Gospel Tweeting Contest
Help me vote for the best gospel explanation in 140 character or less. We had 93 entries for a contest and need to vote for the best one. Read More
Acts 29 Blog
(82 Posts)
Scott Thomas is the Director of Acts 29 Network and Pastor of Global Church at Mars Hill Church. Scott has been a pastor for 27 years—first as a youth pastor and then as a lead pastor and church planter/church replanter for 16 years.
Evidences of Grace
Where are the evidences of God's grace in your life? Find out how powerful it can be to look through the lens of God's grace. Read More
First Western European Church Planters
Church planting in Western Europe begins with our first approved church planters. Read More
London Church Planting Conference - Day One
We are launching the official branch of Acts 29 at the Church Planting Foundations Conference in London. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Never Quit: The Falwell Legacy
Never Quit was a common saying of Jerry Falwell. How does it apply to our lives today? Read More
Five Things I Learned from Billy Hornsby
We can learn from other evangelical leaders if we are humble. What does another church planting leader have to teach to us? Read More
Characteristics of Good Preaching
I compiled some thoughts on preaching from four different sources: 1) Twitter unscientific survey; 2) Kevin Bruursema; 3) Mars Hill Church via Tim Keller; 4) John Piper. Enjoy. Read More
GCA's North America Church Planting Seminar 2009
GCA is hosting their 2009 North America Church Planting Seminar July 21-24 in Orlando this summer. They also are offering great early-bird deals for those who register before May 31. This is a great deal. Hurry before my friend Steve Childres changes his mind! Read More
London Church Planting Foundations - Update
London Church Planting Foundations is less than a month away. Sensing the Spirit's move and with so much new opportunity and development in the UK, this conference is sure to be a ground-breaking and exciting time. But why is the "American" Acts 29 Network headed to Europe? Read More
Category: General
Acts 29 Expands into the UK – Brilliant!
Steve Timmis, co-author of Total Church, will direct a new Acts 29 Network in Western Europe beginning today. Steve is handing off The Crowded House duties, an alliance of gospel communities in Sheffield, England to focus on establishing a wider network of churches planting new churches all across Western Europe. Read More
Category: Church Planting
How Mark Driscoll Leads
Mark Driscoll, founder and President of Acts 29 and founder of Mars Hill Church and The Resurgence is a world-class leader. Find the six reasons why. Read More
Mercy on the Streets
What happens as we serve others on the streets? Do they really deserve to be shown mercy? Not any more than we did as Jesus came down and served us and saved us from our depravity. Read More
If It Ain't Broke... Don't Follow It
Missional Influencers are personally broken before they can fix anything. At our upcoming boot camp in San Diego is focusing on the influence of missional leaders.What does it mean to be a broken leader? Read More
Category: Leadership
Sign Up for San Diego Boot Camp
The San Diego Boot Camp is less than a month away. It is important to register as soon as possible. May 5-6 in beautiful Sunny San Diego Read More
The Courage of a Church Planter
A little old lady in an industrial neighborhood in Seattle showed the kind of courage necessary for a church planter. She may have been tougher than most planters. Read More
29 Acts of Mercy
As a way to show mercy to others during this Passion Week, I would like to participate in 29 Acts of mercy for the homeless on Good Friday by purchasing 29 sleeping bags and handing them out to those in need. And I am asking you to participate by showing an act of mercy by participating in the purchase of these. Read More
Picto:Blog - Worship Resources
87 resource links for worship leaders including Harold Best, Tim Smith, Bob Kauflin, Mike Cosper, Matt Stevens, Stuart Townsend and John Piper. Read More
Picto:Blog - Missional Contextualization
If you are a church planter, you have to be understood by the locals in order to communicate with them effectively. A good missionary will communicate in a manner that is understood by the culture in which he ministers. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Picto:Blog - Replanting
Most churches are stagnant or in decline. 3,500 churches close every year. Can a church turn around and still make it? Or can it identify the opportunity for a Redemptive Church Plant by investing property, buildings and resources to a new body for much fruit? Read More
Picto:Blog - The Call of a Fool
While some regard following the call of God as a foolish act, God chooses the foolish to shame the wise (i Cor. 1:27). Has he called you? Read More
I am Proud of My Humility!
The problem when we deride the non-essential practices of others is that we usually elevate ourselves over them. We display a lewd attitude and a coarse spirit. It is like saying that we are proud of our humility. It is contradictory communication between our attitudes and our words. How do we deal with those who criticize us? Read More
Boot Camp Audio from Raleigh Available
The audio from the boot camp recently held in Raleigh, NC is available. Read More
Acts 29 Boot Camp in San Diego | May 5-6, 2009
Acts 29 Boot Camps are church planting conferences open to the public that focus on the vision of church planting, calling of the planter, mandate to multiply churches and the theological foundation for gospel-centered church planting. The San Diego Boot Camp will be hosted by Kaleo Church in in San Diego, CA. Read More
St Louis Boot Camp Audio Available
Darrin Patrick and Jonathan McIntosh of The Journey hosted the Lead Conference in St Louis October 20-22, 2008. Speakers included Darrin Patrick, Matt Carter, Bryon Chappel, Randy Nabors, Eric Mason and Jonathan. Read More
The Calling of a Planter - Mark Driscoll
The Call of a Church Planter is discussed by Mark Driscoll at the opening session of the Acts 29 Boot Camp in Seattle. Mark asks 13 questions to help a man determine his call for ministry. Read More
Acts 29 Going to London Again this Summer
Acts 29 is going back to London to serve the church planters in the UK and to follow the leading of the Spirit to promote the gospel more strategically. We have limited seating and are looking for men who want to plant city center churches in the UK and mainland Europe. Read More
The Call: Teaching Overview
The Seattle Boot Camp teaching is all new materials and is based on the thesis of the Great Commission: "We are called as a community of believers to proclaim the gospel to all nations in the power of the Holy Spirit." We will look at the person that is called to a gospel-centered church, what he is called to and how that calling is incarnated through the local church. Read More
PJ Smyth Speaking at Seattle Boot Camp
PJ Smyth, Pastor of GodFirst Church in Johannesburg, South Africa will speak about the Call to the Gospel at the Seattle Boot Camp March 9-10. Read More
Dave Bruskas speaking at Boot Camp in Seattle
As we explore The Call in our upcoming boot camp in Seattle March 9-10, Pastor Dave Bruskas will address taking the gospel to all nations. Read More
Matt Chandler Speaking at Seattle Boot Camp
Matt Chandler, Lead pastor at The Village Church in Dallas will be teaching "Preaching" at the upcoming Acts 29 boot camp in Seattle March 9-10. Watch a video to get a taste of what is to come. Read More
Let's Move On
What happens when a publication boringly reports old news in a sloppy way without consideration of the results? I am urging us to move on because we don't have time to dodge friendly fire bullets while Satan continues to gain ground. Read More
RT: Retweeting Raleigh Boot Camp
We tried something new at the Raleigh Boot Camp last week. We integrated tweeting comments while many people tracked the event instantly through the use of #a29 hashtag. We pulled off several tweets to bless your passion for the mission of Jesus. Hope to see you at the Acts 29 Boot Camp in Seattle March 9-10, 2009. Read More
Total Church: Interview with Steve Timmis - Part Four
Final installment of interview with Steve Timmis...He will be presenting Total Church in Seattle March 9 during our Acts 29 Boot Camp Read More
Total Church: Interview with Steve Timmis - Part Three
In an interview with my friend Steve Timmis the author of Total Church, co-authored by Tim Chester, Steve answers questions about the nature of a gospel community. The interview was conducted through a video conference with our Pastor's Training Program (PTP) at Mars Hill Church. Read More
Total Church: Interview with Steve Timmis - Part Two
We continue the interview with Steve Timmis who talks about gospel communities Read More
Total Church: Interview with Steve Timmis - Part One
Steve Timmis is the founder of The Crowded House, author of Total Church and director of Radstock. A group of church planters interviewed Steve about the model of The Crowded House and learned some valuable insights about gospel-centered church planting. Read More
6 Guidelines for Executive Pastors
What is the unique role of an Executive Pastor (XP)? What is his relationship with the lead pastor? Pastor Jamie Munson answers these questions having served as XP at Mars Hill Church with Mark Driscoll. Read More
Seven Things I Would do Differently as a Planter - Part Three
Three more things I would do if I was planting a church today. 1) I would train leaders relentlessly, 2) I would get a coach and 3) I would enjoy the journey of church planting more. Read More
Seven Things I Would do Differently as a Planter - Part Two
Part Two asks the question of whether we are developing men who are mules, stallions or donkeys. Find out your focus. Read More
Seven Things I Would do Differently as a Planter - Part One
After serving as a church planting director at Acts 29, I reflected at the things I would do differently if I was planting a church today. Read More
Seven Reasons to Attend Raleigh NC Boot Camp
Raleigh NC Boot Camp is just a little over a week away! Registration is still open, but hurry... there are at least seven good reasons why you want to be there in person next week! Read More
What does Acts 29 Mean?
Several emails come per month asking about the meaning of "Acts 29." I pray that you will find this helpful to articulate it. Read More
Puritan Porn & Church Planting Fever, part 3
I received an email from an unmarried young man under the age of 22 wishing to plant a church. In an attempt to address a whole crowd of young men with "church planting fever," I wrote a letter back to him with 10 suggestions. In this post are suggestions #6-10. Read More
Puritan Porn & Church Planting Fever, part 2
Yesterday, Scott posted an email he received from a young man wishing to plant a church, as well as the beginning of his letter in response. Here, find suggestions #2-5 from Scott Thomas. Read More
Puritan Porn & Church Planting Fever, part 1
I received an email yesterday and felt as though I needed to address this issue globally as we receive a fair number of inquiries from young men with "church planting fever." Unfortunately, the prognosis is a catastrophic ministry experience. The only cure is the gospel. It is administered with humility. Read More
Vintage Church is Here!
I have been anticipating this book more than any other book written by my pastor and friend, Mark Driscoll. It is not because the other books have been sub-par. I think Death by Love is brilliant. So does Christianity Today. It is because I love the church (Big C and little C). I love discussions about the church and how we can best express the gospel through a community of believers striving together on the mission of Jesus. And I love planting new churches. Read More
Thoughts About Missional Church Planting
I have spent the last six years seeking to understand all I can about planting a missional church. I have seen some great expressions of missional church planting and I have seen what I regarded as abuses of missionality or sinful syncretism in the name of cultural contextualization. Read More
Raleigh NC Boot Camp
Acts 29 Boot Camps are considered by many to be the best available in equipping and assessing church planters. We are having a boot camp in Raleigh, North Carolina, February 4-5 and are excited to bring you some stellar teachers for this round including Wayne Grudem, Mark Driscoll, Danny Akin and many more. Read More
Survey: Church Planter Characteristics
I am researching essential characteristics of a church planter (elder qualified is assumed). What do you think are the top qualities of a church planter (not just a pastor)? Read More
Dallas Boot Camp Audio is Available
The Boot Camp in Dallas at The Village Church in Highlands, pastored by Matt Chandler hosted our most recent event. You can now access the audio. Read More
What Would Jesus Twitter?
With the current phenomenon of Facebook where people update their status daily and Twitter members who update their status event by event with their phone, I wondered what some of the Bible character's status updates would have looked like. Here's my attempt: Read More
Category: General
Keller Explains the Gospel
The gospel has been described as a pool in which a toddler can wade and yet an elephant can swim. It is both simple enough to tell to a child and profound enough for the greatest minds to explore. Indeed, even angels never tire of looking into it (1 Peter 1:12). Humans are by no means angels, however, so rather than contemplating it, we argue about it. Read More
The Spiritual Man
Romans 8:5-8 tells us about an ultimate choice: Life or death; hostility or peace. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God..." These two opposing forces are seen as the only two states of mankind. John Owen said, "When a man...is not spiritually minded, he is carnally minded." Each one results in contrastingly different modes. Carnally minded people have death and hostility while spiritually minded people experience life and peace. Read More
Category: General
Dallas Boot Camp - Final Chance to Sign Up
Whether you are interested to explore the exciting journey of planting a church, to discern a call to plant or to hear the great lineup of speakers, we present a Boot Camp in Dallas this week for a couple of days to challenge you to go deep into the heart and mission of the gospel. Read More
Pastors who Finish Well
It is the rare leader who runs faithfully to the end, developed by God toward maximum potential in life and ministry. Only a handful earns the right to echo Paul's words, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Tim. 4:7) Read More
Category: Leadership
10K Run with my Wife
Tuesday, Nov. 11, my wife Jeannie and I completed a 10K Run. This run is not really what you would expect, but it has been a race nonetheless. We have been married 10,000 days! (not that I am counting.) I am not writing this to be a proverbial slideshow of my vacation, but rather to talk about the qualities of a good pastor's wife. I have lived with a good one for over 14 million minutes (not that I am counting). What does a pastor's wife do? I offer a few qualities below with apologies that I am offering these through the example of my wife, who has been my bride for over 240,000 hours (not that I am counting). Read More
Category: Leadership
Making the Religious People Angry
Tim Keller's new book, The Prodigal God, illuminates the differences between the preaching of Jesus and the preaching common in today's churches. "Jesus' teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing religious people of his day... We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down moralistic people." Read More
One Point Calvinist
How does a church planter keep people on mission as they seek to understand the nuances of the doctrine of salvation? Dr. JI Packer does a brilliant job at condensing Calvinism down to one point; three key words sum up the emphasis needed to shepherd those seeking to understand Reformed Theology. Read More
Piper's Number One Danger is Himself
John Piper said, "I am my biggest danger. When I go up, God goes down." At an Acts 29 Boot Camp in Seattle, in conjunction with the Annual Resurgence Conference, Mark Driscoll asked Matt Chandler and John Piper about the number one danger facing pastors today. The answers are insightful. Read More
Am I a Church Planter?
Every young man that considers church planting asks the question, Am I a Church Planter? It is the question I asked myself before planting a church. It is the question we ask every man who submits himself to our Acts 29 assessment process to be a lead planter in our network. Many times he is depending on our assessment process to confirm his calling. Read More
Shepherding a Child's Heart Conference
The one qualification of a pastor found in the Bible that has an explanation is his responsibility with his family. If a man does not know how to shepherd his own house well, how can he take care of the house of God? (1 Timothy 3:5). A regular source of conflict in a pastor's home can be his children. A house of unruly children can take the joy out of serving Jesus and can create a wedge between the man and his once beautiful bride before she walked around the house with a stressful scowl on her face. Read More
Category: General
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 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
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