by Linda L. Scisson

On Sunday morning, May 2, 2010, Fellowship Bible Church celebrated the 10-year anniversary of a leadership residency program for future pastors: an ongoing work of Fellowship Associates.

The residency program is a church planting movement (or ministry outreach) that follows our church’s mission statement: “To equip and unleash Christ followers to change the world through lives of irresistible influence.”

Bill Wellons, Director of Church Planting at Fellowship Associates and one of the founding pastors at Fellowship Bible Church, describes the nine-month program on the FA website: It “gives church planters an opportunity to move from theoretical information to practical application;” it covers “leadership principles related to a wide range of topics.”

Steve Snider, President of Fellowship Associates and Fellowship Bible Church Elder, began the celebration by saying:

“God took a dream, a little over ten years ago, a big dream, a dream of finding and bringing leaders from all over the country and even the world to Little Rock, Arkansas, so that we could teach and coach, encourage and equip them to go out and plant churches all over the world — to take Jesus Christ to the world. And, man, has God blessed that dream!”

Many of the Leadership Residency graduates were present for the celebration on the first Sunday in May. The names of 39 graduates from the first nine years of the program appeared in the church bulletin. A bulletin insert added five 2009-2010 graduates, who were ordained (“set apart for a special task or purpose”) at the end of the celebration.

During the celebration, six graduates comprised a panel discussion facilitated by John Bryson, a pastor at Fellowship Memphis (Memphis, TN), a 2002-2003 graduate of the residency program, and a partner with Fellowship Associates in Little Rock.

Three common themes surfaced from the conversations: (1) God’s grace in doing good things at these new churches, (2) the pastors’ commitment and passion to the Kingdom of God, and (3) the men’s appreciation for their training at Fellowship Associates.

Here are a few comments we heard:

“The Lord has been up to a whole bunch of grandiose stuff that’s beyond what we could have ever dreamed about or thought about.” Eric Mason (Epiphany Fellowship / Philadelphia, PA)

“We started a food bank that gives out almost five tons of food each week. We’re going to serve about 20,000 hot meals this year.” Thien Doan (City Lights Church / Long Beach, CA)

“We basically saw a neighborhood that had tons of opportunity, tons of people that were longing for a Gospel community . . . .” Kevin Cawley (Redeemer Fellowship / Kansas City, MO)

We “want to help people in Denver to see the Gospel and understand who Jesus is.” Hunter Beaumont (Fellowship Bible Church / Denver, CO)

In one church, planted 15 weeks ago, the pastor shared that he and other leaders are committed to the urban context, as they want “to revitalize the city and take back some of the areas that have been abandoned.” Dhati Lewis (Blueprint Church / Atlanta, Georgia)

Insofar as evidence of God’s grace, one pastor said he was “most excited about those who have heard about Jesus for the first time ever in their lives.” Dave Furman (Redeemer Church of Dubai / Dubai, UAE)

Here’s a sample of the wisdom these alumni received from Fellowship Associates’ Leadership Residency Program:

“. . . a definition of leadership . . . a deeply biblical definition: taking the initiative for the benefit of others.” Eric Mason (Epiphany Fellowship / Philadelphia, PA)

“The measure of a church is not how many people you have in your building, but the difference that you’re making in your city — if you’re transforming the city.” Thien Doan (City Lights Church / Long Beach, CA)

“A dual faithfulness: To the Gospel . . . and then also to our city and the people we are called to reached.” Hunter Beaumont (Fellowship Bible Church / Denver, CO)

“. . . when you are controlled by a passion for God and His Kingdom, it empowers and just compels you to give it away.” Kevin Cawley (Redeemer Fellowship / Kansas City, MO)

“. . . seeing all the different people [at FA and FBC] use their unique giftedness to pour out, to put all those resources into us.” Dhati Lewis (Blueprint Church / Atlanta, Georgia)

“. . . to really set us up to win. I’m already thinking . . .: How can we give away what God has given us? How can we start our own residency-type program? We’re training the next generation of leaders.” Dave Furman (Redeemer Church of Dubai / Dubai, UAE)

When asked about their dreams or passions . . . :

“My passion is to see lives transformed and the city transformed through the city understanding that their only hope can be found in the Gospel, not in their career or in whatever else they’re trying to build . . . .” Kevin Cawley (Redeemer Fellowship / Kansas City, MO)

“. . . classes on family values, classes on parenting, classes on basic employability.”
Thien Doan (City Lights Church / Long Beach, CA)

“We’re asking God, ‘How do You want us to be more intentional and strategic about training up young, very young, leaders and releasing them for impacting Your Kingdom?’” Hunter Beaumont (Fellowship Bible Church / Denver, CO)

“. . . how can we position ourselves to have leadership development for these men to go back into their homes to be good fathers and husbands and employees . . . .” Dhati Lewis (Blueprint Church / Atlanta, Georgia)

We, the congregation, were privileged to see these pioneers of our faith on May 2, 2010. While these influential men (all young enough to be my sons) were dressed casually (no ties in sight), each wore — as I looked upon them with the eyes of faith — a royal robe of righteousness: thanks, in part, to the training these residents received at Fellowship Associates and Fellowship Bible Church; and thanks, in greater part, to Jesus Christ, the One they serve.

As one 60-year old visitor said to the pastor at the church planted in Dubai: “This Christ that you preach: He is so beautiful!”