One of the most humbling things to consider as we hear from our planters is how God is sanctifying them and saving others through the ministry God has entrusted to them. I want to frequently introduce you to guys in the network and what God is accomplishing in them and through them. This week it's Jonathan Needham pastor at Coram Deo in Bremerton which is in the Tacoma area of Washington state.
Christ is All,
Matt Chandler
by Jonathan Needham
It was Easter morning. We were getting ready to celebrate at our local performing arts theater. We invited another church in town to join the party. People started showing up. Seven people had signed up to be baptized. Three had agreed to share their stories. One came from a Christian background, another from an atheistic background, ...
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by Matt Chandler, President
Over the next couple of weeks I want to publically state what my hopes are for the Acts 29 Network. My hopes aren’t complex and seem to me to be no-brainers, even though it might take years before some of them are a reality. I will be and am currently putting my efforts and influence to work in these directions. Today and for the first one I’ll state the obvious:
I want us to plant churches that plant churches.
There are endless good and biblical things that we could set our energies and zeal on but that’s not why A29 was created. My hope is not that we would simply plant churches but that we would plant churches that plant churches that plant churches. That from the very beginning of an Acts 29 plant, the pastor and the people would have ...
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I am extremely excited and humbled by the Presidency of Acts 29. God has shown immense favor on our little network that is over 400 churches on six continents. Every weekend men and women are being saved and lives are being transformed by the gospel being fearlessly proclaimed in every environment imaginable. From rural areas to the suburbs, to urban centers like Manhattan, Boston and Seattle, in the UK and in Australia, South Africa and South America men of God are proclaiming the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with Holy Spirit power and God is saving, healing and transforming. I often dwell on this during the week. The thought that God is at work everywhere around us, it’s warm water to my soul to know that I am in the trenches with such godly men who love the God ...
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I am thrilled that Acts 29 is moving to Dallas and will be led by my friend, Pastor Matt Chandler. I think it is good for the network that other leaders will add different perspectives, nuances, and emphases. It will only be a better network as healthy, reproducing churches will continue to plant churches for the glory of God.
I was honored to serve in Acts 29 as God allowed some amazing outcomes in spite of man’s feeble efforts. I never deserved the opportunity. I never deserved the love of so many planters. I never deserved the fruitfulness God enabled.But I wasn’t planning to stay forever. I was anticipating a change for my ministry in the future, and the move to Dallas makes it a perfect time to allow new leadership to emerge. I am looking forward with great anticipation ...
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As a young church planter I wanted a tribe to belong to. So, I started gathering a few other young church planters for mutual learning, accountability, and encouragement. Before long, Mars Hill Church was formally supporting church planters in both the U.S. and India. Then, I met Pastor David Nicholas, whose Spanish River Church had generously supported church planters for many years. Together, we founded the Acts 29 church-planting network.
For the first years, the network offices were housed in Florida, as David served as our president. Then the offices were moved to Seattle when I assumed the presidency. Since that time, David has passed on to see the Jesus he loved face to face, and Acts 29 has grown rapidly, now totaling more than 400 churches in the U.S., as well as ...
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