Resources in this category support a church planter's walk with God.
Noah Oldham
In the early days of a church plant, roles can feel undefined. Everyone wears multiple hats, and relationships form quickly, often before there’s time to think through how they should actually work. One of the most crucial relationships in a...
Barnabas Piper
Humans are unique. God did not make anything else in His image. No other mammal is an image bearer. Even the angels are not made in God’s image. As one author put it, “Being made in God’s image is a...
Dan Steel
They are not coming in crowds—at least, not yet. There are no stadiums filled, no billboards announcing revival, no front pages hailing a spiritual revolution. And yet—quietly, steadily, and perhaps in unlikely places—the latest figures show a hunger seems to...
Ronnie Martin
The weather can be a bit unpredictable, as they say. My wife, Melissa, told me she was out on the front porch the other night, admiring the evening sunset. It was one of those soft, summery nights where the clouds...
Heather Oldham
It’s one thing to walk through infertility. It’s another thing to do it while planting a church. Because in church planting, you’re always holding out hope. You’re sowing vision. You’re carrying life and momentum and energy into rooms that feel...
Jon Kelly
If you serve in leadership long enough, you will inevitably find yourself navigating relational conflict. Because of the presence of sin, this is not only expected—it’s inevitable. And for pastors and ministry leaders, it’s often amplified. If you’re not willing...
What is honesty? On the surface, that’s a straightforward question with a straightforward answer. “Telling the truth.” “Not lying.” But we all know, from relational experience–and maybe from watching too many legal dramas–that there is much more to it than...
“But what if it turns out that I’m just not called to do this?” The voice on the other end of the phone sounded concerned. Slightly exasperated. Mentally exhausted. The church plant was entering its third year, and although they...
In 2014, I preached a sermon at our church’s five-year anniversary. We celebrated all that God had done, but we didn’t stop there. We turned our eyes toward the future and asked: Who are we becoming? Who will we be...
One thing I struggled to embrace in my early years of ministry is that I’m not only my children’s father—I’m also their pastor. I always aimed to be a good dad, but I didn’t give much thought to what it...
When a church is divided, it is awful. Sometimes it spells disaster. It always spells exhaustion and hurt. Whether it is division between leaders, between members, or between leaders and members, division is abominable because it is a breakdown in...
I’ve walked through seasons that could’ve swallowed me whole—infertility, the heartbreak of unanswered prayers, and silent waiting. Then, parachute planting a church from scratch, stepping into the unknown with nothing but faith, and launching that church just one month before...
J.A. Medders
Don’t overlook your public prayers. It is too easy to fall into the practice of putting effort and thought into everything that happens on Sunday morning, except your prayers from the stage. These moments matter, are holy, and instructive. You...
Matt Carter
I recently spent a couple of days around a table with 8 pastors discussing life and ministry. They ranged in age from their mid-forties to mid-fifties. Many of these guys, you’d know their names because they’ve had a significant impact...
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...
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...
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...
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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