Resources
Discipleshift Book Recommendation
I received a copy of Discipleshift in the mail last week while at the Exponential Conference. The book is written by two guys who know a lot about discipleship, Jim Putman and Bobby Harrington. I remember my visit to Jim’s church well. It wasn’t because of awesome music or preaching, but because while I was in the foyer, I had three people who greeted me and they all asked if I was plugged into a small group. I knew then it was a church that understood discipleship and after spending a little time with Jim I knew why. Bobby...
read moreYour Faith Isn’t Meant to Be Safe
I’ve known Vince Antonucci through my work with Stadia for years. I’m so excited about his new book, Renegade: Your Faith Isn’t Meant to Be Safe. If you’ve read any of Vince’s books you know they are equal parts challenging and entertaining. I know few guys that have a passion to reach people for Jesus like Vince and I know few guys that will make me laugh as quickly. Below is a short interview with Vince about the new book. You can just skip the interview and go grab the book. It will be well worth it....
read moreAutomate Your Social Media with IFTTT.com
Have you ever followed someone on Twitter and then shortly afterwards received a “Thanks for the follow” Tweet? Don’t jump to the conclusion that this Tweeter is glued to the screen waiting for those follows to come in. It could simply be that the use ifttt.com. It stands for If This, Then That. With ifttt, you create recipes out of your various social media channels. Here’s a couple of examples: If Facebook profile pic changes, then update Twitter profile pic. If I receive a new follow on Twitter, then tweet...
read moreFree Google Adwords for Advertising and More
Free is a church planters favorite word especially when it comes to marketing and IT support. Marketing budgets for church plants are always anemic, so when you can get quality advertising for free its a big win. Google has a nonprofit program with some great benefits. Here’s what you get according to Google’s site: By joining Google for Nonprofits, your organization will be approved to enroll in our exclusive nonprofit products, which include: Google Grants: Free AdWords advertising to promote your website on Google through...
read moreShow Support for the .church Domain Extension
I just got an email from OPEN a ministry of Lifechurch.tv. They have applied to open up a new domain: .church. If you have tried finding a new domain for a church, then you know how hard it is to find a .com or .org that is decent. You can show your support of the effort by going to http://dotchurch.org/. Enter your email to sign an online petition and share this with your social networks. It would be great to have a .church domain extension. If successful, the domains would be made available early in...
read more10 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 and...
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 a...
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....
read moreChurch Planting Fundamentals
Championship teams in sports are always great at the fundamentals. Right now all over the country kids are being coached in the fundamentals of football. Every team starts the season out with an emphasis on these fundamentals. So what are the fundamentals of church planting? At Stadia, we measure 5 key vitals of church planting, or the fundamentals. Team Players. Commonly called a launch team, Stadia classifies team players as being people 16 or older who are actively serving in a ministry role and/or giving financially. For years,...
read moreVault Conference: A Unique Church Planting Experience
The Vault Conference is coming up soon and its a church planting experience you don’t want to miss. Vince Antonucci has planted two churches. Most recently he planted Verve Church in Las Vegas. Not on the edge on Vegas or in a Vegas burb but right on the strip. Vince is a hard core evangelist and I have thoroughly enjoyed learning from him over the years. Here’s the details on the event. If you can make it, you should go. Vault will bring you deep inside the thinking and methods Vince Antonucci and Verve Church use in Las...
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