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The Priority of Humility

Ronnie Martin

Years ago, I heard John Piper share a story at a conference I attended. He said that someone once asked him, “John, how do I learn to be humble like you?” He replied, “Who said I was humble?” The pastoral...
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Raising Church-Planting Kids: Be Their Calm in the Chaos

Heather Oldham

Planting a church is a calling that demands faith, endurance, and a willingness to step into the unknown. For church planters and their families, the journey is filled with both joy and sacrifice—long hours, uncertain outcomes, and the weight of...
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Planting a Church? Remember This Verse

Noah Oldham

Church planting is both a thrilling and challenging endeavor. It is a call to step into the unknown, trust God for provision, and engage in spiritual warfare for the sake of the gospel. For those called to this mission, the...
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3 Prayer Habits Spurgeon Wanted for Planters

J.A. Medders

Faithful and effective church planters must be men of prayer. You can only be faithful and effective when you pray to the Faithful One, to the Effector of gospel ministry. Charles Spurgeon taught his students in his Pastors’ College to...
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Confidence in the Calling to Church Planting

Tony Merida

Church planting is not a casual endeavor. It demands more than ideas or inspiration—it requires conviction—a deep, settled confidence. As we consider the essential traits of a faithful and effective church planter, one rises to the surface: confidence in calling....
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Coaching from Peter: 12 Lessons for Church Planters

Noah Oldham

Church planting demands vision and perseverance. As planters work toward the dream of a thriving church, they must also labor in the trenches of ministry. The Apostle Peter, in 1 Peter 5, provides invaluable exhortations for pastors and planters in...
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5 Questions to Ensure a Successful Local Community Partnership

Jon Kelly

Whether a church planter is in the early core team stages or has already launched Sunday services, it is essential that both the planter and the church body actively engage the city with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This requires...
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From Evaluating to Worshiping: How Pastors Can Still Worship God

Barnabas Piper

As a pastor, it is hard not to constantly critique ministry. Whether we are a lead pastor, a solo pastor, or on a large pastoral team, when we enter a church service, we are nearly always “on”—observing, evaluating, anticipating what...
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4 Ways to Care for Your Family While Planting

Dan Steel

One of the most moving aspects of the planting pitfalls study for me was hearing testimonies from church planters and pastors about how deeply painful their planting journey had been for their spouses and children. Of course, this is not...
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The Church Planter’s Relationships: Building a Strong Foundation for Ministry

Tony Merida

When I first began seminary, I eagerly flipped through the course catalog, excited to dive into theology and biblical studies. But one course puzzled me—Interpersonal Relationship Skills. Why would a future pastor need a class on relationships? Shouldn’t theology and...
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Five Key Attributes of Executive Pastors

Travis Ogle

The 100 Most Important Photos Ever was published by LIFE magazine in December 2021. One of the photos in the gallery captured Brandi Chastain, a United States Women’s National Soccer Team member, passionately celebrating her spot kick to beat China...
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6 Questions Spurgeon Would Ask Aspiring Church Planters

J.A. Medders

Spurgeon was no stranger to men asking his opinion on their call to ministry. As he taught prospective pastors and planters in his Pastors’ College, men would seek his advice on the call to ministry. The second lecture in his...
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5 Cultural Reasons to Include Women Leadership in Your Church

Jen Oshman

Male and female relationships are more than complicated in our world today. Possibly even more complicated in the church than in culture. We struggle to thrive as brothers and sisters because of suspicion, church scandals, poorly formed theology, or we’ve...
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4 Guiding Principles for Worship Gatherings

Noah Oldham

For the past eight years, I’ve had the joy and honor of meeting with 200 to 250 brand-new church planters twice a year at an event called Send Network Orientation. This event serves as our family of churches’ strategy to...
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3 Tips for Vision Casting

Mark Lee

You might not think of yourself as a visionary because when you think of visionaries, you might think of Walt Disney or someone who started a major tech company. They tend to thrive in theory and have cutting-edge ideas. Do...
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Embracing Your Humanity as a Gift

Ronnie Martin

You were not born a pastor, you were born a person. As Charles Dickens once said, “This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.” Without receiving yourself as a person,...
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Healing from Church Hurt: Creating a Culture of Welcome and Refuge

Barnabas Piper

Few hurts hurt like church hurt. People join churches expecting a place of love, grace, and safety–a place that looks and feels like the heart of Jesus. Sadly, the reality of sin often messes that up, and people get hurt....
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6 Questions Around Your Church Plant’s Numbers

Dan Steel

Appropriate church planting metrics are a thorny topic that many of us struggle with. How do you know if it’s going well? How can you tell? Is it simply a matter of counting? And if so, what do we count?...