Cornerstone Open Bible Church

1610 Chemawa Rd NE

Keizer, Oregon 97303


April 22, 2003

To Fellow Pastors and Local Congregation in the Body of Christ,

Whole Heart Ministries is one of the few evangelistic ministries that has a genuine vision for the lost, with the added blessing of protecting the nurturing atmosphere of the local church. It has been my joy and privilege over the last six years, to labor with Whole Heart Ministries in promoting revivals of true Christianity, and to concurrently build the depth and vitality of the church body at Cornerstone Open Bible Church. Whole Heart Ministries has been a very key part in establishing Godly vision and community. In a day when much of the local church still dances around the issues that rob the spiritual vitality from the fellowship of believers, Whole Heart Ministries has consistently and effectively confronted those issues and has not apologized for insisting that the standard of Christ-likeness be raised. Consequently, the believers at Cornerstone are not wondering about in some spiritual fog, trapped by the difficulties of visionless ministry or the dysfunction of personal bondage. We at Cornerstone believe that we exist strategically for the soul purpose of winning our city for God. We share this vision with Whole Heart Ministries, and will continue to labor together to see the purpose of God revealed in and through us.

For those pastors who are skeptical of the "Evangelist", if you as a pastor, are confident in who you are in Christ, the gifting of an evangelist will not shake that confidence. The view of this vital gift to the Body of Christ has been perverted by at least three things; 1) The idea that because of the proliferation of churches, evangelistic ministry is somehow less needed or effective. 2) The abuses suffered by the local church because of evangelistic ministries. 3) The abuse suffered by evangelistic ministries because of the local church. Because no one person or ministry has the corner on stupidity, we must all agree that we, as ministers of the new covenant, are at best who we are in Christ, and at worst who we are in us. My personal view of the need of evangelistic ministry as an office, is of course the biblical view of Eph 4. The revival of saints in regards to the "Evangelist", is the ministry of resuscitation; breathing the breath of the Spirit into the lungs if the dead and the dieing. The revival of saints in regards to the "Pastor", is the ministry of stabilization, helping the saints to realize that their life support system is not "religion", but relationship with Jesus Christ. These vital gifts to the Body of Christ, are to work in harmony with each other, as are all the gifts given for the equipping of saints.



Respectfully in His Service,

Pastor James A. Banke

Cornerstone Open Bible Church,
Keizer, Oregon USA

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With joy I recommend Whole Heat Ministries to you. Lew & Lorri are very special friends. They have been a tremendous blessing to us. They love God and are determined to follow Him and be used of Him in what he desires to do on the earth today. We have invited Lew and Lorri to our church numerous times and have been very blessed by their ministry.

Sincerely,

Pastor Tom Steinen

Agape Church
100 River Walk
Searcy, Arkansas 72143

( 501) 268-6676

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