Movers, Shakers & Newsmakers

By RaeAnn Slaybaugh

Church-On-the-Move Keeps Old Members, Reaches New

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Ideally, a church really is an extended family. So when it moves, it involves much more than crates and boxes, as Pantego Bible Church recently found out.

In April, PBC relocated to Fort Worth, Texas, a new city and a new zip code seven miles from its old location in Arlington. By all accounts, the move was a success. Not only did its members come along for the ride, they made new friends along the way.

Led by Senior Pastor Randy Frazee, author of The Comeback Congregation and soon-to-be-released The Connecting Church--Beyond Small Groups to Authentic Community, church leaders devised a series of events to connect old members with new ones. Activities included a final service in the Arlington location with a special "If These Walls Could Speak" presentation by the church's previous pastors and the dedication of a 6-foot, stone-like time capsule filled with members' written memoirs.

In its new location, pastors hosted a "grand gala" of events that spanned Easter weekend, inviting city officials and community members to attend. To symbolize the church's "rebirth" in its new community, 500 butterflies were released in a special ceremony. Then members old and new enjoyed a free concert, carnival rides, obstacle courses, sports, pony rides, clowns, face painters and a variety of craft projects. They also learned quite a bit about the church by reading professionally printed, pre-assembled information packets detailing Pantego's history, leadership team and ministries.

California Church Purchases 17,500-Seat Arena

INGLEWOOD, Calif.--The Great Western Forum has played host to some of the biggest Los Angeles events, including Lakers basketball and Kings hockey, boxing and wrestling matches, circuses, major rodeos and the Ice Capades, not to mention concerts by big-name artists--Janet Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and even Elvis Presley at one time. Now that the Staples Center has opened in downtown L.A., however, both the Lakers and Kings have relocated and most industry experts expect concerts to follow suit.

What was entertainment's loss turned out to be a gain, however, for Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, Calif., one of America's premier black mega-churches. In December, the 15,000-member church signed the deal, buying the Forum--a modern interpretation of a Roman coliseum--for $22.5 million. While the Forum will primarily host Sunday services, FCBC also says it plans to market the arena as a convention site and continue booking sports and entertainment events there. Future plans include converting the site into a combined religious/entertainment/hotel complex, including a conference center and shopping complex.

Pastor Publishes Book About "Scandalous" Modern Mission Approach

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Forty percent of the 12,000 members of Community Church of Joy in Phoenix, Ariz., are from previously unchurched backgrounds, and prior to coming to Joy, another 25 percent had not attended church for five years. Obviously, its leaders can offer some valuable insight on attracting the "prodigals" back to the fold and connecting--or reconnecting--them with their faith.

Herein lies the basis for Executive Pastor Tim Wright's recently published book, The Prodigal Hugging Church: A Scandalous Approach to Mission for the 21st Century, published by Joy Resources.

Having served at Joy since 1984, Wright shares key components of the church's innovative approach to ministry. For example, he shares what every church can learn from Walt Disney; how to use entertainment to tell a story; how to celebrate culture in the church; and ways to use technology and media to carry out ministry.

Wright has published four other books: A Community of Joy: How to Create Contemporary Worship; Unfinished Evangelism: More Than Getting Them In the Door; Contemporary Worship; and The Ministry Marathon: Caring for Yourself While Caring for God's People. The Prodigal Hugging Church ($9.99) is available on-line at www.augsburgfortress.org or www.amazon.com.