About our Church - The Potter's House CFC, Zambia

Pastor Tom Cunningham and his family arrived in Livingstone, Zambia in the beginning of April, 1999. Leaving a thriving work in Everett, Washington, USA to pioneer a church in remote Africa had its uncertainty. Instantly, however, a story unfolded that revealed the timing of God and left little doubt to His will. In just 2 days, Cunningham found six people that were already meeting for services in a little school. One of them had visited the Lusaka church with Pastor Steve Bowman and had come back and told the rest he had found God’s church. They were excited for the vision of discipleship and church planting. They even named themselves the Potter’s House and met together praying for God to send an American missionary to start a Potter’s House church in Livingstone. The man that had led this little group died of a sickness the very day in January that Pastor Cunningham was launched out of the Prescott, Arizona conference into Livingstone.

When Pastor Cunningham arrived, word travelled quickly and some of the men located him in the Maramba market. It was Saturday, only 3 days in the country, but he was ready to have church! They rented a school and had their first service the next morning. Through word of mouth, 35 people came to hear the Word of God. Now, more than a year later, they are seeing over 500 people every service and quickly filling the tent that houses their meetings. "You came at the right time. Livingstone needs this church!" says one member over and over. With the government giving them a nice parcel of land, they have begun to build and expand, laying the foundation for many years of successful ministry and church planting ahead.

THE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP CHURCHES

In 1970, Pastor Wayman Mitchell (left) went to the small town of Prescott, Arizona. Through the Word of God, he began to see a pattern for the New Testament church in raising up workers and planting churches. From there, a spiritual fire was launched that is spanning the globe. In a few short years, over a thousand churches have been planted in over 90 nations of the world. From that, crusades and conferences sprung up that are touching tens of thousands every year. This church is a product of that vision and is working to see it expanded in the short time that remains before Jesus' return. God has given us a vision for the day we live in. Our message is simple, yet it is the cornerstone of all truth. Jesus Christ is the only hope for man's salvation and that is true with every person in every nation on the globe. In a world full of empty dreams and false promises is a truth which grows stronger every year, and that is Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

THE VISION AND THE METHOD:
THE INDIGENOUS CHURCH

God is returning the church to the dignity of its foundations. What are needed are churches that will go back to their spiritual roots - the Bible. There we find that each church was a launching pad to win the world - supporting itself, disciplining, training, equipping, and releasing workers into the world. Many think of the church as a dead institution or a meaningless relic, years behind the times. We believe the church is the Bride of Christ, the depository of Gods glory and the pillar and ground of truth. It is the most vital Institution on Planet Earth History revolves around the visible body of Christ. Jesus is showing us the keys to releasing His church.

PREACHING and EVANGELISM

The Bible is the guidebook of the Christian life and preaching is Gods method of bringing it to the hearts of God's people. We believe that honest, direct and anointed preaching has always been used by God to shake the nations. In an age of low commitment, many seek to hear a watered-down message, but it is our firm belief that God is raising up a people hungry for the meat of the word. That is why our order of worship is centered around the preaching of the gospel.

Evangelism: Jesus has never rescinded the command "Go ye into the all the world and preach the gospel". The fulfilling of this command brings great spiritual health. The power of the Holy Spirit is brought to bear in order to accomplish the command, and joy is released in those who obey. While many churches only talk about winning the lost. Our primary goal is to lead men and women to Jesus; the churches of the Fellowship put the frills of modern Christianity second to the needs of the hour. The result of obedience to this command is that God is glorified and honours His word through signs, wonders, and manifestations of the gifts.

FAMILY and MATURITY

We believe that the family is the first foundation of God’s established order and the cornerstone of God's government. The family is being torn apart when each member seeks to find their own fulfilment in a thousand different directions. It is our belief that a genuine church with a variety of programs and a full schedule is a tremendous unifier of the family and the only foundation for a real move of God. While having a full program to reach and minister to children, we feel that the key to the family is the parents. The Bible emphasises the adult's responsibility regarding their commitment to God. If the parents are disciples of Jesus; the children will be also.

Maturity through Lifestyle: Jesus looked for those who were dedicated to following Him. In two thousand years the seriousness of the church towards being discipled has deteriorated. It is our goal as a church to learn and live the truths of Scripture. We live in the last days and an hour when the most exciting challenge in life is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. The members of our churches are not satisfied to be "hearers only" but desire to be "doers of the Word of God". They come faithfully, give joyously, worship fervently, and witness loyally. They have found Jesus Christ to be "... the same yesterday, today, and forever."

DISCIPLESHIP and PRAYER

Discipleship is the shaping of an individual's destiny. Each church in the New Testament copied Jesus' method of calling those whom God had chosen and training them through example and release. The book of Acts demonstrates the powerful impact that is possible to those who take Jesus’ command and pattern seriously. Our vision is the restoration of the Biblical pattern of church growth. In the past few years over a thousand churches have been started by this method. In each of the Fellowship churches, there is a fulfilling of Christ’s command to make disciples. We believe that the church needs to be released. We believe in the functioning of the nine gifts of the Spirit and we challenge members of the church to find the full expression and release of their lives in whatever manner God wills.

Prayer: Daily prayer is a normal part of all of our churches. This is the way of battle for the Christian. Robbed of prayer, the church is robbed of power, direction and divine presence. We know that the kingdom is built by Gods power, not man's. That is why we place emphasis on touching and releasing God.