Brotherhood success stories: Rayden Hollis
I have been blessed with an amazing brotherhood of church planters in St. Louis. We are …
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Brotherhood success stories: Ryan Rice
I never wanted to move back to New Orleans. It was truly a supernatural move of …
Brotherhood success stories: How brotherhood is accomplished
A significant part of the brotherhood I have experienced was an inherited grace. I take no …
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What to keep in mind when raising kids while planting a church
https://vimeo.com/241774681,https://vimeo.com/241774681 https://vimeo.com/241774681 Nira Abella, a church planter spouse in South Florida, provides practical widom to keep …
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Parenting teens in church planting: Unique strategy/plan
Back in 2012, my wife, Amy, and I wrote a book together called It’s Personal: Surviving and …
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Parenting teens in church planting: Unique blessings
“You are going to drag your wife and kids across the country to plant a church?” …
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Parenting teens in church planting: Unique challenges
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother …
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What role does disciple making play in planting churches?
https://vimeo.com/241774677,https://vimeo.com/241774677 What role does disciple making play in planting churches? , What role does disciple making …
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In the fall of 2013, I came to a 3-year-old church plant in Southern Indiana as …
Pastoring a church when it is no longer a plant: Finances
“Wait a minute, what?” I thought to myself incredulously, “We are no longer a plant?” This …
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Pastoring a church when it is no longer a plant: Momentum
My father was one of the greatest high school basketball coaches in Kentucky history. After watching …
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Everybody thinks they hate evangelism, but what if that was because they didn’t understand how evangelism …
Spiritual journal discipleship
Church planters get pulled in many directions at once. The task of discipling men can get …
What are practical ways to develop leaders in a church plant?
https://vimeo.com/241774659,https://vimeo.com/241774659 https://vimeo.com/241774659 Rayden Hollis, church planter in St. Louis, gives practical steps one can take to …
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9 characteristics of a church planter: Social skills
Before I knew Jesus, I was a user. Not drugs. Worse. I used people. I am …
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9 characteristics of a church planter: Disciple making
Recently I had the “privilege” of shopping at Home Depot. I say “privilege” because, depending on …
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9 characteristics of a church planter: Family dynamics
We plant gospel-centered churches because it is the prescribed Great Commission strategy found in the Scripture. …
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9 characteristics of a church planter: Emotional and spiritual health
Church planting is a not a young man’s sport, nor an old man’s sport. It’s a healthy man’s …
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Ongoing training for trainers of church planters: Neuroscience tells us how to make learning stick
It’s vital for trainers to know how to make learning stick. We don’t want our learners …
9 characteristics of a church planter: Calling/Intro
I still remember the angst I felt the first time I read the question, “When were …
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9 characteristics of a church planter: Communication
One of the key ingredients of effectiveness is the ability to communicate clearly. Jesus was the …
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9 characteristics of a church planter: Leadership
No one has ever called me charismatic. I’m not a raging extrovert. And I’m certainly not …
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9 characteristics of a church planter: Vision
Vision is overrated. “I’m just not very good at this whole ‘vision’ thing,” a discouraged pastor …
In January, I celebrated 14 years of marriage. I am truly amazed that God gave me …
Accountability with your growth
I remember the first time I heard Tim Keller say “Being in ministry will either make …
When it comes to church planting, the old saying is true, “Time is of the essence.” …
Accountability with your finances
‘Accountability’ is a popular word in our culture. Good stewardship is both biblical and practical. But …
Have you ever been thrown into a challenge, only to find out that the whole situation …
The Emotionally Healthy Planter: Fears
Perfect love casts out fear (1 Jn 4:18). The promise presupposes certain realities. First, fear is …
Send Network changed our college ministry and awakened us to church planting
Reach some students. Disciple them. Help them graduate and find a job. This was our mission …
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The Emotionally Healthy Planter: Family
Where’d that come from? We’ve probably all asked this question from time to time. Something happens …
Top 10 Posts of 2017: #1 Don’t Ditch Your Denomination: Fred Luter
In September 1986, my life was changed forever when I was elected as pastor of a …
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Top 10 Posts of 2017: #2 Six Ways to Practice Hospitality
1. Reserve a night for “Neighbor Night” Years ago, when my wife and I started talking …
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Top 10 Posts of 2017: #3 Redefining Mission as an Every Day Rhythm
Too often we settle for the status quo. We assume this is just the way life …
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Top 10 Posts of 2017: #4 How to Kick Start a College Ministry in 12 Months
Have you ever looked at the college or university campus in your community from a missional …
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Top 10 Posts of 2017: #7 Co-vocational Church Planting: Rethinking Vocation
The idea of rethinking vocation must start with considering the sacred/secular divide, or what some people …
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Top 10 Posts of 2017: #8 Don’t Ditch Your Denomination: J.D. Greear
The past few years have been challenging for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Many of our …
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Top 10 Posts of 2017: #9 Building a Leadership Pipeline: The Need
There are few things more electrifying to me than to witness the transformative power of a …
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Top 10 Posts of 2017: #9 Building a Leadership Pipeline: The Need
There are few things more electrifying to me than to witness the transformative power of a …
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Top 10 Posts of 2017: #10 Church Planting Mistakes
In April 2016, Dan Rockwell posted a piece on his leadership blog called “The Five Biggest …
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Top 10 Posts of 2017: #6 How to Plant a Movement as a Pastor
To say that I am euphoric about the new conversation that is happening within church planting …
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The Marvel of Christmas and motherhood
Regardless of how many times I read the Christmas story, I am struck by how the …
Five things a planter can do to plant a kingdom focused church
https://vimeo.com/215072567,https://vimeo.com/215072567 https://vimeo.com/215072567 Vance Pitman, church planter and Sending Church pastor, explains how planters can instill a …
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Barriers of Brotherhood: Differences & Disagreements
At times it feels like the only guarantees in life are death, taxes, and disagreements between …
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Barriers of Brotherhood: Busyness & Priorities
Both planters and re-planters who are burdened to serve Jesus can find themselves extremely busy — …
Barriers of Brotherhood: Envy & Insecurity
Two jumps in a week Bet you think that’s pretty clever Don’t you, boy? Flying along …
It was a quiet night in my house; my toddler was sleeping, my teenager was busy …
Must-have Christian books for your child
As mothers, we can use books to have intentional conversations with our kids about biblical topics …
What we got right and where we want a do-over: A Flourish podcast episode
In this podcast, Kathy Ferguson Litton and Susie Hawkins chat about parenting. As seasoned moms with …
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Lessons learned in Indianapolis
The gospel is immeasurably powerful. Scripture is sharper than any two-edged sword; It glorifies the power …
Why adoption is supposed to be hard: Part 3
What we are finding is that there is a special joy that comes from sharing in …
Why adoption is supposed to be hard: Part 2
As hard as this process has been so far—here is what we are learning, slowly and …
Engaging lostness: Lessons learned in San Francisco
Ministry in San Francisco has been better and harder than I expected. Better because it’s not …
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Why adoption is supposed to be hard: Part 1
This series of posts was originally written in November 2016. We have been home from China …
Securing a meeting location: 3 Ways to sustain a partnership
Finding a worship gathering space can be one of the most frustrating parts of launching a …
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Securing a meeting location: Forming a contract
The late scholar Mark Seale said, “everyone has a way of ‘leaning into life,’ and the …
Diagnosing lostness: 4 Potential causes
This article first appeared in Annie Armstrong Easter Offering material, “Lostness in North America: A Guide …
Securing a meeting location: Casting a wide net
One of the things I felt least ready for when planting City Church is how to …
Living on mission in the Bible Belt
It is interesting how the enemy can use ministry to keep Christians away from our mission, …
If we want to see a move of God in North America, we should pray that …
Don’t ask your goldfish how the water is. Goldie won’t have any idea what you’re talking …
I was a shy kid with a debilitating stutter and no friends. One night, my dad …
What it means to engage lostness
Today, we will launch a short but much-needed conversation. It is a conversation about the need …
When ministry wives become ministry mamas
In the last few years, I have had the great privilege of discipling a few younger …
Spouse care: Interview with Kathy Litton
Send Network: You have been on staff at NAMB for more six years. Tell us about …
“Patience can persuade a prince and soft speech can break bones” (Proverbs 25:15). “Lord, give me …
When you wonder if God really sees you
We know that God is sovereign, right? We teach that truth to our people. We talk …
10 Lessons from a decade of church planting: Part 2
2. Rootedness and hiring from within matters. “From the outside looking in, what has been the …
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10 Lessons from a decade of church planting: Part 1
Recently we celebrated the 10th anniversary of City Church in Tallahassee. What started with 24 friends …
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When an introvert marries an extrovert
This opening line grabbed me, “Sometimes I think that introverts and extroverts are from different planets, …
Why Down Syndrome awareness is important
When Jude was given a probable diagnosis of Down Syndrome about half-way through Nicole’s pregnancy, we …
The emotionally healthy planter: Discouragement and 4 ways to combat it
The sun doesn’t shine much in Portland, but on this day the clouds surrendered and the …
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The Emotionally healthy planter: Fear and 3 ways to combat it
Church planting is, in part, fueled by faith—expressed in prayer, godly risk-taking and faithful labor. And …
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Helping women heal from deep and painful secrets
Not too long ago, I was sitting at my dinner table across from a young woman …
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The Emotionally Healthy Planter: Anger
We don’t simply need to plant more churches, we need to plant healthy churches. A healthy …
Crisis care: Dispensing faith, hope and love
Our firstborn, Brett, had just arrived in our arms and in our hearts. We were 22 …
Stories from the front lines – Sterling Edwards
One morning, I was on my way home from the YMCA in downtown Brooklyn, which was …
How to transition your family to a new city: an episode from the Flourish podcast
In this podcast, Kathy Ferguson Litton discusses with Lindsay Allen the surprises and challenges of obeying …
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Stories from the Front Lines – John Steger
What’s open seven days a week that fulfills a need and desire people have? No, this …
One son’s experience of being a pastor’s kid
I have been a pastor’s kid since I was two, so pretty much my entire living …