, requests and opportunities. Add in the business matters of operating a church and if a pastor isn't careful, they could find themselves preaching a sermon biased towards any number of situations that may have come to their attention in the previous days and weeks.

By comparison, imagine the effects of a sermon on individuals, where they know the Pastor doesn't have for-known knowledge of a matter in their lives...the message truly becomes a poignant and relevant word from God; whereby the Holy Spirit can work and God's purpose for their lives transpires to a whole new level.

Pray for Senior Pastors today, as they lead their churches and congregations, that there would be an increased desire to bring forth an inspired and timely message. Pray that God give them discernment, that would allow them to prepare an unbiased sermon, and that the power of the Holy Spirit to work through them. Pray for a humbleness, that people would come for the message and an encounter with God, not just for the person behind the pulpit. Pray that the humanity of man doesn't hinder the divinity of God and that there would be a continued awareness that it's the Word of God that changes lives, not just the delivery behind the pulpit.

-PNC

We always talk about goal-setting and task-completion. Risk versus Reward. To do list and how quickly it becomes a done list. (seemingly NEVER)

Decision makers want to know your work was effective. "Bean counters" want to know your work was efficient.

Both qualities are essential to church functionality and longevity.

A congregation growing in maturity in their relationship with God and each other will spur them on to think and act with eternity in mind and how they can be effective. The longevity of such growth will prompt greater insight and discernment in how they can increase that effectiveness through being and/or becoming more efficient.

Pray that the work done through out the week will lead to eternal accomplishments. Pray that Sunday services will see an increase, not only in attendance but also in the depth of spiritual maturity. Pray for healing and the miraculous to be done in peoples lives, in all realms of situations. Prayer for divine words, relevant to their place in life, where those who hear would respond and understand, "Wow...I needed that."

Pray that Sunday is a day of fruit abundance and not of decline. These are days we need to be beacons of light, not flickering glimpses.

-PNC

Christ' return has been talked about with imminent terms since He told His disciples He was going to prepare a place for us!


Yet, this week, like so many prior, is replete with news items that are beyond common sense, beyond good for the body, mind, and soul; heartbreaking, mentally-confusing, belief-challenging and making life feel like a religious & political game of "hot potato".

Non-Christians telling Christians they don't behave as such and Christians being called everything under the sun for simply stating an opinion, let alone calling it a "closely-held belief".

Society seems bent on having nothing to do with the church, yet society clamors for a solution. So, a return to God and a repentant heart is either too simple to work or too hard to accept. And yet, a return to Christ is simple and easy. It just goes against too many social and political agendas for people to come to terms with it all.

So we need to pray for congregations and communities alike. Pray that Christians would focus more on their personal relationship with Christ, that as we become more like Him, may the change in us cause the world to notice Him more than what we have to say and waiting for something in our lives to be contradictory in their eyes. Pray for our communities...there is an interest in spiritual matters, but bad life situations, bad life experiences, and bad interactions with previous Christians and/or churches has caused them to look everywhere but to God. Pray that there would be a shift in the hearts and lives of Western culture...the mission fields around the world are experiencing the gospel in incredible ways and outside of what we consider the "four walls" of our church buildings. Pray for a softening of hearts and an understanding of minds, to the point that we move past political and social agendas and realize...religion is not the solution, but a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ

-PNC

One of the sweetest couples you could ever meet, are a part of out church...and in fact, are missionaries to Africa.  They have been stateside for the past year, maybe closer to two, until a month ago this past Tuesday, when the wife succumbed to Glory, after a long battle with MS.

My heart goes out to her husband, and the three boys, the oldest who serves in the US Armed Forces, the middle is about to enlist, if he hasn't already, and the youngest, still in middle school.

The husband spoke at our men's ministry meeting this past Monday and among his remarks on missions and the situation in Africa, was the sentiment "I can't wait to go back".

I've tried to imagine my life without my wife. You think you might be okay, but it's one of those things, you'll never know unless or when it happens. My heart goes out to my friend...and his wife, the dearest and one of the most beautiful souls to grace this fallen world.

Among my friends' remarks during that meeting, were the opportunities he passed up during Africa because of his wife's condition. I shared moments later, a thought I had weeks prior, that her passing would allow a release and an empowerment for him to accomplish for the kingdom what the disease had challenged. It's just one of those things...when it's that kind of a situation, a whole list of things get shuffled, wait-listed or unattended altogether. The downside of not being in two places at once; which simply emphasizes the point, that, wherever you are; be all there.

Pray for missionaries around the globe. The challenges are great and complex and any health issues, let alone, something like MS...I can't imagine the frustrating and mental and emotional taxing that must take, while trying to accomplish eternal tasks. Pray for strength and wisdom. Energy and discernment. Pray for renewed vision and sense of purpose, especially for this friend; focused and ready, yet still recognizing his life is forever changed by the loss of his wife and the mother of his sons. Pray for encouragement and provision, and for my friend and many like him, healing for mind, soul and spirit as he grieves...but not as those without hope. Pray his hope is restored, to overflowing, that he might give to those on the mission field.

Every organization and business will tell you, that even though it may start with one individual and an idea, growth requires moving beyond self.

To accomplish purpose and vision, it requires duplicating yourself.

To make those accomplishments a reality, it requires multiple perspectives, input and wise counsel.

What's incredible about the church is the people who come together who would rather use their gifts, skill sets, and creativity for eternal purposes; often sacrificing, among other things, the financial compensation they might receive in the secular market for their skills and intellect.

The bottom line, the face of the church, Monday through Friday, are the Deacons, Administrators and Staff who make sure all the bases for effective ministry are covered.

Pray a special anointing for the critical decisions these people participate in and offer insight and concerns as to what happens after decisions are made. Pray for a blessing on their lives, for what they have given up, in order to use their talents for an eternal purpose. Pray for strength and energy, for the efforts that go in to facility maintenance and preparation and transition b/w events, services and the like. Pray that conversations are seasoned with grace and that opinions and perspectives are offered in healthy and respectful manner, that foster an enviroment of wise counsel and are consistent with the values of the church and Christianity-at-large.

Don't you just love your teen years?  Tons of great memories w/ some awesome friends...tons of drama too.

Like most Youth Pastors, mine when I 16, was relatively newly married, and hadn't started his own family yet...but helping, directing, teaching, mentoring and leading young people.  What a daunting task!!

Fast forward to 2015, and our Youth Pastor added to his young family...he and his wife bringing #5 into the world, just a few days ago. He joked about naming the baby "Omega", symbolizing that they were done. Our Senior Pastor joked about selling the family one of the church's 15-passenger vans!!  (maybe their not so done...ha ha)

At any rate, Youth Pastors hold a special place in ministry, as do Children Pastors; for it is always difficult to balance church responsibilities w/ family responsibilities and so often, the family gets jolted too quickly in the wrong direction. But to manage your own children, then a couple times a week, plus any one-on-one interaction that goes in, add all the church kids into the mix...plus whatever friends they invite to a service or event???  If that weren't enough, our church's Youth Pastor also happens to coach basketball for a local charter school in our community.  By comparison, handling my two kids should feel like an afternoon nap!

Pray for a "double-anointing" on Pastors whose ministry emphasis is on college/youth/kids groups. Pray God grant them wisdom and strength in managing and raising their personal families, while effectively providing spiritual guidance, teaching & mentor-ship to church families. Pray a special touch on their marriage,s as they handle conflict, disciplinary and household responsibilities, not to mention the scheduling issues that probably arise more than one would want to know, or pastors to admit. Pray for a redeeming of time, that neither their kids at home, nor kids at church would feel abandoned or neglected b/c of the delicate balance in trying to be a Godly Parent as well as an effective Pastor...

Even as I'm typing this out, just thinking about the challenges feels overwhelming...and this isn't my life.

Lord, help them overcome!!

-PNC

A situation that could have been avoided the other day, resulted in spending a couple hours w/ a young "Family Life" Pastor, whom I had never met, nor stepped into his church, until I found myself in need of some help...that one simple decision would have prevented needing in the first place.

The result, put me very behind schedule...ultimately to the tune of 4 hours.

But the time spent w/ this young man, helped get me through my frustrating morning, and I can only hope our bits of conversation encouraged him.

I still don't know why that morning played out the way that it did, but as I reflected on for the past few hours, I can't help but wonder what God needed to accomplish in either his life or mine. But as I've thought about it, I'm reminded to keep him in prayer. He's been at the church for a couple years now and his wife just finished her degree and is in search of employment.

As if young married life didn't have it's own challenges, it seems to multiply itself when ministry is factored in. While Senior Pastors face great challenges in the "big picture" of what is going on in their church, Associate Pastors carry a great burden in helping carry out the vision and ministry operations of their churches...it's a critically important role, that goes well beyond "supporting" and assisting Senior Pastors. They have their own talents and gifts to which they must remain true and accomplish their ministry purpose while subjecting themselves to the focus and direction of their Leadership.

Pray that God would strengthen and renew Associate Pastors and their families, as they carry out God's will for their lives and ministry focus. Pray that their efforts would not go unnoticed, nor taken for granted by Lead Pastors and Church Deacons. Pray for creativity and vision, that would bring clarification and focus to help increase church effectiveness and efficiency in the various outreaches within the church and community. Finally, pray that God would continue to provide for their families, in every way, and redeem the time they spend together as ministry obligations and demands can quickly take their toll on spouse and kids, making them feel second-rate to the needs of other families in the church and community.

-PNC

Can you believe it's June???

And in a few weeks, Pastors will begin wondering what happened to those who normally fill the pews and chairs that face him each week!

It's vacation time...which is exciting for most, but for the church whose position can already feel somewhat shaky, whether for financial reasons or volunteers or whatever, experiencing a drop in numbers during the summer months always feels a little dicey. This can even be the case for churches who run pretty strong attendance numbers on Sunday mornings.....larger congregations means on any given Sunday, a larger number of families could potentially leave a bigger gap in the sanctuary!

Pray on this 1st of June, that Senior & Lead Pastors will be encouraged, that their best summer is ahead of them. Pray that summer programs such as Vacation Bible School sessions will be a great success for kids and new families to hear the Gospel and discover a great community of believers in their area. Pray that as Pastors hopefully get a chance to "get-away" with their own families, that there will be a time of refreshing and renewal, of strengthening and quickening, a fresh Word for the next "season" that their church may be facing in the coming days, weeks and months. And pray that God provides financial blessing. Families and business alike, hate seeing a drop in revenue and income, but for churches who depend on financial resources to accomplish an eternal purpose, it's incredibly discouraging, especially when it translates into shortened or cut programs and ministries....maybe even services. 

I've stopped by a couple of churches, ready for a good service, only to find out they weren't having that one particular day or evening.  Kind of a bummer for a Christian...perhaps even more-so for someone truly in need something from the body of Christ.

I was reading Hosea, this morning, in fact ended up reading all of it, except for the first few chapters. However, 4:7 struck me, in talking about increased sin of the priests and how the exchanged glory for disgrace. The Message puts interesting perspective on this passage.

You, priest, are the one in the dock. You stumble around in broad daylight, And then the prophets take over and stumble all night. Your mother is as bad as you. My people are ruined because they don’t know what’s right or true.

Because you’ve turned your back on knowledge, I’ve turned my back on you priests. Because you refuse to recognize the revelation of God, I’m no longer recognizing your children. The more priests, the more sin. They traded in their glory for shame.

Wow. As I reflected on this, I thought about how modern day church leaders have compromised and changed their point of view on social and cultural issues that we face today. Failing and worse, "refusing" to recognize the revelation of God. Turning their backs on knowledge. Meanwhile, society, communities and church leaders alike wonder why churches and congregations are falling apart and falling away.

Ruined... because they don't know what is right or true.

And this is certainly the case in modern-day America.

Pray for churches and church leaders alike; that there would a return to the revelation of God. Pray for repentance, and a second exchange, shame and disgrace, for the glory of God. Pray for a return to what is right and true and implementing those principles in our daily lives. Pray that stumbling blocks would be made apparent so that they may be avoided and fail in their purpose.

Lord, forgive us and restore us, both your people and leaders that you have set in place.

According to a March 6th, 2009 post on Barna's website, http://www.barna.org, they state that 46% of born-again adults "believe in an absolute moral truth". That means 54% that don't. During last night's service, the speaker said Barna's research is now that 63% of evangelical Christians don't believe the Bible to be 100% truth.. God is absolute and His word certainly speaking on issues of morality.  These are both unsettling stats. The speakers next point is the point of today's post, given the first of the month.


Pray that pastors would clearly and accurately communicate the absolute truth of God's word, starting with each and every time they step up to the pulpit. Pray for a consistent message throughout the staff and each ministry. As the speaker replied to someone's inquiry last night, God will never have you do something that is inconsistent with Scripture. The only way to know this or not, is to be grounded in Scripture... which I will be the first to admit, I could do better at. 

For further discussion on that matter, you can read my post on:
http://avantguard77.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/the-critical-apex/

Barna's research on trends for 2014 back this up.
https://www.barna.org/barna-update/culture/664-the-state-of-the-bible-6-trends-for-2014#.U2KQdqJdDXQ

79% are less likely to view Scripture as sacred.
88% of households own a bible.
The average home owns 4.7 bibles
Yet only 37% read it once a week or more!!!

Ouch!!!!

We must focus on spending time on the Word and pray for our Pastors who will have the courage and boldness to preach "the whole counsel of God"

The past few weeks have been some kind of adventure...and the past few days...well, I could have done with out. And in my crying out to God the past two nights, I found myself listening to the final sermon in a series simply titled Reset.

God's love and grace is sufficient to cover our mistakes and frustrations. As Paul writes in Romans, NOTHING can separate us from the love of Christ.

At the close of service, I had a chance to speak with the pastor and share the past few days and what I was working through in my own walk of faith.

The purpose of today's prayer, were the words of this pastor and I'm sure in many others who have been asked for their insight in any given matter..."I don't know if that helps." "Is what I am saying making sense?" Here I sat, frustrated about my own life and whether or not I was "getting it right" and in the pew behind me, sat the lead pastor of a church, asking aloud, if he was getting it right.

So, as much as I walked into church this morning needing the power of the reset process, I pray today for pastors and pastoral staff also in need of a grace about their lives. Not necessarily that they "get it right" as we can't expect those in authority to be perfect anymore than we would wanted to be expected to perfect, but that the properly and appropriately are refreshed and renewed in their efforts to speak the truth in love, and preach the power of Christ and what He desires to accomplish in our lives if we will remain focused solely on Him.

Pray that their lives would be so in tune to the Word of God and the things of God, that it would be easy and exciting for people to follow their example, much like Paul stated, "Follow me as I follow Christ."

Pray for those leaders who need to be refreshed and strengthened by hitting the reset button in their own lives, that indeed, nothing can separate any of us from the love of Christ and negating how He would use circumstances in our lives to bring glory to Him and His plan.

In keeping with the daily insight post, on Barna Groups' research on prodigal kids, I'm suggesting today's prayer topic for today and through the weekend be focus on the children and families of pastors.

Pray that pastors, first and foremost, would find the necessary balance between church leadership and family leadership. I would surmise that it would be difficult to have a healthy church while managing an unhealthy home. I could be wrong, but from the other perspective, I've thought...if I am this frustrated over something re: my wife or kids, how in the world could I handle the challenges that come with ministry (pastoral or otherwise)?

Pray that children would come to know and understand and have their own relationship with Christ, unhindered by the circumstances and conversations within the church that might otherwise cause disinterest in God

Pray for the health of the marriage, that once again, if your biggest supporter is outside the home, then what could be missing that spouses are not on the same page.

Pray that the words spoken into the lives of pastors kids, whether by those inside the church or outside the church, would be of encourage and uplifting. It is a difficult, yet honorable work that carries both an eternal reward and eternal consequence. Like most anything else in life, a proper perspective can not be maintained, if a proper perspective is not first developed. 


Be careful what and who influences and directs your attitude and your perspective, lest many be left wondering what has happened with you...much like we look at those who are considered prodigals. Pray for their return for the glory of God.

Have you prayed for your pastor today??  We can't afford to lose 1500 pastors a month, more than we can afford to be out $1500 for the month. 1500 pastors each leave a church of 100 people, that's potential 15,000 people affected!!  Worst case scenario, is they all walk from the faith for feeling burned. Best case, they quickly find another church to get planted in w/o any residual affect on their ability to grow and serve the body of Christ...which is near impossible in such circumstances, at least not without some passage of time.

Lift up your leaders!!