One of the things our church has done, since the very beginning, is carve out one night a month for corporate prayer and song. We call it our monthly prayer night. This is a step-by-step guide to what that looks like.
Read MoreThere isn't a lot out there to encourage church planters. Advice? Yes. Correction? Yes. Coaching? Yes. Comparing? Yes. Mocking? Sometimes. Encouragement? Not really. Some may say, "Well, if you're a church planter you shouldn't need kudos to stay the course." There's some truth to that, but that's not what encouragement is about. To en-courage is "to put courage into". Yes, our ultimate source of encouragement is the Chief Planter. Yet, the primary means by which we receive and experience his encouragement is through His people - especially from others who are in the trenches with you. So, to all my fellow church planters, this is my encouragement to you, as one among you.
Read MoreThis fall Downtown Cornerstone Church, which gathers in downtown Seattle, is rolling out two discipleship training tracks: a 1-Year Gospel Leader track and a 2-Year Pastor/Church Planter Residency. Each track leverages a mixture of BILD, Porterbrook and other resources to create a world-class, yet very local, training environment for making disciple-making-disciples. This is a great opportunity to be further equipped, whether you hope to go deeper in your relationship with Jesus, desire to grow as a disciple-maker and/or be trained as a church planter. For more information, track descriptions, frequently-asked-questions and to enroll, go here.
One of the unique joys and privileges of my life has been to participate in what God is doing in and through Acts 29. I have been on staff, served as a regional director, helped establish a presence in South America and, now, as a church planter. Over the course of last ten years the network has grown from a small huddle of like-minded pastors to a global network of over 500 churches-planting-churches. In this new video, Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church and president of Acts 29 talks about the network and where God is leading us. If you would like to learn more about planting with Acts 29 go here. If you would like to learn more about participating in an urban church planter residency with us, go here.
As of 2013, here is where the network stands:
Learn more about the Acts 29 distinctives here.
Learn more about the Four Hopes of Acts 29 here.
A friend of mine, Jay Bauman, is doing some great gospel work in Brazil. He created Restore Brazil, serves as the South American director for Acts 29 and just this year set out to plant a new church in Rio. He and his team recently put this phenomenal vision video together. I encourage you to watch it. It will stir your soul to take the gospel to your neighborhood - and the nations.
This post falls into the category of practical theology. How do I prepare for, and carry out, an informational meeting with someone I want to learn from? I did this a lot with others in the early the days of planting: local pastors, fellow church planters, non-profit directors, city council members and pretty much anyone who would meet with me.
Read MoreCities are places of transition. Seattle is no different. Many people move to Seattle for school, work or new opportunities. Moving to a new community is difficult. But, finding a church that loves Jesus, believes the Bible and preaches the gospel is even more so. Since launching in 2011 we’ve met many new-to-the-city Jesus-following transplants in search of a church to call home. That search is not as easy as it might sound, particularly in Seattle. What follows are questions I encourage others to consider when in search of a new church family. There's no such thing as a perfect church or a church that will fulfill everything you wish a church would be, but there are a number of things that should be non-negotiable as you consider partnering with a local body of Jesus followers...
Read MoreI'm about three years into planting a church, which means I'm not an expert. However, I do trust my Bible, love my Jesus and have some battle scars. I know first hand many of the things, internally and externally, that compete for the church planters heart, mind and soul. Unfortunately, the reality is that many, if not all, of these can threaten to eclipse the very thing that our people need most from us.
Read MoreThe early stage of church planting is a unique season that comes with its own share of opportunities and obstacles. We're familiar with the obstacles, but what about the opportunities? Because everything is so new and fresh (and frightening) at the beginning it is an opportune time to network. With who? With anyone who is willing to meet with you. Anyone. I'm not a natural networker, but I found the following to be incredibly helpful.
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