Sovereign Grace Ministries

Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) is a group of Christian churches primarily located in North America. [cite website
url = http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Churches/AllChurches.aspx
title = Sovereign Grace Churches
work = SGM Official Website
accessdate = 2008-02-29] It also encompasses congregations in Bolivia, Ethiopia, Great Britain and Mexico. [cite website
url = http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Churches/WorldMap.aspx
title = Sovereign Grace Churches, by Country
work = SGM Official Website
accessdate = 2008-03-04]

Previous Names

Sovereign Grace Ministries was known as People of Destiny International until 1998, when its name was shortened to PDI Ministries. [cite news
url = http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1998/april27/8t515c.html
title = News Briefs
work = Christianity Today
accessdate = 2008-02-29
date = 1998-04-27] . British restorationist leader Terry Virgo claims that the change was a result of then-leaders Larry Tomczak and CJ Mahaney becoming "increasingly uncomfortable" with the "People of Destiny International" tag [cite book
last = Virgo
first = Terry
title = No Well Worn Paths
page = p.145] A further name change came in the early 2000s when the group adopted its current name of "Sovereign Grace Ministries."

History

The organization of over 70 member churches grew out of the charismatic renewal of the 1970s under the leadership of Catholic Charismatic Larry Tomczak and has its roots in the Gathering of Believers (now Covenant Life Church) in Maryland. [cite book
last = Tomczak
first = Larry
title = Clap Your Hands
year = 1989
page = pp.179-196
publisher = Word Publishing
isbn= 978-0850093155] It was formally established in 1982.cite news
url = http://www.charismamag.com/display.php?id=369
title = Gospel Bluesman Offers God's Love In Sin City
accessdate = 2008-02-09
date = 2000-07
publisher = Charisma Magazine] CJ Mahaney, whom Larry Tomczak had been asked to "take under [his] wing and help... grow in the faith" in 1972, was the co-founder of both Covenant Life and People of Destiny. [cite book
last = Tomczak
first = Larry
title = Clap Your Hands
year = 1989
publisher = Word Publishing
isbn= 978-0850093155
page = p.164] Both Mahaney and Tomczak quietly withdrew from the Charismatic Catholic scene shortly before the creation of Covenant Life Church. [cite book
last = Tomczak
first = Larry
title = Clap Your Hands
year = 1989
publisher = Word Publishing
isbn= 978-0850093155
page = p.185]

Tomczak and Mahaney were both close to the leaders of British restorationism - speaking at New Frontiers' Bible Weeks and Stoneleigh Conference - and were also associated with Maranatha Campus Ministries for a period. [cite book
last = Virgo
first = Terry
title = No Well Worn Paths
page = p.162] In the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian thought published in 1995 [cite website
url = http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=9780631198963
title = Gospel Bluesman Offers God's Love In Sin City
accessdate = 2008-06-20] , Alister McGrath bracketed PDI with the shepherding movement and described it as having "informal links with Bryn Jones", the UK house church leader. [cite book
last = McGrath
first = Alister
title = The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought
page = p.432] In the mid-1990s, religious anthropologist Dr Karla Poewe contrasted PDI with the Vineyard Church. She wrote: "Vineyard is particularly attractive to the young and intellectual... People of Destiny serves a Catholic constituency." [cite book
last = Poewe
first = Karla O.
title = Charismatic Christianity as a Global Culture
date = 1994
page = p.25

]

Tomczak eventually left the leadership of PDI in 1998 and has subsequently suggested that the increasingly Calvinistic theology of PDI was a major factor in this division.cite news
url = http://www.charismamag.com/display.php?id=369
title = Charisma Magazine
accessdate = 2008-02-09
date = 2000-07
publisher = Charisma Magazine] [cite book
last = Tomczak
first = Larry
title = What Do You Believe About How People get Saved?
date = 1998] He has described the parting of ways with Sovereign Grace Ministries as "an unbelievable nightmare" during which his family "were threatened in various ways if [they] did not cooperate with [PDI/SGM] ... A letter was circulated in an attempt to discredit me and to distort the events surrounding my departure."cite book
last = Tomczak
first = Larry
title = Reckless Abandon
page = p.15] Other notable charismatic figures, such as Lou Engle, founder of The Call prayer concerts, and Che Ahn, pastor of Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, also ceased to be formally associated with PDI during this period. [cite book
last = Poloma
first = Margaret M.
title = Main Street Mystics
page = p.177]

Recent Developments

Sovereign Grace Ministries currently identifies itself as "a family of churches passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ... with a strong doctrinal basis that is evangelical, Reformed, and continuationist." [cite website
url = http://www.sovgracemin.org/About/AboutUs.aspx
title = Sovereign Grace Ministries--About Us
accessdate = 2008-06-20] This move towards the Reformed wing of the church is seen through Sovereign Grace's partnerships with speakers such as John MacArthur, Mark Dever, RC Sproul and John Piper, who speak at the Together for the Gospel Conferences. [cite website
url = http://www.t4g.org/2008
title=T4G 2008 Conference
name = Together for the Gospel
accessdate = 2008-02-28]

Sovereign Grace's apostolic team is currently led by Joshua Harris and is based in Gaithersburg, Maryland where it shares a building with Covenant Life. [cite website
url = http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/About/LeadershipBios/Overview.aspx
title = SGM Official Website
accessdate = 2008-02-28] [cite website
url = http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/About/ContactUs.aspx
title = SGM Official Website
accessdate = 2008-02-28]

Church Planting

History

Church-planting was on the agenda from the earliest years of Covenant Life Church. The first church-planting team was sent out to Ohio. [http://www.worldviewcc.org/history.html] . The commitment to church-planting is still alive, today a page of the official SGM website is devoted to the touting of upcoming church-plants worldwide.

For many years, PDI did not adopt pre-existing churches. It was this policy which led to the expansion of New Frontiers International into the United States. [cite book
last = Virgo
first = Terry
title = No Well Worn Paths
page = p.206] PDI/SGM subsequently altered its stance and will accept established churches into the fold. Sovereign Grace now pursues an adoption methodology that begins primarily through the development of a relationship with leadership and continues towards strategic dialogue to evaluate the doctrinal and practical compatibility of Sovereign Grace with the church desiring adoption. [http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/ChurchPlanting/ChurchPlantingFAQ.aspx#02]

Methodology

Church planter Fred Herron categorises PDI/SGM church-planting as "colonization". He writes: "a pastor or leader from a mother church gathers a core group of people to plant a new church, however, instead of planting the church in a bedroom community, the entire team relocates to a totally different city". [cite book
last = Herron
first = Fred
title = Expanding God's Kingdom Through Church-Planting
date = 2003
page = pp.73-74]

Publishing Ventures

Magazine

PDI/SGM published a magazine for about twenty years. It was initially entitled "People of Destiny", with the title later changing to "Sovereign Grace". [cite magazine
title = People of Destiny, Sovereign Grace
date = 1982-2002?] . The first issue had the words "Are You A Pioneer - Or A Settler?" on the front cover. [cite magazine
title = People of Destiny, Issue One
date = 1982] Larry Tomczak was the founding editor of the magazine that was eventually discontinued in 2002.Also a New Attitude magazine was written by Joshua Harris.

Books

Larry Tomczak was a popular author with mainstream Christian publishers from the early 1970s onwards.cite book
last = Tomczak
first = Larry
title = Clap Your Hands
year = 1989
publisher = Word Publishing
isbn= 978-0850093155] [cite book
title=Divine Appointments
first=Larry
last=Tomczak
isbn=978-1560433200] cite book
title=Reckless Abandon
first=Larry
last=Tomczak
isbn=978-0884198765] [cite book
title=God, the Rod and Your Child's Bod
first=Larry
last=Tomczak] During the 1990s, SGM launched the self-published series of "Pursuit of Godliness" books, each penned by SGM authors. [cite book
title=Why Small Groups
last= CJ Mahaney and Robin Boisvert
isbn=978-1881039068] [cite book
title=How Can I Change?
last= CJ Mahaney and Greg Somerville
isbn=978-1881039037]

In recent years CJ Mahaney has also achieved mainstream Christian recognition as an author. [cite book
title=Living the Cross-Centred Life
last= CJ Mahaney
isbn=978-1590525784] Joshua Harris, who was a published author prior to joining SGM, has authored several other books since arriving at Covenant Life Church.

ee also

*CJ Mahaney
*Covenant Life Church
*Together for the Gospel
*Joshua Harris
*Larry Tomczak

References

External links

* [http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org Official Website]