Maintaining an ongoing relationship with supporters
It is sometimes said, perhaps only somewhat jokingly, that church planters are after one thing: money....
Resources for Kingdom
Have you ever been thrown into a challenge, only to find out that the whole situation...
How to tell if the ministry has become all about you
Sadly, most of us can all too easily recount stories of pastors who betrayed their congregations,...
Most popular of 2016: #2 Myths of multiplication
The North American Mission Board is blessed by a wide array of voices that speak to...
Most popular in 2016: #8 Redefining success: Gospel conversations
The North American Mission Board is blessed by a wide array of voices that speak to...
Six ways you can pray for your country
This has been one of the most tumultuous years in recent decades. America is riven by...
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....
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...
Sending Well: Discovering missionaries in your church
Twenty-six years ago something happened to me that I never anticipated. I found myself believing that...
When Jesus begins His earthly ministry, He picks up right where John the Baptist left off—proclaiming...
Why church planters need long-term vision
I’m always stunned by the mess kids can make. Give them 30 minutes alone in a...
Kingdom focused church planting
Have you ever missed something in conversation? You know, times when you’ve assumed something a person...
Multiplication: Planting churches
The New Testament describes the church’s relationship to Jesus as a marriage. This is a helpful...
Multiplication: Making disciples
Disciple making is the foundation of church planting. If you want to lead your church to...
After decades of methodological malpractice, we have so rationalized and contorted our understanding of Jesus’ Commission...
Why Multiply? It Is Beneficial
When an effective church planter engages a community, he has an internal and compelling urgency directed...
Our English word church comes from a Greek word ekklesia meaning, “the called-out ones.” The normative pattern in Acts showed...
Redefining Success: City Transformation
Insignificance. Most of our nightmares revolve around this. We all want to know we are making...
Ready, Set, Go—Equipping Sending Churches pt. 3
Some years ago, the movie “Chariots of Fire” introduced the world to an Olympic champion and...
Ready, Set, Go—Equipping Sending Churches pt. 2
Running has never been really fun for me unless it was an actual race. Although I...
Ready, Set, Go—Equipping Sending Churches
I have been running marathons for almost 15 years now. It’s amazing how the sport of...
What discipleship is Christian discipleship is what happens when people live daily with Jesus. Jesus drew incredible,...
In the last post I shared that the first theological distinction deals with the missionary nature...
In part one I explained that when I am asked to define the word “missional” I...
For nine years I taught a course on evangelism at a small Christian college. There was...
Kingdom First: Leading God’s People
The Apostle Paul, gave this charge to the Ephesian church leadership: “Pay careful attention to yourselves...
Why Give To The Cooperative Program
Do not, under any circumstances, give your money to the Cooperative Program (CP). Seriously. I mean...
Make Your Church Adoption-Friendly
When I pastored Highview Baptist in Louisville my friend David Melber and his wife, Tera, started...
Challenges to being a sending church
There’s a missions thread that runs through Taylors First Baptist Church. Launched at the time of...
Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, recently stated, “NAMB’s goal is to work...
This week Jeddidiah Coppenger shared five ways to lead a local church towards effective engagement in...
How to create a culture of international missions
I love shortcuts. Whether it’s a hidden road to get to work 30 seconds faster, some...
Kingdom First: Four benefits to building a team
In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon highlights the value of working with a team. “Two are better than...
Kingdom First: Redefining success
Church planters are a curiously goal-driven group. Give us a numerical goal worth pursuing and we...
The Kingdom-centric church plant
If the goal of a new church is to be relevant, edgy and grow quickly to...
Staying is the New Going – How to Do It
“God is going to use you in BIG ways someday!” I will never forget when someone...
Staying is the New Going – The Benefits
As I was flipping through a magazine, an ad caught my eye: “Have you been everywhere yet?”...
Staying is the New Going – The Need
There are prominent bluffs in the middle of my city where I have gone at times...
NAMB’s approach to church planting near military communities
Pumping deep from the heart of NAMB’s vision these days is a desire to push back...
How to help Christians deal with doubt
Christians tend to fall into one of three groups when it comes to doubt and questioning...
EDITOR’S NOTE: Our guest editorial is from IMB President David Platt. You will find IMB content throughout...
Church Planting Essentials pt. 4
The fifth essential every church planters must have, is this: You have to be willing to...
Top Ten Things To Do When Planting On or Near a College Campus
In the last few years there has been a lot more focus on planting on or...
Why Collegiate Church Planting Matters
“If we can win the university today, we will win the world tomorrow.” Bill Bright, founder...
Church planters tend to have an image problem. It is said, sometime joking and sometimes serious,...