Pastor, what is it like being married to you?
What is it like to be married to you? Is it like being married to a celebrity? Or is it like being married to a servant?
Resources for Holiness and Humility
The importance of rest in church planting
I wanted to reach people. I wanted to grow the church. I wanted to make an impact. But I didn't recognize what I was doing.
Kevin Ezell: If I could do it over
If you are pastoring with your whole heart and really going after it each day, it...
In April 2016, Dan Rockwell posted a piece on his leadership blog called “The Five Biggest...
What to do When Your Wife is Burned Out: Warning Signs
In a previous blog, “How to plant your church without losing your spouse,” I offer a most basic...
How to plant your church without losing your spouse: Pay attention
If we are discussing “How to plant your church without losing your spouse,” the most significant...
The story of every church plant also is the story of partnership. New churches get their...
I was never consciously called into pastoral ministry. I was never consciously called into church planting....
3 things I wish every young church planter would know
I have been involved with the Church Planting Department at Bethlehem Baptist Church for the past...
Learning to cherish older men in church planting
As church planters, pastors, and ministry leaders, we must be vigilant in our pursuit of spiritual...
9 characteristics of a church planter: Social skills
Before I knew Jesus, I was a user. Not drugs. Worse. I used people. I am...
9 characteristics of a church planter: Disciple making
Recently I had the “privilege” of shopping at Home Depot. I say “privilege” because, depending on...
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....
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...
9 characteristics of a church planter: Calling/Intro
I still remember the angst I felt the first time I read the question, “When were...
9 characteristics of a church planter: Communication
One of the key ingredients of effectiveness is the ability to communicate clearly. Jesus was the...
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...
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...
The Emotionally Healthy Planter: Fears
Perfect love casts out fear (1 Jn 4:18). The promise presupposes certain realities. First, fear is...
The Emotionally Healthy Planter: Family
Where’d that come from? We’ve probably all asked this question from time to time. Something happens...
Barriers of Brotherhood: Differences & Disagreements
At times it feels like the only guarantees in life are death, taxes, and disagreements between...
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...
If we want to see a move of God in North America, we should pray that...
I was a shy kid with a debilitating stutter and no friends. One night, my dad...
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...
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...
The Emotionally Healthy Planter: Anger
We don’t simply need to plant more churches, we need to plant healthy churches. A healthy...
The spiritual power of habits: Sabbath
For twelve months, I met with a wildly creative leader who wanted to plant a church....
The spiritual power of habits: Time in the Word
Developing a tasteWhen I was a young adult I couldn’t stand the taste of coffee. I...
The Spiritual power of habits: Introduction
“I believe the gospel–I just don’t believe it right now. I believe that at a head level, I just don’t...
Friendship and the pastor’s wife: In friendship, resist the discomfort of receiving
On my first Sunday as a pastor’s wife, a college girl approached me with a question...
How to keep a healthy perspective as a pastor’s wife
I was standing at the door after church, talking with folks, when a woman who’d been...
Tools for multiplication: Preaching
Increasingly, church planting has become a “household term.” And for many reasons that should give us...
Genesis 2:18 – Keeping a marriage strong as a church planter
I will never forget the day that my husband sat me down and said the words,...
How to encourage your wife while planting a church
Regardless of where you are in your church planting journey, chances are you know how essential...
No church planter wants to fail and no church planter starts off expecting to fail. However,...
Mistakes in church planting: Joseph Velarde
I am a huge Atlanta sports fan, as I was born and raised in Smyrna, Georgia....
Mistakes in church planting: Andy Metzger
Anyone who has ever planted a church can tell you that one of the most accurate...
Free guide: How to build a successful marriage
The majority of Christians I meet like the idea of church planting conceptually but would never...
Where is church planting in the Bible?
The majority of Christians I meet like the idea of church planting conceptually but would never...
The Bible speaks about the reality of a conflict we face as believers, and we popularly...
Transformational relationships with God
The most important things to measure in your church plant are often the hardest things to...
I’m here…Now what? Pastors and local association
Back in my day (incidentally, I’ve always wanted to use that phrase), there was a common...
Another year brings with it the history of story after story of pastors who are removed...
Things pastors shouldn’t do in 2017
In 2017, I’m going to stop allowing those who know our church the least to define...
How to remain an effective pastor in 2017
Over the past few years I’ve grown increasingly convinced that my (over)dependence on technology is having...
Things I won’t do in 2017: Brian Bowman
In many wonderful ways planting Valley Life Church has been church planting fairy tale. Healthy financial support...
Most popular of 2016: #4 Raising kids to love the church: Jeff Christopherson
The North American Mission Board is blessed by a wide array of voices that speak to...
How to navigate through dark days
The dark days we experience as pastors bring many difficulties. But maybe one of the most...
Navigating dark days: Spiritual sickness
I’m not exactly sure how I got there. I assume there were numerous factors that caused...
How to find freedom from regret
Regret is as deadly as worry. One confronts an unknown future, the other an unfortunate past....
Navigating dark days: Dark places
“The iron bolt which so mysteriously fastens the door of hope and holds our spirits in...
How to raise kids to love the church
I’ve been part of church plants ever since I can remember. My dad took over as...
Raising Kids to Love the Church: Laura Christopherson
Six months into our first pastorate, I had a real “aha” moment. I didn’t even know...
Raising kids to love the church: Jeff Christopherson
Laura and I always invested our savings in the next church plant, so we were constantly...
The fallacy of our spiritual gifts: Part 2
(Continued from The fallacy of our spiritual gifts: Part 1.) What is the Kingdom’s O.S.? Weakness. Just weakness....
The fallacy of our spiritual gifts: Part 1
Brett and Noelle are busy penciling in 200 dots in the new member’s class at church....
What does God require? Not success, but faithfulness
As a church, we recently finished a series through the book of Acts. It’s easy to get...
Two ways to drive our roots deep into the gospel
I’ve recently been reading a new book by Tim Keller, Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering....
How to look at Christian miracles
I know a lot of people who really get tripped up by miracles in the Bible....
Several years ago, I was asked to share with a group of missionaries in Chili about...
We all have spiritual heroes. We admire these leaders God has placed in our path, even...
Brotherhood: God’s prayer for relationships
My phone usually pings around 7 a.m. on Sunday morning. The most recent one read: “Praying for...
Christians understand the necessity of burden-bearing relationships. We know that we are broken, sinful men and...
Brotherhood: Giving encouragement
All ministry is hard and church planting is typically harder. Obstacles abound within the church planting...
There are few things that will get you out of your comfort zone more than planting...
For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with approval. The question, “What do people...
How to manage power as a church planter
You will be your own boss. Starting a church is like starting a business. In the...
People with a natural passion and ability to keep plants alive are said to have a...
The Planter in Community: Defer Leadership
A few years back I attended a missions conference and struck up a conversation with a...
The Planter in Community: No Masks Allowed
I was in the middle of small group when I got the barrage of text messages....
The Pastor in Community: You Need It
I remember sitting at a conference for a particular church planting network. We had reached the...
An Important Question to Ask Ourselves
What is your greatest insecurity? It’s a good question to ask yourself, but it’s not so...
On the playground of spiritual disciplines fasting gets picked last, and sometimes not at all if...
You don’t have to be or live in the city in order to understand the concept...