What are the frontlines of mission?
Church planter Patrice Viakinnou shares his vision for ministry to New York City’s West-African population. Send …
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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 is an excerpt from Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches that …
Where Have We Gone Wrong With Sex?
A critic for People magazine said that no one watches a heavy sex film for the …
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 …
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How to Be a Mother and Woman with Tenacious Faith
The wonder of tenacious people is that their words continue to blaze trails in many hearts …
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How To Survive A Ministry Transition
Still relishing the warmth of my blankets, I am snuggled among my down pillows willing the …
How to identify and recruit team members
The question I get most often from church planters is: Where do I find people for …
Characteristics of a healthy team
One of the first fears many church planters face is finding people for their team. You …
I did not know I was depressed until I got married. Over time I would see …
Kingdom First: Four benefits to building a team
In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon highlights the value of working with a team. “Two are better than …
Raising the Game on Your Kid’s Social Skills
We discussed YOUR social skills a few weeks ago. Soon after writing that piece I ran …
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 …
Confrontation, Speaking the Truth in Love, and Unity
Recently I disappointed a friend. We have all been there for a hundred different reasons. She …
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Understanding context when planting a new church
Gaining an accurate understanding of context is critical to successfully plant a new church. Barry Whitworth, …
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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 …
“You will have to be his advocate.” Those words echoed ceaselessly through my head for the …
An Open Letter: I Don’t Have it All Together
Dear Friend, I got your message. I hate what happened to you this past week. You …
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 …
A Heart Strategy for Dealing with Difficult People
Recently a blog posted on Desiring God by Stacy Reaoch caught my attention. There isn’t a space …
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Recently I was sitting in the back of my mini-van with my 5 month-old after a …
We checked no. Did I ever tell you that? When Keith and I sat down to …
Counseling tools: Recoverig from addiction
The Darkness Runs Deep I’ve done recovery ministry for six years, and it didn’t take long for …
Social Skills: 7 Tips to Raise Your Game
Our lives demand social skills! Some of us have them naturally and are inclined to be …
Counseling Tools: Premarital Plan
For almost a decade I’ve been pastoring a church plant in the heart of downtown Columbia, …
Radically Unprepared I was in the 10th grade when I had my first real brush with …
The kids decided to get creative in the kitchen. Five year old Ben chattered on excitedly …
Porn wreaks havoc on every church. Some people cower in shame and fear, hoping that they …
Addictions are typically associated with alcohol and drug abuse, but when we dig deep into the …
Counseling Tools – The Pastor as Counselor
I imagine you or someone you know has said or thought one of the following statements …
Why neighborhood integration improves ministry opportunities
God has taken our family on a surprising, exciting and somewhat overdue journey the last two …
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How To Respond To Ethnic Tension {#SEND2015}
A little over two years ago I moved from rural Kentucky to the urban core of …
Hospitality is NOT about entertaining. What have you historically thought about when you hear the word …
I was absolutely shaking, sitting in the front seat of my minivan packed full of six …
How to Balance the Demands of Family and Ministry
My husband is currently a bi-vocational church planter. This means that he has a full time …
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Live Life on Purpose {#Send2015}
God has set your life up for a unique display of God’s glory. You are placed …
My Life on Mission Matters {#SEND2015}
Discouraged. Disoriented. Defeated. Unfortunately, these words describe the path of many in ministry. They often do mine. …
5 Principles to Becoming an Effective Multiplying Church
Dr. Dan Morgan is one of North America’s most experienced and insightful missiologists. He has been …
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“The goodness gospel is a friend as long as life is neat and tidy …” – Christine …
Giving Grace {From Good to Grace}
Grace is a big deal. A mighty God gave us grace and we sometimes give grace …
Receiving His Freedom {From Good To Grace}
This was one of my favorite chapters. It took me far too long to understand that …
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 …
Receiving God’s Help {From Good To Grace}
We are continuing to read along in Christine Hoover’s latest book, From Good to Grace. If …
Planting healthy: The gift of rest
The Lord gives good gifts. Few people would likely disagree with this claim. He gives love, …
Death To The “Try Harder” Life {From Good To Grace}
A friend gifted Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel to me. I wondered …
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It has been said that pride is the original and underlying issue for any sin—a willful …
Does God Hear the Prayer of a Muslim?
There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion …., a devout man and …
Rocky Balboa is talking to Adrian and he says: “Who am I kiddin’? I ain’t even …
You Can’t Go Back Again {From Good to Grace}
(The Flourish summer series is a blog crawl through Christine Hoover’s book “From Good to Grace: …
Just prior to take-off, the scheduled, and albeit slightly annoying, safety instructions are announced on the …
5 Things to Keep in Mind when Planting Near a Military Community
All gospel – no gimmicks Military towns are inundated with gimmicky entrepreneurs and their schemes. From …
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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 …
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Why Plant Churches Near Military Communities
“We need to plant a faithful Gospel presence near every US military base in the world.” …
For Your Summer Reading: From Good to Grace
Join us this summer in reading through the new book From Good to Grace: Letting Go of …
How to help Christians deal with doubt
Christians tend to fall into one of three groups when it comes to doubt and questioning …
“Get out your cell phones.” When is that ever said in a gathering? During the annual …
Six surprising traits of effective pastors
I have looked at characteristics of effective pastorsfrom different perspectives over the past few years. But this …
Here are a few of our favs from the month! A fun read, especially for coffee …
EDITOR’S NOTE: Our guest editorial is from IMB President David Platt. You will find IMB content throughout …
When You Feel Like a Hypocrite on Sunday Morning
My husband and I had a truly awful weekend together. I wish I could blame it …
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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 …
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What My Generation Needs to Do for the Next Generation
As churches, denominations and Christian organizations transition their leadership into the next generation, those of us …
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Getting to Know God With Your Children
We’ve been working through a series of biblical and practical thoughts on parenting. This is something …
Redefining the Netflix Generation
Two small children sit entranced in front of a big box tv set. The doorbell rings …
Nuts and Bolts – How to Build a Church Budget
Projecting Strategically The problem with generic funding packages is that there seems to be few generic …
7 helpful tips for using social media for church
Organizations across the world have integrated social media into their culture at a breathtaking rate. I …
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How to Create an Online Presence
Never has there been easier ways for local churches to get their messages out to more …
Why Some of Us Are Loners (and Why That’s Not Good)
Though this article is written with pastors in mind, there is much for each of us …
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How to Brand Your Church Plant
I think most of us would agree that a logo is far from the most important …
Every Pain Repurposed for His Glory
As my husband held down my three-month old son, I buckled the braces in place and …
Nuts and Bolts – Constitution and Bylaws
Is there any less desirable task for a church planter than writing a Constitution and Bylaws? …
Nuts and Bolts – How to Develop a Mission Statement pt. 2
Keep it simple The simplest task for a church planter should be choosing a mission statement. …
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