A Tragedy “We don’t regularly take communion,” the pastor confessed with a confident tone of contemporary conviction. “Many weeks we just can’t fit it in.” These were the words I heard just before guest preaching at a large, influential church in a major American city. My soul cried. He was right. In addition to staples like the sermon and songs, …
A Key to Discipling Millennials
“Theology is autobiography.” This short phrase, which I heard from a young divinity school student at Duke University, drifted through the classroom and forever cemented itself in my memory and understanding of my calling as a pastor theologian. He echoed the words of Frederick Buechner who said that “theology, no matter how abstruse, no matter how metaphysical and subtle, is an outgrowth of …
Here Is How You Can Use Social Media to Grow a Movement
You are an integral part of God’s mission. We need your help. About two or three times a week, we publish an article for church planters and missional leaders. Would you help us get the word out about these superb resources? You can help by joining our social media team and share these great resources on Facebook and Twitter. We’ve made it as easy …
How to Catalog Any Idea for Future Sermons
In the previous post in this series, I wrote about a state of mind that is helpful for the ongoing work of sermon preparation. I talked about the need to Attend, to pay attention to what was happening in soul, text and culture. This time around, things get more practical, moving from an abstract posture to a tangible activity. I’m …
What Everybody Ought to Know About Team Development
Lord of the Flies, William Golding’s novel about a group of boys stuck on an uninhabited island, remains a classic. What at first seemed like an ideal situation for a bunch of kids away from their parents soon became a rather harrowing experience. Stranded all by themselves, they were suddenly forced to entertain an entirely new set of challenges. One of …
Special Announcement: V3 Partner – Asbury Theological Seminary – Offers New Master of Arts Degree with Specialization in Church Planting
I’m glad to announce that Asbury Theological Seminary, one of V3’s partners, is introducing a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies with a specialization in Church Planting degree in the fall of 2014. The beauty of this degree is that it allows you, the practitioner, to remain in your city where you are planting, while you pursue your Master’s Degree. …
A Simple Approach to Encountering God That Church Leaders Forget
Several years ago when I started asking people What makes you feel close to God? The responses astounded me. Most people did not mention prayer or bible study. Their intimate encounters with God occurred not through reading the scripture or going to church, but through the ordinary every day activities that fill their days. Of course this is not an …
The God of Cereal Aisles: Practicing an Everyday Pentecost
As Paul crafts the first known letter to the Corinthian church, it becomes clear he is addressing a great swirl of problems within the community. A group of church members, for one, have begun to elevate their experience of the Holy Spirit above others’ experience; what Ronald Knox once called “enthusiasts.” In chapters twelve through fourteen, one can clearly hear …