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.
Resources for Holiness and Humility
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 …
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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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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 …
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 …
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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 …
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 …
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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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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 …
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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 …
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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, …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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Raising kids to love the church: Jeff Christopherson
Laura and I always invested our savings in the next church plant, so we were constantly …
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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 …
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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. …
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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 …
There’s something about becoming a professional Christian (aka pastor, church planter, missionary, etc…) that makes the …
Every first Sunday of the month, as a church, we take communion together. Before we take …
Our culture is sick with busyness and constant connectedness. Almost everyone seems exhausted just trying to …
Let’s just put this reality on the table: many church leaders struggle with prayer. We know …
Living in the Word: Bible Intake for Church Planters I was a new believer, and my …
Abide: Introduction to John 15:5
Imagine you are listening to a sermon and the preacher asks “How many of you truly …
What to consider when hiring and firing team members
“We need him at the table! He has got to go!” The following post is a …
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Qualities of a senior pastor: Boss or friend?
One question that rarely gets asked in church leadership is whether the senior pastor, as the …