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When most Americans think of megachurches and missions, they think of us reaching overseas populations. But when large churches in other countries look at the United States, some are seeing us as a mission field with significant spiritual needs.
Churches from Asia, South America, Europe and Africa all have planted mission churches in the United States and other countries around the world:
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The Nigeria-based Redeemed Christian Church of God has congregations in 90 countries around the world and some 300 parishes in the U.S. The first of those churches began in 1992, when founding pastor Enoch Adeboye prayed in a Detroit living room with a Nigerian engineer who was working for Ford. Also based in Nigeria is Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners' Chapel, with |
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churches in 400 cities in Nigeria as well as 36 nations around the world. Their headquarters, called Canaanland, is home of the 50,000-seat Faith Tabernacle, which is reputed to be the largest church auditorium in the world. They have one U.S. diocese so far, in New York. |
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Korean-based SaRang Community Church is connected to SaRang Community Church in Anaheim, CA. While the church operates primarily in Korean, they do have an active English Ministry. The Anaheim SaRang Community Church has planted several additional locations in the U.S., and has developed a $50,000 church-planting fund to support second-generation Koreans and other minority church planters. |
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A crisis in the U.S. Episcopal Church has generated a trend of Anglican churches from Africa sponsoring new Anglican churches here in the States. |
Following is perspective from three overseas churches that are launching branches in this country, each with implications for what U.S. churches can learn:
Reaching Back
Honduras-based La Cosecha got its start in 1977, when its pastor began preaching in front of a bar in the red-light district of San Pedro Sula. Now they are bringing a similar vision to the U.S., where they've been planting churches since 2000. Their aim is to reach those whom society may have deemed untouchable.
"Americans once came to Latin America to reach people and tell them about Christ," says Henry Zamora, pastor of La Cosecha 3 in Atlanta, GA. "Now we are coming back to reach the people here who don't know about God."
Honduras has an extremely high crime rate, and many of those crimes are violent--such as murders, carjackings, and kidnappings for ransom. "We came here because some of the needs are similar," says Henry. "We are reaching the hard-core of the community."
What makes this church unique in the U.S., according to Henry, is its proactive efforts to reach society's outcasts. "We see God through the people, no matter who they are," Henry says. "The prostitute, the homosexual, the drug addict, the person who wants to kill him or herself--we see God through them."
With that in mind, La Cosecha goes into a community and actively seeks the destitute. "We take church to the homes, the street," Henry says. His 400-person church does this on a weekly basis, bringing food, clothing, and the gospel to some of the roughest parts of Atlanta. "We need to take church out of the church," he says.
Home Away from Home
One of Korea's largest churches, Onnuri, also reaches out to a specific audience. They began planting vision churches worldwide, primarily to serve Korean families that have immigrated to other countries. John Im is one of the pastors at Onnuri's U.S. headquarters in Irvine, CA.
"Information about the Onnuri Church, designed for the immigrants of Korea, is passed through social circles by word of mouth," John says. "When the Korean immigrants hear of the Onnuri churches in the States, they become excited because it reminds them of home."
Igniting a Revolution
Another church that brings insight from its home country's history is the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God of All Nations. Headquartered in Kiev, Ukraine, the church claims to have played a major role in the Orange Revolution, in which thousands of Ukranians protested and overturned the results of the country's corrupt 2004 presidential election.
The Brooklyn, N.Y., branch of God's Embassy was started in December 2005 by a Ukrainian couple, Yuri and Tatyana Binder. They were ordained and sent out by pastor Sunday Adelaja, founder of the mother church in Ukraine.
Although this 70-person branch reaches mostly Russians, its desire is to reach people of all nationalities. Like La Cosecha, they reach those with addictions and other problems, and have empowered people to create social organizations to help drug addicts, alcoholics, teens and invalids, Yuri says.
"My goal is not to build a church," Yuri says. "My goal is to help the city of New York." To that end, he strives to encourage and equip congregants to be "world changers"--something he says is missing from the American churches he's encountered. |
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"I go to different churches all of the time, and the people aren't lifted up--they don't know that they can minister," Yuri says. "I try to be that jumping point, so that they can do something for society."
Kristin Walters is the former managing editor of a magazine published by Eagle Brook Church, one of Minnesota's largest and fastest-growing churches. She now writes part-time, while raising her two young daughters. Her family resides in Centerville, MN.
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