The folks over at A Gospel-Planted Life were kind enough to share their experience at last week’s North American Church Planting Conference. You should check it out!
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A Gospel-Planted Life Blog Reviews GCA Conference
Friday, February 5th, 2010GCA 2010 Conference Attendee Tweets
Saturday, January 30th, 2010
Culture + Gospel + Church = Transformational ministry. #gca10
“Beneath the demographics of your community are the lifestyles that are an expression of beliefs.” -Bob Orner #gca10
Allender: If you don’t need the Gospel more than the people you are sharing it with, you ought not to be sharing it with them #gca10
Half of the fun of #gca10 has been meeting people. There are a lot of great people here!
Round 3. “who will pray with and for us?” #gca10
With Bob Orner thinking through the “whom” and “where” of church planting focus. #gca10
“If any of you should ask me for an epitome of the Christian religion, I should say that it is in one word — prayer.” C.H. Spurgeon #gca10
Dear Presbyterians who are (like me) into God using appointed means: prayer is one of them. Gospel effectiveness depends on it. #gca10
I’m really encouraged that my prayer life doesn’t always have to be as mediocre as it often is. Thankful for this session at #gca10
Church Planting: Using Technology and Social Media #gca10 Very informative and helpful.
It’s the beginning of another busy day of sessions at #gca10. Please pray with us and for us!
day 2. round 4. “developing a philosophy of ministry” #gca10
“The work of faithful evangelism is to identify with the world without losing your identity in Christ.” – Stott #gca10
Great training session on philosophy of ministry tailored to local context by a guy with lots of story-arc similarities as me. #gca10
Seminary student Casey Johnson shares his thoughts with us on last night’s Worship module taught by Jason Sears. http://bit.ly/bI5fk2 #gca10
“When you do church planting, you can’t blame the previous pastor for your church’s problems.” -Bob Orner // Humorous and humbling #gca10
Why do church planting anyway? #gca10 listening to this Guy right now
Hotel excitement. These are burglars posing as pizza marketers w/ fake flyers looking for unlocked doors http://twitpic.com/1039pu #gca10
Doing some hard thinking about ministry style contextualization led by a black pastor, Andre Rogers from Columbia. #gca10
Hilarious. There’s a white pastor’s wife in a cross-cultural church here. The black attendees call her the First Lady. #gca10
“Your first 20 people will dictate your next 100 people.” – Andre Rogers #gca10 //very-true church planting statement.
@andrerogers I’m not @RickWarren but I’m glad to follow you. Good word at #gca10
Looking at ministry models—how church ministries in a plant will work together—with Bob Orner. #gca10
Great lunch-time panel…#gca10
“Giving always comes back to forgiveness of sins and life eternal.” Fred Marsh #gca10
“Too often the church is composed of a consumer-driven clientele.” – Fred Marsh #gca10-
Benevolent and missions budget allocations do not keep pace with operational and building expenditures as churches grow. #gca10
“I’m firmly convinced that God calls the church to bless the poor. It’s still hard for the rich to enter heaven.” – MNA $$ guru #gca10
Really enjoying my first conference experience at #gca10. Meeting with Ted Powers and @ARStager in 10.
Just finishing up our last sessions of the day. Looking forward to Steve Brown tonight! #gca10
Listening to Dr. Steve Brown (Key Life) for the 1st time. Sounds like God. Topic is “3 Free Sins.” #gca10 http://twitpic.com/108asv
If pastors think their job is to keep their people from sin, then you are playing a sick game that will eat you alive. -Steve Brown #gca10
Brown: I’m so screwed up I can hardly stand myself, and Jesus loves me, and he’ll love you too. #gca10 (via @PlantInBoston)#fb
gearing up to finish out the @_gca conference. ten sessions down; two to go. #gca10
Tools and diagrams are helpful, but it never works out the way you plan. Every church plant is a unique work of the Holy Spirit. #gca10
Ted Powers: Diff B/W Planter & Pastor: Planters gather those who are 2 be shepherded, Pastors Shepherd those who have been gathered. #gca10
Powers: Small Churches, 150 & Down are 1600 times more effective evangelistically than mega churches. #gca10
Most churches do not go beyond 200 because of the natural change from relationship to program driven #gca10
Powers: What is critical to a church plant is not only the people you attract and keep, but the people that move on. #gca10
A church is more than a bunch of people gathering for worship. A church is a biblical functioning community. – Ted Powers #gca10
Great truth frm #gca10 Lead people to have general conversations with unbelievers and they will eventually beg you to teach them how to do evangelism
Powers: the goal of church planting is not to get a church up and running. It is to reach people with the Gospel. #gca10
Notice how Jesus planted a church… 12 (Matt 4) > 72 (Luke 10) > 120 (Acts 1) > 3,000 (Acts 2) #gca10
Wishing I had attended #gca10 when it was #gca09… good stuff, lots to process
It’s amazing how a conference can both energize and drain you all at the same time! #gca10
Whether you realize it or not, you have a specific def. of personal success. It greatly affects your life…(LK 10:20)-Steve Childers #gca10
“Your joy in life must not be found in what you do for Him, but in who you are in Him” @stevechilders #gca10
“Jesus knew the time would come when his disciples would feel subject to the demons, not vice versa” Identity in Christ essential #gca10 #fb
It is THE best CP event/class/conference I have ever been to. It’s a bootcamp on gospel steroids. #gca10
Visionary church planters: what’s your vision for your marriage? For your family? – @stevechilders via his wife. #gca10
Church planters/pastors (every1 4 that matter) R in danger of offering to their “idol of success” their children, wife, time & sleep #gca10
“In repenting and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling. Is 30:15 #gca10
it’s one thing to start your ministry well; it’s another thing to finish it well. – @stevechilders #gca10
“Take a nap, REST! The Kingdom of God will go on. You may be surprised to find Jesus on his throne when you wake up.” @stevechilders #gca10
Sleep, sun, solitude, sabbath, sex, sweat, sustenance. Steve’s 7 S’s of success. Funny and true. #gca10
Differentiate between goals & desires. Desires you cannot control…goals you can. Work for goals, pray for desires. #gca10
Is God a means of grace in your life, or is grace a means to God? – @johnpiper via @stevechilders #gca10
“Don’t merely see God as useful, see Him as beautiful” – Bill Bright via @stevechilders #gca10
God will never really use you until you renounce your reliance & dependence upon God’s gifts & humbly rest only in God Himself #gca10
“God’s grace is like water, always flowing to the lowest place.” Puritan Statement #gca10
Church Planter & wife, like 2 people on a roller coaster: 1 puking over the side, the other hands in the air – roles can change daily #gca10
“Don’t let your living for tomorrow slay your living for today.” -Elisabeth Elliot via @stevechilders #gca10
(My wife) and I were just discussing the church plant, her comment: “I hope you have a green thumb!” me too, me too.
Welcome back to the real world–low in orlando 63, in boston 11 #gca10
Essentials: Worship
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010Note: Casey Johnson is an M.Div. student at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. He is at the GCA Conference this week and is going through the “Essentials” course. He shared his thoughts with us on the Worship module, which was taught by Jason Sears. In very brief, bullet-point form, here’s what Casey learned.
Last night’s worship session was very enlightening. Here’s some of the highlights I took from it:
1. Don’t let others determine your vision. What he meant by this was not that you shouldn’t figure out what style of worship would hit your target group, rather, once you have a vision in place, don’t let the people who don’t agree with the vision determine your vision. (In my words, “the vision’s not for sale”).
2. When planting a church, don’t look for the rock star to be your worship leader. Too often new churches look for the rock star in skinny jeans, white belt, hair product, etc. to fit the look and sound they desire, but they don’t really hire a worship leader. Look for someone who has vision for this ministry and a heart for the church. Here are five things to look for in a worship pastor.
i. Ability to play and sing.
ii. Relational/Pastoral
iii. Teammate with you. Someone you could go to the movies with. You must have his back.
iv. Musician. Find someone who is passionate about music. Don’t look for someone who learned the beginning of a couple Coldplay songs, look for someone who loves music.
v. A Learner. Someone who is constantly reading magazines, books, listening to new music, going to hear other musicians. Always wants to get better themselves.
3. Without giving the whole talk away, here’s one last thing: The Four Stages of Presbyterian Hand Raising. You’ll have to ask Jason about this yourself. Go hear him next time he teaches.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Casey!
Research Findings on Church Planting Wives: 6 Primary Sources, 8 Secondary Sources
Sunday, September 13th, 2009
The following factors provided the greatest sources of satisfaction or stress for church planting wives. These findings are taken from a research study conducted in North American among PCA church planting spouses of various ethnicities in both urban and suburban settings. This research was conducted by Parakaleo—a gospel-centered ministry that is highly recommended by GCA and represented at all North American GCA training events. Parakaleo exists to strengthen the gospel spreading impact of church planting by coming alongside church planting movements and church planting couples. Through coaching, connecting, caring, and celebrating they facilitate training, encouragement and care of church planters and their spouses. For more information contact Parakaleo staff Shari Thomas, shari@parakaleo.us or Tami Resch, tami@parakaleo.us
Six Primary Sources
1. The Husband
The greatest source of satisfaction or stress for the church planter spouse was the person and work of the husband as he is involved/uninvolved with his wife. The lack of a support system not only increases loneliness and isolation for the wife, it puts added pressure on the marriage. If a clergy couple is relying primarily on each other for support, the marriage may function well most of the time, yet a narrow support system will become a problem when either one is not able to fulfill that role (McMinn 2004).
“We have a strong marriage and I know my husband is committed to me. If I weren’t called to do this type of work, he would quit. We both have a profound respect that God has called us together as one flesh and He will not pull us in different directions. My husband practices the scripture of laying down his life for me as Christ laid down His life for the church. I can submit to that kind of husband.”
2. Support System
The major factor which restricts clergy spouses from experiencing the support they need is that their primary support system comes from their husbands-men who tend to be absent from the home evenings and weekends. The study also indicates that wives do not talk about their husband since this could jeopardize his career (McMinn, 2004).
“It would have been most helpful if I had connection with other church planting spouses early on.”
3. Sabbath Rest
“The highest levels of exhaustion were caused by overextending ourselves because of perceived expectations that we feared we were not meeting. Overall, we were not trusting the Lord.”
“We did not take regular days off or vacations. Nor did we know about keeping boundaries. So a lot has been learned and changed over the years.”
4. Reliance on Christ
“I attribute my spiritual and emotional health to daily repentance, and to understanding how great my sin is, to the ability to laugh, and balancing my heart for the church with the fact that the church is not my life or my significance.”
“…it is God alone, salvation, prayer, his goodness, his very presence in the Spirit.”
“While I give head assent to relying on Christ, my life style shows my functional belief system which is in myself and human effort”.
5. Boundary Ambiguity
Ambiguity is endemic to ministry. To the clergy family, the system is not clear. All members of the family participate either directly or indirectly in the church. There is some role expectation of the congregation which must be fulfilled by the minister, his spouse, and even his children. This level of ambiguity causes high levels of stress for clergy spouses (Lee, 1988).
a) Role Ambiguity
“My greatest challenge has been how the ambiguous role of the cp spouse would affect me. The struggle of knowing church planting was my passion, being trained in ministry, and yet not knowing how to interface this without having a defined position was difficult. I often functionally operated as an assistant minister yet without title, pay, or decision making power.”
b) Emotional Ambiguity
“How much should my husband tell me? I realize I am his primary support, but it’s hard to love people well when I know how they have hurt him.”
c) Physical Ambiguity
The constant unknowns of facility and where we will be located coupled with the constant unknowns of who will stay and who will leave the church plant has been my biggest challenge.”
6. Physical health
Having balanced or unbalanced health
60% of church planting spouses reported leading more than one major ministry in the church plant or community along with being involved in 2-3 other ministries. It is no surprise they report exhaustion and often burn out in ministry.
Eight Secondary Sources
1. Changed lives
“Walking with people in their journey and seeing their lives changed because of the existence of our church is incredibly exciting.”
“Transformed lives, mine and others, have been the greatest source of satisfaction.”
2. Commitment and sense of call to church planting
“What is our major calling if we have other passions? How do we balance this with the demands church planting places on us?”
“I feel just as called to church planting as my husband. We are both in this together.”
3. Family Time
“My husband keeps his day off and is intentional about building a relationship with our boys. We work hard to build a family focus, identity, and history.”
“I don’t show the kids my unhappiness with their dads lack of participating in our family life. I feel like he spiritually takes care of the church and I take care of the family.”
4. Raising kids
“I really suffer here…often my husband is not a part of what we do as a family. When the church is struggling, the less my husband does for and with the family and the more he wants me to focus on helping him with the ministry.”
“He helps us apply the word to our lives as we go…in devotional time, in the car, around the table.”
5. Church growth
“Having come from a large church it has been discouraging to see the slow growth.”
6. Expectations- from/of self and others
“I didn’t realize how high my expectations were of others. It took me time to realize not everyone has the same calling I have but also that some may not be passionate about seeing others come to know Christ.”
“I have been disappointed with the lack of responsibility and loyalty some people have”.
7. Finances
“Church planting is like starting a business only after the hard work we don’t get the financial payback. It’s hard to give our blood, sweat, and tears to this type of work and not have some sort of financial outcome that we can then pass on to our kids.”
8. Use of gifts and abilities
“I thought I would have an opportunity to use my gifts but with the exhaustion my husband experiences, the needs of our kids, and without having other leaders, most of my time is spent in areas the church needs but not where I’m passionate.”
Shari Thomas (GCA Blogger) has been involved with her husband, John, in church planting for over 25 years both in North America and abroad. Shari serves on Mission to North America’s church planting staff as the Director of Parakaleo, a ministry primarily to church planting spouses. Shari and/or Tami Resch (also on staff with Parakaleo) lead the Women’s Forum (6 Sessions) at the North America GCA Conferences & Seminars. John is the director of global training for the Redeemer Church Planting Center in Manhattan, NYC. They have 3 children who amazingly still claim them as parents. They love sailing, only do legal drugs, and are known coffee snobs.
Multi-Generational Church Planting: An Observation, Concern & Suggestion by Martin Ban
Saturday, September 5th, 2009
Great trends are developing in church plants. New plants are emphasizing all means of grace (word, sacrament, prayer) in balanced proportions in liturgies. Right on! Also, new plants are sprouting in non- traditional domains– right on with that as well.
Here’s my observation and my concern. Many planters are mono-generational in their friendships and that is reflected in the core groups and eventually in the church. Instead of invading post-modern ideologies, we’re imitating them in this mono-generational tendency. But the Gospel breaks down barriers and church planters (and prospective church planters) have to model this gospel virtue. I suggest the following:
Church planters should have a conscious 8-10 year buffer in mind when it comes to visible friendships. For example, if a planter is 33, he should focus on friendships with folks who are 23 and folks in the mid -40’s to 50’s. Of particular import is the empty nester crowd. I believe that empty nesters are the secret ingredient to long term, healthy church plants. Empty nesters have great long term relationships in the community, they are stable, they are financially generous, and they have time and energy to help out.
I speculate that the reason young church planters don’t befriend empty nesters is that they are intimidated by them. When a planter has great relationships with empty nesters, I believe the church plant will thrive.
Martin Ban has 20 years of church planting and senior pastor experience. He is a graduate of Austin College and Westminster Theological Seminary. He has planted churches in the San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is currently the Senior Pastor of Christ Church Santa Fe PCA and is a GCA trainer (outreach, contextualization, evangelism). Martin and his wife Mari Anne have 5 children (ages 22 thru 9) and have been married for 25 years. They also have a dumb bloodhound named Ocho.
Check out the homepage of the last church Martin planted and now pastors: Christ Church of Santa Fe
“Sincerity is Gospel Perfection” Godly Characteristic #13 of 24 by Thomas Watson
Saturday, September 5th, 2009
Thomas Watson offers twenty four characteristics of a godly person drawn from the Scriptures. This is the thirteenth characteristic he lists.
Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Ephesians 6:24 (KJV)
#13 A godly person is a sincere person. . .
. . . Sincerity makes our services find acceptance with God. Though we cannot pay God all we owe, yet a little in current coin is accepted. God takes sincerity for full payment . . .
. . . A little sincerity, though rusted over with many infirmities, is of more value with God than all the glorious flourishes of hypocrites . . .
. . . Sincerity is gospel perfection: “hast Thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man?” (Job 1:8). Though a Christian is full of infirmities and, like a child that is put out to nurse, weak and feeble, God still looks on him as if he were completely righteous . . .
. . . Sincerity is the beauty of a Christian. So wherein does the beauty of a Christian lie, but in this, that he has truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6)? . . .
. . . If the heart is sincere, God will wink at many failings. So though the graces of God’s people are not drawn to their full length – no, have many scars and spots – yet having something of God in sincerity, they shall find mercy . . .
. . . Nothing but sincerity will give us comfort in an hour of trouble. “If our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God” (1 John 3:21). If we are cleared at the petty sessions in our conscience, then we may be confident we shall be acquitted at the great assizes on the day of judgment . . .
Thomas Watson, ( c.1620 -1686)
The Godly Man’s Picture
pp. 99-103
Planter Spouse Looks Back: What I Wish I’d Known About Church Planting! by Shari Thomas*
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
Given at the Global Church Advancement North America Conference
I wish someone would have told us (Shari and her husband, John), that we both would need a support system greater than just each other…
…that we would need coaches and mentors, and we should plan at more than one stage in the journey on getting counseling….
…and when we didn’t have this support system it would be up to us to seek it out!
I would have greatly benefited knowing that we needed to come to a mutual understanding and commitment about what my involvement in the church plant would be…
…that pursuing and nurturing my gifts was as important as nurturing his.
And that we would often need to review this involvement through out the stages of church planting and seasons of life…
…that when the children were young, my husband and children would require and need most of my time.
I wish he’d known how much I would need his support in sticking to these commitments rather than both of us rescuing ministries and people when they floundered.
I longed for someone to gently come alongside me and remind me again and again that what my husband needs from me most is love and respect.
He can find coaches, teachers, nags and critics in countless places. He already has one mother. And when it’s late at night and we are falling into bed that this is not the time or place to hear one more idea on how to make the church successful!
But at the same time I also wished he’d known how very important it was for the two of us to have our weekly “staff” times to talk about how the church and family life intersected.
I was a part of the church planting team and needed to know about the plant, give my input and have a place on the team. I wish we had spoken more openly about this to our staff as they too needed to work through their understanding of my role on the church planting team.
If I had known that my heart as well as our kids would be hurt, angry, and almost torn in two by this ministry we might not have planted a church.
….but we also may never have learned the delight and satisfaction of pointing each other to Jesus, to the hope that only the gospel brings, and the deep joy of leading others to this hope.
…if we hadn’t planted a church I don’t know if we would ever have known the joy of watching the people we had led to Christ then turn and point our hearts to Jesus during our dark hours.
We would have benefited from being told that the question “should we stay in this church?” will be one that will haunt us through out our ministry lives. I was not prepared for him rolling over in bed doubting his call.
I didn’t know we would question if God had brought us here…that when my husband’s passion and energy for the church plant was waxing, mine might be waning and vice versa. It would have been helpful to know this was normal.
I am thankful that someone told us we would have to work harder for a marriage where there is spiritual, emotional, and physical intimacy than we would have to work at planting the church…that this would involve sacrifice on both of our parts, and it would be well worth it.
…that this would mean being honest about the damage we both do to one another and then seeking reconciliation to whatever point was needed for the sake of the other.
…that repentance involved not a simple “I’m sorry” but asking the other person to tell how we had harmed them and to listen without defending .
That it would mean doing this over and over in our marriage…that it would mean being willing to give up church planting, even leaving ministry for the sake of loving the other person.
I am glad my husband learned early on that church planting gave him great freedom to creatively mold his schedule to fit the needs of both his family and the church.
I am grateful he takes time from church ministry to pour into the lives of our kids: working on school projects, creating feasts in the kitchen, taking vacations, catching the latest blockbuster, filling their lives with music, asking them the tough questions, drawing out their hearts, repenting openly before them…
…I love watching their eyes fill with pride when they introduce their friends to their dad. Nothing draws my heart to him more than that he loves our children so well.
And at the same time when both he and I love our kids poorly, I really wish I had known that the Christian life and Church planting was not about working so hard to get it right, be right, and do right.
That it was not my job to perfect myself. That even learning the gospel was not another tool to add to my arsenal of how to live a better life. But it was church planting that finally brought me to the realization that I can’t change myself.
That it’s not about what others say about me. That Jesus has already said, “It is finished.”. That God’s verdict spoken over me comes before any of my performance, before I ever started on this journey of church planting…he delights in me already!
If I had known this, I would have enjoyed life so much more. But the journey isn’t finished and I’m planning on joining the party more these days.
But I am most grateful that my husband keeps learning that no one can pursue, strongly lead and cherish me the way he can.
…that when I’m withdrawn and discouraged, his gentle wooing speaks volumes
…when I’m masking deep hurt with anger, his strong, consistent pursuit melts me like nothing else
…when darkness has masked Jesus face, I have felt another strong hand leading me home
…and when it’s all said and done, and we are at The Great Marriage Feast I will recognize the tastes and sounds and smells. The dance will be vaguely familiar…
…for hints of the realm unknown have drifted across the border land.
…and I have caught glimpses of what is yet to come for so many of you, my friends, my church family, my kids and my husband have shown me the way.
*Shari Thomas has been involved with her husband, John, in church planting for over 25 years both in North America and abroad. Shari serves on Mission to North America’s church planting staff as the Director of Parakaleo, a ministry primarily to church planting spouses. Shari and/or Tami Resch (also on staff with Parakaleo) lead the Women’s Forum (6 Sessions) at the North America GCA Conferences & Seminars. John is the director of global training for the Redeemer Church Planting Center in Manhattan, NYC. They have 3 children who amazingly still claim them as parents. They love sailing, only do legal drugs, and are known coffee snobs.
Living in the Power of the Gospel by Piper, Bridges, Childers and Keller available in Spanish
Friday, August 21st, 2009
Living in the Power of the Gospel by John Piper, Jerry Bridges, Steve Childers and Tim Keller (edited by Jerry Cross) was recently published in Spanish (as Vivir en el poder del Evangelio) by Lighthouse Publications’ Harmony Books division in Mexico City.
The publisher notes, “Learn how God’s grace found in the power of the gospel brings transformation of individuals, churches and society.”
Click here to purchase a copy of the book in Spanish.
NOTE: 120 pesos is approximately $12.00 USD.
New Barna Report: Most People (64%) in USA Attend Smaller Churches
Monday, August 10th, 2009
“A new report from The Barna Group, based on interviews with more than 3,000 adults, shows that congregational size is related to the nature of a congregation’s religious beliefs, religious behavior and demographic profile. There are clearly significant differences between the smallest and largest of Protestant churches in terms of the theological beliefs of adherents.”
One of the survey results discovered was that most people in the USA attended smaller churches:
“Despite the substantial attention focused on Protestant mega-churches, such congregations draw about 9% of adults who frequent a Protestant church. In contrast, 41% of adults attending a Protestant church associate with a congregation of 100 or fewer adults. An additional 23% can be found at churches of 101 to 200 adults, 18% associate with bodies of 201 to 499 adults, and 9% can be found in churches of 500 to 999 adults.” © The Barna Group, Ltd, 2009
To read all the Barna Group research results click here: http://bit.ly/UiTCR
Help GCA Cause Over the 600 Barrier: Meet Member 599!
Friday, July 31st, 2009
Cindy Sawyer This is a great organization–really God centered and down to earth! God’s doing some very cool things through GCA…
Cindy joined the cause:
599 members – $535 raised
Susan Reel likes this!
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING, TWEETING & BLOGGING ABOUT THE JULY 09 GCA CHURCH PLANTER TRAINING SEMINAR
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE JULY 09 GCA CHURCH PLANTER TRAINING SEMINAR:
- “Amazing insights; great resources; gospel-centered focus, top-notch material both written and presented!”
- “This conference could replace all the other books, videos, classes and conferences I have encountered while preparing to plant”
- “I went to another training that focused on some theory and included a lot of inspirational stories. The training wasn’t very practical and not gospel-centered. I wondered “Where can I learn practical and applicable theory that is gospel-centered and where God is present?” Well, God brought me to that place when my wife and I came to GCA!”
- “It lays the foundational core for planting before you begin laboring at the plan. It gets your head and heart straight before you dive in.”
- “Intensely practical from people who’ve been there and done that!”
- “No other conference provides such intense training. This is truly a “bootcamp!”
- “All the trainers speak from the experience of their failures, which is encouraging!”
- “You only think you know what you are doing until you attend the conference! Hello, grenade-sitting-under-my seat! More than this, the love and riches of the gospel brought it all into focus.”
- “Call my denomination and tell them here is a place to train!”
- “This seminar surpassed my expectations. It’s like a grenade of useful information was dropped on me.”
- “Most valuable thing was getting the “ball rolling” by having time in class to work through exercises.”
- “Networking with others. GCA Must advertise more! Not many people know about it.”
- “The encouragement and coaching, not so much in the skills, but in the ‘faith!’”
- “Too much to list all, Relationships and Encouragement, Clearer Picture of the way forward.”
- “Talking about finances, launching, planning …”
- “The intentional nature of the conference was tremendously helpful.”
- “The overall orientation in foundations track was excellent. I think I walked away with a macro view of just what a church planter is!”
- “Encouragement from those who have been there and relationships with those who are going through it now.”
- “I love to be here because we can talk and we can dream together of church planting…”
- “Go tell others so they can come BEFORE they plant/start worship as a plant!”
- “There’s no doubt that I need to come back again.”
WHAT PEOPLE ARE TWEETING ABOUT THE JULY 09 GCA CHURCH PLANTER TRAINING SEMINAR:
- “God loves to manifest his presence and pour out his power on those who will dare to align their purposes more with his.” @stevechilders
- “Missions exists because worship doesn’t” -Piper. For the younger generation, this is not Scripture. @stevechilders
- Phenomenal 1st day @ the #_gca seminar. Met some great church planters. Listened to teaching on vision, focus, & prayer.
- “Our greatest danger is not liberalism, modernism, postmodernism…but the church doing ministry in the power of the flesh” –Francis Schaeffer
- “The irony of the gospel is that the only way to be worthy of it, is to admit you’re completely unworthy of it.” – Tim Keller
- “Does “love” mean giving a person what they want, or giving them what they need?” #_gca
- “Don’t let your living for tomorrow slay your living for today.” -Elizabeth Elliot #GCA
- Leaving Orlando & the Global Church Advancement seminars more equipped, overwhelmed, missing my wife & trusting Christ more! #GCA
WHAT PEOPLE ARE BLOGGING ABOUT THE JULY 09 GCA CHURCH PLANTER TRAINING SEMINAR:
Sharing a Contextualized Philosophy of Ministry:
http://churchplanting.sojournchurch.com/church-planting/sharing-a-contextualized-philosophy-of-ministry-gospel-church-and-culture/
Staying Healthy as a Church Planter:
http://churchplanting.sojournchurch.com/church-planting/staying-healthy-as-a-church-planter/
A Dear Friend’s Prayer for My Daughter in Mission
Monday, July 20th, 2009
God of all Mercy
God of all Grace,
God of all Hope, here this prayer of your handmaid:
In the name of Him who left His home, His throne and came to us
born as a poor insignificant infant, born of a woman making a difficult
journey,
Hear my prayer for Cara as she travels…
God of Esther, to whom you imparted courage and in a foreign
land, and she pled for and saw spared by Your hand the lives of her
people, it is to You I make my petition.
God of Ruth, who claimed you as her God and journeyed to a new
and strange place, leaving her family and that which was familiar to her
and you greatly honored her faith and courage by allowing her to be in
the very lineage of that Holy Infant given for the remission of our
sins. It is to you I come bowed down low.
God of Mary who first made the long, difficult journey while
nearly ready to deliver her son, your only Son and again, who with a
child in arms, fled into Egypt to preserve her baby’s life, God who
blessed all women, all people, through her obedience to you; it is to
you I cry.
God of women who make difficult journeys, of women who speak and
act in times of danger with words of faith and assurance in You, it is
to You I ask for protection over, on, in and all about Cara as she
travels.
You, the very creator of women, you see and understand the
particular challenges of traveling as a woman.
You know the rhythms of our bodies, as Mary so pregnant carried
your very Son, you know that sometimes it is hard, unpleasant and even
painful to travel as a woman. I pray that Cara would know you as her
Great Physician, healing, sustaining and protecting her health on this
trip.
You know the particular vulnerabilities of a woman traveling in
a foreign land. You know that women are not always valued, protected,
honored as you created them to be. So it is to you, Defender of the
Weak, that I pray for your never-sleeping eyes to watch over Cara,
shielding her from physical harm and sustaining her body in health for
your worship and service.
You know her emotions, her tender heart that sorrows at
suffering and feels sometimes overwhelmed at the magnitude of evil she
sees. Father to the orphan, cause her to see that You are weeping along
side of her, that You feel the pain of the beggar, of the widow, of
those treated with unjust and harsh hands. Sorrow with her, Father, and
help her to see the only hope of the rich or poor alike is in Your
gospel.
You, O God, are her creator, the designer of her life from
before time began. Cause her on this journey to begin to catch an even
deeper glimpse into her created beauty. Cause her to begin to understand
her calling to worship and serve You. Cause her to begin to see her life
and her gifts through Your eyes. Cause her to catch a glimpse of the
strong, beautiful, significant woman You created Cara to be now and in
the years to come.
You, O God, know the deep joy she brings to the heart of her
earthly father. How he delights at her smile, at the very mention of her
name. Father, I ask that Cara bring even more deeply to Your heart that
rich joy and even more than she can now imagine, cause her life to bring
You honor.
She is your daughter who travels, O, Father.
Watch over her on this difficult journey as You have watched
over the holy women of old. Protect her on this journey as you were a
shield to them. Bless her on this journey as You blessed them. And by
Your Spirit, cause her to live her life in such a way that not only is
she blessed for her faith in You but that like Esther, Ruth and Mary,
women who found themselves in strange and foreign places-that all people
would be blessed through her faith in you.
It is into Your strong and mighty hands of grace that I commend
Cara and her journey to You.
Amen.
Five Things New Planters Should Know by Jonathan Dodson
Sunday, July 19th, 2009
It’s been well said, “Undoubtedly the first years of church planting are hardest and most volatile for the church planter – which is why so many churches never make it past their childhood, as the planter implodes under the pressure brought on from lack of resources, exhaustion and loneliness among other factors. A significant factor in survival during the first few years is getting the church planter connected to wisdom and encouragement through other men who have gone before him.”
GCA wants to see this happening through regional church planting networks where church planters are not only coached well but also experience peer-coaching/learning as they share openly with each other lessons learned from both their successes and their failures. Below we pass along some wisdom from Jonathan Dodson, lead planter of an ACTS 29 Network plant called Austin City Life in Texas.
I. FUNDRAISING:
Don’t forget to ask the pagans! If you are fundraising, remember that God used the pagan king Cyrus to fund the rebuilding of an entire city. He can definitely handle your church planting needs. Most pagans know more about your city than you do, and some of them love it more than you. Be sure to ask God first and others second when you are fundraising. And don’t forget to ask the pagans.
II. STUDY:
Spend more time with people and less time with books in the first year of church planting. Learn your city, know its lostness, love your city, re-learn how to share the gospel in your context. Most of your reading should be your Bible and what I call “emergency reading”–reading in areas that you are deficient so that you can lead well. Don’t spend inordinate amounts of time in your study or at the library. Spend time with your people, your fellow citizens, your neighbors. Ask them good questions. Fall in love with your target people. The more you know and love them, the more you will be able to share the gospel in a way that makes sense, that strips away misunderstandings of the gospel and slides in truly good news. Deliberate time with people also leads to better applied gospel from the pulpit, better preaching.
III. MISSION:
Identify the top 10 Obstacles to the Gospel in your Context. Don’t do this from the armchair, do it from anecdotes (conversations) and cultural exegesis (spending time in pockets of resistance or indifference). Sure, read local authors, newspapers, and magazines, but don’t stop there. Talk deeply with nonbelievers. Ask them what they think of when they here the word “gospel.” Ask them what puts them off from Christianity. Learn from them on mission.
IV. CULTURE:
Identify the top 10 Obstacles to the Church in your Context. Anecdotes and exegesis. Learn the history of hypocrisy in your city or town so that you can apologize and distance yourself from mockeries of the Church. What do people think of when they think “church”? Have they ever gone to one? Why did they stop? Learn how to talk about and be the church in your cultural context in a way that is biblically faithful and culturally sensitive.
V. TECHNOLOGY:
Don’t spend ungodly amounts of money or time on developing your first website. It will all change anyway, several times. You should be with people, not websites and blogs (!). Here are two good, inexpensive web solutions for early stage church planting: Church Root & Clover Sites. If you don’t like social networking, find someone on your team that does. Network through social media, but don’t make it a substitute for spending time with people. More time with people; less time with the screen.
Controversial “Spectacular Sins” by John Piper–Reviewed & Endorsed
Friday, June 19th, 2009
Piper, John. Spectacular Sins.Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008. 121 pp. $15.99. Listen to the Spectacular Sins sermon series at Desiring God.
Book Review by Terry Delaney at Going To Seminary
Have you ever picked up a book thinking it was going to be about one thing and it turns out you were completely wrong? Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ is one of those books. I thought it would be a testimony about how God has glorified His Son through men like Hitler and Stalin. I figured it would be about how God can use the major sins in your life to bring glory to His Son.
I was wrong. Instead, John Piper sounds an alarm to all Christians that a time is coming when it will no longer be safe to be a Christian. He claims that Christians in the West are being “coddled” and therefore we need to prepare ourselves for the trials and tribulations that are sure to come. In calling Christians to a preparedness for these tribulations, Piper seeks to answer the question “Why does God even allow evil?”
Using Colossians 1:16 as a springboard, he gives us his answer. In short it is all for Christ’s glory. Piper showed that God allowed such spectacular sins as the rebellion of Satan, the fall of Adam, the tower of Babel, Joseph, the demand for a king by the Israelites and the betrayal of Judas Iscariot to take place in order that Christ may receive more glory. In essence, if Col. 1:16 is true, then we must live our lives—trials and all—in light of this biblical truth.
I found this book extremely hard to put down. I was enraptured by what Piper had to say. It seemed as though all throughout the book he was building to a crescendo only to see the book just end. It is only then that you realize that the crescendo is your living out the biblical truths presented in Spectacular Sins.
This book is a must read for all Christians. I must agree that there is a time coming when being a Christian will be not only frowned upon but will hazardous to your wellbeing. We need to be reminded that even all the evil and sin that takes place is ultimately for Christ’s glory and we have something far better waiting on the other side of death than what this world has to offer—if you are found in Christ.”
Steve Childers & Darrin Patrick Endorsements:
“I wish I could have read this book as a new Christian as I was unprepared to face calamity because of my deficient view of God’s sovereignty. I am delighted now as a young pastor to be able to hand my congregation this book that will enable them to see and worship God in their suffering.”
Darrin Patrick
Pastor of The Journey, St. Louis
“Don’t let the small size of this book fool you. Like most of Piper’s writings—it’s wonderfully dangerous and critically needed in our day—especially in the Western world. This is a stick of gospel dynamite that has the potential of radically altering the way you view suffering and evil forever–on both a personal and global scale. But I must warn you. Don’t expect to find in this book all the typical, soft “words of comfort” espoused by many in our day to help people maximize pleasure by minimizing or rationalizing away the pain of suffering.
Instead prepare yourself to have your mind renewed by the deep, weighty truths of God’s word, your faith strengthened by a renewed vision of God’s supremacy in all things (including evil) and your courage bolstered in the face of the inevitable suffering that lies ahead to follow hard by faith after the One whose death was the most spectacular sin—for the sake of the nations and the glory of God. Only this can bring you the true comfort of God in the face of suffering and evil. I highly recommend it!”
Dr. Steven L. Childers
President & CEO, Global Church Advancement
Professor of Practical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary-Orlando
Connecting with Global Church Advancement (GCA) by Tim Brister
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
Posted on Provocations & Pantings, April 27, 2009 by Tim Brister
As I mentioned in my last post, I was unable to attend the Gospel Coalition National Conference. However, in God’s kind providence, I was able to go up to Orlando for a couple of days to network with other church planters and network leaders, most notably Scott Thomas (Acts 29), Gary Rohrmayer (ConvergeUSA), and Steve Childers (GCA). These three men I have much to learn from and am grateful the opportunity the Lord gave me this past week.
If you can remember back in January, I attended the GCA National Church Planting Conference in Orlando for a week, and it was by far the most thorough and helpful church planting training I had ever received. What is different about GCA conferences than typical bootcamps is that they are very hands-on, practical, and seeking to engage your church planting needs in the context of where you are. Bootcamps are really important to attend as well, but they generally tend to focus on core values and guiding principles of a network rather than targeted training. In other words, bootcamps shape the culture of a network, and GCA training provides all the nuts and bolts for a church planter. Both are certainly needed!
During my time in Orlando last week, I was able to attend Steve Childer’s 3-session seminar on developing church planting networks. That seminar, along with a host of other free resources, are available here. At the close of the final session, I endeavored to ask Steve a question about the beginnings of something I’ve been a part of which ended up in six hours of fellowship, most of which was enjoyed at a local Panera.
It is often joked that GCA is “the best kept secret” in the church planting world. I told Steve that it is not right to be kept a secret when so many guys could and should benefit from their training. As a result, I am working to help them get networked online, beginning with social media. If you are on Twitter or Facebook, let me encourage you to get on board with GCA and follow the developments in the future. Here’s the links:
@stevechilders (Steve Childer’s Twitter) @_gca (GCA’s Twitter) GCA Facebook Fan Page
Furthermore, if you are in the church planting process–pre-launch or post-launch–let me encourage you to check out the GCA National Conference coming up July 21-24, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. The pre-launch track called Foundations is specifically geared to address all issues pertaining to the start of a new church, including the development of a solid church planting proposal. The Essentials track is a post-launch track addressing crucial components to a healthy, reproducing church.
Whether it is on Twitter, Facebook, or at one of their training seminar’s (or all of them!), let me encourage you to connect with GCA and benefit from years of gospel-centered labors of Steve Childers and his solid staff. You will be blessed with their passion for the gospel, their love for the church, and their commitment to train men for the mission!