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A listing of churches that have achieved three Acts 2 fruits in the past three years

By Shaun Lane
UMConnection Staff

Acts 2 churches are filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit, experience authentic Christian community and bear fruit.

When Bishop John Schol, episcopal leader of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, announced in 2005 the goal of having 600 Acts 2 churches by 2012, Pastor Chi Bon Jang of Eden Korean UMC in Baltimore City didn't have to say much to the members of his church.

In fact, Jang said, most of his members were well versed in the meaning and significance of becoming an Acts 2 church.

"Most Korean Christians know the history and importance of becoming an Acts 2 church and they try to emulate that," Jang said. "At Eden, we make sure that it is not just a concept. It is something that we try to live by."

Jang's church is not alone in having achieved Acts 2 status in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Just three years after Bishop Schol announced the initiative, there are 272 conference churches that have achieved Acts 2 status, nearly half of the churches needed for the 2012 goal and a 200 percent increase since 2005. But Bishop Schol said that it would be wrong to simply get caught up in the numbers. An Acts 2 church, he said, has greater meaning.

"The mission of Acts 2 churches is to build disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world," Schol said. "The point of this accounting is not to meet a numerical goal; the purpose is to have 600 of our churches by 2012 to be Spirit-led, authentic in Christian community and bearing fruit."

The 272 Acts 2 churches represent all regions and districts and embody demographics that reflect the diversity of the conference. They are small, large and middle-sized churches

Pastor Helen Fleming of Douglas Memorial UMC said becoming an Acts 2 church starts at the top. She said that the laity have to see the leadership embrace the concept, and the laity, in turn, will strive for the same goal.

"When the laity sees the leadership working toward a goal, they feel empowered to make it happen," Fleming said. "This usually happens in small groups, where they can better identify their gifts and talents and be more vocal and participatory."

In the Baltimore-Washington Conference, there are three ‘fruits" that a church must achieve to attain Acts 2 status:

1. Receive new believers by profession or reaffirmation of faith into the faith community (one person for every 25 worshippers).

2. Increase worship attendance by 2 percent.

3. Engage in and share our res-ources in mission including pay-ing 100 percent apportionment.

An Acts 2, or disciple-making congregation, also carries out the life of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:27). Filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4; 37-38), a disciple-making congregation engages believers in the complete Discipleship Adventure (celebrate, connect, develop, serve, and share) and bears Acts 2 fruit (Acts 2:41-47). Disciple-making congregations also:

• Focus all activity on Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). The congregation is organized to make and engage disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (Matthew 28:18-20);
• Call, equip, and release disciples to pursue their passion and use their gifts to glorify God (Ephesians 411-13);
• Call, equip, send and support spiritual leaders to lead disciples in the Adventure (Mark 1:17);
• Lead disciples to meet the spiritual, social and physical needs of those in the community and world; and produce Acts 2 fruit (John 15:8, 16 and Acts 2:41-47).

Jang said achieving all of the fruits is an ambitious goal, but he said it is far from impossible.

"Every year, we set a direction for our church," Jang said. "We emphasize the Discipleship Adventure in all that we do. When Bishop Schol announced the [Acts 2] goal, we moved ahead to achieve it. We made sure that we all understood the biblical importance of it, and then we moved forward."

Fleming agreed, adding that everything her church engages in is done with the idea of making another disciple for Jesus Christ.

"We do everything with that goal in mind - making another disciple for Jesus Christ," she said. "It means being hospitable when we have guests, how we greet people, how we keep them there with the Word. Nothing should be overlooked. Everything matters."