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 Leadership
A Professor’s Legacy of Mentoring Church Planters
Steve Lee stood at the front of his Contemporary Evangelism class at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary …
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Writing a Church Planting Prospectus
Few things keep a church planter up at night more than finances. The dizzying array of …
Maintaining an ongoing relationship with supporters
It is sometimes said, perhaps only somewhat jokingly, that church planters are after one thing: money. …
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Anything that’s made to sound simple, probably isn’t. Most of us have tried to put together …
Covocational Church Planting eBook
Over the past several years there has been an increasing interest in church planting. As a …
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 …
Redefining Mission as an Every Day Mission
Too often we settle for the status quo. We assume this is just the way life …
The past few years have been challenging for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Many of our …
A bright future rooted in a distant path
The glum cacophony of voices bemoaning the state of the church in North America presents a …
Where have all the church planters gone?
What’s the greatest hindrance to effective church planting? You might expect to get varied answers to …
So, What Comes After Church Growth?
The regrettable shortage of multiplying churches can be explained, at least in part, by the lingering …
How Evangelistically Effective is Church Planting?
In 2002, pastor and author Tim Keller published a brief article entitled “Why Plant Churches” that has since …
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I was never consciously called into pastoral ministry. I was never consciously called into church planting. …
Should we apologize for Complementarianism?
When I chose to preach through Ephesians this year, I knew there would come a time …
Multiplying your time as a planter: Prioritizing tasks
You cannot do everything you want to do. I forget this fact more than I would …
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Three years in … what am I learning
We just celebrated our third birthday as a church! At the beginning of this call on …
Great coaching brings vision one step closer to reality. You may not have a coach right …
Knowing your role: Self awareness
Reggie McNeil says, “The single most important piece of information a leader possesses is self-awareness.”[1] Self-Awareness could …
Shaping your senior pastor’s heart toward planting, Pt. 3
I remember it like it was yesterday. After one of “those” church business meetings, someone close …
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Shaping your senior pastor’s heart toward planting, Pt. 2
I was asked to write a post titled “Shaping your senior pastor’s heart toward planting.” I …
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Shaping your senior pastor’s heart toward planting: Pt. 1
So, you’re currently reading through the book of Acts, or have recently read a book or …
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The greater danger for most of us isn’t that our aim is too high and we …
To plant disciple-making, missional churches, we must change the way we think about God’s mission and …
Measurement is fabulous. Unless you’re busy measuring what’s easy to measure, as opposed to what’s important. …
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. ~ Max De Pree In the …
Paradigm shifts: The need to rethink
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but …
Creating a core team: Shepherding your team members
It snowed in Phoenix, Arizona, on Jan. 1, 2011. It was the only snow we have …
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Creating a core team: Leading your team members
Before we started our church planting process, I had a seasoned pastor remind me that if …
Creating a core team: Vetting your team members
It is incredible that Jesus’ intention in His three-year ministry was to start a global movement …
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 …
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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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 …
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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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 …
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 …
Securing a meeting location: Casting a wide net
One of the things I felt least ready for when planting City Church is how to …
Don’t ask your goldfish how the water is. Goldie won’t have any idea what you’re talking …
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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5 Lessons I learned from Adrian Rogers
No one has influenced and impacted my life like the “prince of preachers,” the man known …
Voices that shape us: The Importance of mentors
One of the most influential theologians in my life is a musician. Songwriter Michael Card’s exegetically evocative and …
The planter as generalist: Delegation
What is the vision God has given you for your church? What are the dreams you …
The planter as generalist: Administration
On a scale from 1-10, my administration skills fall somewhere between 1 and a separate scale …
The planter as generalist: Fund raising
I was recently in a conversation with a friend that was all too familiar. It had …
The planter as generalist: Counseling
Anyone that has ever attempted to start a business quickly learned this truth: There is a …
The planter as generalist: Leadership development
Church planting, when done properly, is proof that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. …
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The planter as generalist: Intro
The label “intern” used to be code word for the person who does anything and everything …
Last week I introduced you to, or reminded you of, a concept called identity amnesia: Christians …
Money matters: Staff and salaries
In 2010, my family moved to Boston (one of the most expensive places to live in …
More than a song: Fostering a culture of worship in your church
The past few months, I have been reading through the Old Testament minor prophets. As a …
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e-book: Partnering Well: Planters and Sending Churches
Without a doubt, planting a church without prayer is like building a house on bare ground …
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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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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 …
How to use technology to reach your church and community
Everywhere you turn these days, you can’t help but hear the term “big data.” Retailers, app …
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How to be a more productive minister
My guess is that on most days you find it hard to reconcile your calendar with …
Why strategic communications matter in the local church
One of the most famous movie lines of all time comes from the 1967 film Cool Hand …
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Transformational relationships with God
The most important things to measure in your church plant are often the hardest things to …
Church planter coaches: The value of a great coach
Coaching is like noise-canceling headphones; it takes all those voices, internal and external, in Matthew’s life …
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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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