FAQs
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)
1. Why start something new? Does Iola really need another church? No, Iola does not need another church which is structured like the many, excellent traditional churches which already exist here. This new church will differ in many significant ways from traditional churches. It's purpose is to touch the lives of both Believers and Pre-Believers who are not currently being impacted by a traditional church. People who like the structure and organization of traditional churches will most likely not be interested in this new model. Conversely, we believe there is a large segment of our population who are either resistant or unimpacted by traditional churches.
2. How will this church be different? This church will be built from three contemporary church models: the purpose driven church, the simple church, and the home church movements.
1) Our purpose is simple and easy to remember. We exist to guide people in loving God, loving others, and making disciples. We are not program driven, but purpose driven. We evaluate everything we do by our purpose. (Purpose Driven model)
2) We believe in doing a few things (the most important things) and doing them well. Life and churches have become way too complicated and burdensome. God never intended this for us. The simple church model is part of a larger movement toward simplicity in America today. We are too stressed to be blessed! In this family we are asking you to be involved in four different ways: (1) develop your personal daily walk with God, (2) build deep relationships with others, (3) worship with others, and (4) find God's specific calling in your life and serve Him in that way. (Simple Church model)
3) Almost all ministry takes place in the context of our CareRing small groups. We believe the Biblical model is for the leaders of the church to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Therefore, the leaders of the church train CareRing leaders, who in turn, train the people in the CareRing for ministry. THE PEOPLE OF THIS CHURCH ARE THE PASTORS/MINISTERS. They do almost all the ministry. The life and ministry of this church takes place in the context of our CareRing small groups. (Home Church model)
3. Why "regional" church? This church is being started with the goal of reaching beyond Iola and the immediately surrounding areas. Because the heart of this model is largely home based and lay driven, we believe it is possible to effectively impact many communities through our outreach. Many of these smaller communities no longer have an existing church. In communities where there are traditional churches, our goal is not to duplicate the work of these churches, but to reach people currently uninvolved in a traditional church. This is a logical extension of the work begun in Iola.
4. Does Fellowship Regional Church have a denominational affiliation? Yes, we are affiliated with the Blue Stem Baptist Association, the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists, and the Southern Baptist Convention. (Important Note: We do not believe Southern Baptists are the only ones going to heaven! In fact, no denominational label will get anyone into heaven. Only forgiveness of sin through the shed blood of Jesus can accomplish that feat.) Southern Baptist churches are completely autonomous (that means self governing) but voluntarily cooperate at various levels with other Southern Baptists for the purpose of the furtherance of the kingdom of God. This does not exclude us from working with other Christians, churches, denominations, and organizations for the same purpose of furthering God's kingdom. If you are interested in better understanding the structure and organization of the Southern Baptist Convention please contact me (Jeff Cokely) and I will be happy to assist you to the best of my ability.
