Lessons From the Field: A New Type of Missions

I have lead many trips for churches over the years. The largest trip I led, for a large and well funded church, had about 65 students and 20 adults. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to take this hoard of people to sleep in tents, without real showers or restrooms, to build houses in Mexico. We …

Praxis 2017: Meet Deb Hirsch

Praxis 2017 is thrilled to announce the return of Australian-born writer and speaker Debra Hirsch, wife of acclaimed writer Alan Hirsch. This year’s gathering is dedicated to discussing God’s work in neighborhoods and to how we can partner in loving those whom God has positioned us near. Meet Deb Hirsch Deb Hirsch is a speaker, church leader, and writer who …

How to Plant a Church Without Going Broke

Currently I am teaching a church planting class at Gateway Seminary. During each session, the class interviews planters who are in start-up phases. One conversation was with a leader who is planting in a fairly wealthy community in the Silicon Valley and the plant will be fairly well funded. After class, one student, clearly stunned, took me aside and asked …

Praxis Gathering 2017: Don Coleman

This year at the Praxis Gathering we’re submerging into a theology and practice of Loving our Neighborhood. We’ll explore the unique possibilities in the urban, suburban and rural contexts. Meet Don Coleman In addition to his pastorship of a local church, Don Coleman is a community leader who passionately cares for the city of Richmond. He has a reputation of …

Overwhelmed? Two Key Practices to Reinvigorate Your Life and Mission

The greatest joy in my life is my wife and 4 kids.  I love being a dad and husband. I am always trying to be aware of how our involvement in planting churches and pastoring is affecting our family.  I have seen and heard and know too many stories of the loss of family at the alter of church leadership. …

Praxis Gathering 2017: Michael Frost

This year at the Praxis Gathering we’re submerging into a theology and practice of Loving our Neighborhood. We’ll explore the unique possibilities in the urban, suburban and rural contexts. Meet Mike Frost Mike is a 20-year veteran of the academy, but doesn’t consider himself an academic, but rather a teacher. He taught at Morling College in Sydney during those years and …

3 Steps to Cultivate Rest for the Soul through Prayer

So many of us are so busy and tired that we’ve entirely forgotten what peace and rest feel like. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak at a church in Texas called Austin Mustard Seed, and I spoke on rest and Sabbath. It was a great opportunity to refresh my own understanding of what it means …

How to Create Your Best Life in Turbulent Times

  As I speak to friends of all ages they tell me they tell me they are slammed by the growing pressure on their daily lives. Are you experiencing a time crunch trying to keep up with work pressure, time for relationships, working out, screen time plus a little time for being present to God and Neighbor? You are not …

What Mark Zuckerberg Can (Accidentally) Teach Us About Church

Mark Zuckerberg recently suggested that Facebook could (and maybe should) become your church. A lot of pastors and Christian leaders are freaking out about this, but Zuckerberg is merely following to its natural extreme an ecclesiology most evangelical pastors and church planters have bought into for decades. (Skye Jethani has a fantastic collection of tweets about this, by the way.) The …