10 Uses of QR Codes for the Church
QR codes are growing in rapidly in usage in large part due to the cultural adoption of smartphones. QR codes have been around for a long time, but the smartphone makes the codes highly usable. QR codes are basically links to content. This content can live on the internet or in the case of text, the content can be imbedded within the code itself. You can use a QR code to direct people to a variety of content: Text Hyperlink Browser bookmark Contact information (like a vcard) Calendar event Email address Phone number SMS Geo locations...
read moreWhat Every Church Planter Should Know
If you read this blog, you know I believe strongly in the Church Planting Movement and that church planting is one of the best ways to open up more seats for the Gospel. Church Planters are faced with a unique set of challenges – mobile ministry, fundraising, creating ownership amongst their volunteers, creating momentum for survival, self-propelled leadership and building something from nothing. That’s why, every time I have a chance to meet with, coach or provide resources to church planters, I do. One new resource I’m excited about is...
read more3 Alternatives to Missional Communities: Family Discipleship
85% of people who decide to follow Jesus, do so between the ages of 4 and 14. Let that sink in a bit. This is profound and overlooked. This makes the discipling of children vitally important. Not having a plan to disciple children is not an option. Many are mistaking a strategy for growth that includes a children’s focus as a plan for discipling children. See this post for more thoughts on this. Effective entertainment for children that compels them to want to be at a worship service is not effective discipleship. Using...
read more3 Alternatives to Missional Communities: Small Groups
Small groups have been around for decades now and have been adopted at some level by most churches. When you hear a presentation about missional communities, you will usually hear that MCs are not small groups. MCs differ in terms of size (20 -50 for MCs 8 – 15 for small groups) and purpose. MCs are community formed around mission. Small groups can serve a lot of purposes. Let me start by saying that a lot of the missional critique around small groups is valid. They are typically fellowship driven with a goal of connecting...
read more5 Reasons Why Kids are a Value Not a Strategy for Churches
I served a the Family Life Pastor in the church I helped start in Charlotte, NC. Like many churches we would publicly say that children were a value. Unfortunately, it wasn’t true for us and isn’t true for most churches. Let me explain. The emphasis on kids was simple. It was a to reach their parents. Have a fun, entertaining, dynamic children’s ministry and they will drag their parents to church. It was the parents we were after and the kids were a strategy to get them. Don’t believe me. The sad...
read more3 Reasons Why Missional Communities Are Not the Only Discipleship Model
Missional Communities are the “it” thing in the church right now. Honestly I love it. The Church in the West needs a discipleship movement. There isn’t a planter that I work with that isn’t taking seriously God’s command to make disciples. For many of us, thinking of discipleship as the operating system of the church is foreign. Many, myself included, are naturally bent to think of the worship service as the OS for the church. We still have a long way to go in terms of putting discipleship into...
read more5 Reasons Why I Love My Amanda
It’s Valentine’s Day and a card simply won’t do. A card can only tell Amanda that I love her. And today I feel like letting the world know. So in no particular order, here are a couple reasons why I love my wife so much. She’s Caring. She not like the average person who cares. She cries at a sad commercial because she feels it deep inside. She spends most of her days doing things not for herself, but others. When the Bible says, “Love One Another,” I don’t have to look far for an...
read moreChurch Planting Will Cause You Pain and Leave You Sifted
I’ve said many times that the one universal of church planting is that you will face spiritual attack. Over the years I’ve seen everything from planters who struggle with depression, to planters who have had experiences that belong in a Hollywood horror movie. These experiences are painful and can either break a planter or make them stronger. At Stadia, we assess every planter we work with. A common thing we say is that any issues you have will be amplified when you plant a church. Whether these are sin problems, marital...
read moreThree Ways Church Planters Worship Themselves
Spirituality is something I don’t talk about much on this blog, mainly because I want to keep things very nuts and bolts. But I’m realizing that spirituality is about as nuts and bolts as it gets. One thing many people struggle with is self-worship. We put ourselves first in everything. We do what is best for us. We are generous to ourselves. We promote an unrealistic picture of ourselves (I see lots of posts about how far someone has run and very few about the indulgent jelly donut). Here are three ways church...
read moreThe Church Planting Supersite
I just learned about a new resource for church planters. It’s the church planting supersite at www.churchplantingsupersite.com. It’s billed as the ultimate gateway to all things church planting. It has three main resource sections. Directory of vendors and service providers for just about anything you need for church planting from Bible Study to marketing to coaching. It’s not exhaustive but its a great start for such a new site. Free Stuff. All planters love free stuff. Unfortunately this area is empty so far....
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