Great Commission Association of Churches
The Great Commission Association of Churches was a fellowship of independent evangelical Christian churches founded from campus outreach activity begun in 1970; the GCC board voted to dissolve the association in 2020.
History
The movement began as a campus outreach called "The Blitz" in 1970 and later formalized as Great Commission International in 1983; in 1989 it incorporated as the Great Commission Association of Churches.Roots
In 1965, 20-year-old Jim McCotter left his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado and moved to Greeley, Colorado in an attempt to recreate the New Testament Church, a church model he believed no existing Christian denomination was emulating fully. McCotter, whose family's religious background was with the Plymouth Brethren, has stated that his desire to form the movement stemmed from his belief that God had shown him in the Bible's Book of Acts a strategy instructing Christians on how God wanted to use church planting to "reach the world for Christ" within one generation. This strategy came to be known as the "Heavenly Vision", and was a cornerstone belief of the early movement. McCotter also believed that the Bible was instructing every Christian to emulate the actions of the Apostle Paul's life as he imitated Christ and that this was the model life for all Christians to imitate based upon Paul's exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:1. Early members believed they were returning to the lost lifestyle of the first century Christians. After arriving in Greeley, McCotter attended and began sharing his faith at the University of Northern Colorado campus. According to McCotter, by the end of the first year 12 people had joined him, after 1966 there were thirty, and in the following years it "doubled and tripled." The movement eventually spread to other cities in Colorado, as well as Las Cruces, New Mexico, in the form of missions or "works". McCotter dropped out of college to focus on ministry full-time, and was planning to move down to Pueblo, Colorado to continue his efforts; however, in 1967, at the height of the Vietnam War, he was drafted into the United States Army. During basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, McCotter met Dennis Clark and on McCotter's return from Vietnam in 1970 he met Herschel Martindale. Clark and Martindale would become two of the founders of the movement in the summer of 1970."Blitz Movement" Begins
In 1970, under the leadership of Jim McCotter, Dennis Clark, Herschel Martindale, and others, approximately 30 college-age Christians embarked on a summer-long evangelical outreach known as "The Blitz" to several university campuses in the Southwestern United States. These 2 or 3 day events used singing, tract distribution, and sidewalk canvassing to draw crowds and spread the word. As the movement expanded, additional mission outreaches and training conferences took place. In the summer of 1973, nearly 1,000 people attended the movement's national conference. The conference was followed by the "blitzing" of fifteen new campuses and by the end of 1973, about 15 "works" had been established. In the late 1970s, selected newspapers, former members, and select watchdog groups began to publicly criticize the movement's practices. This continued into the 1980s and early 1990s.Widmar v. Vincent
In 1981, a freedom of religion case was won by the student group of a church which was a part of the Great Commission Church movement. The University of Missouri at Kansas City did not allow its facilities to be used by college students for religious meetings. In an 8–1 ruling, the United States Supreme Court stated that the First Amendment Establishment Clause did not require the university to limit the use of its facilities by religious groups.Great Commission International
In 1983, Great Commission International was formed. Led by Jim McCotter and Dennis Clark, it was formed to provide services such as publishing and fund raising for the developing association. That summer, GCI launched the first summer Leadership Training conference which attracted college students for a summer of intensive training in evangelism and discipleship. The LT program continues today under the leadership of Great Commission Ministries. In 1985, GCI undertook a mass outreach and expansion effort called Invasion '85. During this effort, teams were sent to 50 college campuses with a goal of starting new campus ministries. While many "works" were successfully established during Invasion '85, most of them did not continue. According to GCAC, "team members were not properly trained nor were they given adequate support." GCI continued to be scrutinized in some newspapers and by former members of the movement, and in 1985 several conferences were held with the purpose of helping former members of churches that were part of GCI "recover from the emotional and psychological damage they'd experienced" while in the movement. Shortly thereafter, Wellspring Retreat and Recovery Center, a cult and abusive religion recovery center, was formed by several ex-members of the movement. In late 1986, founder Jim McCotter announced his resignation from GCI, stating a desire to utilize his entrepreneurial abilities in an attempt to influence secular media for Christ. Two years later, McCotter moved to Florida and has not since attended a church affiliated with the movement, with the exception of the 2003 Faithwalkers conference. At this point in GCAC history, its churches claimed approximately 5,000 members.GCAC and GCM formed
In 1989, Great Commission International changed its name to the Great Commission Association of Churches, and is known today as Great Commission Churches. Also in 1989, Great Commission Ministries, under the initial leadership of Dave Bovenmyer, was formed. Its aim was to "mobilize people into campus ministry by training them to raise financial support and by equipping them for campus ministry." In 1996, the Internal Revenue Service selected GCM as a test case to eliminate the common practice known as "deputation,". The IRS reaffirmed GCM's non-profit status.2005–2020
Approximately 60 churches in the United States are affiliated with GCA, and approximately a dozen internationally in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Together these churches claimed over 43,000 members in 2005. According to a 2001 Ivy Jungle report as cited by John Schmalzbauer of Missouri State University, there were 6,900 college students involved in GCM. GCA maintains an administrative support staff in Orlando, FL. GCC publishes the periodical "Faithwalkers Journal" and other doctrinal papers, written principally by pastors within the movement. Regional and national conferences are attended by both leaders and members of churches in the movement. Conferences include Faithwalkers, Ignite, High School Leadership Training, and National Pastor's Conferences.Great Commission Church Dissolution
On 13 July 2020 the GCC Board issued a statement announcing that the organization would be dissolved by the end of 2020, explaining that the association had served as "scaffolding" for a network of churches and that many member churches and pastors were now stable and able to relate independently.Partnerships
GCAC, and its associated bodies, is a member of several evangelical organizations including the National Association of Evangelicals, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, Evangelical Fellowship of Missions Agencies, and the Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association. GCAC works with a number of organizations that share its aims including Samaritan's Purse, Global Pastors Network, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and Wycliffe Bible Translators. GCM maintains a Council of Reference. These members do not run or manage GCM, but affirm their support for the ministry and serve as a source of counsel for GCM leaders. Chi Alpha, the campus ministry of the Assemblies of God, has suggested parents check out GCM, among eight others, if there is no Chi Alpha on their students' campus and counts GCM among its founding ministries.Affiliated organizations
Reliant (Formerly Great Commission Ministries)
Great Commission Ministries was founded as the subsidiary campus and international mission agency for Great Commission Association of Churches, and began to serve other organizations without a mission agency of their own beginning in 2006. In 2004, Boundless webzine published an article listing GCM as one of the "ten top college ministries across the U.S.", saying that their strategy of "seeking to incorporate students into the starting of a church based campus ministry" "has been effective to attract and involve thousands of students." The article also stated that "Their outstanding Board of Directors and dedicated staff are committed to world missions and leadership development and thus supplying the church around the world with a fresh supply of equipped laborers." Following the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, GCM's Virginia Tech campus church New Life Christian Fellowship received widespread media coverage. NLCF pastor Jim Pace, a GCM missionary, was a guest on Larry King Live and Good Morning America, CNN created a of their . Several newspapers, magazines, and radio shows carried quotes from NLCF pastors. The largest financial supporters of Great Commission Ministries are individual donors. In 2002, 92% of GCM's income came from contributions of this nature. GCM missionaries are required to raise 100% of their support goal, which includes base salary, benefits, and ministry expenses. Twelve percent of all funds raised goes toward administrative overhead. GCM has been a member of the ECFA since 1992. GCM now goes by the name Reliant.Other affiliates
Great Commission Latin America is a Latin American outgrowth of Great Commission Ministries founded in 1974 by Daniel B. Sierra, a Cuban-American missionary from Florida Bible College and directed by Nelson Guerra since 1981, a native Honduran and former president of the Honduran National Association of Evangelicals. As of 2007 it consisted of 25 member churches.Great Commission Churches is a fellowship of churches in the Great Commission Association, which helps coordinate ministry activities in the U.S., including Great Commission Leadership Institute, GCLI "Going Deeper" Regional conferences, Faithwalkers National Conferences, and national GCA Pastor's Conferences. GCM missionaries Steve and Danelle Nelson have written for Great Commission Churches' Faithwalkers Journal.
Great Commission Northwest is a regional association of North American GCA churches, spanning from Chicago to Seattle.
GCC has several regional subsidiaries as well, including GCC Regional Ministries and Great Commission Northlands .