Ministering at the Vineyard

Bibliata.com celebrates 20 years in ministry online

One of our first ministry websites, Bibliata.com just celebrated 20 years of ministry online. It began in the fall of 1996 with the sole purpose to reach Bulgarians online with the Bible. We began the Bibliata.com anniversary celebration with an out loud reading through the whole Bulgarian Bible on September 16-18, 2016 involving many churches and Christian communities in Bulgaria and abroad.

After 20 years with several million annual views and visitors, it has become the standard for the Bulgarian Bible online. Through the years, virtually all Bulgarian Bible versions as well as many others in foreign and original tongues were published. Audio Bible, Video Bible, extensive Bible commentary, a national sermon archive, multiple device apps and Bible study platforms are only a few of the projects completed. Additionally, a new Bulgarian translation in the works since 2007 is close to its publication date for the 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. But this is not all…

The story of the Bulgarian Bible online is centered not only in products and projects, but in the very people we work with to create a community of believers, who pray, talk, grow and live together in the footsteps of the Savior. And this is worth much more than just 20 years of work and perseverance…

Special celebration for Russian Holocaust Survivors LIVE from Israel 24-25 September 2016

Please pray for these services that God would provide protection, guidance, wisdom and peace; that there would be no hindrance or disturbance that would distract attendees from hearing and receiving the Good News.

September 15: First Day of School in Bulgaria

We Shall Never Forget

The Death of Dying Churches in the Context of Church Planting: 6 Reasons That Motivate us To Seek Church Planting Versus Church Rehabilitation

6 Reasons That Motivate us To Seek Church Planting Versus Church Rehabilitation

With the ever growing trend of Church planting, we have lost sight of the reality that too many churches are dying. We try to pretend that churches are not closing down everyday by creating hype with campaigns to rally around the numbers of new churches being started.

But if one church opens while another closes, what’s the benefit towards the Kingdom?  The math simply does not add up.  If a church is opened and has five people saved in the first service and 11 baptized the following week, but we close the doors of two other churches that same month, and this translates in an entire frustrated generation of youth exiting the church into a secular world of drugs and alcohol, then the Kingdom economics is lacking.

When there is a birth, we rejoice. When there is a death we cry.  Death is damaging, painful and entangles us in a multifaceted web of emotions and responses.  Sadly Christian churches today are dying for six major reasons:

1. The Bible has been abandoned: “Feel-good” preaching replaces fundamental Biblical principals, morals and truths.
2. We listen to too a multitude of church experts instead of hearing from one Divine voice.
3. We treat the Church as a social club paying our 10% membership dues.
4. There is more emphasis on evangelizing social media than the evangelizing the lost.
5. We like the church box and the comfort of the walls and forget about the hurt and dying world beyond.
6. It’s at times easier to close a church down to avoid dealing with the real problems.

Death is so damaging to the entire body of believers.  Should we not focus on church care rather than closing, and reevaluate the effectiveness of putting more money into opening new churches? What is it that motivates us to seek after church planting versus church rehabilitation?

1. Money is in church planting vs. debt is in church maintenance.
2. The honeymoon period of a new church is much more glamorous vs. the trials of a struggling church.
3. The problems of church planting are limited compared to the problems of dying church.
4. We all want to rejoice in a birth instead of caring for the sick or morning the dead.
5. A grand opening celebration is more appealing than a long and strenuous rehab process.
6. Positive reinforcement and recognition comes with church planting. Negative reinforcement, and at times rejection, is associated with church care and problem solving.

If you work with people you will have problems and the more people you have the more problems you will have.  And the more time you have these people, the more likely you are to have bigger challenges to overcome.  But this is no reason to give up and avoid the hard times.  Let us not let our existing churches dye while we have our eyes on starting new ones. It is when we embrace unification and restoration that bones come together, flesh develops out of past nothingness, skin covers the flesh out of former defeats, breath enters the bodies to all replace past failures and unforgiveness, and a vast army stands up stronger than ever.  What some see as a dying church, Christ sees as His resurrected and indestructible army!

30 Days of Prayer in September

In church today, we talk, read and learn a lot about prayer. Yet, the truth is that in today we do not pray as before. The church of the 21t century is not a praying church. Therefore, on its’ 10-year anniversary and as a part of the National Bible Tour 2016, during the month of September www.bibliata.com calls for 30 Days of Prayer – a national prayer strategy including current, urgent needs of the Bulgarian Evangelical Movement.

Week 1
September 1, 2016 – Restoration of the Backslidden
September 2, 2016 – Church Leadership: Bulgarian Pastors and Ministers

Week 2
September 3, 2016 – National Revival in Bulgaria
September 4, 2016 – Spiritual and Physical Harvests
September 5, 2016 – Restoration of Protestant Evangelical Heritage
September 6, 2016 – Unification of the Bulgarian Nation and the Bulgarian Church (In observance of Unification Day in Bulgaria)
September 7, 2016 – Renewal of Family Ties
September 8, 2016 – Child Protection
September 9, 2016 – Mission Work

Week 3
September 10, 2016 – The Hopeless (In observance of World Suicide Prevention Day)
September 11, 2016 – Against Fear (In observance of Patriot Day in the United States)
September 12, 2016 – Sexual Purity and Biblical Moral Principles in the Bulgarian Society
September 13, 2016 – Sanctification and Prayer for Restoration of Holiness in the Bulgarian Church
September 14, 2016 – Return Toward Evangelical Roots
September 15, 2016 – Students of Bulgaria (In observance of the first day of school in Bulgaria)
September 16, 2016 – National Day of Fasting for the Bulgarian Evangelical Movement

Week 4
September 17, 2016 – The Country of Bulgaria
September 18, 2016 – National Prosperity
September 19, 2016 – Abortion Prevention and Prayer for Mothers Who Have Had an Abortion (In observance of Abortion Prevention Day in Bulgaria)
September 20, 2016 – Deliverance from Addictions (In observance of the National Addiction Counselors’ Day)
September 21, 2016 – World Peace (In observance of the International Day of Peace)
September 22, 2016 – Spiritual Freedom (In observance of Independence Day in Bulgaria)
September 23, 2016 – Spirit of Forgiveness

Week 5
September 24, 2016 – Restoring of Friendships and Relationships (In observance of National Good Neighbor Day)
September 25, 2016 – Against Stress and Results of Stress
September 26, 2016 – Physical Healing and Deliverance
September 27, 2016 – Peace for Israel
September 28, 2016 – A Fresh Anointing
September 29, 2016 – The Persecuted Believers
September 30, 2016 – Strength and Endurance