Behind the Scenes with 2 Women in Ministry Leadership

V3 was able to ask cofounders Taeler Morgan and Becci Curtis-Lillie about their church, Gather|Tacoma, in Tacoma. This is what they had to say about ministry and church planting. Meet Taeler Morgan Tell us a little about yourself, your hobbies and your calling to plant a church. I’m a Southern California native, married to my favorite person, Tim, for the …

Experiencing the Sacred at Sundance (Theology at the Theater, Part 3)

In the previous blog of this series, I discussed using the lectio divina as a way to approach the theology of film through a process I call cinematographeum divina. While this idea wasn’t fully developed until after my trip to Sundance, I had the opportunity to work through most of the steps, because I approach much of my life in …

How to Make Waves: A 10-Year Plan for Discipleship

The future is changing at warp speed. What that means for the church is that we have to be on our toes, ready to engage whatever culture emerges in these next 10 years. This means inviting the Spirit of God to ignite our imaginations, to create whole new forms of life-making, change-making and church-making. This means engaging new challenges and opportunities of changing …

First Baptisms of the Grace Capital City Plant

In August of 2015 a group of ten of us gathered for the first time in our living room in Washington DC to begin to plan, dream and pray about what God might want to do through the new church we felt called to plant, though it was certainly humble beginnings even then we felt expectant about God’s plans for …

3 Ways the Parish Model Would Change Your Church

The Third Church Presbyterian community meets in Richmond, Virginia with the mission “Called together for the renewal of all things through Jesus Christ.” For Third, that means a new model for church, a decentralized Parish model. Each of the eleven parishes will consist of around 100 people, and the parish will be the main mode of community and ministry for the …

Listening to the Story: The Experience of Two Church Planters

Church planting doesn’t happen according to some idealistic model. In every environment, church means something unique, which can mean unique challenges and unique opportunities. Here’s what that meant for two planters, one in Colorado and one in Twin Cities. Meet Scott Olson and Matt Anderson, who were part of our community of church planters, the Learning Cohort. Matt, tell us a …

6 Tips to Ensure Spiritual Growth Over the Summer

It is hard to believe that we already into May.  Most of us have our summer vacations planned and the kids activities organized. Churches are expecting less people in the pews and less money in the coffers. Few seem to think about how they will prepare their congregations to grow their faith over the next few months. Some of you …

Behind the Scenes with Church Planters: How Community Can Save Your Plant

We can’t do it alone. That’s why V3 follows its model. There’s nothing more exasperating than trying to fill all the roles in a ministry, trying to white-knuckle your way through ministry, dealing with all the hopes and fears you have—without a community. That’s an easy recipe for disappointment and burnout. V3 had the opportunity recently to hear from two …

Ministry's Most Commonly Forgotten Secret

My week had been particularly hectic, stressful and busy. But honestly, so had the week before! After thinking more about it, I realized that actually we hadn’t taken a day off in more than a few weeks now. Things just kept popping up. I’d say to myself, “This is just a season. It’s how it is now, but it won’t always be …

5 Good Decisions I Made as a Planter

Of course it’s helpful to reflect on mistakes, especially if it will help prevent new ones, or if it can be an instructional tool to those follow after you. With grace, we reflect on those things, and we learn from them. But every now and then, a decision stands the test of time. Here are five good decisions I’ve made …