Zolder50 Multiplies
April 14, 2008
Now, two neighborhood congregations in Amsterdam
By Eric Asp
We’d been thinking and praying about it since the idea of a church in Amsterdam was initiated…But finally, in November 2007, it became a reality. Our little church multiplied from one community of faith to two! Like a simple-cell organism, we multiplied all the necessary elements for life and then multiplied the nucleus itself, by designating four of our home groups as the core of one neighborhood church, and the other four as the core of another church.
We had experienced quite a bit of growth in the five years since our church was started, but only within the last year has our leadership core become strong enough to branch out. One exciting development from 2007 is a “Pastors in Training” group: five men who are taking the initiative to grow in character, ministry skills and doctrine, with the goal of being equipped to lead the ministry of Zolder50 as well as plant new churches.
We also felt the need for creativity in managing church growth because our new ministry center, located in the heart of the city, restricts us to smaller spaces. Consequently, we decided to shift from one community meeting weekly for worship to two communities meeting every other week, thus putting more emphasis on home groups, life groups and outreach in the city. Since our gatherings are staggered, both churches can make use of our ministry center. We have more room for growth and more need for people to step into areas of service and leadership.
Of course, we’re still figuring things out. But up to this point it seems that the process of multiplication has gone remarkably well. In the coming year, we look forward to continuing the process of growth, helping people know Jesus, become like Jesus, and make Jesus known. Please pray with us for God’s help!