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 Personal Development
The intentional life of a Christian
The Christian life is not about me living for Jesus; it’s about Jesus living His life...
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...
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...
Spiritual journal discipleship
Church planters get pulled in many directions at once. The task of discipling men can get...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Developing brotherhood in your city: Why and how it’s successful
Ninja strike teams When I was a kid, we used to jump all over the playground...
Developing brotherhood in your city: Why you need it
Not Karate All over the world, people are being trained in the martial arts. That said,...
Last week I introduced you to, or reminded you of, a concept called identity amnesia: Christians...
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...
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...
Music matters: Why we worship corporately through song
In college, I led a small Bible study for freshmen. My primary aim was to study...
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...
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...
Is your calling based on identity?
Every Christian is called to be a missionary, and this calling extends wherever we are. Every...
Why friendship is important as a church planter
I read a recent survey about friendship that was disheartening, but not terribly surprising. Since the...
The Coach TestThe church planter coaching “frequently asked question” list is always growing. We love this...
Another year brings with it the history of story after story of pastors who are removed...
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...
Qualifications for a church planter: Part 2
In part one, I indicated how Jeff Foxworthy has entertained audiences across North America by poking...
Qualifications for a church planter: Part 1
Jeff Foxworthy is a nationally recognized comedian who combines Southern charm with a touch of soft...
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...
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...
Stories from the frontlines: Dustin Nimmo
This week we interviewed three practitioners serving on the field as church planters. These are their...
Stories from the front lines: Whitney Clayton
This week we interviewed three practitioners serving on the field as church planters. These are their...
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...
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...
Redefining Success: Family Culture
What makes a church successful? Is it the number of those who attend the weekly gathering,...
Church Discipline: The Outcome of Church Discipline
THE OUTCOME OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE As we have faithfully practiced discipline as a body, we are...
Church Discipline: The Process of Church Discipline
The elders of The Austin Stone have studied, prayed and labored over the process of discipline...
On the playground of spiritual disciplines fasting gets picked last, and sometimes not at all if...