America Ablaze Church Planting Torch Passed to World Missions
In 2004, when Orville Hagan served as assistant general overseer of the Church
of God, a significant General Assembly offering was dedicated for the purpose of supporting
church planting.
For many years before that Assembly—during which he served 14 years as a state overseer and
eight years in the Evangelism and Home Missions office—Hagan had demonstrated a passion
for establishing new churches. The resources made available by the generous gifts of the church
reignited that fervor. America Ablaze was born in his heart.
“Denominations die unless they start new churches,” Hagan said. “The Great Commission
cannot be finished if we only proclaim the gospel; we must also plant churches where we can
disciple believers and teach them.”
Two years later, America Ablaze, a sharply focused strategy for finding church planters, training
them, and establishing new churches, captured the attention of the denomination. In the past six
years, 60 churches have been established through the ministry. Last month, America Ablaze
found a new home among the ministries of World Missions, as part of its new Global Urban
Church Planting Initiative.
“Church planting doesn’t come from a cold plan mapped out as ‘just another program,’” said
World Missions Director Tim Hill. “It comes from leaders and planters with hearts hot with
evangelistic enthusiasm and motivated by passion. Orville Hagan has set a pattern we intend to
follow.”
World Missions in its global outreach strongly emphasizes the establishment of new
congregations. The zeal for this ministry results in a new church every six hours somewhere
among the 177 countries outside North America where the church ministers.
“I am thrilled to know that America Ablaze is uniting its efforts with what Missions is already
accomplishing,” Hagan remarked. “We’ve recognized that the United States is truly a mission
field, the third largest in terms of unchurched populations. In a typical Sunday, only 17 percent
of Americans are in a church.”
Hagan’s vision aimed at finding talented beginning ministers who were developing skills—not
just pastors, but also musicians, children’s workers, and Christian educators—and sending them
out as a team, with coaches aiding them. The new churches that have achieved the best results
are those that employed this model. Excellent outcomes have also been realized among ethnic
populations, another natural fit with World Missions.
“I must say that we could not have accomplished nearly all we have done without the strong
support of John Gregory and the Lazarus Foundation,” Hagan indicated. Dr. Gregory is a
dedicated Church of God philanthropist who has given liberally in support of church planting
efforts.
The American Ablaze board included Tim Hill, Mitch Maloney, Keith Ivester, Bill Leonard,
and David Blair, and has worked closely with National Church Planting Labs, led by Michael
Knight, who has provided church planting boot camps and follow-up coaching. Hagan will
continue to volunteer with church planting, as a coach in connection with Global Church
Planting Network.
The World Missions strategy will target large cities, especially where the church presently has
a limited presence, and encourage the beginning of new congregations. Some funding will be
available, and a continuing ministry of personal coaching by an experienced pastor will be
provided.
Those interested in more information about the Global Urban Church Planting Initiative may
contact John Childers, assistant director of World Missions, at P.O. Box 8016, Cleveland,
Tennessee, 37320-8016; by phone at 1-800-345-7492; or by email at ldurham@cogwm.org.
–Bill George
(Source: Church of God World Missions, SOW magazine)
