Resources for Best Practices

Church Discipline: The Outcome of Church Discipline

THE OUTCOME OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE As we have faithfully practiced discipline as a body, we are …

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Church Discipline: The Process of Church Discipline

The elders of The Austin Stone have studied, prayed and labored over the process of discipline …

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Generosity: Building a Generous Church

Encouraging generosity in the church is a matter I believe I can speak to because it …

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Building a Generous People

John Bunyan once said, “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone …

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What to consider when hiring and firing team members

“We need him at the table! He has got to go!” The following post is a …

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How to build a team of volunteers for your church

You’re a church planter and have answered the call, raised the money and launched with a …

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Team Matters: Conflict Dynamics

Imagine a world without conflict. Two political candidates bound onto the stage in front of a …

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Choosing your church planting team

Two summers ago, another pastor and I landed on Knoxville, Tennessee as our city for planting …

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Principle of team building: Don’t be a lone ranger

Danger Ahead: 3 Ways Coaching Helps Navigate the Fog As a church planter, I’ve often felt like …

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Putting God first: Leading myself

The most difficult person that you will ever have to lead is yourself. You are a …

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10 Ways to Drive Away First-Time Guests

If you attend a church regularly, you’ve probably noticed the phenomenon. A guest shows up for …

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Ten Unique Challenges of Ministry

In an earlier post I wrote that seminary cannot prepare anyone to be a pastor. Only a church, …

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10 Tips to Becoming a More Productive Pastor

The work of pastoral ministry is a joy, but it’s also demanding. Every pastor is on …

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Is your church an evangelizing church? NAMB

During this blog post series, I am trying to help you assess your church by providing …

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Sending Church: Finances

Financially supporting missionaries and church planters is a centuries old practice in Jesus’ church. Even now, …

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Sending Church – Commissioning

When you begin to rattle off the names of the great characters of the Bible, there …

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The Team Dream

We’ve all heard the epitaph of the Church Planting Graveyard…80% of church plants fail in the …

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How to identify and recruit team members

The question I get most often from church planters is: Where do I find people for …

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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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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 …

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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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Hospitality vs. Entertainment

Hospitality is NOT about entertaining. What have you historically thought about when you hear the word …

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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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How to stay healthy in the ministry

A few years ago I felt the itch to do something I had never done before. …

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External Health: Exercise

Of witness and fitness When planting a church, fitness doesn’t tend to show up on the …

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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 …

5 Things to Keep in Mind when Planting Near a Military Community Read More »

How to help Christians deal with doubt

Christians tend to fall into one of three groups when it comes to doubt and questioning …

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Six surprising traits of effective pastors

I have looked at characteristics of effective pastorsfrom different perspectives over the past few years. But this …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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Nuts and Bolts – Constitution and Bylaws

Is there any less desirable task for a church planter than writing a Constitution and Bylaws? …

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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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Nuts and Bolts – How to write a mission statement

During the pre-launch phase of City Church, when we were just a core team, I remember …

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Nuts and Bolts Introduction

Details, details, details. There are people for whom details come naturally. I am not one of …

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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 …

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A Simple and Highly Effective Strategy to Get Church Guests to Return

There are so many elements that determine if guests will return to your church after a …

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How do I start a Mercy Ministry?

In the last blog post, I discussed the rationale for starting a mercy ministry in your …

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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 …

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Words Matter: Expiation

I could tell she felt terrible. I had just blessed and dismissed the congregation, and she …

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Words Matter: Reconciliation

It was spring break 1996 and I was a sophomore in high school. While other kids …

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Words Matter: Propitiation

Very few Christians today use the word “propitiation” as part of their regular vocabulary, even fewer …

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How To Mobilize College Students to Live On Mission

College students are flakey, immature, ignorant and the best missionaries to grace the church. Sure, you …

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How to make the most of an apprenticeship at your church

With the recent emphasis in church planting among evangelicals, there is now more than ever a …

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Embracing Fierce Conversations: Two Important Lessons for Coaches

“While no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a company, a …

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8 ways coaches help leaders who are stuck

In the coastal region of South Carolina where I live, there is a sticky type of …

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Resources for Best Practices

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