{"id":3203,"date":"2007-04-18T20:19:46","date_gmt":"2007-04-18T20:19:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=3203"},"modified":"2010-12-09T16:47:53","modified_gmt":"2010-12-09T16:47:53","slug":"5525","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2007\/04\/18\/5525\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Congregations Consider Joining Ministry Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE, WA (April 18, 2007) \u2013 Members of Interbay Covenant Church voted overwhelmingly Sunday to unite their ministries with Quest Covenant, says Pastor Ray Bartel.
\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019re very financially stable,\u201d says Bartel, who has been at the church seven years. \u201cThe church could go on as it is, but we didn\u2019t think that was the right thing to do. Many churches wait until they\u2019re nearly dead before they consider coming together. We wanted to do this from a position of strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result, the 54-year-old congregation will give six-year-old Quest a building and land that are mortgage-free and worth an estimated $8 million. The congregations will operate under the Quest name with its leadership team and constitution.<\/p>\n

In a posting on his web blog, Quest Pastor Eugene Cho praised Interbay for its commitment to sharing the gospel. \u201cFolks at Interbay have said on numerous occasions: \u201cWhat we want to see, above all, is a vibrant and thriving church presence in this area and for Seattle. That\u2019s what matters to us.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am most excited about the privilege we have of growing together with the current Interbay community,\u201d Cho continues. \u201cTheir stories, wisdom, and gifts will be a great blessing not only to Quest, but in our shared commitment to be a missional presence to Seattle and the larger world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Members of Quest still need to vote on the new arrangement, but are expected to approve it. \u201cAs of June 1, we will be one church, and we will gather together for one large celebration service on June 3,\u201d Cho says.<\/p>\n

The two churches had already combined some ministries. Interbay placed its children ministry under the direction of Quest, helping to pay the children minister\u2019s salary and providing the facilities. \u201cThat worked very well,\u201d Bartel says. The churches also had worshiped together during several services.<\/p>\n

The congregations have had a close relationship for several years. The two churches came within 50 feet of each other when Interbay allowed Quest to meet in their warehouse, which had been used for youth ministry in the 1970s and 1980s. At the time, the church was only two years removed from being a bible study in Cho\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

Interbay took out a loan from National Covenant Properties so the building could be renovated in 2002. \u201cWe gave them carte blanche to renovate how they wanted,\u201d Bartel says.<\/p>\n

Since then, Quest has grown to more than 350 people. Quest\u2019s outreach to people ages 18-35 through unique ministries, including its caf\u00e9, has attracted the attention of the Seattle Times and other news media. Cho also recently spoke to students at North Park Theological Seminary on the Emergent Movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s never been a sense of competition or envy because they\u2019ve had explosive growth,\u201d Bartel says. Just the opposite: Interbay has been excited.<\/p>\n

For his part, Cho wants the news of Interbay\u2019s decision to spread, explaining, \u201cTheir story, courage, faith, sacrifice, and legacy needs to be shared with others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the decision to \u201cgive itself\u201d to Quest was difficult for Interbay, whose leadership initially opposed the idea. As the congregation worked on its vision for the future, initial resistance gave way to believing the merger was the best means for expanding ministry, Bartel says.<\/p>\n

A denominational leader lauded the decision. \u201cIt\u2019s a bold, visionary move that will result in much fruit for the kingdom,\u201d says John Wenrich, director of congregational vitality with the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism of the Evangelical Covenant Church.<\/p>\n

The decision has been confirmed many times over, Bartel says. \u201cThere have been so many direct answers to prayer that it has surprised even the most faithful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cho and Bartel acknowledge that Interbay members who strongly favored the merger from the beginning will need time to grieve. \u201cEven I\u2019m grieving,\u201d Bartel says.<\/p>\n

In the end, Bartel says, Interbay lived out the words of Oswald Chambers in his devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest<\/em><\/a>: \u201cFaith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the one who is leading.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about the ministries of the two congregations, visit their websites at Interbay<\/a> and Quest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE, WA (April 18, 2007) \u2013 Members of Interbay Covenant Church voted overwhelmingly Sunday to unite their ministries with Quest Covenant, says Pastor Ray Bartel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nTwo Congregations Consider Joining Ministry Efforts - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2007\/04\/18\/5525\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Two Congregations Consider Joining Ministry Efforts - 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