Posts Tagged ‘ministry’
Updates, projects and big vision at John Burton Ministries
Here’s a partial picture of some of the projects and plans that you can join us in!
In the last 20 years of this ministry God has dropped some crazy huge vision into me, and I’ll be the first to admit that I have near zero ability to pull it off. That’s not false humility, that’s actually probably an understatement!
But, that reality doesn’t reveal a liability—it opens the door of unlimited opportunity as we yield to the Enabler.
God uprooted us from Kansas City and dropped us into Detroit to serve and give leadership to a massive, prophetic reformation in the church and outpouring in the region. We’re gathering pastors, leaders and hungry people to pray every week and contend together in the fire.
If you would like to participate in these projects, I would be so grateful. We are seeking an increase in financial support so we can more fully focus on what God has given us. We are also looking for local people to run the race with us in corporate prayer and mission advance at theLab, Revival Church and our other adventures.
Here’s the big, big ideas:
BOOKS
The Coming Church: I’m currently writing this book on extreme reform that is coming to the church. The shift will arrive with force and it will only be discernable in fullness via the Spirit. You can read the article where I reveal the shocking vision I had of the coming church here: https://burton.tv/2011/07/21/a-fearful-vision-of-what-the-church-will-soon-look-like/
Drop That Sheep: This may be the next book I focus on as I am wrecked and troubled at the level of competition between churches. We as pastors don’t own sheep, we love them, equip them and release them into their destinies.
Unoffendable: This extremely popular teaching will be made into a book as well. It is fully possible to live a life totally free of offense so we can draw our strength from God alone and be free to love and bless those who hurt and use us.
Ten Threats to Revival: This will most likely be a short booklet yet it’s a key message to those who are hungry for the burnings of God on a city level. You can read the article that is leading to this book here: https://burton.tv/2011/03/20/ten-threats-to-revival/
A Spirit of Insignificance: This is another very popular and liberating teaching that has launched a lot of people into their destinies via the revelation of the burning One that they ‘carry like Mary'.
MINISTRY IN DETROIT
Revival Church: We are growing powerfully! We are becoming more established as a regional center of revival and are intent on equipping people to carry God to this city. Our worship team is leaving a powerful mark in the region as they are one of the ‘go to’ teams for people like Catherine Mullins, Aaron Crider and others when they are in town.
theLab Internship: God’s grace is all over this ministry! I’m in awe! What started as a small noon prayer meeting has launched into a testimony machine where people have come alive in the furnace of God’s presence. We have four internships scheduled for 2012 so start praying about how you can participate!
Seeking a new property: We are very actively praying for a miracle to occur so we can house theLab and Revival Church seven days a week. We are maximizing what’s available to us in the building that we lease and share with another church, but the amount of activity that we have simply demands a full-time headquarters.
Prophetic Ministry to the city: I moved here from Kansas City with a mandate and a message for this amazing city of Detroit. My heart is to serve and give apostolic and prophetic leadership to the revival movement here. This is truly the driving force of my life in this current season and we are seeking extreme fire-fueled unity in the churches of this region.
1000 Intercessors: This is a critical piece of the puzzle. We pray in a different church every Friday night from 10pm-midnight, and I’m urgently calling every pastor in the region to gather with us each week. We also need burning intercessors and revivalists to step into position and pray on site with us each Friday. Can you imagine 1000 people converging at a different church every seven days in Detroit? I can.
The new sound in Detroit: God dropped a bomb on me. I clearly see a worldwide worship movement being birthed in Detroit, but it’s quite different than what many would presume. This is a Romans 8:26-27 worship movement. A deep groaning worship movement that shatters atmospheres.
MINISTRY NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY
Carrying fire: I feel a season of shift is upon me, and I’m starting to focus more on traveling to churches, conferences and city events to release the fire of God. The vision is to travel often with the team that I’m raising up at theLab and to hold workshops, schools of fire and other events, and also to travel individually nationally and internationally to teach on the topics of my books.
Schools of fire: We’ve already heard from people in other cities who are craving an internship and school of fire like theLab to be launched in their region. We will see teams of people from Detroit spending a week or a month in another city somewhere in the world to setup this unique ministry.
Television: There has been a good amount of prophecy on this topic. I see a wild, prophetic, explosive and edgy television program that has deep, groaning worship, quick snips of prophetic teaching, fervent prayer and other elements.
PERSONAL ADVENTURES
BurtonSites: My web design business is doing great, and I’ll be eventually looking to bring someone on to take over the design so I can oversee it and focus on ministry more fully.
Burton family finances: We believe in full disclosure so you can understand clearly the needs we have. Currently our personal finances primarily come from a part-time Revival Church salary and my web and graphic design. Some smaller amounts come in from Amy’s 8 hour a week job at a crisis pregnancy center, sales of my books and honorariums when I travel and speak.
We have our monthly bills covered (barely!) and we are debt free as a family. However, there are two issues we would love some support in:
- I need to rework the hours spent on web and graphic design so I can be more free to write the books, develop the church and ministry and travel. As income comes in to replace my design income, I’ll be able to bring on an employee to handle my workload.
- We need two new(er) vehicles. We have some pretty creative angles holding our two mini-vans together! One has nearly 180,000 miles on it and has served us well for nearly 10 years. The turn signals, air bags and horn don’t work, it leaks oil, the air conditioning is broken and the sliding door barely closes! No complaints, as I’d rather drive a rust bucket than have a car payment, but, cars only last so long. I’m getting ready to focus on traveling in ministry and I’ll need a solid car pretty soon.
How you can help
The two easiest ways to help would be to either give a donation (recurring monthly donations are great too!) at www.johnburton.net/donate. Or, hire me. Head over to www.burtonsites.com and order a site or check out www.johnburtondesign.com and let me know how I can help with logos, graphics and print design.
Additionally, if you have the resources to donate a newer, reliable car that can hold six people, that would be awesome!
We love you all! God is doing big, big things and we have big, big, faith!!
Blessings to you!
The ministry’s next phase : Developing our team
The vision is becoming more focused and we’re gathering together an expanded ministry team.
I have been trembling and awakened to a new place since the first of the year—since we have gone to a new place in prayer at Revival Church. I am SO EXCITED about the testimonies that are arising from theLab and other ministries. People are COMING ALIVE!!!!!
The purpose of this message is to call together an expanded and deeply connected and focused team of revivalists to join us in the ministry.
I’m raising up a brand new ministry team.
Some of you have been with us for quite some time—and I’m asking for you to sign up again… for a brand new and intense phase of ministry.
Here’s what the plan is:
- The Revival Church/John Burton Ministries team will be deeply involved in the dynamic and continually developing mission together several times a week.
- theLab—This is the primary mandate at the moment and must be the main focus for all of us. Those running with us as a part of the ministry team will be traveling from church to church together every Friday night. Additionally, it’s imperative to make every noon prayer meeting that you can. Keep in mind, I’m calling EVERY pastor, intercessor, revivalist and burning man, woman and child of God in Detroit to be at EVERY Friday night prayer meeting. We certainly need as close to 100% participation from those connected to Revival Church and our ministry as possible. We are modeling a part of the reformation in the church for the rest of the city.
- 1000 Intercessors—As we all do this together, we’ll be sounding the alarm for every person in the Detroit region that’s called to initiate revival to also attend theLab. We’ll be modeling this lifestyle of intercession and urgency to the region and all spreading the word and calling the 1000 leaders into position. The call isn’t to ‘sign up’ but to ‘show up’.
- Ministry Events (other venues)—An important element of the vision is to take the fire into other venues. The ministry team will be with me as I minister in other churches to impart the burning of the Holy Spirit, to cast the vision of theLab and the 1000 Intercessors and to pray throughout the event as I speak. This morning at Salt River was an excellent example. It was powerful and we had some of the people ministering revival as a part of the service. However, we were under manned. We’ll have to become more strategic as we plan on future events. It’s important for the entire team plus the entire church body to stay together to advance the cause of revival. **My heart was to have every person associated with Revival Church with us this morning to encourage Salt River… many people were missed… it wasn’t the same without you!!!
- NOTE: I need people to step up to handle certain roles such as marketing, setting up speaking engagements, working on travel arrangements, intercession, etc.
- NOTE: The next ministry event that we need every team member to serve in is the Fire in February event in Dearborn. We’ll be launching the event with theLab style fiery prayer and intercession. With only 60 people or so at Revival Church, we absolutely need every one to show up for each service. REGISTER at www.awakeningnet.us.
- Ministry Events (hosted by theLab)—This is a huge vision and it will require a huge team. Right now we need the team (which should be at least 30 people strong) to form and get to work searching for property, hosting prayer events, connecting with potential guest ministers, networking with other churches in the area, etc. Everything from small conferences to large stadium events will need everybody to work hard together.
- Revival Church—This is the briefing for the rest of the week. What is happening at theLab and at ministry events will be briefed on here, prayed through, etc. Additionally, the call to action will be sounded here and we’ll all ensure we’re on the same page and ready for our instructions and assignments for the rest of the week. This will be a place of wild and free worship, zealous prayer and clear impartation.
Contact me at [email protected] or 313.799.3473 to discuss your participation. This new team includes people that have been on my staff for quite some time and it will include many others who are ready to clear their calendars and invest with passion into the pursuit of revival in Detroit.
A strategic paradigm shift : Sunday night could change you forever
FIRST- I’m almost at my limit of 5,000 Facebook friends, so I’m moving over to a Facebook page. Head on over to www.facebook.com/johnburtonministries and connect!
Whatever you do, don’t underestimate what God can do this Sunday evening at Revival Church. Michele Perry of Iris Ministries will be imparting supernatural life to all who are thirsty. Let me say it again—don’t miss this rare and special opportunity!
**REGISTER ONLINE (IT’S FREE) at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/events TODAY!
I know there’s a lot going on in life, but it kinda, just a little bit, breaks my heart knowing that most people in Detroit are usually not invested in a ministry anywhere on Sunday evenings. Nearly an ENTIRE ARMY is out of commission!
Yep, you heard me right… we have a HUGE window of opportunity where most everybody in Detroit is AVAILABLE! We must be together and advance the Kingdom of God with passion!
Those people, along with the rest of us, have a life-altering chance to encounter God on Sunday night with Michele Perry. Plus, the phenomenal opportunity to do so every Sunday night is there as we at Revival Church contend for a regional outpouring. As a strategic and prophetic regional revival center, it’s imperative that we connect with other regional churches on an on going basis.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if several Senior Pastors, intercessors, worship leaders, evangelists and others were also on staff with us at Revival Church? What a unity driving, paradigm wrecking idea that is!
What if some of us at Revival Church were on staff at other ministries in the Detroit area?
As we work together, every week, with clear strategy and clear city church responsibilities, we’ll get this job done!
New teachings now available
Hi!
I wanted to let you know about several new teachings that have been uploaded to our site.
Two new series, Extravagant Favor and The Presence Centered Church, are available FREE to stream or download.
Also, there’s a teaching I delivered to a group of ministry leaders in Colorado Springs on Saturday via Skype titled The Prophetic Life.
Lastly, a recent prophetic message titled My Personal Book of Revelation is ready for you too!
Head on over to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching!
A huge blessing (really huge!)
It may not seem like it would amount to much, but trust us, our ability to minister is deeply impacted when people shop for phenomenal, world-renowned, organic and chemical-free products through our business. Would you switch stores and enroll for $1? It would bless us so much!!!
You don’t have to work at all… just shop for amazing home products (well over 300 of them!)… and it’s budget safe! No need to look for extra money each month to get involved!
Would you allow us to show you the info? No stress, no pressure. It’ll be fun!!
Here are some quick points:
- Through March, enrollment is only $1
- You don’t need to come up with extra money (really!)… you simply ‘switch stores’ and use the money you already use at the grocery store
- The potential savings is significant
- This business is in the BBB Hall of Fame
- The CEO was an entrepreneur of the year in 2009
- They have been around for 24 years
- There is literally no risk
- If you want to also build a business (like we are), we haven’t found a more powerful opportunity or a company with a higher level of integrity
I’m confident in saying that our reputation precedes us, and that it’s well known that we would never be involved in anything that lacked the highest level of integrity. We love this company!!
If you can shop online, you’ll love this!!!!!
Contact us TODAY… [email protected] or [email protected].
Again, your simple choice to shop for better products will go a long ways toward partnering with our ministry. It really does make a huge impact!
Blessings!!
John and Amy Burton
Road Trip! Join me tomorrow in Detroit
If you subscribed to our REVIVAL TEXT ALERTS, you already received this info. If not, you can subscribe by texting the word REVIVAL to 41411, or by visiting www.praytherevolution.com/subscribe.
Tomorrow evening, Tuesday, March 9th at 8pm I’ll be ministering in downtown Detroit.
I’d love to have all of my revivalist friends with me to cover the night in prayer.
The address is 2535 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI 48210. It’s a prayer group that moved their regular meeting from their house to a church building. (though, they didn’t tell me the name!!)
ALSO, get your passport ready and join me for another road trip to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada at 10:30am on Good Friday. I’ll be ministering at Revival Nation Church.
Let me know if you plan on going to either of these events!
Why is the Holy Spirit so commonly minimized in churches today?
Are we ready for an Acts 2 style outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our churches?
There’s an ongoing discussion on my Facebook wall about this issue. I felt it would be good to broaden the discussion and see what some of you might bring to the table.
I’ll paste some of the comments first, and then present my thoughts:
Original post- Have you noticed how focus on the Holy Spirit, speaking tongues, ,etc. has been minimized in the church today?
- Yep, noticed it! The enemy doesn't want us uttering the mysteries of God!
- Yes sir. It's easier to have a "seeker" driven service, than to Preach a Prophetic message under the Power of the Holy Spirit. That takes time in the prayer closet-the former can happen with a slick marketing team (sometimes hired as the "pastoral" staff).
- There definitely has been a move away from experiencing the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the use of tongues in the 80 got so beyond what scripture says. It was pretty abused.
- That may be true, but we are entering a Decade where there will be a parting of the waters. Those who have been trained AND utilize the weapons of the Spirit will thrive; others will suffer much pain.
- I just heard a George Barna stat about this recently less than 2% of the churches will hear their pastor preach a message on the Holy Spirit this year. Its alarming.
- A couple of years ago I heard leaders from a main line denomination speak at a Rocky Mountain regional meeting for that denomination. The leaders saw that the denomination that they led was becoming Spirit Filled in name only. They felt the need to see 500,000 people receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Yet the churches in this region still take the approach of the Holy Spirit isn't for Sunday morning approach. Its scary.
- Interesting, the Holy Spirit in benched on Sundays…until we need a big play, then he get's play time like Michael Vick…what a sad way to treat my Best Friend.
- The Holy Spirit misses His church. He's going to get it back though.
- Many pastors have been reduced to a role as MC and the show must go on, on schedule, or peeps won't come back.
- Absolutely.. If people knew the incredible power that is released in you when you pray in the Spirit, they would never stop lol. I encourage it in those I teach. God bless.
My thoughts:
There are some realities that we need to consider:
- From what I've discovered, a significant percentage of Christians, pastors and leaders included, don't easily hear God, encounter him. This makes it difficult to even consider embracing a Holy Spirit driven environment. Prayerlessness is a key reason for this problem. The average pastor prays 6 minutes a day. Leonard Ravenhill said, "Pastors who don't pray two hours a day aren't worth a dime a dozen." It's a difficult but important point that would be well worth considering.
- In an environment driven by the Holy Spirit, these people who don't easily hear God can get quite frustrated. They will tend to find another place to go to church. So, the natural church preservation strategy is to minimize the invisible/supernatural and maximize the logical/tangible.
- There has been a huge misunderstanding of the primary purpose of the church. Many feel it's to be a socially focused entry point for the lost. The church actually isn't to be a house of evangelism or a house of relationships. It's a house of prayer first and foremost. It's a believer's ministry. We have lost faith that God, in his wisdom, set it up this way. If we truly have a church of people who are releasing the ‘groans that can't be uttered', who intercede for the nations, who pray in the Spirit, then we will have the ‘expected outcomes' of mass salvations, a huge harvest, life-giving small groups, etc.
- There can be a knee-jerk reaction to the problem of people who abuse freedom in such an atmosphere. Trust me, I understand the issue of people who just want to be seen and heard, who are manipulative, who are emotionally unstable or who operate in charismatic witchcraft. But, the answer is not to shut down a prophetic, Holy Spirit driven environment.
- The focus on teaching. I'm a teacher, I love to teach and I value greatly the ministry of teaching. However, I think a valid question is, "Why are most church services teaching-centric?" If the Holy Spirit breaks out, if there's deliverance going on in the room, of a spirit of intercession erupts, would people be OK with forgoing the sermon? The Holy Spirit (the Teacher) can impart more biblical truth in two seconds than we ever could in two hours.
What do you think?
A really great blessing for you that will SIGNIFICANTLY support our ministry
As you know, our ministry is supported financially in a variety of ways, and our very favorite way is through our home business!
You can support our ministry very easily by connecting with our business team- either as a business builder OR as a shopper of phenomenal eco-friendly products (NO new money required- use the same money you already spend at the grocery store! This company is really brilliant!)
We have been home business owners since late April, and we’re having a blast watching it develop. Our last check was nearly $900 and we average around 5 hours a week of work (if you can call it work!)
We have an organization of over 100 people, and a large number of them are ministers and ministry-minded people.
We would strongly encourage you to join our team- there is no financial risk whatsoever! And, for the next three days, the enrollment is only $1! (Yep, one dollar!)
We pray that our reputation speaks for itself- we would never participate in anything that would jeopardize our ministry or lack integrity. Over 500,000 people are involved and the company is in the Better Business Bureau Hall of Fame.
**Can we request an hour of your time? We’d love to connect on the phone while we step through the info online. No risk, no pressure, no stress, lots of fun!
If nothing else it would be great to actually talk in person with the many friends of our ministry!
Visit www.hometeamcareers.com, fill out the form on the site, or email me directly at [email protected]. You can call me at 313.799.3473 or Amy at 719.200.0049.
Blessings to you all!