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.
"Matt Chandler doesn't feel anything when the radiation penetrates his brain. It could start to burn later in treatment. But it hasn't been bad this time. Not yet, anyway," writes Eric Gorski, ASSOCIATED PRESS on January 30, 2010. How do we suffer well when our health is threatening our life? Matt is learning how and we are taking notes. Read More
Category: Leadership
When we see people suffering in death, we typically pity them. A cancer patient physically dismantled by radiation, a person on their death bed heaving out their last breaths. Our first impulse is to pity those who suffer in their death, which is appropriate, but there is another more appropriate response for some who suffer in death. Consider Jesus: Read More
Category: General
Mark Driscoll and James MacDonald are headed to Haiti to assess the needs of the local churches there and to invite Churches to help the churches as a mission for the recovery of the Haitian people. Read More
Category: General
Leaders who last pursue gospel-loving people in their lives to regularly ask the hard questions, bring rebuke, correction, admonition and truth-based encouragement for the glory of God. Read More
Category: Leadership
Read an update from Mike Gunn about the work Acts 29 is doing in Africa. Read More
Category: General
Tiger Woods admitted to marital infidelity and has decided to sit out of golf indefinitely to work on his marriage, family and character. Read More
Category: General
As we approach Thanksgiving—a time to give thanks—and the end of 2009—a time to reflect—we have much for which to give God praise. We have been incredibly blessed to see many new churches planted, a growth of influence and new friendships with leaders and church planters across the globe. We had 131 new church planting churches join the network this year to date, increasing the number of churches in Acts 29 Network to 288. We have 336 new applicants just in 2009 alone (about one per day). With this trajectory, we are anticipating over 120 churches being planted in 2010. Read More
The President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary invited some key leaders of Acts 29 into his home to have a candid, informal discussion. Everyone was encouraged as a result. Read More
Category: Leadership
C.H. Spurgeon said, “You do not love the Lord at all if you do not love the souls of men.” The people in the churches where I was pastor quickly strayed away from the harvest like a runaway criminal on the chain gang. They wanted to work on the building, have fellowship dinners, potlucks, and men’s breakfasts. They wanted to read books, sing songs—as long as it was in the style they preferred—and start programs for their own kids. MOPS, AWANA, VBS, BSF and home school CO-OP. Whatever kept them away from S-I-N-N-E-R-S. Read More
Yesterday, Scott Thomas answered some questions on Acts 29's origin and leadership. Today he answers the following questions: How is Acts 29 reaching out internationally? What distinguishes Acts 29 from a denomination? Do all Acts 29 churches follow a prescribed method or style? How do you expect Acts 29 will be different in ten years? What are some of the ways Acts 29 has seen evidence of God's hand of blessing? Read More
Category: Leadership, Church Planting
How and when did Acts 29 begin? Why does Acts 29 exist, and what are its chief goals and key emphases? Who are the key leaders in the ministry? The Acts 29 Director takes time to address these questions himself. Read More
Category: General
Why not just grab the free audio online after the event? Scott Thomas gives seven reasons why you should attend an Acts 29 Boot Camp. Read More
Jesus did not say go make churches. He said go make disciples. Where disciples are gathered, churches are formed. But if we fail to focus on making disciples we will use them to build our church. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Last week I had the great blessing of informally sitting down to talk with my brother Matt Chandler in Clear Creek Community Church's green room after he finished his Houston 2009 boot camp talk. He let me flip on a camera and ask him about his personal walk and about the men who influenced him through his conversion and first years of faith. Read More
Category: General
For Fridays, we are focusing on the Pastor as he prepares his heart and life for the weekend gatherings. This is the first installment for the edification of the pastor and the glory of God. Read More
I am not just trying to stay out of libelous lawsuits with my blogging; I want to represent the gospel with my words. How does the Ninth Commandment apply to the blogging world? Read More
Category: General
What does a ministry of reconciliation look like between a few Southern Baptists and Acts 29? Read More
Check out the repost from Upstream Collective after they attended an Acts 29 Regional in St Louis. It wasn't exactly what they anticipated... Read More
I recently had the joy and honor to speak to men at Fight Club 09 in Atlanta, hosted by The Journey Church. All of the men did a great job of displaying the gospel’s implications in our family, our job, our time and our body. The audio/video is now available. Read More
In April, I posted the 10 Characteristics of a Church Planter – a compilation of the characteristics and micro-skills we look for in planters. I wanted to know just how important each characteristic and micro-skill was to our Acts 29 assessors, and to create a standard minimum score for any church planter applying to the network. We polled our members, and from a little over 80 responses gathered some very helpful data I’d like to share with you. Read More
The gospel is the power of God for salvation and sadly many churches are ashamed of proclaiming it. As a result we may not be experiencing the fruit of transformation in our churches that is normally associated with the gospel. Gospel transformation cannot take place outside of gospel proclamation. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Congratulations to our top three contestants who Tweeted the essence of the gospel in 140 characters or less! Read More
Scott Thomas writes a brief article about his own struggles with worshipping success in his ministry rather than Jesus, concluding with a prayer of repentance. Read More
Category: Leadership
Acts 29 church planters were surveyed about the top characteristics of a church planter. You will find the results here. Read More
Category: Church Planting
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
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
Church planting in Western Europe begins with our first approved church planters. Read More
We are launching the official branch of Acts 29 at the Church Planting Foundations Conference in London. Read More
Category: Church Planting
Never Quit was a common saying of Jerry Falwell. How does it apply to our lives today? Read More
We can learn from other evangelical leaders if we are humble. What does another church planting leader have to teach to us? Read More
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 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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
87 resource links for worship leaders including Harold Best, Tim Smith, Bob Kauflin, Mike Cosper, Matt Stevens, Stuart Townsend and John Piper. Read More
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
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
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
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
The audio from the boot camp recently held in Raleigh, NC is available. Read More
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
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 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 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 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, 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
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, 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
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
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
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
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
We continue the interview with Steve Timmis who talks about gospel communities Read More
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
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
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
Part Two asks the question of whether we are developing men who are mules, stallions or donkeys. Find out your focus. Read More
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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