“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called home to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance” (Heb. 11:8). The call to a specific place can come as part of your original calling, or later. Generally, there is a clear correlation between who you are and the place God calls … Read More
The Church Planter’s Call to Understand His Spouse’s Call
“This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one” (Mark 10:7-8). If you are married, God will not call you without confirming the call in your spouse. Go slowly in this area and communicate clearly with your spouse … Read More
How to Know Your Calling As A Church Planter
If you have been called to start a church, not only will the calling be undeniable, but you will also be able to trust that God will equip and empower you to do the work that He sets before you. When He is the one who has chosen you, it is because He knows that you can fulfill the … Read More
The #1 Mistake Church Planters Make When Launching a New Church
Did you know– The majority of church starts fail within the first year. Why? Because the majority of church planters start churches without a clear calling from God. In order to plant a healthy church, you have to know that you are undeniably called by God. Period. So do you know for sure that God has called you to start a new Church? … Read More
10 Lessons in Bootstrapping a Church Plant – Part 4
by Nelson Searcy and Tommy Duke We’re looking at the lessons that can be learned in “Bootstrapping” a Church Plant (starting with little or no outside financial support). Click here to read the first, second, and third posts in this series. Here are today’s lessons: 4. FOCUS: YOU’LL STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR CHURCH’S VISION Bootstrapping will force you to drill … Read More
Church Planting Q & A – First Baptism
I “launched” a series of church planting Q & A’s last week in celebration of springtime here on my blog and in preparation for tomorrow’s LAUNCH Conference in Baltimore. Here’s today’s question… Q: We only launched our new church a few weeks ago we and we already have close to 20 people who’ve indicated a first time decision to follow … Read More
Church Planting Q & A – First Membership Class
With the beginning of spring just around the corner and the new growth that comes with it, I’d like to do a series of “Church Planting Q & A’s” here at the blog. It also just so happens that my only scheduled Launch Conference for 2009 is coming up in just about a week – next Tuesday, March 17 – … Read More
Monday Proflections – September 29, 2008
Here’s what’s happening with Church Leader Insights and me this week that may be of interest to you: Monday – I’ll be in the Journey office all morning and then I’m flying to Atlanta. I’ll be doing a recording the Catalyst folks tonight. Are you going to Catalyst next week? If so, I’d like to buy you dessert on Thursday … Read More
Q & A: What About People from Other Churches?
I recently got this question from a friend in New Hampshire who attended the recent Launch Conference that Kerrick and I did here in the city: “How do you handle people from other churches who want to join your church?” This is a great question that we all should wrestle with. There are three types of church growth: Conversion Growth … Read More