Category: Blog
Three Antidotes to Pastoral Perfectionism
By Mark Dance: Pastors and planters know full well the pressure of perfectionism. I have lived and served in the public eye for three decades – fully cognizant of the fact that I am expected to win both at home and church. I don’t always win. Pastors also live privately under […]
Five New Reasons Why You DO Want to Launch that New Church or Campus
by Warren Bird: What did leaders from more than 1,500 new churches or multisite campuses tell us about what they’ve learned and experienced? “8 Launch Wins,” our newly released report gives you wisdom from comparing various approaches and circumstances. Here is the infographic from the richly illustrated report, which is […]
How to Claim Your Online Church Listings
by Patrick Bradley: You need to claim your online church listings so that you can control what is displayed and moderate ratings and reviews. Sooner or later, your church plant will show up in online directories like Yelp and Google Maps. Where does that information come from? How do they […]
Church Planting Versus Starting a Church
by Peyton Jones: MISSION OBJECTIVES: To understand the difference between Church Starting and Church Planting. To understand the difference between what Paul did versus what we do. In Saving Private Ryan, Tom Hanks’s character receives an apology that his squad is getting deployed to another dangerous mission. In Saving Private […]
Get Your People to Post Online Church Ratings
by Patrick Bradley: Having your team post online church ratings could make the difference between whether someone decides to visit your church gatherings or not. Have you ever looked up ratings for restaurants or contractors online? I have. I want to know something about the reputation and track record of […]
Resisting Spiritual Colonialism & Ambulance Chasing
By Daniel Im: For this month’s segment, Ed and I had the privilege of talking with Mark Jobe, Lead Pastor of New Life Community Church. New Life currently has over 20 locations in the Chicago-land area. Replanting and Restarting Having successfully launched 25 locations around Chicago, 14 of which were restarts, […]
Why Gifting ISN’T Enough
by Peyton Jones: Church planting is the spiritual equivalent of Boot Camp. You know why they have Boot Camp right? It’s to weed out the sissies. You’ve got to have grace, grit, and gumption to stay on and stick it out as a planter. You need stamina. My biggest fear […]
Healthy Church Growth: Programs vs. Path
Today’s post is written by Tony Morgan, Founder of The UnStuck Group. I’ve observed something interesting in healthy, growing churches over the last several years. The ones experiencing the most healthy growth tend to approach discipleship as a path. The leaders spend time thinking on how to best help people […]
Top DIY Church Website Options
by Patrick Bradley: If you’re on a budget and find WordPress confusing, there are several other DIY church website options. I’ve leaned into this a little harder recently because I continue to get calls for help from confused pastors who just can’t figure out their WordPress sites. I know all […]
Five Ways to Fight Discouragement When You Want to Quit
By Dustin Neeley: There is a reason why you hear pastors say that want to resign every Monday morning – because it is often true. In some ways, this is even more true for church planters. In addition to the inherent stresses and struggles of ministry, most planters also carry the additional burdens […]