Like many spouses who supported their partners through schooling, I was thrilled to finally see the end of a long, hard season. My husband Ben had just graduated and was now moving into his first full-time ministry job. That’s when reality hit me: This is going to make me a “pastor’s wife”. And then I did one of the worst …
WHY CHURCH PLANTERS NEED COACHING
I remember the first morning I woke up after I had moved to Syracuse, NY. My family had spent the previous year discerning the Spirit’s voice with friends, family and our faith community. My wife and I had served in full-time vocational ministry for 15 years, and we were sensing a growing call to start a new faith community in …
Disappointments and the Pastor’s Heart
Human beings disappoint us. Every single one of them will eventually; that is, if they haven’t already and probably many times over. Just give it enough time and it is bound to happen one way or another. Disappointment seems to be part and parcel of being in a relationship with anyone. To love and trust deeply means to allow myself …
How to plant a church with $375
Is it possible to plant a church with a budget remarkably lower than normal? I’ve done it–twice. Before I share that story, a brief look at church planting in North America over the past 20 years. Church planting has entered contemporary church practice as an attractive and practical way to address decline. Globally, church planting in countries like China or …
5 Steps for Creating a Discipleship Pathway
Here in upstate NY we have this beautiful region for climbing called “The Gunks”. The Gunks come to mind when considering discipleship. They are one of America’s premier climbing areas. It’s just minutes from New Paltz, a funky college town, and 85 miles from New York City. Climbing here is characterized by huge rock roofs that shoot over the trails, …
The V3 Movement Partners with the Inhabit Conference
At the V3 Church Planting Movement we get the question all the time “Why do we need to plant more churches?” It is a valid question. Certainly in most cities we can see a church edifice every couple miles and in some cities every few blocks. It might appear we don’t need any new churches. Additionally, the church currently does …
Beyond Colorblind
I sat down for lunch with a young woman from my church the other day. She’s a Sociology major with a growing heart for justice. As she shared with me about her classes this quarter she articulated a frustration that I think many feel. She had been learning about racial inequality, systemic injustice and ethnic brokenness and it was breaking …
How Do You Decide Where to Plant a Church?
Many future church planters ask, “where’s the best place to plant a church?” The most brilliant response? “It all depends.” Are you looking for the places with the fewest number of churches, the fastest growing, the most millennials, the largest retirement villages, the best college towns, the largest Asian population, the densest, walkable communities… or something else? This entry is …
Christian “Tweeners” in the Shifting Story of the Church
“Cats Cradle,” it’s called, a kids game using a piece of string tied together to make figures with your hands. It’s hard to describe. To (literally) grasp the fun, you have to try it for yourself. I introduced Cat’s Cradle to my 9 year old daughter recently as she characterized her perplexing experience of recess in the 4th grade. “We …
For Love Of The World, Do Something Foolish this Lent
This year Lent begins on Valentine’s Day and ends on April Fools Day, a little challenging in perspectives for those of us that like to adhere to the church calendar while still observing some of the practices of our secular culture. On Godspace, we have chosen the theme “For Love Of The World God Did Foolish Things” as our Lenten theme using …