The Kingdom-centric church plant
If the goal of a new church is to be relevant, edgy and grow quickly to …
Resources for Church Planter Care
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 …
Counseling tools: Recoverig from addiction
The Darkness Runs Deep I’ve done recovery ministry for six years, and it didn’t take long for …
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 …
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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Hospitality is NOT about entertaining. What have you historically thought about when you hear the word …
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. …
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 …
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.” …
How to help Christians deal with doubt
Christians tend to fall into one of three groups when it comes to doubt and questioning …
Six surprising traits of effective pastors
I have looked at characteristics of effective pastorsfrom different perspectives over the past few years. But this …
EDITOR’S NOTE: Our guest editorial is from IMB President David Platt. You will find IMB content throughout …
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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Getting to Know God With Your Children
We’ve been working through a series of biblical and practical thoughts on parenting. This is something …
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 …
How to Brand Your Church Plant
I think most of us would agree that a logo is far from the most important …
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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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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Details, details, details. There are people for whom details come naturally. I am not one of …
He wasn’t a hero by any stretch of the imagination. He was a wimp, but God …
Human beings were built with limits. God didn’t design you to be a superhero. You and …
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. …
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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 …
An Everyday Missionary Disguised as a Barista
My dad has been a pastor for my entire life, and as a result, the lifestyle …
Out of the World and Into Our Neighborhood
God has taken our family on a surprising, exciting, and somewhat overdue journey the last two …
Missional vs. Attractional: Which is Right?
Since Riverbend started in 2009, I have heard many who support a missional over attractional philosophy …
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 …
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In 2008, my husband and I planted a church in a cultural context where it’s fairly …
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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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 …
Christ-Centered Preaching: Part 3
This is my third and final post in a three part series (part one, part two) …
Christ-Centered Preaching: Part 2
This is the second post in a three part series on Christ-centered preaching and teaching (part …
The goal of Christ-centered preaching
Baptists through the years have emphasized the need for Christian preachers to preach the unsearchable riches …
How do I start a Mercy Ministry?
In the last blog post, I discussed the rationale for starting a mercy ministry in your …
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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What are the steps to becoming a church planter?
If you were ever part of a sports team growing up you probably had a coach …
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Serving as a church planting apprentice
I had just left seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and was en route to join a …
NAMB’s Farm System: Serving as a Church Planting Intern
My journey of life on mission began my sophomore year of collge. As a 19-year-old student, …
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Serving as a student missionary
As a full-time college student, my life consists of a frantic schedule of studying, writing papers, …
I could tell she felt terrible. I had just blessed and dismissed the congregation, and she …
It was spring break 1996 and I was a sophomore in high school. While other kids …
Very few Christians today use the word “propitiation” as part of their regular vocabulary, even fewer …
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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Top Ten Things To Do When Planting On or Near a College Campus
In the last few years there has been a lot more focus on planting on or …
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Why Collegiate Church Planting Matters
“If we can win the university today, we will win the world tomorrow.” Bill Bright, founder …
Church planters tend to have an image problem. It is said, sometime joking and sometimes serious, …
When NOT to Multiply a Missional Community?
Editor’s Note: Multiplication is a critical piece of effectively making disciples, and foundational to a movement. …
When should I multiply a missional community?
Editor’s Note: Multiplication is a critical piece of effectively making disciples, and foundational to a movement. …
Why Multiply A Missional Community?
Editor’s Note: Multiplication is a critical piece of effectively making disciples, and foundational to a movement. …
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 …
How to minister during suffering
We’ve been spending some time in Psalm 4, learning from David as he responds to deep …
Last week I argued that it’s not human responsibility to define human need, giving three reasons …
I’ve been spending some time reflecting on Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 6. I’ve laid out 3 …
Collegiate Church Planting Resources
Collegiate Reaching Reading List College Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture – Steve Lutz Building a Discipling Culture – Mike …
Knowing and Engaging Your Community
“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called …
It was 12 years ago that a neighbor invited my family to a church plant called Sojourn. …