God keeps refining the vision and ministry here in New York City. It's always been about the Lost, particularly among the Jewish people, but with each passing the day the strategy for carrying out this task gets clearer and clearer. God has been so good to us and the church plant here in Forest Hills, and when I think about His success so far it humbles me.I'm sure to many our ministry looks rather dinky. We are young, hip, tech savvy, Pentecostal/Evangelical and living amongst 72,000 in a city of 9 million, yet we only draw a weekly crowd of 70. We don't have a building, a kid's church, a homeless ministry, or even a membership program. To the modern church planting and evangelical world it would seem as though we are missing something; however, nothing could be further from the truth!
When I look out on our crowd of 70 each week, I see people who only weeks ago were living in sin and an eternity away from God. Now they are not only saved, but they are striving for righteousness and living each day on mission for God. (Our people love to witness!) Each week we have new people visiting the church, and each week it's the new converts who are the most eager to welcome them in and answer their questions. The family of God is alive and well in Forest Hills, and it just keeps growing.
When I look at the success of God here in Forest Hills and compare it to that which the world calls success, they seem like polar opposites. But, I'd rather have what God is doing in Forest Hills any day, because here you can see the complete life cycle of ministry being carried out. We don't just have a crowd of people, we have a crop of new ministers being trained up and sent out each week. The fullness of the ministry is taking place; God is having His success!
As we get ready to enter in our third year of ministry this fall, I am convinced we don't need more megachurches, we simply need more churches where Jesus is preached, the Spirit is free to move and the sovereignty of God is cherished. As a result, we are now taking steps to begin an "in house" training program to raise up pastors to plant more churches here in NYC. (We already have secured our first candidates!) God is having His success in Forest Hills!!!
