I am eager for the March 28 and 29 to get here. Next week, The Village will host an Acts 29 Boot Camp on church planting and mission, with Eric Mason (Philadelphia), JR Vassar (Manhattan), Matt Carter (Austin), Steve Timmis (U.K.), and myself (Dallas) teaching.
The brotherhood that is present among my Acts 29 co-laborers and friends is one of the great graces God has poured out on me in ministry. The Bible has much to say about the joys of pastoring but minces no words about the difficulties, pains, and sorrows that can accompany being an under-shepherd of the flock of God.
Through the highest highs to my lowest lows in my journey as a pastor, my brothers in Acts 29 have celebrated with me, cried with me, and prayed with me. At some of my darkest hours, some of these brothers flew ...
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by Scott Thomas, President of Acts 29
In Christ, we have a familial identity. We are not fatherless children hopelessly in search for our identity in our accomplishments. We have been adopted into a missionary family. We serve a missionary God. Mission becomes part of our identity because our Father is a missionary God and we resemble him as a child of God. The Church is a missionary family, with missionary focus, that does missionary things for the glory of a missionary Father. It is who we are and it is also what we do. Mission is not something we tack on to the list of activities as a Christian. It is both what we are commissioned to do and who we are adopted to be.
Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore ...
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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
Team Development and Volunteer Mobilization
Mobilizing volunteers and building teams are major challenges, according to church planters. Mobilizing volunteers is an issue regardless of the size of the launch team. Mobilizing volunteers and building teams expands the new church impact in a community.
Five Key Considerations in Launch Team Development and Mobilizing Volunteers
1. Start with a healthy coreA healthy core group is key to a viable church plant.
2. Plant with a teamWhen a planter and family move into a community without team members, the risk factors increase. "Parachute Plants" where the planter arrives in a city with few existing relationships, hinder team building and volunteer mobilization.
3. Focus on relationshipsMost planters are good at relationship building. ...
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