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

“We have become obsessed with the Gospel to the rich & it is still hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom” Fred Marsh #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

Steve Brown on pastors’ neurotic tendencies: if we don’t run to Jesus, he’ll break our legs and the Holy Spirit will carry us there. #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

@_gca serving in Africa, North & South America, Asia, Europe training men from 200 Denominations, 50 countries, 5 languages #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