Letter from Our President There are a growing number of para-Church organizations, that is, ministries being done outside the local Church, who care for people in different ways. CRM is one of those ministries, bringing the love of Jesus in its various forms to a broken world. Such love wasn’t limited to a person’s spiritual well-being. He was equally concerned about one’s physical and emotional health. CRM is doing its best to follow this model, helping others, one person at a time. As Jesus brought a sense of purpose to those He touched, our goal is to “go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37) After ten years in the pastoral ministry, Mark, our Executive Director, felt called to leave the local Church to begin “working in the fields.” Over these years, it has been a real honor for him to live and work among the people. Click here for the context out of which CRM emerged. This link also explains a good portion of our work as we prepare the way for people to meet Christ. Our overall vision is simple. Not only do we seek your support, but we've sensed for a while we should be assisting others who share our same passion. Most of all, however, join us in prayer as we respond to God’s call on our lives. If you would like either Mark or I to care for you in whatever capacity, or would like us to come and introduce our work to your missions group or congregation, we invite you to contact us. The Lord bless you. Carl Fasnacht President

STATEMENT OF BELIEFS

We believe THE HOLY BIBLE is the rule of faith and life. We also fully embrace it as “the Word of God.”
(1 Thessalonians 2:13)

We believe THE HOLY BIBLE reveals God’s Son as His unique Word to us.
(Hebrews 1:1-3)

We believe The Holy Spirit inspired the human writers of THE HOLY BIBLE.
(2 Timothy 3:16)

We believe an early profession of this faith is summarized in THE HOLY BIBLE.
(1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

We believe in apostolic Christianity and “contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints.”
(Jude 3)

We believe The Apostle’s Creed is a faithful summary of the apostle’s faith.

We believe The Nicene Creed is a conciese summary of the nature of the Trinity and the person and work of Jesus Christ.

We believe everything necessary for salvation and holy living is found in THE HOLY BIBLE as The Holy Spirit opens our minds “to understand the Scriptures.”
(Luke 24:45)

We believe we must live out our faith by caring for others, leading them to Christ and nurturing their spiritual formation.

For those of you who are interested in more information about this organization, we thought it would be helpful to share a sampling of the questions and answers that the IRS required of us at the time we applied to become a Registered Charitable Organization under Section 501 (c) (3) of The Internal Revenue Code. A little additional material has been added to make it current.

Do you have a written creed, statement of faith or summary of beliefs?

Country Road Ministries, Inc., is committed to apostolic and orthodox Christianity, to “the faith once for all delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) Paul summarized this faith in a brief form to the Church at Corinth.

(1 Corinthians 15:3-5) Through the centuries, many professions of faith have been developed in response to various issues of the day like the creeds of the apostolic and ancient churches and the professions of faith that emerged from some of the ecumenical Councils. Among all of them, two occupy a special place in the history of the Church upon which CRM stands. We believe that THE APOSTLE’S CREED is a faithful summary of the apostle’s faith. We also believe THE NICENE CREED draws its great authority from the fact it stems from the first two ecumenical Councils at Nicea in 325AD and the one at Constantinople in 381AD. Its purpose was to settle unequivocally some of the most fundamental questions of doctrine on the nature of the Trinity and the person and work of Jesus Christ. Both the Councils of Ephesus in 431AD and Chalcedon in 451AD reaffirmed THE NICENE CREED. Accumulatively, therefore, it is upon these two statements of faith that CRM rests.

Do you have a formal code of doctrine and discipline?

The body of law and behavior, which governs both the Board of Directors and Board of Advisors of CRM, is THE HOLY BIBLE. In an age of increasing theological, doctrinal and ethical relativism, it is particularly important to make it emphatically clear our full dependence on THE HOLY BIBLE as the rule of faith and life. Throughout its books, CRM finds its nourishment and its strength, for we welcome it not as a human word, “but as what it really is, the Word of God.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Relying on the faith of the apostolic age, CRM embraces as sacred and canonical the books of The Old and The New Testaments, confessing that God’s Son is its unique Word to us. (Hebrews 1:1-3) Although written by human authors, it is clear that The Holy Spirit inspired them. (2 Timothy 3:16)  We also unequivocally assert that the whole of Scripture teaches the truth, and everything necessary for salvation and guidance in ethical living is contained within it.

It is also important, however, to note that CRM does not merely believe in a mere “religion of the book.” Along with apostolic and orthodox Christianity, we know we possess the religion of the “Word” of God, not a written and mute word, but an incarnate and living one. Furthermore, if THE HOLY BIBLE is not to remain a dead letter, we must allow Christ, the eternal Word of the living God Himself through the work and power of the Holy Spirit, to “open our minds to understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45)

Do you have a distinct religious history?

After almost ten years in the pastoral ministry, our Executive Director felt called to leave the local Church full-time to begin “working the fields.” Ever since he was young, Mark has had a special affinity for those who live and work in the community, particularly with those on the fringes of society and those who suffer most deeply. Click here to for a summary of his life. To paraphrase John Wesley, Dr. Dennis F. Kinlaw, a member of our Board of Advisors, said to him when this ministry was initiated that "the world had now become his parish.”

Technically, this type of ministry is called “indigenous,” where one works among the people, rather than being supported exclusively by an individual or group. It is by no means a novel approach to para-Church organizations. The apostle Paul, for example, was a tent maker, since he didn’t want to burden the churches financially that he had helped initiate and plant.

With no financial assistance, Mark started washing dishes at Three Mile Island, cleaning tractor-trailers at Harrisburg International Airport, stocking stores in malls, working at Pizza Hut and a variety of other jobs. A detailed account of this history can be found under Mark’s personal testimony in his Bio.

Do you own any property where you have an established place of worship?

CRM doesn't own any property. For over twelve years, however, our Executive Director has owned the home where many Bible Studies have been held and informal worship continues. Inexpensive property was also purchased by Mark and his wife personally two years ago in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to facilitate a ministry that may emerge in the Maritimes region. Click here to read A Vision for the Future.

Do you have an established congregation or other regular membership group?

Our Executive Director has been teaching one Bible Study in this area for twelve years. He has taught many subjects to this group. Throughout this time, various people have attended and have supported him in this important part of the ministry of CRM through their presence and prayer. For example, Carl Fasnacht, the President of CRM, Thais Gries, our former Administrative Manager, Beth Keller, our Clinical Consultant, and Jackie Neidigh, our new Administrative Manager, have attended just to name a few. Through these years, others have participated and have appreciated Mark's commitment in his preparation and the methodology in teaching that he's used. Although this is a testament to his ability, he credits his parents who were both professors at Asbury College before they retired, and a number of other professors who assisted him in his formal training, as he allowed the Lord to fan into flame this gift that He has given him. (2 Timothy 1:6)

Mark has been teaching an ecumenical Bible Study for three years in Carlisle, Pennsylvania which is about an hour away from where he lives. Throughout this time, Baptists, Catholics, Presbyterians, Evangelical Methodists, United Methodists and a few other denominations have attended. Mark has also taught another Bible Study for young people at his home for almost ten years. The specifics of this Bible Study are addressed in the next question.

Do you have a school for the religious instruction of the young?

Many years ago, our Executive Director had a conversation with Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, a member of the Board of Advisors of CRM, once again, and a former President of Asbury College. During this conversation, they discussed how one could better assist lay people in understanding The Bible. Dennis indicated it would be his desire that every lay person would have the opportunity to take at least three courses: An Introduction to The Old Testament, An Introduction to The New Testament, and An Introduction to Christian Theology.

When Luke, Peter and Sarah Lynn, Mark and Lynn's three children, were nearing High School about twelve years ago, the Lord reminded him of this conversation and he committed himself to this task. Within a few weeks, their children began to invite their friends. Most of them weren’t raised in the Church, much less attended Sunday School or Youth Group. As a result, Mark began teaching a very broad overview of a book of The Old Testament each week. He also began to introduce the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament which these young people found most interesting. Mark's spent a significant amount of time researching the intrinsic relationship between the two and summarizes this relationship to everyone that he teaches this subject with a quote by St. Augustine: “The Old Testament is The New Testament concealed and The New Testament is The Old Testament revealed.” After the group finished the Old Testament, they were excited to be introduced to The New Testament. During these years, Mark also integrated some introductory theology and also presented an overview of the history of Christianity. This was a foundational time in the spiritual formation of these young men and women . As a result, Mark wrote The Bible for the Adult Beginner, a summary of their time together and gave this 70 page synopsis of The Bible to about twenty-five people who had attended this group over those years.

After this very broad introduction to the Bible, Mark concentrated on the book of James to teach these young people how to study a book in the Bible for themselves and also how to apply Christianity to their lives in a world of hurt. During Advent and Lent, he would also suspend what the group was studying to introduce the various themes of these seasons. Through this time, he also taught other Bible Studies to them.

This was a special decade in time. The Rains’ house became a magnet for many young people through their teenage years and for some of their friends who didn't even attend on a regular basis. Although they are all young adults now, who, for the most part, live in various parts of the country, whenever they are home, a good number of them continue to touch base to see Lynn and Mark, a woman and a man who truly became parents to many of them.

Do you have a minister or religious leader?

Our Executive Director was a United Methodist minster for many years before transferring his credential as an ordained Elder to The Evangelical Methodist Church. More information about this transfer can be found on the Leadership page. Before he transferred, he was amenable to United Methodism and is now amenable to The Evangelical Methodist Church. He majored in Bible and holds a Bachelors’ degree from Asbury College which has a Level III accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Furthermore, he holds a Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary that is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. Mark's ministry has also been recognized. In 1989, he was anonymously nominated and selected into The Who’s Who in American Christian Leadership. The identical process occurred when he was selected in the 2006-2007 Edition of Cambridge Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals, the 2007-2008 Edition of Kipling's Who's Who in Leading Business Professionals and the 2008-2009 Edition of Madison's Who's Who of Professionals, "having demonstrated exemplary achievement and distinguished contributions to the community." All three of these memberships include a specific section of other leading Christian professionals that not only serve as a national and international registry, but is an invaluable resource with which one can use to network with other professionals and make appropriate referrals. There are also two links in Mark's bio on the "Leadership" page that have additional information about him.

Mark has been a Charter Member of The American Association of Christian Counselors since 1995. He is also credentialed by The International Board of Christian Counselors as a Board Certified Pastoral Counselor. Furthermore, he is a Charter Member of The Marriage and Family Network, another division of The AACC. Still further, he i's a member of The Society for Christian Psychology. After years of working in hospitals as a pastor and an itinerant Chaplain, specifically in the Critical Care Units, Mark's pursuing Board Certification as a Crisis Response Chaplain. Lynn, his wife, is already certified in Emergency Nursing and currently works at a Level 1 Trauma Center. Once Mark secures his certification and Lynn retires, they believe the Lord is leading them to assist the Red Cross in national and international disaster relief as the need arises. Mark is also working on a Ph.D. in Counseling that is solely based on research and writing. A unique feature about this program gave him the freedom to design his entire program around the work of CRM. His dissertation is entitled, The Way of Holiness: Spiritual Direction in The Carmelite Tradition and Its Intrinsic Correlation within Wesleyan-Arminianism, an approach to spiritual formation he has been reading devotionally and researching for over a decade and currently practices in his counseling ministry.

Do you have schools for the preparation of your ordained ministers or religious leaders?

Another part of the vision of CRM possesses is to duplicate indigenous ministries elsewhere, assisting others to work within the community where they live like our Executive Director has done for the past twelve years. Although ordained ministers can only perform certain ministerial functions, a good part of the work Mark does can be accomplished by anyone who has the proper training and credentialing in the specific areas to which they have been called. One person on our Board of Directors, for example, has been credentialed and another person is pursuing training in the area of hospice, along with two of her friends, in the near future. As this ministry continues to grow, however, it is our hope and prayer that we will have the ability to assist others outside our organization who share our same passion to help them financially in their preparation for service, to secure additional resources to supplement their income, so they can begin to work bi-vocationally at a deeper level in the communities in which they live. (Matthew 25:34-40)

Are you a part of churches with similar beliefs and structures?

As one peruses the backgrounds of the Board of Directors and Board of Advisors, the leadership of CRM is intentionally ecumenical at its very foundation. In this ministry, they share with each other “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:5-6) CRM is not officially connected with any group of churches, but it does share a common bond with anyone who embraces apostolic or "paleo-orthodox Christianity," that is, “the orthodoxy that holds steadfast... to the ancient consensus of faith,” as Dr. Tom Oden defines it in his book, The Rebirth of Orthodoxy. Although there are clearly theological differences between us, we have not allowed those differences to effect our relationship with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. As a result, CRM has set aside those things that divide us and have joined in unity and mission to care for those in crisis and transition. John Wesley, the inadvertent founder and leader of early Methodism, illustrates the ecumenical spirit that we share in a sermon entitled "The Catholic Spirit." Although he readily admitted that he had some real theological differences with some particular beliefs certain denominations held, he asserted that those differences should not preclude anyone from "joining in common witness." In the midst of differences, therefore, this is our commitment to do what God has called us to do, helping others, one person at a time. E. Stanley Jones summarizes the unity we share and the task to which God has called us: "Here we enter into a fellowship; sometimes we will agree to differ; always we will resolve to love, and unite to serve."