A brief desc of COS beginnings from areka.org

from Church Planting and Other Heresies
Posted By: thethinker on Mon. July 8 , 2002 at 10:53:27 PM
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It’s the story of Gordon Cosby.

Gordon was a chaplain in WWII, in fact he landed on the beaches of Normandy.

During his tenure as a chaplain his unit saw 400% turnover of men. In other words the average life span for anyone Gordon talked to was very short.

It was this extreme environment that drove Gordon to some practical conclusions about ministry.

It was impossible for him to get around to see all the men – most of whom would die very, very soon.

But it was imperative that these men receive ministry.

To make a long story short, Gordon came to the conclusion that truly every believer is a priest and can and should minister to others.

The fact that these men couldn’t gather together on Sunday morning forced Gordon Cosby to see in a new way that truly – every believer is a priest. Every believer is called to minister.

So, as he made his rounds, he found Christian men and encouraged and appointed them to minister to the men around them.

“Where two or more are gathered – Christ is present”

Much to his surprise, Gordon Cosby made it through WWII alive.

When he came home to the US the experience he had had in Europe changed his view of ministry forever.

Gordon founded the Church of the Saviour in Washington DC over 50 years ago with 8 other people.

I had the privilege of meeting with him last summer.

I saw, first hand, what can happen after 50 years of believing that every Christian is called to ministry.

I saw what it looks like when new christians are challenged to find a mission to be a part of.

What it looks like when a woman receives a call from God to set up a hospital for the homeless has no funds to do it and miraculously several million dollars gets donated to the Church – coincidentally the exact amount this woman and her friends had prayed for.

There is now a hospital for the homeless in one of the poorest areas of Wash DC.

I saw a local expression of the Church that has never grown to more than 150 people, but has turned Washington DC upside down.

What does all this have to do with church planting?

Well, Church of the Savior calls "church plants" MISSIONS. Wow, what if every "church" you know of had maintained that identity! What if every Church in America spent 20% on self and 80% on the world! What if we weren't in the real estate business....imagine a church.

8:47:09 PM    

History of The Enterprise Foundation

8:02:20 PM    

The Church with No Laymen (from Wordgems)

In a big old house on embassy row in Washington, D.C., you'll find the Church of the Saviour, a small Presbyterian church that has been written up in many magazines and several books.

They wouldn't claim to be perfect, but they sure do a lot of things right. So far, they've split off eight new congregations in order to remain small. And aspiring members must wait up to two years before acceptance--including 55 weeks of classes! Before Constantine, converts often had quite a wait before they could join a church, but in this era, Church of the Saviour stands out like a plaid pig.

Their secret of success is that nobody can join without also joining one of their mission groups (of about four to eight people). Even the minister, Gordon Cosby, belongs to one.

Each group has a double focus. First, it has a task. Groups form when someone feels led to undertake a mission (like starting a counseling hotline) or shoulder a responsibility (like maintaining the church facility). He or she issues a call for other members to join in the new task; if enough respond, the group begins. That's the outward focus.

Second, the group meets once a week to compare notes. Everyone keeps a spiritual journal. They share their personal progress and problems, and support each other. That's the inward focus.

Laminating the inward and outward is very, very smart. It enables them to avoid extremes: the hollowness of a works-oriented group and the self-centered introspection of a talk group.

Now, any healthy church will eventually help its members find a ministry and achieve inner growth. But Church of the Saviour, by requiring you to find a fellowship-ministry upon joining, has got it down to a fine art. If a layman is someone not in ministry, then it's fair to say they have no laymen.

(By the way, what does your church require of its members? Anything at all? Or is it content to have many who are just spectators? Think about it.)

7:53:08 PM    

Training the Laity

7:20:26 PM