Tuesday night and Wednesday morning’s sessions have been focused on understanding and defining the “ministry focus group” that a church plant hopes to reach with the gospel. Tim Rice of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, FL, and Bob Cargo from Perimiter Church in Atlanta, hav[...]
Archive for the ‘Church Planting’ Category
God’s Missionary Church – GCA Conference Opening
God loves to manifest his presence and pour out his power on those who will dare to align their purposes more with his. - Steve Childers The GCA North American Church Planting & Renewal Conference commenced at Erskine College and Seminary in Due West, South Carolina this afternoon. Before 3 day[...]
Should You Write? Excerpts From “Letters to a Young Poet”
Letters To A Young Poet: Letter One by Rainer Maria Rilke Dear Sir, . . . You ask whether your verses are any good. You ask me. You have asked others before this. You send them to magazines. You compare them with other poems, and you are upset when certain editors reject your work. Now [...][...]
Mistake #7: Not Understanding Product Living VS Process Living
“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” 2 Corinthians 11:30 (ESV) This is the seventh in a series of blog posts called, “My Top Ten Mistakes in Ministry (That I Can Share Publicly.)” After many years of ministry experience as a church planter, pastor and seminary[...]
Calvin Rejects Privatized Faith and Promotes Vulnerability in Church Planting Networks :)
“In the church, as Calvin conceived it, every man helped every other man. If in Christ Jesus all believers are united, then a private believer is a contradiction in terms. Not only are the blessings and the virtues given for the common good, but the faults and the weaknesses concern the other memb[...]
2010 West Africa Update – Part 2
This just in: Another update from Steve Childers! It sounds like things are going really well so far. Please pray for the remainder of Steve’s time in Africa – which he will spend with his team in Togo – that the team will be safe and that God’s glory will shine through t[...]
Prayers For GCA 2010 West Africa CPI: Part 1
Editor’s Note: We’ve already shared that GCA President Steve Childers is currently in West Africa, leading a group of indigenous church leaders in the GCA 2010 West Africa Church Planting Institute. Some supporters have known about this for awhile and have been kind enough to commit th[...]
Steve Childers In West Africa This Week!
A team of missionaries led by GCA President Steve Childers are making their way to West Africa for the 2010 GCA West Africa Church Planting Inistitute. We’ve already shared details about GCA’s goals and aspirations in holding this summit. Now we want to give you specific details (i.e[...]
2010 GCA West Africa Church Planting Institute
You’ll be hearing a lot from us over the next week about the West Africa Church Planting Institute. In particular, Steve will be sharing his prayer requests with us. We will also be sure to pass along any updates we get from the field from day to day. So, since we’ll be talking about[...]
Steve Childers At Exponential Conference This Week
Steve will be speaking this week at the national Exponential Conference (“Largest gathering of Church Planters on the Planet”) in Orlando, FL. On Monday, April 18 (TODAY!) he will be speaking at the afternoon Pre-Conference Workshop called “Best Practices in Church Planting Forum” hosted by [...]
Mistake #5: Not Understanding that the Way Up is the Way Down
“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” 2 Corinthians 11:30 (ESV) This is the fifth in a series of blog posts called, “My Top Ten Mistakes in Ministry (That I Can Share Publicly.)” After many years of ministry experience as a church planter, pastor and seminary p[...]
GCA 2010 Conference Attendee Tweets
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 b[...]
Foundations: Remembering What’s Really Important
With all of the practical advice our trainers had to offer at the conference sessions, it would be easy to be overwhelmed. Each trainer went over enough material to fill a full-week conference on its own, and they did it in about ninety minutes! Suffice it to say, if you were here with us this [[...]
Foundations: Finances
GCA was pleased to have Fred Marsh come in and share with conference attendees some strategies for fund raising. This module is a necessary part of the “Foundation” curriculum because, in many denominations, church planters are responsible to raise their own support. Without funding [...]
Foundations: Styles
How does the church do ministry in this culture? How do we do ministry in a cultural context through the lens of the five Ministry Purposes? Andre Rogers helped us think through these questions, and shared many examples from his own ministry. The church planter must help determine how these bibl[...]