A Child's Heart for Church Planting
I received the greatest letter this week from a seven-year-old boy along with 5 one-dollar bills. In his own handwriting he said... Read More
Category: Church Planting
Acts 29 Blog
Acts 29 Goes to the UK
Mark Driscoll and I are heading to England this morning. Mark is speaking to NewFrontiers a group of 3,000+ pastors gathered together just south of London. Their leader, Terry Virgo (one of the largest churches in the UK) is a Calvinist charismatic. Mark will have a great influence on the UK as he speaks about The Ox, Religion vs. the Gospel, Movements are Messy, Spirit-led Missions, Male and Female and the Trinity, Death by Ministry, Planting Radical Churches and Leadership Lessons. Read More
Category: Church Planting
English Standard Version Introduces a Study Bible on Steroids
I have loved my ESV translation Bible. Its accurate word-for-word translation and ease of readability has made a popular option for those who are serious students of the Bible. Mars Hill Church made the change from NIV to ESV almost two years ago and the congregation has embraced it ... Read More
Category: General
Watch Your Life and Doctrine
1 Timothy 4:16: “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” My friend C.J. Mahaney led off the Dwell Conference to cleanse the room of sin, pride, self-sufficiency and spiritual arrogance—all things C. J. admits he has struggled over his many years of ministry. When he finished, I told him it was perfectly executed. Read More
Category: Leadership
Dwell Conference Goes to London!
The inaugural Dwell Conference in New York City this past April was a sold-out urban church-planting conference attended by men from 12 different countries. The largest contingency was from the UK. So, we are heading to London in July for a one-day conference with Mark Driscoll, founder of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Steve Timmis, founder of The Crowded House and the Porterbrook Network in Sheffield England and Scott Thomas, Director of Acts 29 Church Planting Network and the Mars Hill Church Leadership Center. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Compelled By Love
At the recent Dwell Conference in NYC, we were able to put a brand new book into the hands of 300 church leaders. Compelled by Love, subtitled The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living is the new book by our friend Ed Stetzer and Acts 29 church planter Philip Nation. As we ... Read More
Category: General
Training the Called
A church planter is a uniquely gifted pastor with a passion to proclaim the gospel to those who are unchurched with the goal of establishing a new community of believers on mission in their community for the glory of God. But just because a man is called to plant does not mean it is easy to do without some help from those who are actively involved in birthing new churches. Acts 29 and Mars Hill Church want to humbly offer to help. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Seattle Conference and Sunny Days
Almost 1,200 people attended the Text and Context Acts 29 Boot Camp this week in uncharacteristically sunny Seattle for three days of fantastic teaching. Among those were spiritually hungry people from 46 states and 11 countries, 49 Acts 29 pastors, 23 couples to be assessed as Acts 29 candidates and Mars Hill Church staff and an army of volunteers. Read More
Category: General
Driscoll Chat with Church Planter Families - Part One of Five
Mark Driscoll spent an hour talking with the participants of the Chicago boot camp about the importance of having a gospel-centered family. In this Audio clip, he tells his story about planting Mars Hill Church in Seattle and the stress it placed on his family. He then answered one question, How do I fulfill my role as a godly wife to my husband who is a strong leader? Read More
Category: Church Planting
Highlights of Chicago Boot Camp – Part One
Mark Driscoll led the session on Preaching the Mission to the students and faculty of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and to the sold-out boot camp registrants in Chicago (Deerfield) at the end of January. Driscoll said he prefers to preach rather than teach about preaching. He cleverly said it is the difference between going on a date and teaching someone about dating. “Going on a date with your wife always ends... Read More
Category: Church Planting
Mark Dever is Cool
“You [Acts 29 Pastors] are taken to be the essence of cool by many young ministers, and I personify not cool,” said Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church and founder of 9Marks, in his address at our Chicago Boot Camp last week. Dever, conspicuously clad in suit and tie, united the commonality of our mission by saying, “Our differences are enough to separate some of my friends..." Read More
Category: General
Church Planting is not for Wimps
Our church planting boot camps are always open to all people and are beneficial to all church leaders. The next boot camp will be in Chicago January 29-30 on the campus of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). "Chicago at the end of January?" you ask, doubting our sanity?" I told you that church planting is not for wimps. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Show Me the Money
The St Louis Metro Baptist Association has formed a Church Planting Fund called “Show Me Partnership.” It is a way that people can assist those church planters whose funds from the Missouri Baptist Convention will be cut off January 1, 2008 because of a decision made by the MBC on December 10, 2007. Read More
Category: General
Acts 29 is Kicked out of Missouri - Show Me the Love!
Acts 29 Network and the Southern Baptists share the same mission: to seek and to save the lost; to go into all of the world and share the gospel of Jesus and to baptize and teach the believers through the local church. For this reason, we love the SBC, have appreciated our partnerships throughout the country and are now mourning the loss of our fellowship with the Missouri Southern Baptist Convention. Read More
Category: General
No Blow-Hards in the Windy City
Acts 29 Network is blowing into Chicago January 29-30 for a church planting boot camp on the campus of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. This training coincides with TEDS’ Church Planting Week. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Raleigh Boot Camp Wrap Up
"The Acts 29 Boot Camp in Raleigh was the best training I received in preparation for church planting. I laughed, I cried, I struggled with the messages, I argued with myself but I walked away better prepared to plant a gospel-centered church." (Attendee at our Raleigh Boot Camp) Read More
Category: Church Planting
The Planter's Ultimatum
Nearly every church planting network and assessment center uses some form of Ridley’s list of characteristics for an effective church planter. While I normally decry cut and paste articles, we get numerous questions from potential church planters asking if they should plant a church. When I set out to plant a church, I examined a list of characteristics from Malphur’s book to discern God’s call to plant a church. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Would You Ever ‘Replant’ a Church?
Listen to this 4 minute audio excerpt from Scott Thomas and Mark Driscoll answering the question of those pastoring a church that seems to be plateauing and/or recognizing the church is off mission and what steps one might take to turn it around. Read More
Category: Church Planting
The Value of a Pastoral Family Above Reproach
The one thing that I appreciate most about Mark Driscoll is not his communication skills although he is a brilliant and gifted communicator. It is not his wit and humor and ability to make people laugh in almost any context. It is not his photographic memory or his understanding of complicated doctrinal and theological concepts. I think his IQ is on par with genius but none of that really matters that much to me. What impresses me most is... Read More
Category: General
How to know if you are a Blogging Addict
I have met some bloggers out there and they are all interesting in their own way. Anybody who is excited to put their ideas, pictures, random thoughts, ramblings on the web for anyone to see has to be partly nuts. Some give it a go for a short time and find it taxing to regularly write things the whole world can see and a few might find interest. Others become addicted to blogging. It is these cats that I write about. Read More
Category: General
Seven Misrepresentations of Acts 29
In light of some recent attacks on us and on our leadership, we wanted to “set the record straight” about a few misrepresentations about Acts 29. This is lengthy for a blog, but it is necessary for contextual clarity—something our critics don’t always practice. Read More
Category: Church Planting
What is a Missional Church?
Missional-Is that a Real Word? - A church that is not missional is not really a church. A church exists by mission as the sun exists by burning. When the sun loses its burn it ceases to be the sun. When a church loses its mission, it ceases to be a church. Missional is an adjective describing all of the activities of the church body as they are brought under the mission of God (missio dei) to proclaim the good news of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Being on mission very easily becomes one activity in church among many others vying for attention. Over time churches allow meetings, programs, traditions and other good things to cumulatively move the church from missional mode to maintenance mode. A church must continuously see itself as missionaries and all of its energies must be missionary. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Seattle Boot Camp Wrap Up
Acts 29 provides boot camps for the purpose of setting the theological compass for missional church planting. Last week we had the biggest boot camp of our existence. Over 350 people converged upon Seattle for the Acts 29 Church Planter’s Boot Camp. 32 men and their wives were assessed as potential planters with Acts 29 Network. Over 42 Acts 29 member pastors came in to assess. 20 pastors began their 6 month training to be a church planting coach. Read More
Category: General
Interview with Mark Driscoll by Dr. Ed Stetzer
This Blog has an accompanying audio podcast made available by and used by permission of National New Church Conference. The audio can be accessed on the National New Church Conference website. The National New Church Conference is a cross-denominational gathering designed to connect, inspire, equip and challenge church planting leaders. The conference will be held in Orlando, Florida April 23-26, 2007. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Leading with a Compelling Vision
Leading a church or ministry is a tough assignment. It is even tougher if the leader does not have a compelling vision. Compelling, according to Dictionary.com is “to force or drive, especially to a course of action; to have a powerful and irresistible effect, influence, etc.” The vision of a leader must irresistibly force others to follow. How does a leader gain such a compelling vision? I offer ten suggestions: Read More
Category: Leadership
Characteristics of a Wise Church-Planter
The most important factor in determining an effective gospel-centered church plant is the lead pastor. Cool bands, hip buildings and powerful children’s ministries may contribute but do not make the biggest difference. It is the clear visionary guidance of the lead planter. Below are ten characteristics of a "wise church-planter." Read More
Category: Church Planting
Me-Centered or Gospel-Centered?
We live in a me-centered world. Many churches are rapidly becoming me-centered. The consumer (church attendee) arrives at church expecting the supplier (church) to provide a flawless product (ministry, style, program) that meets all of their needs. The gospel is merely an added afterthought. If a church is centered on success (rather than the pursuit of Jesus) it forfeits its original calling by Christ and seeks merely to attract or keep its (paying) “customers.” Read More
Category: Church Planting
Relational Rage
Relational Rage is a disturbing characteristic within the body of Christ. Professing Christians are simultaneously dependant on Christ’s forgiveness while displaying a colossal reconciliatory deficiency. In other words, church people are intentionally hurting one another with no real attempt to seek forgiveness—the gospel message of reconciliation. As a young Christian in my teens, I noticed this serious gap of inconsistency. It turned me off at first and then as a pastor it engulfed me to try to correct this obvious flaw in the body of Christ. I found it to be deeper than I expected. While trying to mediate between two feuding church members (as a pastor in the church), I became the retaliatory victim of their animosity and rebellion. They weren’t interested in the gospel being applied to their fury. I finally stopped throwing my pearls before the swine and concentrated instead on ministering to those whose heart was on the gospel. But pigs still stink even if we try to ignore them. And they roam freely throughout the church snorting and rooting and defecating around pre-believers and new believers. We wonder why the church stinks. Read More
Category: General
What is the Point of Making New Year’s Resolutions?
This time of year prompts many people to make New Year's resolutions-even if they know they made the same ones last year with no real evident change. The most common resolutions are dieting and exercise, finances and something to do with relationships (marriage, family). Most resolutions are broken within the first week of proclaiming them. Some questions that come to mind: What is the benefit of making a resolution? Are they even a biblical practice and how can they be redeemed? Do they have any lasting effect on changing a person? Are these changes superficial and carnally-controlled or are they Spirit-changed? Read More