Several years ago, I was asked to share with a group of missionaries in Chili about...
Resources for Personal Development
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...
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...
Stories of Doubt: Kent Bateman
Stories of doubt from an apprentices’ perspective Send Network: Tell us about the church you are...
Send Network: Tell us about your church plant and when you all started meeting. Andy Hall:Redemption...
Stories of Doubt – Jeff Phillips
At the immense risk of sounding negative, this reality is true when it comes to church...
Putting God first: Leading my family
The heresy of the evangelical order A divine order has become almost sacrosanct in evangelical subculture;...
Putting God first: Leading myself
The most difficult person that you will ever have to lead is yourself. You are a...
Ten Unique Challenges of Ministry
In an earlier post I wrote that seminary cannot prepare anyone to be a pastor. Only a church,...
Are You Weak Enough for God to Use You?
There aren’t many societies that praise weakness. Ours is no different. Whether you’re a pastor or...
The following blog is an excerpt from Paul David Tripp’s regular blog which can be found...
The following blog is an excerpt from Paul David Tripp’s regular blog which can be found...
The following blog is an excerpt from Paul David Tripp’s regular blog which can be found...
Jonah 3:1 – God’s grace gives us a fresh start
The following blog is an excerpt from Paul David Tripp’s regular blog which can be found...
How to stay healthy in the ministry
A few years ago I felt the itch to do something I had never done before....
Of witness and fitness When planting a church, fitness doesn’t tend to show up on the...
Planting healthy: The gift of rest
The Lord gives good gifts. Few people would likely disagree with this claim. He gives love,...
It has been said that pride is the original and underlying issue for any sin—a willful...
Rocky Balboa is talking to Adrian and he says: “Who am I kiddin’? I ain’t even...
Just prior to take-off, the scheduled, and albeit slightly annoying, safety instructions are announced on the...
Father Models – Ten Roles Dads Play with Their Kids
Continuing our parenting series, we look specifically to fathers. Fathers play many roles in rearing their...
Getting to Know God With Your Children
We’ve been working through a series of biblical and practical thoughts on parenting. This is something...
How to shepherd your children | NAMB
Most pastors would affirm our priority is first to shepherd our family, and then to shepherd...
How to plant a church without losing your family
One of the great things about YouTube is the fact that anyone can post a video....
Pastor Dad: How to Lead a Family Devotion
Each evening at exactly 7:00 pm, my wife and I call our children downstairs for a...
Church Planting Essentials pt. 4
The fifth essential every church planters must have, is this: You have to be willing to...
Church Planting Essentials pt. 3
Essential 3: You need money. It takes money to plant a church. There is no way...
Church Planting Essentials pt. 2
Essential #2 In the “4 Essentials for every church planter” series, the second essential is this:...
Church Planting Essentials pt. 1
No one is ever “officially ready” to plant a church, but there are essentials that help...
Avoiding Disappointment Distraction
At Buck Run, we designate June as a special month of Wednesday night events, most of...
How to thrive during pastoral challenges
When Paul described the burden of ministry that God has given us, he concluded by asking...
Colossians 1:18-20 – Is peace really possible?
He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn...