by Todd Bumgarner, Lead Pastor at 2 Pillars Church in Lincoln, NE
As a church planter, you are called to raise up disciples and leaders. It's an investment of time and energy that is critical to the mission of your church. One of the hardest truths early on in church planting is discerning who is with you and who is not. As I have worked with people, I’ve learned there are six categories into which someone falls. Categorizing people is helpful to determine where to focus your time and energy and to wake you up to the reality that some people, despite their excitement and interest, simply are not on board.
1. Family
These are the folks who are all-in. They’ve caught the vision and want to help in any way possible. They are servant-leaders and their commitment is ...
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by Scott Thomas, President of Acts 29
Spiritual and church leadership is tough for even the best of leaders. Behind closed doors, every leader will admit being tired, frustrated, angry, depressed, confused and attacked. The Apostle Paul's protégé, Timothy was about to take up his work he needed to be a leader filled with grace. Paul told Timothy, "You therefore, my son, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:2). We are only able to lead effectively after grace strengthens us.
"We are only able to lead effectivelyafter grace strengthens us."
Be strengthened by grace, not by your natural talents. Timothy may have certainly been very winsome naturally. He may have been able to articulate naturally. He may have been a fairly good public speaker. ...
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By Scott Thomas, President of Acts 29 Network
Jim Harbaugh, the first year coach of the San Francisco 49'ers created some controversy when his team beat the previously unbeaten Detroit Lions and excitedly shook the hand of the opposing coach, Jim Schwartz "too hard." Schwartz ran after him offended at Harbaugh. The story is already old and can be seen on YouTube.
Even though his handshake was not within the "guidelines of NFL protocol," I liked that Harbaugh, a proven winning coach, was excited about the outcome of his team. Many leaders fail to passionately celebrate the accomplished goals of their team or business or church. It seems that they are never satisfied and are focused on the minor flaws rather than exuberantly enjoying the positive advances with the team. Too many leaders ...
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I do not think that the American church is dependent upon the Spirit's empowerment. Most of what takes place among our local gatherings may be able to occur without the Holy Spirit. This is tragic because Jesus depended on the Spirit's empowerment for His ministry (Luke 4) and He sent the first church in the power of the Spirit (Acts 1:8). Josh Kouri is leading a Spirit-empowered church in Oklahoma City. His words below are an encouragement to me. — Scott Thomas, Acts 29 President
By Josh Kouri, Lead Pastor at Frontline Church in Oklahoma City, OK
Paul rebukes his friends for acting as mere humans in 1 Corinthians 3. Their carnal, man-focused approach to church and life has left them spiritually stunted and weak. Instead of growing up and thriving as a church, they are divided, ...
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Tags: church, church planting, plant a church, pastor, church planter, thriving, supernatural, jesus, spirit, healthy, mission, missional, god, leadership
Casting Vision and Avoiding Mission Drift
Church plants often lose sight of their direction, vision and resulted in mission drift in several different ways. Planters may struggle with pressure from "churched" people to stray away from the mission; discerning between "good ideas" and mission critical ideas; making decisions consistent with mission; defining priorities for growth; and balancing evangelism and discipleship.
Five Key Considerations to Avoid Mission Drift
1. ClarityThe concept of "drift" implies leaving a clearly defined and understood standard. Planters mistakenly assume their expectations for the rest of the team and body are as clear and compelling in their minds that they are in the planter’s mind.
2. Core ValuesMost planters have a strong sense of mission and ...
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Posted in: Leadership
Tags: church planting, pastor, church, planting a church, church planter, mission, vision, mission drift, vision casting, leadership, clarity, values, ministry, philosophy
