Bountiful Blessings World Fellowship: Our History

A Will in the Middle of The Will

Dr. Stephen W. Christian

Call Me Christian

Pastor Stephen W. Christian

Previously at BBWF

Bountiful Blessings World Fellowship

4424 West 30th St.
Little Rock, AR 72204
501-280-0488

Service Times

Sundays
9:00 AM (Prayer)
10:30 AM (Worship)
Wednesdays
6:00 PM (Prayer & Spiritual Growth)
Other meetings...

Verse of the day

Proverb of the day

Our History

The word “church” in the New Testament means “called out ones.” In December 1989, Pastor Stephen W. Christian received a call from the Lord to start a church that would be led by the Spirit and the Word of God. Much prayer was offered to God concerning this step of faith. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” Proverbs 3:6. The name of this ministry, Bountiful Blessings, had been placed in Pastor Christian’s spirit years before his call to the ministry. The name was based on Ezekiel 34:26 which says “And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; they shall be showers of blessings.”

On January 6, 1990, Bountiful Blessings Fellowship became a reality. On this day, which was a Saturday, a prayer meeting was held in preparation for the first Sunday morning service. On Sunday, January 7, 1990, our first service was held in Pastor Christian’s home, with twenty attendees. We had 10 official members. The membership has grown to 150 members. Our emphasis as a church is diligent Bible study, exuberant worship, discipleship, the unity in the body of Christ, and evangelism.

After the first Sunday, services were held at a YMCA building until we found a more permanent facility. Our history continues to be written.

The desires that brought this original group of people together remain foundational to our church today. They are:

A desire for strong teaching of the Word of God

The Bible should be the foundation of all Christian experience, and the church’s fundamental task is to communicate the Word of God. The teaching and preaching of the Word should be done diligently, and this demands the careful and time-consuming preparation of our pastor-teachers. Since the true worship and fellowship are founded upon solid Biblical truth, the church cannot grow as it should apart from a strong commitment to uphold God’s Word. (Acts 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

A desire to govern the church on the basis of biblical authority

The cry of the Reformation was “Sola Scriptura,” meaning “the Bible alone.” The local church should operate according to the clear principles of Scripture, not according to human tradition, heritage, denominational practice or the personal preference of church leaders or members. No program, procedure, or church statement should be considered to have final authority. Everyone and everything should be continually subject to the scrutiny of the Word. (Matthew 15:1-3)

A desire that the local church be independent in its government

The Pastor and Board of Elders is the governing body at BBWF. The Pastor and Elders, not the church, are responsible for oversight and direction of the church (read Hebrews 13:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:12). We are not regulated in any way by a denominational organization. The Elders Board is made up of a plurality (more than one) of leaders. The Elders are committed to being sensitive to individual needs and open to changing forms of ministry to meet the needs expressed by the body. They are called to lead the church by example. (1 Peter 5:1-3)

A desire to work through issues and conflicts openly and honestly

Someone once said, “To dwell above with the Saints we love, oh that would be glory, but to dwell below with the Saints we know, well, that’s another story.” When people are involved, conflicts are inevitable. Ignoring issues and conflicts compounds them; it does not resolve them. In the church, unity is not achieved in silence, but by dialogue, expressions, and transparency. We are exhorted in the Scriptures to “lay aside falsehood and speak the truth in love.”
(Ephesians 4:25-32)

A desire to apply scriptural truth to daily living

A goal of the church must be to equip people with truth for living (Ephesians 4:12). The church’s ministry should challenge people with the revelation of God, not the reason of man. At BBWF, the emphasis of this challenges is the individual application of scriptural truth to daily living (James 1:22-25). The emphasis is on equipping rather than programming. This distinctive is shown below

Programming Emphasis	Equipping Emphasis
Organized around events which attract people from the world	Organized around equipping which sends people into the world
Organization is the primary focus	Christian values are the primary focus
Status assigned by position in the organization	Status related to conformity to Christian values
Ministries viewed as performed by “agencies” of the organization	Ministries viewed as performed by each member of the church
Success measured by… Numbers Dollars Buildings	Success measured by… individual maturity and Christlikeness

A desire to penetrate the community in which we live

Jesus exhorts us in Matthew 5:16, “let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify you Father who is in heaven.” While the church is the place for developing close spiritual relationships, it is called to “reach out” to reveal Jesus Christ to the community and world in which it exists (Matthew 28:19-20). The local church should equip (Ephesians 4:11-13) its members with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ (John 14:6), and exhort them to share it in word and deed.

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Textpattern

Our History	Our Desires
Our Commitment to Relationships	Our Confession of Faith
Our Beliefs	Our Vision