Leadership is crucial in any organization, and a church is no exception. However, developing leaders for ministry within the church can be challenging without the proper principles and practices in place. Whether you are planting a church or part of an existing church, this applies to you. Effective Leadership Principles To be an effective [...]
Outreach is a critical element in church planting. It's no secret that nearly 9 out of 10 North American churches are declining or growing slower than their communities, primarily because they lack effective outreach programs. Outreach helps churches reach people in the community that are far from God or anything spiritual for that matter. Outreach [...]
How do we plant churches in a post-modern culture? This is a question that church leaders across the globe are grappling with. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but there are some key principles that can help guide us as we seek to reach our communities for Christ. In this blog post, we'll explore some of [...]
When I say “needed,” I need to qualify that word. If you are planting a house church or micro church, then you may not need these 5 positions. That’s the beauty of “simple church.” This blog post is about planting community churches. Based on my 20+ years of experience, these 5 key positions are needed [...]
While new churches are unique to their local context, there are some key factors that are consistent with all of the church plants. I call these the Four "Must Do's" of church planting. Here are 4 things you must do as you begin your church planting journey: 1. Be Ready! Spiritual warfare is [...]
Let’s be real. Whenever I see my wife’s name come up on my cell phone I take the call. She is not a phone person so when she calls, I pick up no matter what I’m doing. You probably can relate to that scenario. Why? Because our spouses matter, big time! People are called [...]
Whenever I am out of town for a weekend, I look for a church to attend. More specifically, I look for a church plant to attend. Each time I do this, I am reminded that it can be scary attending any church for the first time. The anxiety intensifies if you don’t know anyone there. [...]
We all know that volunteering is a great opportunity for people to get involved in the local church. We also know, it can be a wonderful experience and will go a long way to make folks feel part of something much bigger than themselves. Relationships are made and soon, the church is more like a [...]
Every church should get a grasp on strategic planning practices. When we implement intentional planning, we set ourselves up to succeed. No matter what we want for our churches in the coming year, communicating our goals, direction, and budgets can turn our vision into reality. This blog post will discuss how creating church calendars can [...]
It has been over 21 years since I first became a pastor. I've had the privilege of equipping many for church planting and missions. Here is some advice that I share with those who feel called into this field of ministry: 1. Read everything you can get your hands on! Leaders are readers. If [...]