JOIN US IN OUR MISSION
At the end of 2010 I want to thank you for your
support in the past year. ACT 3 could not have
come to this place without you.
There are several things you can pray about
doing to help the mission of ACT 3 in 2011:
1. Continue to give as generously as you feel led.
2. Give now if the Lord places our vision on your heart.
3. Pray for us by reading Viewpoint online at www.act3online.com.
4. Introduce us to pastors, leaders of organizations, city leaders and
business leaders.
5. Sign up for the ACT 3 Weekly and encourage others to do the
same.
6. Check out John’s daily blogs at: www.johnharmstrong.com.
7. Return the enclosed card so our information is current and accu-
rate. We do not share this information with others.
Remember, you can give online at www.act3online.com. You can give
one time or set up recurring regular gifts. This feature has been greatly
improved and is completely safe to use. I am so grateful for your help!
S tanding with John in supporting ACT 3 this year
has been like having a front row seat in God’s
cosmic theater. In the face of severe financial penury, He
has guided John in the successful launch of his seminal
book, You Church Is Too Small, provided significant
“free” administrative and technical support and now
brought in Tom Burns, a man uniquely prepared and
commissioned by God to complement and expand this
special work. It has been a joy to witness at close hand
John’s love for Jesus and His people and to watch our Lord
creatively provide for His own.
– Richard McDaniel
Vice-President (Retired), Cornell University
act 3 year-end update 2010
Viewpoint is Bac k
Viewpoint is now available online. Sign
up online to be notified of each issue.
The next issue will be out in January.
Anita’s Perspective, loved by so many,
will return. If you do not use the Inter-
net we will print one for you if you re-
quest a special copy.
2011 mo nthly f or u ms
A new ACT 3 Forum series begins in
2011. Each month we will conduct a
special forum on the first Thursday eve-
ning of each month. You won’t want to
miss these evenings! The dates for 2011
are: January 3, February 3, March 3,
April 7, May 5, June 2, July 7, August 4,
September 1, October 6, November 3,
December 1. These meetings will all be
at 7:00 p.m. at:
St. Paul Evangelical
United Church of Christ
118 S. First Street
Bloomingdale, IL 60108
Speakers and topics are to be deter-
mined, but John Armstrong will speak
at six or more and guests will be an-
nounced and featured at other gather-
ings. Watch Viewpoint and our Web site
for information. There is no charge, but
signing up online helps us plan for your
attendance since space is limited. This
series provides a regular way for you to
benefit from our ministry and a place to
meet others and introduce your friends
to ACT 3.

www.act3online.com
Gr e at Is T h y Faithfulne ss
Thomas Chisholm’s 1923 hymn text, with its
memorable refrain, has moved me since I was a
child.
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning, new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.
Providence is the continuing, and often unseen,
activity of God whereby he sustains his universe
and provides for all things, particularly his own
people. Jesus said:
“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper
coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.
And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God
than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Luke 12:6–7)
God’s providence, in the words of the Belgic
Confession (1561), “affords us an unspeakable
consolation, since we are taught thereby that
nothing can befall us by chance.”
In 1991 ACT 3 began in my living room
with three other Christians as the first board.
In 1992 I left a sixteen-year pastorate to become
full-time president of ACT 3. In the 1990s we
grew beyond my wildest dreams. In 1999 God
led me to publicly share a vision he had given me
many years before. (This vision is in my book,
Your Church Is Too Small.) I had a deep sense
that some supporters would reject this vision,
Continued Page 2
EQUIPP IN G LEADERS FOR UNITY I N CHRIST’S MISSIO N
YEAR-END UPDATE
December 2010
John and his brother, Tom, enjoying a baseball game last summer.
Great Is God’ s Provisio n
Jesus clearly promised that if we “seek the kingdom of God above
all else, and live righteously, he will give you everything you need”
(Matthew 6:33). This is one of those promises we can take to the
bank of heaven and it will never lack in sufficient funds.
This promise doesn’t mean you can count on affluence. It
means what it says, and what it says is astounding. Make God’s
kingdom your priority, your whole life. Live as he commands you
(“righteously,” or purposefully for him) AND “he will give you
everything you need.” Anita and I want you to know that we have
tried this promise and God does provide. Since 2008 we have had
a greatly reduced salary. God has taught us how to save money,
spend a lot less and enjoy life in a wholly different way. He has
given us clarity about the kingdom in our lives and shown us how
to live with more godly purpose. And he has provided everything
we need.
A few months ago a dear friend, who passed through a
Continued Page 3

ACT 3 has been an
invaluable resource to me and
my work. My own thinking
and faith have been stretched
and profoundly shaped by
John’s wisdom and insight
into the deficiencies plaguing
the contemporary church– I
am convinced that without
John’s prophetic voice, my
ministry would be less than
the Lord intended. John
Armstrong is a gift to both me
and the church!
– S. Michael Craven
President
Center for Christ & Culture
Great Is Thy Faithfulness Continued
but I also had a calm assurance that I had heard God’s word and could proceed knowing
that “nothing [would] befall us by chance.”
ACT 3’s vision to “equip leaders for unity in Christ’s mission” began to take clear
shape after 2001. We lost donors, either because I failed to make our message clear or
they simply disagreed with it. But God sustained us. We learned to trust, wait and pray.
Recently we have all been touched by the Great Recession. ACT 3’s budget was
deeply cut, our salaries were significantly reduced and our lives were directly altered in
new ways. But God’s faithfulness has been amazing. As we come to the end of 2010
I want you to know what God has done and why we are filled with hope. In Thomas
Chisholm’s words, we have “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”
Great I s GOD ’S MISSION
God used many of you this year to help advance his mission through ACT 3. At the
May 2009 board meeting we earnestly prayed and planned for the future. There was one
problem. I needed two people to help me and ACT 3 didn’t have a dollar to spare. The
first need was for someone with skills to help me launch the release of Your Church Is Too
Small. God supplied Dan Jones, a former student. Dan offered me regular assistance and
hundreds of hours from January through July. His service was an incredible blessing.
The second surprise was the addition of a full-time executive di-
rector with all the requisite skills to begin helping immediately. Tom
Burns, who had spent three decades in the business world, left his
business career several years ago to complete an MDiv degree at Trin-
ity Evangelical Divinity School. Tom never intended to become a pas-
tor but felt a strong call to missional ministry. He discovered that he
could still do what he had done before seminary: coaching and men-
toring− but this time for the kingdom of God. His passion and expe- Tom Burns
rience involved him in coaching leaders, engaging in mission and facilitating church unity.
God had provided Tom to help ACT 3: “Equip leaders for unity in Christ’s mission!”
Tom first heard about me on a radio interview. He read my book and came to hear
me speak at a Moody Church ministerial meeting. A friendship was formed and a job
offered (without pay since we had no money to hire)!
ACT 3 has been given a wide open door, and a strategic person to walk through it.
Plus, I will have the time I need to write and teach. On top of all this I have a partner and
true friend to share in this unique calling.
And guess who gets the credit (glory) for all of this? God alone!
– 2 –
a p e e k at 2 0 1 1

Tom and I have a general idea of what we will do in 2011.
Over the last three months we met with over 50 people. We
shared our story, asked questions and listened. We believe
the Spirit is showing us what comes next. As 2010 comes to
an end we are moving forward with great flexibility so the
Spirit can continue to lead us as we sail forward. Indeed, the
image of a sailboat is the one we’ve adopted. We believe our
task is to hoist the sail and the Spirit will lead us.
ACT 3 is not a centralized organization with a manage-
ment team and development staff. We are a de-centralized
team with two deeply passionate leaders. I am a visionary
catalyst and Tom is the coach and champion for my vision.
Whatever else we need God will make clear to us as we make
the next turn in the road. We expect God will give us more
partners, both in organizations and people. These partners
will use our resources to envision what the church can be
when God restores her mission in real unity. We will nudge
people, coach leaders and step out of the way. A catalyzing
agent disappears once it has brought other agents together.
We desire no recognition but ask for big opportunities to do
great good for as many leaders as possible.
We believe the church in America is in the midst of a ma-
jor spiritual and cultural crisis. We believe the key is found
not in new programs. It is found in our greatest resource,
Spirit-filled people clearly committed to three great truths:
1. We have a new commandment. This should radically
guide all Christian relationships (cf. John 13:34–35).
2. Our Lord prayed that our relational oneness would be so
evident that the world would see the Father sent the Son
( John 17:20–23).
3. The way the church does mission should be incarnation-
al. This means people in community serving and loving
the world as Jesus did ( John 20:21).
If you believe we are living through a unique moment of
cultural and religious transformation, and you love us, please
pray for us and help us in 2011.

Great Is God’s Provision Continued

life-threatening tragedy and is now paralyzed, sent us an

unexpected check for support. The irony was that this check
was about half of what we needed. The next day another
God is to be
check, dated two months prior, arrived. This brother had
not been able to give for more than a year and now he sent
trusted when his
two checks, but two months apart. They arrived a day apart.
It just happened to be perfect timing.
providences seem
Our provision is not usually that dramatic but God
reminds us of his providence daily. We get right down to
to run contrary to
the day that we need something and it arrives. The source
is almost never the same person. Some donors give like
his promises.
clockwork, which is a huge blessing. We couldn’t make it – Thomas Watson
without you. Others give occasionally so we have no idea in
advance. But our father in heaven knows and he provides.
“Great is thy faithfulness.”

– 3 –