Bridgeway Church Inc Information

Bridgeway is an independent, non-denominational church that is affiliated with ACTS 29, a trans-denominational peer to peer network of missional church planting churches. The purpose of ACTS 29 is to assist called and qualified pastors as they pursue their church planting dreams through assessment, coaching, training, funding, and friendship by connecting them with like minded people. ACTS 29 is not a model or a style. The movement has a variety of expressions of local church life: classical church plants with a preacher and a congregation, video-delivered sermons, missional community models, replants, and existing churches that have partnered with the movement. ACTS 29 seeks to be a movement of church-planting networks - that is, decentralized and empowered networks to lead men of all different types of churches in order to make disciples of all people groups. There are 28 chapters in the book of Acts. The name ACTS 29 reflects the conviction that God is still at work through his Spirit to continue what was begun in the first century. We are simply seeking to follow in the pattern of Spirit-led and Scripture-directed church planting and evangelistic ministry that began in Acts and has continued in every age through God's faithful servants. As a peer to peer network, there is no mandated philosophy of ministry in ACTS 29. However, our missional perspective flows out of a very high view of scripture on the one hand, and a total commitment to engage contemporary culture with the gospel on the other hand, using every effective means of communication. When it comes to the Gospel we do not innovate. When it comes to culture, however, we seek continually to be innovative in our means of communication. As of August, 2010, the Board of ACTS 29 is comprised of Mark Driscoll (Senior Pastor of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA), Scott Thomas (President and Director of ACTS 29), Darrin Patrick (Senior Pastor of The Journey Church, St. Louis, MO), Jeff Vanderstelt (Senior Pastor of Soma Communities, Tacoma, WA), Chan Kilgore (Senior Pastor of Crosspointe Church, Orlando, FL), Matt Chandler, Senior Pastor of The Village Church, Highland Village, TX), and Tyler Powell (Church Planting Pastor at Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA). Bridgeway has chosen to affiliate with ACTS 29 in order to more effectively fulfill our calling to make disciples by planting church planting churches. Affiliation with ACTS 29 provides us with the incentive and encouragement to be more deliberate and focused in the fulfillment of this goal. The commitment of ACTS 29 to church planting is made clear in the following statement by its President, Scott Thomas:"We believe church planting is the best way to take the gospel to the community it desires to serve. We believe new churches are the best means for Spirit-led followers of Jesus to make disciples of all people groups (Matthew 28:19-20). We believe church planting is the central process of evangelism in the Book of Acts, but also that doing so can spread the Gospel to every people or group, large or small, in every corner of the world. Throughout, the Book of Acts we read narratives of the Gospel being planted in city after city. The book ends abruptly in Acts 28. Our mission with Acts 29 therefore is to carry on the discipleship making, church planting in the culture where God has sovereignly placed us (Acts 17:26-27)." Affiliation with ACTS 29 enables Bridgeway to partner more effectively with other churches that share our spiritual values and theological convictions. It also provides us with the benefit of cooperating with others who have a proven track record in church planting rather than being altogether isolated and on our own. There is wisdom, we believe, in partnering with others and drawing from their experience and maturity. Partnering with ACTS 29 also makes possible the joy and benefit of joining hand and heart with other believers in the work of the kingdom rather than continuing to exist in complete independence from other believers. The knowledge that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, joined with thousands of others in the spread of the gospel, the planting of gospel-centered churches, and the pursuit of God's glory, serves as a great encouragement to our people. By affiliating with ACTS 29 we experience the great advantage of being exposed regularly to the insights and constructive counsel of others in the body of Christ who may have knowledge and experience in areas where we are deficient. The good thing about ACTS 29 is that it enables us to profit from this without committing Bridgeway to any legal, financial, or moral obligation outside of our own body. We glean from the best in the evangelical world without any governmental or authoritative involvement by them in the affairs of Bridgeway. The assessment process by which ACTS 29 church planters are selected is rigorous and biblical. This brings us the assurance that all our financial giving to spread the gospel through church planting will be to churches and individuals in whom we have confidence that they are theologically sound and adequately prepared for ministry. In a recent interview, Scott Thomas made this clear:"Our church planters are assessed on the basis of their qualification as elders, according to Scripture and their character as examined in an extensive review of their life and doctrine (1 Tim.