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Evangelism
Out of the World and Into Our Neighborhood
God has taken our family on a surprising, exciting, and somewhat overdue journey the last two years. We have gotten serious about loving our neighbors-…
Missional vs. Attractional: Which is Right?
Since Riverbend started in 2009, I have heard many who support a missional over attractional philosophy of ministry as well as vice-versa. As a planter,…
How to make connections in churches and communities
Practicing hospitality in our homes is essential to our work in church planting (see The Why of Hospitality), both for community connections and church connections. As…
The Why of Hospitality
In 2008, my husband and I planted a church in a cultural context where it’s fairly easy to meet people, but difficult to build intimate…
Six Ways to Evaluate Your Church’s Strategy to Assimilate New Believers
Maybe you’ve seen it happen. A new believer joins a local church, and is thrilled by his changed life. He shows up at every church…
Christ-Centered Preaching: Part 3
This is my third and final post in a three part series (part one, part two) on Christ-centered preaching and teaching. At the Southern Baptist…
Christ-Centered Preaching: Part 2
This is the second post in a three part series on Christ-centered preaching and teaching (part one here). At the Southern Baptist Convention this year…
The goal of Christ-centered preaching
Baptists through the years have emphasized the need for Christian preachers to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. John Broadus summarized his approach saying, “The…
A simple guide to Mercy Ministry
In the previous blog posts for this week, we discussed the rationale for mercy ministry as well as the basic steps for getting started. As…
How do I start a Mercy Ministry?
In the last blog post, I discussed the rationale for starting a mercy ministry in your local church. Mercy ministry is not a program but…
4 reasons why Mercy Ministry is absolutely vital
If I say that mercy ministry is absolutely vital—which I think it is—to a church’s local mission strategy, what arguments would I put forward to…
Serving as a student missionary
As a full-time college student, my life consists of a frantic schedule of studying, writing papers, reading and attending class—all while juggling a part-time job…
God’s Special Plan for Children
Use this tool as a starting point for a conversation with a child about God, sin, Jesus, and our opportunity to respond to the gospel….
When NOT to Multiply a Missional Community?
Editor’s Note: Multiplication is a critical piece of effectively making disciples, and foundational to a movement. This series of posts will explore different different questions…
When should I multiply a missional community?
Editor’s Note: Multiplication is a critical piece of effectively making disciples, and foundational to a movement. This series of posts will explore different different questions…
Why Multiply A Missional Community?
Editor’s Note: Multiplication is a critical piece of effectively making disciples, and foundational to a movement. This series of posts will explore different different questions…