A recent Disciples Today article placed all churches into three categories: church plantings, churches receiving watering, and sending churches. You might expect that the sending churches would all be large congregations with ample resources. You would be wrong.
The DeKalb Church of Christ, while only consisting of 40-60 members over the last ten years, has continually sent out leaders to strengthen other, usually bigger churches.
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." -- 2 Corinthians 8:9
Being located in a small campus town, the DeKalb church has consistent turnover in its membership -- with students regularly moving in and graduates and young disciples moving away to larger job markets.
Note: The DeKalb Church of Christ is technically a ministry center of the Chicago Church of Christ, but functions for the most part as a satellite church.
When Bill Cosby opened the new NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb several years back, he jokingly said it was the nicest facility he'd ever seen ... in the middle of a cornfield. The town of DeKalb, Illinois, surrounded by cornfields, is located about 60 miles west of Chicago, and is best known for being the birthplace of barbed wire, the hometown of Cindy Crawford, the headquarters of DeKalb Genetics (now Monsanto), and the home of Northern Illinois University and its 23,000 students (many of whom commute from the surrounding area).
Over the last several years, the DeKalb church has sent out Dave and Beth Pocta to the North Suburban Ministry Center of the Chicago Church (and then to Johannesburg, South Africa), Chris and Meegan Zillman to lead the Southland Ministry Center in Chicago (and to help oversee the Midwest campus ministries), Matt and Michelle Taylor to lead the teen ministry in the Orlando (FL) church, Carl and Stephanie Sullivan to lead the campus ministry in the Bloomington (IL) church, Adrian and Amanda Beard to lead the youth and campus ministry in the Quad City (IA) church, Dave and Robin Weidner to lead the Treasure Valley Church of Christ in Boise, Idaho, and within the next month, Anthony and Ionela Testa to lead the campus ministry in the Champaign (IL) church.
The Taylors, the Sullivans, the Beards, and the Testas all entered the full-time ministry for the first time in DeKalb or upon leaving, while the Weidners are returning to the ministry after being out for 20 years. In addition, the couple who will be moving back in July to lead the church again, Phil and Jill Perez, were both originally converted and raised up in DeKalb in the 90's.
The DeKalb church has a long history of sending leaders out. In fact, in 1982 the Chicago Church of Christ was planted from DeKalb by Marty and Chris Fuqua and a team largely made up of disciples from the DeKalb church (including current Chicago Church of Christ teacher, Steve Staten). Over the years, disciples from DeKalb have gone out to lead in churches all over the US, Europe, and Asia. For example, Charles Ham, who was baptized while in DeKalb in 1992, is currently the country director for HOPE worldwide Indonesia.
In recent years, disciples have also gone out from DeKalb to serve in the churches in Jerusalem, Israel and Kiev, Ukraine. Brad Procek served the Jerusalem Church of Christ as an intern for one year, while Rebekah Weidner moved to Kiev, Ukraine for 2 1/2 years to help strengthen the singles ministry in the Kiev Church of Christ. Both have since returned to DeKalb and are employed in the area.
Also, many DeKalb disciples have served the last few years in campus swaps, internships, MIT (ministry in training), and short-term mission trips. One of our campus sisters is currently on a short-term mission trip in Milan, Italy and spent last summer in Australia. Considering all of this activity, it appears likely that we will be seeing more of our current campus disciples entering the full-time ministry in the near future.
Finally, another common occurence in DeKalb (being a college town), is seeing someone baptized and then almost immediately sent off somewhere else. Last year, Jay Jarrett was met by two brothers whom he worked with at a warehouse job. He was baptized in the spring just as he was graduating with a degree in music education. He had already accepted a job as a high school music teacher in Bakersfield, California, so we had to say goodbye after just a short time. Within weeks of moving, Jay was leading songs in the Bakersfield Church of Christ.
All of this sending out, however, has not been easy on the small DeKalb church, explains current leader, Anthony Testa.
"One of the difficulties in being a sending church is that it tests your faith in regards to growing the church," Testa said. "Usually the people that leave to go serve in the ministry are house church leaders and all-around great people.
"It can at times be discouraging to see them leave, but we keep in mind that it is about God's Kingdom, not just the church here. We are proud of all the people that have gone to different cities to serve."
In 1 Samuel 14:6, Jonathan proclaims, "Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
Though a group of disciples may be small in number, their impact can still be large.