TOP, End & Beginning

[Gregory Matthews]

It was 2010 and five SDA pastors were meeting in Denver in an effort to seek renewal for their lives and ministry.  After two days of reflection a central theme that placed Jesus at the center of their lives and ministry emerged.  A larger meeting in Atlanta followed, and The One Project (TOP) was born.

It is probably best that the five (5) major leaders of TOP could not have known what the following years would bring.  Unprecedented criticism developed, much of which was false, very personal and  often little more than 2nd and 3rd hand gossip from people who had no personal experience. 

Denominational investigations were begun which failed to  find wrong, but did not  stop the criticism and sapped time and energy from the TOP Leaders.  Few probably realize the emotional  costs paid by those leaders of TOP.

Financial backing was not formalized and those leaders often were personally on the line for the expenses needed to hold the "gatherings," of $150,000.  Folks, to hold a seminar for 1,000+ persons, over a multi-day period, costs large funds.

Now, TOP is coming to an end with the last Gatherings which will shortly take place.

Like the mythical Phoenix bird, a new organization which I will call the Collective is being birthed from the fire that devoured the Phoenix.  While still in a developmental stage, it officially began this January. 

In its ending form the TOP had become an international organization.  This developing Collective is intended to also be an international organization although at the present it is primarily an English language forum.  The leaders do look forward to the day when it can be available in other languages.

As envisioned, the Collective will not be inexpensive, although it is likely to be less costly than much of SDA present evangelism.  We spend hundreds of thousands af dollars and sometimes a million or more on building a church in which our members can worship.  In the days of the Internet, a large organization my spend into the tens of thousands of dollars to establish an Internet website that meets its needs.  But, such is certainly more cost effective that in a million dollar building that serves a thousand members.  At a U.S. postal rate of just less than 50 cents per letter, a congregation may spend several hundred dollars in sending letters to its members.  Digital mailings in the tens of  thousands can be sent to people for a bit less than 4 cents per person. This is much more effective.

Only the  Lord knows whether the Collective will ever grow to the point where it is reaching such numbers of people that such expenses are incurred.  But, it is the prayer of those who are developing it that God may be able to use it in ways that are probably not imagined today.

Your prayers are requested as the Collective develops.