14550 Lee Rd, Chantilly, VA 20151

Newsletter — March 2018

Time to Skate to Where the Puck is Going

Dale Spaulding, Director, Passion for Planting

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky is considered by many to be the greatest player to ever lace up ice skates. He’s the NHL’s all-time leader in goals and assists, acquiring the nickname, “The Great One.” What made Gretzky so great? He was always a step ahead of the game. He could envision a play before it unfolded.

He’d say, “I always skate to where the puck is going rather than where it’s been.” Gretzky was a step ahead of the game and that made him and his teammates better. Church leaders will benefit from having a similar mindset as Gretzky – one that’s not focused on the past, but on the future.

Is your church skating to where the puck is going? Are you developing younger leaders to replace your current leadership? Are you sending leaders out to start new expressions of church that reach a new generation?  Are you making disciple-makers?

Passion for Planting exists to equip leaders to start multiplying churches that make disciples in this generation and the next. Here are a few resources to help you along this journey.

–Dale Spaulding, Director

March 2018 – Contents

  • Library of Strategies
  • Church Growth
  • Church Planter Distance Residency
  • Multiplication Thinking

 

Library of Strategies

Here at Passion for Planting we say that you don’t have clarity on an idea until you take the time to write it down. That’s why we encourage our church planters to develop written strategies that will guide their church in fulfilling its mission.  These strategies do not have to be complex!

Since we don’t want planters to waste their time starting with a blank piece of paper, we created a library of strategy templates. These templates will help you develop a game plan to turn your vision into reality. Visit our free downloads page today.

Our library of strategies include:

 

Church Growth

The world is constantly changing. The technology, fashion, entertainment popular five years ago is old news today. As the world changes, so does the need for the church to contextualize its ministry to fit our ever evolving world.

How will changes in the world around us affect the church’s ability to reach its community with the gospel? The answers might be simpler than you think. In a recent blog post, titled 7 Things That Will Drive Future Church Growth, Carey Nieuwhof shares what he believes are the answers. Thanks for the insight Carey!

Church Planter Distance Residency

Residencies aren’t just for doctors anymore. They’re becoming increasingly more popular these days in the church planting world. One reason is because they’re yielding results.

That’s true of our distance residency program which is equipping leaders to plant multiplying churches while staying in their local context. Learning from national church planting leaders like Shawn Lovejoy, Mac Lake, Bobby Harrington, and Todd Wilson, our residents graduate from our program confident and equipped to answer their church planting call.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2018-2019 learning cohort. The program runs from September through June every year. To read more about how our program is equipping leaders to plant multiplying churches and to submit your application, visit Church Planting Residency.

Multiplication Thinking

Since you’re reading this newsletter, we’re guessing you have a passion for seeing people trust and follow Jesus. You’re probably always looking for ways to share your faith and tell people about the love of God. That’s great, but consider this for a second – is the way you’re making disciples patterned after Jesus’ method of disciple making?

He not only made disciples, he made disciples who made disciples. He developed leaders who carried his gospel to the ends of the earth. Imagine all people who will come to know the Lord as the result of you not just leading people to Jesus, but also empowering them to be disciple makers. That’s the mindset Albert Tate encouraged leaders to embody at last month’s Exponential conference. Catch the highlights here.