Applying
Revival Principles
to
Vienna Christian Center
Mag. Claudia R. Wintoch
Theology of Revival
Steve Gray
World Revival School of Ministry
Fall Trimester 2001
Content
1. Introduction
2. Vienna Christian Center (VCC)
3. The Journey Towards Revival
4. Defining Revival
5. Revival Theology
5.1. God’s Honor
5.1.1.
Anointing of Jesus’s Feet by a Woman (Luke 7:36-50)
5.1.2.
Bread at Midnight (Luke 11:5-10)
5.2.
The Religious System
5.2.1.
Demonized Man in Decapolis (Luke 9:26-37)
5.2.2.
Cleansing of Temple & Cursing of Fig-Tree (Mark 11:8-21)
6. Conclusion
7. Bibliography
Appendix 1 – The Interview
A.
The Questions
B.
Transcription of the Taped Interview
C.
Transcription of the Interview with the Worship Leader Chris Pöschl
Appendix 2 – Vienna Christian Center’s Official
Description
1. Introduction
God is pouring out His Spirit all
over the world these days, including in Toronto (beginning in 1994), Pensacola
(1995), Smithton/Kansas City (1996), and the next place might well be Vienna
(200?). The purpose of this paper is to look at Vienna Christian Center, its
present state – comparing it with the pre-revival state of the places above –
and its theology of revival – comparing it with the one resulting from revival,
especially Steve Gray’s from the Smithton Outpouring. To that end an interview
was conducted with the pastoral staff of VCC (see appendix 1) to determine
their views on revival and the present state of the church.
2. Vienna Christian Center (VCC)
Vienna Christian Center started in
1987 as a small group of international believers gathered in Vienna for a time
of worship. A Pentecostal, charismatic church, accountable to the Division of
Foreign Missions of the Assemblies of God, USA, was born[1].
While the focus of the church was to reach internationals in Vienna, the vision
got broader over the years, as different ethnic fellowships developed. Today,
VCC is made up of people from over 40 nations of the world, having close to 500
members, reaching a weekly service attendance of around 900 people. There are
six services every weekend, reflecting the different fellowships:
French African service – French
Fellowship pastor Peter-John
Kalambay Nisumba
English African service – African Fellowship change
of pastor in progress
Tagalog service – Filipino Fellowship pastor Larry
Manuel (LM)
German service – Austrian Fellowship pastor Gerhard
Kisslinger (GK)
English Family service – International
Fellowship senior pastor Tom Manning
(TM)
International service (simultaneous
interpretation) senior pastor Tom
Manning (TM)
I joined VCC in 1994, as a part of
the international fellowship, and have been an active member for the past seven
years before coming to Kansas City. Over the last 15 years VCC has undergone a
lot of changes, growing rapidly and steadily in every way, numerically,
spiritually, ministry-wise, in maturity and in their hunger for the things of
God.
3. The Journey Towards Revival
Vienna Christian Center’s quest for
revival started a few years ago (maybe 1996), when the then senior pastor Omar
Beiler gave in to God, declaring his willingness to have a revival in his
church and city. Shortly after (1998), the Austrian pastor Gerhard Kisslinger –
whose life-long pursuit has been one for revival – and a group of people joined
our church, building the foundation for an Austrian fellowship. The result was
an increase in the people’s hunger for revival and in 1998[2]
the establishment of a Tuesday night prayer meeting to pray for VCC, Vienna and
revival. The number of people attending that meeting has slowly been rising to
now about 10% of all church members. That low number is partly due to the many
activities going on in the different fellowships, including other prayer
meetings. Yet, the Tuesday night prayer meeting is for the whole church and its
importance has been emphasized. Pastor Steve Gray shares about Smithton
Community Church starting a prayer meeting for revival two and a half years
before it came, “We began a prayer meeting on Tuesday nights. It was different
from our past prayer meetings, in that the entire church got involved in
praying for the glory and presence of God to come in power.” (Gray 2001a:83)
(emphasis mine).
One of the basic foundations of the
Smithton Outpouring has been “‘the power of all’, meaning that we function as a
body and not as individuals” (Gray 1998:167), everyone having the same mind,
going the same direction. Pastor Gray shares how they realized that “there was
no good reason we should not all be
saved, all filled with the Holy
Spirit, all tithe and all experience what God has to give.”
(ibidem).
Vienna Christian Center, in its
ethnic diversity, is uniquely blessed, yet challenged. It is one church, yet
has three levels. As a cell-group based church, there are many small groups
meeting in homes, which make up the different fellowships that meet weekly for
a service. Every three months, all services are cancelled and the whole church
comes together for a big celebration.[3]
Those celebrations are a great example for the power of all, as God releases
His presence and blessings in a special way on the whole congregation.
4. Defining Revival
For a few years VCC and its
leadership has been crying out for revival, like Smithton Community Church and
Brownsville Assemblies of God had done. Both churches set aside a special
weekly meeting to pray for revival that the whole church attended. Yet, the
understanding of the concept of revival usually changes once God pours out His
Spirit. Steve Gray confessed, “For years I preached and prayed for revival
without knowing precisely what it was.”(Gray 2001a:79).
When the leadership of VCC was asked
to define revival, they gave the answer most church leaders today would give:
“I think, revival in its full capacity means that thousands, literally hundreds
of thousands of people really get saved, by the presence of God, not by
programs.” (GK 13 )[4]. However,
they are aware that “revival” literally means “bringing to life a dead body”
(Wolfgang Pöschl (WP) 14), and hold on to Gordon Anderson’s[5]
definition of “the four phases of revival” (GK 13) that “revival starts in the
church … waking us up … getting a new passion for the lost” (ibidem).
Therefore, the purpose of revival is “to glorify God by thousands of
salvations” (GK 14), “the transformation of the nation” (WP 14).
Steve Gray (2001a:79) picks up from
above:
“I thought it would be a great ingathering of the lost … I thought revival would be about bringing more people into the church, scrubbing them up and turning them into citizens of the kingdom.”
If this is what revival is not, what
is the purpose of revival then? “Revival … is a war. It comes as an invasion
from heaven to shake the foundations of religion … to restore honor to the
name of the Lord.” (Gray 2001a:80) (emphasis mine). “Revival is not for our
sake, but for God’s sake. It is about Him, not us.” (Gray 2001a:90).
Revival is all about restoring God’s
honor, as the following chapter will show.
5. Revival Theology
With a move of God comes a greater
revelation of what His word says, new understanding and insights that pierce to
the core of one’s being, bringing new life. Steve Gray also experienced that,
as evidenced by his sermons and teaching. Therefore, I questioned the
leadership of VCC about four gospel accounts and their application to revival.
5.1. God’s Honor
5.1.1. Anointing of
Jesus’s Feet by a Woman (Luke 7:36-50)
Jesus was invited to a Pharisees’
dinner at the house of Simon, who did not give him the courtesies due a guest.
A woman came up behind Jesus weeping, washing his feet, kissing them and
anointing them with oil
This passage is about “the
forgiveness she [the woman] had received because of her passion. She’s
passionate for Jesus.” (LM 18). In revival “the slightest, smallest sin becomes
so big as it really is … then you can break down and you can weep over your sin
and even over the grace which Jesus has given” (GK 18). And “the Pharisees …
had taken for granted His very presence” (TM 19). As the worship leader put it,
“It was sacrificial worship – she gave everything she had.” (CP 26).
The Pharisees were always out to
trap Jesus, so they invited Him with the intention of refusing Him the honor a
guest deserves, expecting a natural outburst of anger, which would shatter
people’s picture of Him. Crowds of people would gather around the arena where
the Pharisees had dinner, since in those times, it was a social event everyone
would come to watch. When Jesus came and just stood there, no one kissing Him,
washing His feet or anointing Him, He was dishonored and being embarrassed in
front of everyone. However, that woman standing in the crowd, who had already
been forgiven of her sins, could not stand it any longer, to watch her Jesus
being dishonored. In her righteous anger she jumped over the wall, ran to Jesus,
and gave Him what He deserved, therefore restoring His honor. Not only was
Jesus’s honor restored – which is the purpose of revival – but His reputation
even grew as news spread around the country.
5.1.2. Bread at
Midnight (Luke 11:5-10)
This passage describes a man coming
at midnight to his friend’s house, asking for bread for a visitor, and finally
receives it, after his friend at first refuses.
This passage shows “that we can come
to God any time … God will hear it if we come and not let go and He will give
us revival.” (GK 20). It’s all about
“persistence” (TM 20, LM 20).
Steve Gray
(2001b:37) points out that this passage shows a “strong Jewishness – it was
required if a Jew came to town and had no food, it was the responsibility of a
person or the community that he got a place to stay and not go hungry”,
whatever the time. He did not have the right to refuse giving his friend bread,
“the Hebrew culture doesn’t give him the right to make that decision” (ibidem).
He gave him bread to prevent
shame for the whole community, since that visitor would “go to the next town
hungry and talk about the other town – they
didn’t give me food, don’t go there – shame on them” (ibidem). Just before
this passage, Jesus had just talked about how to pray, “Father, honored is Your
name” (Lk 11:2) and He now tells them a story showing them that honor, the
removal of shame, gets someone out of bed.
“Your Father already knows you have needs, that won’t get Him out of
bed. But when you’re an honor-bearer for the kingdom of God, He’ll get up and
give you whatever you need.” (ibidem). In revival, we are the ones going boldly
to our Father, to get bread for the needy and restore His honor on this earth.
5.2. The Religious System
5.2.1. Demonized Man
in Decapolis (Luke 8:26-37)
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee
to Decapolis, where He set a man free from demons called Legion that went into pigs that drowned, and was asked to leave the
region.
The purpose of this passage is to
show “the incredible money value for one life … how much God values one soul”
(WP 19). “And also the power of God … whatever the problem is … it breaks it …
I believe this is what revival is all about, that people are transformed” (GK
19). “Our goal is revival but the part
of the repentance is the deliverance part … The church now is like the world,
that’s why we need deliverance” (LM 19). “His deliverance brought fruit … the
revival of the region” (CP 26).
Larry Manuel is right that we are
like the world – there’s evil, strife, division, pride, rebellion, etc. in the
church. “These are common features in the Church today that ought to scare all
Christians. In fact, panic ought to set in: ‘Hypocrisy is wrong! Hypocrites
don’t go to heaven. We’ve got to change!”, yet we are “adapted to the work of demons”
(Gray 1999:86f).
The Gadarenes were afraid when they
saw the power of God – the formerly demonized man they had been accustomed to,
sitting in his right mind at the feet of Jesus. Today, “a naked man demonized
and in chains does not scare us, but the power of God does” (Gray 1999:83).
Many today, when they’re “on the verge of meeting the Master … panic and rush
back to what we think is normal life – the familiar, the lifeless, the dead.”
(Gray 1999:81).
5.2.2. Cleansing of
Temple & Cursing of Fig-Tree (Mark 11:8-21)
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a
donkey and after having been to the Temple, He returns the next day, driving
out the buyers and sellers, cursing a fruitless fig-tree on the way there.
Traditionally, this passage is about
“holiness and bearing fruit” (GK 18), “without holiness we will not … see the
glory of God” (LM 18). “If the church doesn’t bring fruit, it’s not the way
it’s intended; and revival brings the church back to fruitfulness.” (CP 26).
When Jesus entered the temple,
nothing was different compared with the streets. “They’re doing religious
stuff, but the root of their lives is them, they’re self-centered, they’ll do
everything you see at work in the marketplace … the same manipulation,
attitude, self-preservation” (Gray 2001b:22). And they were cheating the people
by taking the purchased doves for the sacrifices in and back out again to
resell them – that’s what Jesus did not like, the corruption, lying, greed.
The fig-tree represented Israel’s religious system – having leaves but no fruit was a picture of it at that time. We get so busy looking at trees and tend to not look at the fruit. Jesus, with the cursing of the fig-tree, didn’t give them a picture of cleansing, but He said, “you crossed the line, no one will eat fruit from you again, you’re finished” (ibidem). The Jews felt invincible, safe, having the temple of God, but “the religious system was doomed” and God was “going to come and rebuild it some other way” (ibidem).
6. Conclusion
Vienna
Christian Center is an as likely or unlikely candidate for another outpouring
of God’s Spirit as Toronto, Pensacola and Smithton has been. While God moved
unexpectedly in Toronto, intense prayer had preceded His move in Pensacola and
Smithton. In all those places, the vessels chosen by God to be His igniters,
had been intensely hungry for the Lord and had gone to places where God moved,
for example, all of them having a connection to the ministry of Rodney
Howard-Browne, Toronto and Pensacola having a connection to the Argentine revival.
The leadership of VCC has that same hunger for the Lord, which has been increasing steadily, and also the
congregation has “a greater hunger in prayer and … an interest and an intimacy
with God” (TM 22), especially the Austrian congregation which is “very hungry.
They’re going after God whatever it costs and they want to have the real thing”
(GK 23). Some of the VCC leaders have been to Toronto and/or Pensacola, and
carriers of revival are welcomed to increase the passion in them and their
people. Toronto as well as Pensacola had prophecies from different people,
including well-established ministries, about the coming revival. And Vienna
Christian Center also has been holding on to His promises of the coming revival
that have repeatedly come forth prophetically. An outpouring of His Spirit like
in Toronto, like in Pensacola, like in Smithton, yet unique in its way and
purpose, as hundreds of people will come running to the Lord on Rennweg[6]
– in a nation that has never seen revival before – in Vienna, Austria.
7. Bibliography
Appendix 1 – The Interview
A. The Questions
General:
Define:
what is revival?
What is the
purpose of revival?
How do you
get revival?
Is it
legitimate to go somewhere else to get revival? Invite someone in to get
revival?
Theology:
Where in
the Bible do you see revival?
What would
be a Bible passage to preach on revival?
What’s the
point of/ Mark 11 –
cleansing of Temple & cursing of fig-tree
/connection
to revival in Luke 7 – the woman anointing Jesus’s feet
Luke
8 – demonized man in Decapolis
Luke
11 – bread at midnight
Specific:
What’s your
church’s/fellowship’s vision and mission statement?
What has
been your church’s/fellowship’s main focus over the last six months?
Have you
seen an increase in the presence and power of God?
How would
you characterize the spiritual condition of your church/fellowship?
Do you
personally need revival?
What’s the
church/your fellowship doing to usher in revival?
You
personally?
How will
revival affect your church/fellowship?
What will
the wider affects be?
Do you
expect revival to change you? If yes how?
B. Transcription of the Taped Interview
The following pastors and leaders were interviewed at the
same time:
Tom Manning
– senior pastor (emphasis: International
Fellowship and Family Service)
Wolfgang
Pöschl – elder (emphasis:
International Fellowship and Family Service)
Gerhard
Kisslinger – pastor of the Austrian
Fellowship
Larry
Manuel – pastor of the
Filipino Fellowship
Emil Kvick – assistant to the pastor
General:
Define:
what is revival?
Tom: I
think, from my perspective, there’s a difference between renewal and revival.
Revival springs out of renewal. Renewal would be just that, a renewal, an
increase of passion, increase in hunger, expectancy. Revival, in my opinion,
springs from that, which leads to salvations. You can’t revive something that’s
alive already.
Gerhard: I
like the definition from Gordon Anderson. He said, the four phases of revival,
that revival starts in the church, with us. Sleeping, or maybe being lukewarm,
waking us up to a new urgency of the manifest presence of God, not just a ….
but that we really experience Him personally and then from there getting a new
passion for the lost and then, I think, it’s going to flow out to the society
and I think, revival in its full capacity means that thousands, literally
hundreds of thousands of people really get saved, by the presence of God, not
by programs.
Tom: So, it
was waking the church up, passion for the lost
Gerhard:
Getting a new passion for the lost and then from there flowing out to the
society, into the city.
Tom:
Flowing out, which then incorporates three and four.
Gerhard:
The first, actually, what he said is, is looking up, the religious phase, where
he said that people kind of, they’re unsatisfied with their faith, with their
walk with Jesus, that’s where it starts, that what he said. The second is the
seeking phase, where people seek God, and more the presence of God, and they’re
pressing towards God’s presence and the third one, then, is then receiving
phase, receiving and celebrating. I think we’re in this phase, you know. And
the fourth one is going out and spreading it to the people.
Larry: I
would say revival is the picture of the book of Acts, Acts chapter 2. The
disciples, they’ve been doubting, they’ve deserted Jesus, they’re not like on
fire for Jesus, but after Acts 2 you see the revival, the disciples were on
fire for Jesus. The church multiplied … I can say revival is like Acts.
Wolfgang:
Just a comment on the word revival. I personally prefer the word awakening like
we have it in German, Erweckung. Because revival means that you bring something
to life that was alive before. And I’m not sure if our country was ever alive.
To me it’s an awakening to a new dimension that our country really hasn’t had
at all. I mean I say that with all respect, I know that there were some phases
of these things, but it’s bringing to life a dead body.
What is the purpose of revival?
Gerhard: To
glorify God by thousands of salvations, that’s what I think.
Wolfgang:
An effect on society.
Gerhard:
Transformation.
Wolfgang:
The transformation of the nation.
How do you get revival?
Larry:
Personal transformation … Someone ….
It’s like a fire, spreading.
Tom: And if
we agree with Gordon Anderson, which I think we do, that’s where it starts to
revive, within in the individual. Our flag, that you guys made, starts in the
heart, in that flag. It shows revival happening in the home, then the church
and then the last picture there is the world.
Gerhard: I
think it involves a lot of prayer and dedication to God and purifying of our
motives and our lives so that God can flow through us, that God can really use
us. Put us on fire and then use us as a candlestick, a torch.
Claudia:
Can you relate it to VCC a little, how to get revival?
Wolfgang:
It’s the hunger … the desire to see God move. I think that’s the biggest thing
that unites us over here because in a way we model it for the whole church and
I really believe that in any one of the fellowships, if a fellowship doesn’t
desire it with all their heart, then no longer revival is gonna happen.
Tom: I
think that hunger expresses it in that deep worship for God, not amusing, but
that intimacy with God, pressing in, coming back to what we defined it, that
hunger and desire, the awakening within ourselves, Gordon Anderson, stripping
away the cables to make the connection with God, stripping away which leads to
that holiness that he talked about and the purity within the body and if we
are, and I agree, if we are in the receiving mode, that’s the bless me,
receive, revive me, which then we’ve got the term from that, then how does this
effect the society around, the community, the Acts 2 and beyond experience.
They received but then they spread because of persecution, they spread.
Gerhard: I
also think that when we look at VCC right now, there is a new dimension of
prayer and intercession and fasting and seeking the Lord and different ways,
prayer meetings and prayer walks and prayer nights and the worship dimension,
everything together, it just shows it becomes more intense, the search, this
going after God, this really pressing in to reach God and to really see Him
move in the church and through the church and in the city. It’s more intense
than every before.
Tom: In
there there’s gotta be the link to the word, the growth, the maturity and the
word, the stripping away comes through that different avenues from the word,
bondages get broken, we wanna …
Is it legitimate to go somewhere else to get
revival?
Tom: I
don’t think you can get revival, can you. I think you can be renewed in your
own personal, that’s where it comes back to the definition, that first aspect
that we defined as a renewal within the believer, a hungering, a thirsting, and
anywhere where that’s taking place you’re going to get into an atmosphere where
you’re going to be charged, and you’re gonna be challenged in your own
spiritual life, you’re gonna draw in more intimately, then you bring that back
and others begin to catch that fire. We use the fire analogy, the fire begins to
burn and it begins to spread.
Claudia: Is
it legitimate to go somewhere else?
Tom: I
would disagree with the question. But I would say it’s legitimate to go off, to
experience greater levels, be encouraged.
Gerhard:
Hunger – I also see it like this. It has two sides to it. One side is that it
can encourage us, it can create a hunger, it can create a desire. But the other
side is, the negative side would be that people would go from one revival
church to the other and satisfy their hunger and not really paying the price
themselves for revival.
Tom:
Because that’s not… that’s the receiving, they’re going everywhere receiving,
and that’s not revival from what we defined in this room. They’re receiving for
them. And that’s an important element from what we’ve defined in our definition
earlier. But a true revival, we’ve all said, transforms our society. You know,
there’s often conversions.
Gerhard: It
still challenges us, even the reports of revival. I like, even though, maybe
I’m no longer watching every video or reading every revival report which is
coming, but just to see them coming makes me not only hungry, but sometimes
even, even really like, I’m tired of hearing of revival in some other
countries. I wanna see it here, you know, it’s time for here. So this is the
good aspect of it. But it can also be the other side. Oh yes, why don’t we have
it, they all have it, you travel around and you gather just experiences and not
the presence of God in that particular situation, in that church, in that area
or in that city.
Larry: I
think it’s good to go to the … to .. only to be stirred up, that passion,
hunger. But you cannot import that into a church, but I also believe if you
have in your spirit, the Lord’s been talking to you for a long time and you
know that we believe in the ….. of the Holy Spirit and when someone prays for
you that someone, and it just confirms what is in your heart, there’s a
possibility that because God is working in you and you come back to the church,
not because you’ve been to a revival, but because it is already in your heart
and the Lord is already confirming it that you’re going to experience like this
or like that. But at the same time it’s the process of…
Is it legitimate to invite someone in to get
revival?
Gerhard: Of
course, to get revival.
Tom: To get
revival, I think once again, yeah it goes back to your definition, you know, on
how we’ve defined it. Any speaker, from my perspective that I bring into the
pulpit, if they have a valuable message that’s gonna challenge the believers,
that may be in any of these areas that we’ve just talked about, a passion, a
hunger, holiness, and repentance and prayer and fasting and conviction of sin.
You look at our line-up of speakers the last four or five months, it’s been
challenging us in different areas, in those areas from praying for Israel to
prayer and intercession, to Zucharelli[7]
and reaching out in evangelism, to all the different areas we’ve talked about,
that continues to build the body, strengthens the root, creates a hunger, and
if they can bring in a spark that ignites even more what, as a pastoral team,
we’re working towards, then that benefits our work, leading the way. When we
bring in a Pensacola, we bring in a Steve Gray, you know, people come with a
hunger and expectancy already higher than they would normally come to a Sunday.
So it’s not that person bringing it, it’s the people coming with a higher level
of hunger and expectancy to receive. Now God’s using them somewhere that the
reputation gets to where we’re going so Steve Hill, when he shows up in March,
and Bonnke, there’s a reputation going to follow them that’s going to create
the passion and the hunger, expectancy, that’s what we saw with the Brownsville
team.
Larry:
Because it’s a heart issue. It’s like Jesus Christ, when He went to Nazareth,
He was Jesus Christ, He was anointed, but people didn’t really believe, … but …
Jonah … he went to that city and …
Wolfgang:
He wasn’t exactly the most anointed.
Tom: And if
you study current revivals, which most of us have, you take a look at Toronto,
you take a look at Pensacola, and you look at now what’s in Kansas City, these
three, when we point those three out, it started with a personal hunger,
personal hunger within the pastors, and the leaders. It started with, we talked
last week, when we laid out our revival schedule, the laying the way as
leaders. We’re just sharing what’s in us, that hunger and that passion, you
know, for the Lord. That was laying the way. In Pensacola it was two years that
that was there. Kilpatrick … said for the first three or four months it was
only a renewal in their people, of cleansing and purifying before they ever
begin to call it revival where salvations were taking place. So it was that
preparing the way. God will use any man, if they’re a Steve Hill or a Steve
Gray or a Bonnke or whoever, but the people, their hearts have got to be ready
to receive. If they’re dry logs, you can bring the anointing fire in and the
oil is just gonna roll off if it’s not been soaked.
Tom: It was
like it was already soaked with fuel and it was the match.
Gerhard:
And he was known from his time in Argentina where he was already a very
powerful, anointed preacher. So then they expected that God will do something.
Maybe not what they have seen then, but they have expected more than the normal
average Sunday maybe.
Wolfgang: I
just had the slightly different context of a picture of a barbecue, grill,
charcoal. You have these white cubes that you put in, but you don’t just put in
one cube because if you put in one cube, then you only have a fire in the
middle and not on the sides. But you need to have all of these cubes and I
think this also has to do with the unity of the body of Christ in this city or
in the nation. It’s not gonna be just the one cube because it’s not gonna give
you a grilled steak. But it’s the whole lot. You need to have all of these
cubes in place so that when it comes, God can use the whole body. So as far as
I am concerned, it’s not gonna happen just in one church. It goes way beyond
the hunger of one particular church, although that’s very important, it can be
very contagious, but you need to have all the other things in place as well.
And then it’s gonna be revival. And even in America, it’s always localized
revival, always. It doesn’t spread throughout the nation, yet. It’s almost like
a bit here, a bit there, not the whole nation.
Larry: …
Gerhard:
And then we see that this was a, in a very high percentage, it was also a
revival among backsliders. And we don’t have those in Austria. We have
stone-hearted unbelievers. And so there must be really a big breakthrough by
the Lord here, which really is an evangelistic revival which hits the people on
the streets. And we will see it.
Theology:
Where in the Bible do you see revival?
Tom: Acts
chapter 2. There is a revival.
Gerhard:
Hezekiah, Uzziah
Tom: I
would say Samaria, which is an outbreak from Acts. You can go through Acts, you
can make out all the … Samaria, the whole city was touched. I mean, you can go
all through the book of Acts, 3000, 5000 saved, that’s revival.
Larry: …
Gerhard: …
is a kind of a revival. We would like to see a revival in Vienna like this that
even the mayor would put down the ‘Bußgewand’[8].
Everybody. But it didn’t last so long like we wanna have it. We don’t wanna
have a one-day revival.
What would be a Bible passage to preach on
revival?
Tom: Well,
I’d probably seek the Lord and find out what the Spirit would wanna say in that
service.
Gerhard: I
would say, any passage of the Bible can be used from God as a revival passage
if the Spirit of God prompts this to you.
Tom: It
comes back to our definition, you know, preparing the way.
Larry: I’d
use 2.Chronicles 7:14. Because it talks about us first and … my people …
Tom: I
mean, Sunday’s passage for me in many ways will be a revival emphasis message,
and it will be John 1, the light, the light of the world. You pick them and.
Because we can’t create it. We can’t, in one preaching, make it happen.
Wolfgang:
The Bible was written for the only purpose of revival. It’s the only purpose of
the whole Bible …
[…]
What’s the point of/connection to revival in
Mark 11 – Cleansing of Temple & cursing of
fig-tree
Luke 7 – The woman anointing Jesus’s feet
Larry: I think
it talks also about the thing that … revival is, particularly the religious
spirit because this Pharisee is self-righteous. We can see the heart of the
sinful woman, the … of forgiveness she had received because of her passion.
She’s passionate for Jesus. So we can see in revival, … full of sin, but the
mercy of God triumphs over judgment. …
Gerhard:
Also that the Spirit of revival if it really enters a church, makes the people
more aware of what they have received in forgiveness. Then it’s not like the
drug addict and the alcoholic, that the big sinner, and he has to love Jesus
more, but the slightest, smallest sin becomes so big as it really is that it
really separates you from God and then you can break down and you can weep over
your sin and even over the grace which Jesus has given. So there must be that
revelation of what sin really does to us and then we’ll never always just
think, oh, he’s been so much into sin so therefore, but I’ve not been. I
believe this is a sign of that God is moving in a situation.
Tom: And
it’s implied here off of that. It’s implied that their hearts were callous.
It’s implied here that they had taken for granted His presence.
Claudia:
Who’s they?
Tom: The
Pharisees, those that He is addressing here. And He’s speaking directly to
Simon, I have something to tell you. And He’s going, without really studying it
out, it’s just implied here that they had taken for granted His very presence.
… meant so much to her. So the encounter that she had had with God was of a
depth that she was gonna give her best and come back the later the anointing of
the perfume.
Larry: I
think revival will … God will turn around those who before were even in extreme
rebellion with God but because of the mercy of God, they will even turn it for
God. They will also be extreme in their dedication and their confession. We can
see … Steve Hill.
Wolfgang: I
think also on the negative side. If you have a preconceived idea as to how God
has to work, then you have a real massive encounter when Jesus comes to your
church. He doesn’t do it the way …
Tom: I
think you’re so right because people today see the models of a Toronto, of a
Pensacola. There’s preconceived ideas now what it’s gonna be like in our
setting. And Gerhard, I think you hit it, we’re not America. And there’s not a
Judeo-Christian ethic that’s been bred into us that, you know, a little bit of
gas been thrown on the log and a match is gonna explode it. I mean, it’s stones
that, you know, through prayer and all that we’ve talked about, begins to take
that hard wood and soften it and soak it to where there will be that match that
will ignite it. And as an international church, that’s where I see it, we have
a valuable part because we can bring in that heritage that we have from
Nigeria, where six weeks over 1.6 million people gather to worship the Lord,
from America or different places … So I
think that was a root of something we’re dealing with in Europe.
Larry: And
also, when you’re seeking the Lord, when you, and the attitude of the sinful woman,
someone will … it starts with you.
Luke 8 – Demonized man in Decapolis
Wolfgang:
The value for life. The incredible money value for one life. The loss of all
these pigs. I think probably one and half years salary, I believe, average
salary. I think … That’s how much God values one soul.
Gerhard:
And also the power of God … hit somebody. Whatever the problem is, if demon
possession or some other bondage, it breaks it, and that person really will be
transformed and the transformation of that person is actually what I like. He
was sitting there and he was clothed and he was calm and he was listening, all
of these things, that’s tremendous. I believe this is what revival is all about
that people are transformed. They’re not going to become religious, or conform
to one or the other way how we, maybe, live out our faith or our traditions,
but they’ll be transformed, they will listen to Jesus.
Larry: Our
goal is revival but the part of the repentance is the deliverance part … so we
have Cleansing Stream but … said we can’t reach the world if we’re like the
world. The church now is like the world, that’s why need deliverance. But it’s
only a part, but our goal is revival. Transformation.
Specific:
What’s your church’s/fellowship’s vision and mission statement?
Tom: Well,
the vision is to make a spiritual impact. The mission is how we’re trying to do
that.
Do the different fellowships have some add-ons to that?
Do you have something more related to your fellowship too?
[…]
Gerhard:
Maybe worded a little different. We didn’t write something different but maybe
we talk about it a little different. We say our main purpose and goal is
revival, it’s the same, it’s making an impact, it transforms the city of Vienna
and outgoing from here, Central Europe and maybe even the whole world.
Emil: Our
target groups are different.
Tom: Target
groups are different. And I would say, we probably go at the fulfillment of the
mission. The vision is where we really get our target groups, making a
spiritual. And I would say that we’re in different phases in our fellowships,
in fulfilling the mission. So Larry right now, they’re in a phase of deep
growth inwardly.
Wolfgang:
Strategies are different, I think. The vision and the mission, I would doubt if
there is any difference at all.
Larry: I
think we’re in the same phase but we are now … it’s like a spark … the whole
church.
Tom: I
mean, in the international, we may be in a deep, coming out of a deep
discipleship depth training. Austrian fellowship coming through a real strong,
also deep, discipleship training, as a new fellowship, but also an Austrian
fellowship with us leading evangelistically with the church. The international
this last six month has had a huge swing evangelistically. And that comes back
then to our five purposes that the mission document will really talk about,
that keeps the balance, so we’re not just experiential as a church but has the
balance in all areas.
What has been your church’s/fellowship’s main focus over the last six months?
Tom: I
would say there’s been a strong balance, you know, between our five purposes.
We’ve had definitely an increase in evangelism in the last six months. It would
probably be fairer for all of us to evaluate the last year. We have a balance
of our five purposes which is evangelism, experiencing God, worship,
fellowship, discipleship and service, ministry. For the international, I would
say, there’s been a strong, you guys maybe would be a better answer out of the
international, but I’d say there’s been, I would hope we could say there’s been
a balance of the five purposes but I know we’ve had a strong evangelistic
emphasis.
Emil:
Emphasis on membership, membership and fellowship, the increase of cell-groups.
Wolfgang:
Empowering people as well.
Tom:
Empowering has been very strong, and equipping. Discipleship, we’ve got to say,
has been, in the last year and a half, a strong emphasis and then, the fifth
one, which is us in our worship, is the experiential in the service, of
experiencing God, worship, those are our five purposes. So I would say we’ve
been fairly balanced, I would hope, wouldn’t you?
Wolfgang: I
think there’s a difference between, for example, a morning service and an
evening service on a Sunday. The congregation is very different. The morning
service is more of an evangelical, almost evangelical nature. That’s where the
people come from, the background that they come from. So you lead them towards
what the Holy Spirit wants to do more gently than you would in the evening
service where people come with an expectation of freedom and the power of the
Holy Spirit but it’s the same strategy.
Tom: And I
would, and that’s where we would clarify that it’s not just what happens in the
service at VCC. We’re not building a service at VCC, we’re building a community
of believers. And so the service is just a small part of the whole, the
overall. So that’s how I was answering, was from that. For you guys, I couldn’t
answer for you.
Gerhard:
Yeah, I think also, we’ve tried to balance this year, but strongly emphasized
reaching the city. Reaching the city and bringing people to Christ. And by this
also to serve the city. To see the best for the city and to bless the city which
is what we do. This was actually, it’s the same thing, it’s just two different
ways to do it. That’s our homeless ministry, is more the blessing the city,
looking for the best of the city, and it’s also the way of reaching out to the
community, to bring the gospel to the people. But on the other side, we had a
strong emphasis also on holiness, dedication, in our services. We just came to
the Lord and sought the face of the Lord.
Larry: Our
greatest emphasis these past few months is seeking the Lord and personally
transformation …
Have you seen an increase in the presence and power of God?
Tom: Our
morning service, as Wolfgang said, is more of our target, like default, not by
nature of our desire, is an evangelical crowd. I would, if I put a percentage
on it, I would say 80% are not Pentecostal. And so that changes how you deliver
the message to them. And to them, just by them choosing to identify with us,
has meant that they’re experiencing the presence of God in a way they’ve never
experienced it before. It’s not gonna be a Pensacola to them and they wouldn’t
come, if it was a Pensacola or a Kansas City experience. A few weeks ago –
yeah, they wouldn’t come. That would be too much for their – I don’t have a –
comfort, too much for their realm of experiencing of the presence of God. You
know, it’s hard to gage – how do you gage the power and presence of God. How do
you gage the power and presence of God unless it comes back to change lives.
And that’s what it’s gonna come back to for me. And we’ve seen a hundred people
baptized this year that have come through all of our doors, morning, Austrian,
Filipino, night, all of our service doors, except for our French fellowship.
All the other fellowships have seen baptisms. And that’s got to show where
there’s lives changed. Someone … [end of side 1]
…
manifestations in the church that often people think and associate to revival,
I would say, no. We haven’t seen a greater increase of that. Have we seen a
greater hunger in prayer and having an interest and an intimacy with God, I
would say, as Gerhard said earlier, we’ve seen that through the whole church.
Larry has an all-night prayer meeting every Friday night and forty people are
there. That’s an increase in hunger.
Larry: Not
every time. Just this Saturday. A prophecy. [laughter]
Tom: You
can’t always tangibly put your hands on, we saw last year we had only a handful
of members and we see now we have over 450 that have made a commitment to be
members of Vienna Christian Center in a very transitional church. That shows
that the power and presence of God is working in their lives in some degree.
How do we define the power and presence or revival, you know, comes back to
then our personal definitions. To me, if we put it down to, you know, where
it’s changed lives. And I can say, this year, we’ve seen an increase in changed
lives, on different levels.
Gerhard:
Yeah, I think the same. And I must say also, if you talk to visitors, maybe
there it comes that many of them say, they enter our services and they just say,
boy, God is here … I have to come back. Even though they maybe don’t get saved
that evening but they still come back because they see that there is the
presence of God and I do believe this has really increased. People experience
God.
Larry:
Yeah, we have seen a lot of changed lives and also manifestations but we’re
after changed lives, not manifestations. But whenever we have this emphasis of
seeking the Lord, spending time with God, dancing and all, we have seen a lot
of, even our worship service changed. People get excited, people get excited,
even in the Bible studies, in the small group, even in the families, we’ve
changes, restoration, … salvation.
Tom: You
know, the hunger and the expectancy of the people is increasing but it is like,
kind of like this, you know, it reaches a real high, and then you sense that it
comes down a little bit. You haven’t come down to where you were a year ago,
but, you know, you feel like that. That expectancy and that hunger and that
passion comes down a little bit and then it’s like, comes back up, you know, I
can’t trend it. I know, every time we have a large meeting on a Sunday night
here, the next two weeks we have low attendance. That comes back to, when you
follow church growth, our 80-20, we max our facilities and then we drop in our
attendance and the mood then seems to drop when it’s not as exuberant as it was
a couple of weeks, anyway.
How would you characterize the spiritual condition of your church/fellowship?
Tom: You
know what, I can’t, because it’s a rotating crowd. I have 50 to 75 different
people each week and I feel like it’s been turned up. I feel like the hunger
and expectancy is than two years ago, you know, that it’s turned up a little
bit, but it’s hard, for the night service. I don’t know, Wolfgang…
Wolfgang:
Nothing else to say, no, I think that’s right.
Tom: I
don’t know, Sunday night service…
Gerhard:
Sunday night? I think it’s, and we want to use it as a port for all of our
fellowships, where we can invite people to come, or we bring our people, where
we, and I think then it cannot be a deep spiritual meaning. It should be a
meaning where the heavens are open, people can enter the presence of God if
they want, but it must be also that some maybe always will stand in the back
and watch, you know. Because we invited them to watch. We say, come and see,
you know. So this is part of this service.
Tom: Before
you answer it, you’ve gotta understand too, probably some things that changed
since you’ve left is, the night service we don’t consider a fellowship. We
consider it a gathering. The morning service is the international
English-speaking fellowship. And that’s a difference.
[…]
Tom: But I
mean, for your understanding, you know, there’s been, for us, there’s been some
real working on what is it, because it was the hallmark in the past and the
vision has taken us to where it is a port as Gerhard’s defined it. And we see
it as a gathering of VCC, of others that come, renewal, revival-style, these
are definitions that we kick around a lot.
Gerhard: I
would say they’re hungry, they’re very hungry. They’re going after God whatever
it costs and they want to have the real thing. They’re not satisfied with just
emotional things or whatever and not meetings either. They want to really see God move and meet Him.
Larry:
Yeah, I can say also, spiritual growth, especially with our men. They were like
passive but now they’re, now they’re … thirsty … they’re not … An increase of
hunger is there. When we were starting with the over-night, especially over-night,
prayer meeting, but now they’re just coming, and they’re excited, their
expectations is higher.
Do you personally need revival?
Tom: I’m
already saved. Comes back to our definition.
Wolfgang:
Renewal, that again.
Larry: I
need it.
Gerhard: Of
course, if you see it as a really deep encounter with God which changes us once
again, I think.
Larry: It’s
like a level of God. I want to reach a certain level I can … I’m on my way but
I want to experience it. It’s a certain goal…
The last five questions were dropped because of a lack of time:
What’s the church/your fellowship doing to usher in revival?
You personally?
How will revival affect your church/fellowship?
What will the wider affects be?
Do you expect revival to change you? If yes
how?
C. Transcription of the Interview with the Worship Leader Chris Pöschl
This
interview was not taped but the answers written down.
General:
Define: what is revival?
Revival is
the making alive of something once dead, that has lived already. Revival is the
beginning of an awakening. Revival should result in a spiritual awakening.
Revival is for the Christians. Awakening is about bringing alive things that
have been dead.
What is the purpose of revival?
It is to
restore the church to its original purpose, NT church, restoration of concepts
that have been forgotten, NT of what the church was, revival should bring the
church back to what God originally intended it for
How do you get revival?
It begins
with a hunger and a passion for intimacy with God. It’s a gift from God, you
can’t get it. A formula brings people away from the focus of the reviver. I get
revival by seeking the reviver with all of my passion and hunger.
Is it legitimate to go somewhere else to get revival?
I think a place somewhere else helps you find the river. God has often used
other places with people who are more hungry and desperate, it’s contagious.
Yes.
Invite someone in to get revival?
Yes, why
not, if it points me to God, to the reviver.
Theology:
Where in the Bible do you see revival?
Jonah’s
day, many kings in the OT brought revival, book of Nehemiah – spiritual concept
of revival, any times the Israelites returned.
What would be a Bible passage to preach on revival?
2.Chr 7:14
What’s the point of/connection to revival in
Mark 11 – Cleansing of Temple & cursing of
fig-tree
The
cleansing of the Temple: The restoration of holiness is a concept of revival.
The cursing
of the fig-tree: Revival needs to bring fruit.
The result
of revival needs to bring fruitfulness. Jesus looked at the tree, it was meant
to bring fruit, but didn’t bring it. A concept of the church – if the church
doesn’t bring fruit, it’s not the way it’s intended, and revival brings the
church back to fruitfulness.
Luke 7 – The woman anointing Jesus’s feet
It was
sacrificial worship – she gave everything she had. The concept: pure adoration
and worship. That’s a concept reestablished in revival. True worship is
established in the temple.
Luke 8 – Demonized man in Decapolis
His
deliverance brought fruit. It changed the entire region, first the city and
then from there.
Deliverance
is for a purpose. It’s not the end, it leads to something. In this case the
revival of the region.
Luke 11 – Bread at midnight
The concept
is boldness in coming before God and asking him for spiritual food. God doesn’t
turn back a hungry and seeking person. Revival starts with hungering and a
passion, seeking.
Specific:
What’s your church’s/fellowship’s vision and mission statement?
Mission: It
wants to make a significant spiritual impact in Vienna.
Vision: To
see God’s kingdom established in this country.
The vision
is fulfilled by the mission.
What has been your church’s/fellowship’s main focus over the last six months?
Reestablishing
every member as a minister, the inclusion of every member as a minister to what
God has called him to, training and equipping, the five-fold ministry
principle.
Have you seen an increase in the presence and power of God?
Yes – a
small percentage, in worship, there’s an increased intimacy. It started with
personal hunger.
How would you characterize the spiritual condition of your church/fellowship?
There’s an
awakening, a renewal – people are realizing there’s more to God than they’ve
believed before. It’s like spring – little buds here and there. Spring is far
from being here yet, but buds of excitement and growth are.
Do you personally need revival?
Yes,
always.
What’s the church/your fellowship doing to usher in revival?
Intercessory
prayer generally and Tue night (40-45 people). The French, Africans and
Austrians pray. People are more committed to the church than ever before. They
realize church is more than just coming to Sundays. Internationals – 120 of the
400 people are in cell-groups.
You personally?
Personal
intercession, every Tue intercession, conferences, listening to tape series on
revivals, reading books, getting more hungry, praying that He makes me more
hungry for revival.
How will revival affect your church/fellowship?
It will
completely mess it up – a lot of the concepts what church should be. It will
have to redefine how we do things, how we spend our time and energy. It will
require sacrificial giving in every aspect. It will seriously challenge us to
seek God constantly for His guidance and leading.
What will the wider affects be?
I’m hoping
that revival won’t be localized. My vision is for the revival to be national,
continental and then to result in a major spiritual awakening among
non-Christians – that’s the goal.
Do you expect revival to change you? If yes how?
Yes – I
think revival will break a lot of my concepts of what is important and already
has done to some extent. It changed my focus. It’s not as much on
materialistic, temporal things, but more and more focused on eternal, spiritual
things.
Appendix 2 – Vienna
Christian Center’s Official Description
Vienna Christian Center
Vienna, Austria
Who Are We
VCC
is a Christian church in the
Pentecostal , Charismatic tradition.
The ministry was founded by, and is directly accountable to the Division
of Foreign Missions of the Assemblies of God, USA. In Austria, it is a member of the "Religiöse
Bekenntnisgemeinschaft Freie Christengemeinde" as an international branch
and a member of the worldwide Pentecostal movement.
Our History
In the fall of 1987, a small group
of believers gathered for a time of worship and ministry. Of this group,
Assembly of God missionary Bonnie (Mrs. Robert) Mackish felt the leading of the
Lord to see the beginning of an
English-speaking Assembly in Vienna.
In the fall of 1988 Dr. Wayde
Goodall and his family came to Vienna to serve as the first pastors of what was
then known as the “Charismatic Praise Service.” Weekly worship services were started at the Halbgasse 17
location. Upon the return of the Goodalls to the United States in September of
1989, Greg and Sandra Mundis became interim pastors. Growth continued and new programs and outreaches were launched
during this time and the name “Vienna Christian Center” was adopted.
Omar and Pat Beiler came in June of
1993 to take over the leadership of the church. In the years they pastored, the
cell group ministry was established, resulting in the growth of the different
language services/fellowships. In June of 1998, VCC moved into its present
facilities at Rennweg 74. After the Beiler's departure in April of 2000, Thomas
and Candace Manning served as interim Pastors for one year until their
installation as Senior Pastor in March, 2001.
The blessing of the Lord is evident as the Vienna Christian Center continues to grow and impact the city of Vienna.
What We Believe
• We believe the Bible is the inspired and only infallible and
authoritative written Word of God.
• We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons; God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
• We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth,
in His sinless life, in His
miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death, in His bodily
resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His future
return to this earth.
• We believe in the blessed hope - the rapture of the Church at Christ’s
return.
• We believe that the only means of being cleansed from sin is through
repentance and faith in the precious blood of Jesus.
• We believe that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential
for personal salvation.
• We believe in water baptism by immersion for believers.
• We believe the redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides healing
of the human body in answer to believing prayer.
• We believe the baptism in the Holy Spirit according to Acts 2:4 is given
to believers who ask for it.
• We believe in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit by who’s
indwelling the
Christian is enabled to live a holy life.
• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the one
to everlasting life, and the other to everlasting damnation.
Our Mission
The Vienna Christian Center exists
to glorify God by bringing people into a redemptive relationship with Him
through faith in Jesus Christ, to develop them to Christ-like maturity, and to
equip them for their ministry in the church and mission to the world.
Our Vision
Our vision is to make a major
spiritual impact on Vienna, Austria, Europe, and the world by developing an
international ministry center that will effectively address the needs of every
segment of society.
Definition of Terms
·
Vienna, Austria, Europe, and the
world - The great
commission is "great " because it takes into account the whole world. Our vision must reflect
that as well.
·
International - We want to reflect God's love for
the nations by embracing people from every culture, skin colour and language
group.
·
Ministry Center - In our church based Bible School
(Vienna Bible Training Institute) our purpose is to train Christian workers for
effective ministry at home and abroad. We will host Christian conferences, seminars, and revival meetings
to bless and build up individual Christians, church leaders, and local
churches. We will incorporate the use of the media, the fine arts, and the
distribution of Christian literature in our efforts to share the gospel with as
many people as possible. There will be opportunities for ministry through local
evangelistic outreaches and international missions trips. We will network with
other churches and ministries in every possible way that is consistent with the
vision God has given us.
·
Every segment of society - The rich, the poor, the homeless,
the addicted, sub-cultures, counter-cultures, businessmen, politicians,
professionals, diplomats, artists, academics, common people, and the masses all
need to hear the Gospel.
·
Major spiritual impact - We want our efforts to result in measurable change that can be felt and
seen by people outside as well as inside the church.
Our Guiding Values
·
The Pursuit of God - Our highest value is the pursuit of
God. We are hungry to know and experience God's presence, hear His voice, and
follow hard after Him. Our desire is to see Jesus' love, mercy, and power shine
through in all we do.
·
The Kingdom of God - We aim to move in all the signs of
the present fulfilment of God's Kingdom, invoking the Spirit 's powerful
presence, ministering healing through the Spirit's gifts, and seeing God heal
and work wonders through His people.
·
Marriage and family - We desire to help families be
healthy and grow strong.
·
Children - Children are a gift from God. They
are our present blessing and future hope. As such they deserve the same quality
of nurturing and care we give adults.
·
Diversity - We value diversity, variety, and
innovation. We will accept and learn from those whose culture, style, and
methods are different from our own.
·
Unity - We aim to maintain unity by honouring all who
call on Jesus' name, by seeking reconciliation and relationship with those who
confess Jesus as Lord, and by blessing everyone who is committed to following
after Jesus.
·
Humility - We recognise that we are only a part
of the world-wide church of Jesus Christ, and desire to learn from others
through whom God is working to bring about His will and purposes.
·
Integrity - We believe it is important to us to
speak the truth, deal honestly and live uprightly.
·
Servant Leadership - We aim to exercise authority with
humility, selflessness, grace, concern for people, and sincere desire to build
up the people of God. Servant leaders lead by example rather than by decree.
·
Relationships - We are determined to build strong
relationships that are based on intimacy, accountability, and commitment.
Our Purposes
I.
Worship (Loving God)
·
Celebrating
God's presence
·
Building
relationship with the Lord through worship and prayer
·
Interceding
for spiritual renewal and revival
·
Expecting
the return of the Lord
II.
Fellowship (Belonging)
·
Ministering
to each other's needs
·
Building
relationships within the church family
·
Becoming
a part of cell groups
·
Sharing
the Gospel with others
III.
Instruction (Learning)
·
Teaching
solid Bible principles
·
Encouraging
spiritual disciplines
·
Developing
personal prayer life and Bible study
·
Enrolling
in the School of Discipleship
IV.
Ministry (Serving)
·
Discovering
and identifying ministry gifts
·
Developing
unique gifts to serve in small groups
·
Providing
leadership training
·
Modelling
servant character in leadership
V.
Evangelism (Sharing)
·
Being
a relevant witness to our host culture
·
Strengthening
local outreach
·
Perpetuating
church growth
·
Developing
world-wide missions outreach
Our
Practices
Ultimately, we would like each
member of the Vienna Christian Center to be able to:
·
Live
an overcoming Christian life.
·
Experience
healthy and intimate marriage, family, and peer relationship.
·
Manage
their resources effectively.
·
Pray effectively and consistently from the proper
motive.
·
Study
the Word of God with understanding and insight.
·
Worship
freely.
·
Lead
people to Christ.
·
Minister
healing to the sick with power (spiritually, emotionally, and physically).
·
Minister
in the Gifts of the Spirit.
·
Counsel
Biblically.
·
Demonstrate
a high level of commitment to Christ and the local church.
·
Identify
with the cell group of their choice.
·
Participate
fully in the life of the church by using the talents God has given.
·
Give
generously.
Our Strategy
We believe our vision can best be
fulfilled in the context of:
I.
The CELL GROUP
·
Ideally
8-15 people
·
Meets
in homes
·
Usually
homogeneous
II.
The FELLOWSHIP
·
Weekly
meeting of groups of homogeneous cells
·
Culturally
and linguistically relevant
·
Not an
autonomous church
III.
The CELEBRATION
·
Quarterly
gathering of all cells and congregations
·
International,
multi-cultural, and multi-lingual
·
Visionary
and directive