Building a Network of Backsliders

For those of you who wish to make a difference in the Ex-Pentecostal movement apart from writing on forums, I hope to hash out some serious plans here. We already have a place online here where people can meet and exchange ideas. However, to have real success, we have to have real people on the ground meeting up with others on a regular basis. Humans must have the human touch. These forums can be a place where we exchange ideas, and work through some problems, but ultimately, we all live in communities of flesh and blood. We must establish local groups throughout the country. I do not see any way around this. We have reached a point in the online live of our movement where we have spread our ideas far and wide with people who are regularly on the internet. We must move forward with full force on the local level.

What do I see forming? I see a way of establishing local communities of Ex-Pentecostals that is cheap, fairly easy, and simply requires one or a few people willing to organize meetings either every quarter or semi-annually among the “backslider” community.

How do we do this – the leaders of each local community? Well, we must begin with an Excel spreadsheet or something similar and begin collecting names and phone numbers. We need to think back hard and long – sit down for about 30 minutes to on hour – and think of all the backsliders we can remember that left the churches we were in. We need to write this list of names on our spreadsheet. Then, we need to use these spreadsheets to gather a Rolodex of email addresses, names and phone numbers by trying to contact people and get a feel for where they are religiously. If on can find a handful of Ex-Pentecostals willing to get together at a local restaurant or a golf course, or at some hotel exhibit, we need to make plans to execute such meetings. The meetings should not be too often, but not too far in between. I think every four to six months should be sufficient to establish local groups of people into a community of Backsliders.

People need to meet sometimes simply to talk among friends and build a network of people with a common background. People need to know that there are local people they can lean on and to which they can make a phone call to talk about things in general. Women have special needs and men have special needs that can be taken care of locally among a network of Former Pentecostals

I will personally take on the responsibility for establishing a group in Acadiana – a region of South Louisiana where I was born, raised, and where I have a large network of contacts. I am not sure if I can establish a network here in San Antonio, but I might be able to pull this off also.

For those of you interested, you can send me an email and I might give you a phone call and some pointers on my experience thus far in beginning the network in Acadiana. To get a gathering, one has to establish a meeting place where all can attend. Then, publish the meeting long in advance, and at regular intervals to generate interest. Then you must have an agenda of what you want to happen at this meeting. A large part of the meeting is trying to match people and introduce others who have similar interests or who live closest together. Another part of the agenda might be to talk about books members have read about exiting Pentecostalism. The final part of the agenda should be a discussion of the next meeting place, the most convenient place, and the next proposed agenda.

Guys, this should not cost more than a meal at a restaurant, with maybe a fee for reserving a room at a particular place. Use your imagination, but be very practical.

And these boards can be a meeting place online of exchanging ideas, comparing agendas of different meetings, a lessons learned place at what works better, good, or not at all, etc.

We can, and we will do it. Those of you with a knack for leadership can probably get most of this stuff done easily. It just takes a little bit of planning and networking with people. The most important thing to get this started is to understand the importance of a telephone conversation, introductions, and building a relationship over the phone.

More later, but please tell me your thoughts, and how we can establish cooperation among the several groups around the country – and possibly the world. I already have Excel “Rolodex” templates for those who need something like this. And, I have an extensive list of contacts for a local representative in Acadiana, and a few from my California days, if there are any who wish to do this in California.

Let us now go out and make a difference.

Begin Today!

My email is:

derkrash@earthlink.net

Make sure your subject line has “Pentecostalism” inside so the spam filter does not get it lost in some other folder.

But, do not wait for “orders” or anything of the like from here. You can do this yourself. And we can and will help you.

derkrash-at-earthlink-dot-net
JP Istre