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The Weight of Our Hope

Ronnie Martin

If the fruit of humanity is humility, then the fruit of humility is hopefulness. And hopefulness comes through the refining fires of waiting. For there to be hope, there needs to be something unseen to be hoped for.  “We look...
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Leading Your Church to Be a Multiplying Church

Noah Oldham

Evangelicalism isn’t just a theology—it’s a movement. At its core is the belief that the Gospel is meant to spread. Jesus didn’t just call His followers to gather—He called us to go. He didn’t just build a church to preserve...
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Best Practices for Leading Efficient and Productive Team Meetings

Jon Kelly

We’ve all experienced it—a meeting that dragged on too long, veered off course, or left us wondering why we were even there. The truth is, meetings should be purposeful. They should serve as strategic touchpoints that align your team, clarify...
Article

The Grace of “And”

Barnabas Piper

I don’t know if it’s a trend or if social media and the sharability of video clips have just made it more obvious, but there is a troubling pattern in the communication of many preachers today: the pithy false dichotomy....
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The Place of Lament in Church Planting

Dan Steel

A conversation recently has got me thinking about the place of lament in church planting, which may seem an unusual marriage of contradictory ideas, as church planting is often associated with excitement about what might be. The chance to reach...
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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...
Article

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...
Article

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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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...
Article

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...