Forging communities on mission has been a refreshing and exhilarating experience. I’m a strategist and futurist by nature, so I have the propensity to convince myself I’ve sized up all the challenges that will come my way, before they come my way. There was one issue that I was not prepared to run into so regularly and widely… bitterness. Over and over …
My forty–first birthday was one I would rather forget. I spent it flat on my back in a hospital thinking I was dying. During my long recovery, I wondered: “Could I have avoided this?” My body was rebelling at the abuses of my fast paced, high stressed lifestyle. My life was out of sync with God’s rhythm and I hadn’t …
God and I have a little game we play with each other. Truth be told, I think it’s more of a game that God plays with me, and it’s called “You’re not as necessary as you think you are.” Here’s how it works: Often, when I preach and I think it goes well and I had good things to say, the …
“God said, ‘Kneel and pray. You are in a holy place, on holy ground. I’ve seen the agony of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their groans. I’ve come to help them. So get yourself ready; I’m sending you back to Egypt.’ (Acts 7:33, 34) I’m sending you back I’m sending you back?! Why did that phrase catch my attention? I …
One of the most palatable tensions in any community of faith is between the past experiences of the community and the future vision for where the community “ought” to go. The arc of the scriptural narrative reveals that although things are not as they were created to be. In Christ, God is making all things new. Theologians have attempted to …
One of the best ways to love a community is to pray for it. Some church planters do this by prayer walking, and organizing regular prayer walks. On the ground is great! Other planters drive around communities, praying (eyes open) as they go. There are places where God has called me to drive up a hill that overlooks a neighborhood …
Today is your last day to register for Sentralized at Early Bird Prices. Register here. Tim Catchim says that the main reason he’s going to Sentralized is to see a bunch of people he loves and have fun. But on top of that, it’s a great chance to learn the ins and outs of APEST and disciple making. According to Tim …
No one likes to grieve. No one feels lucky to mourn. So when Jesus tells an eager gathering of disciples “Blessed are those who mourn,” I’m not sure church growth gurus would see that as the strongest recruitment strategy. Mourning in the Jewish imagination is not a foreign emotion. Mourning has deeply historical connotations for the Hebrew People of God. …
One of the most frequent questions I get from church planters is: What do you recommend as the best books for church planters to read? As an avid reader who has planted churches on the East Coast and the West Coast, and a person who is devoted full time to helping equip church planters, this is a difficult question to …
Sentralized, a premier gathering of missional leaders, is coming to Dallas on September 25-27. Early bird registration ends July 31. Then prices go up. The conference will feature V3 Leaders Tim Catchim and Dan White, Jr., 34 other primary presenters and a wealth of helpful breakout sessions. Sentralized co-founders Lance Ford and Brad Brisco shared a few thoughts on what Sentralized is and what …