A few church plants in my region have parachuted in with teams of 20 adults. The group is formed with friends who often already know and trust one another, and are familiar with one another’s strengths, weaknesses and abilities. The same thing is often true for indigenous planters who can call on old friends to assist them with the new church …
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 …
On Father’s Day, I took my husband out for a buffet dinner. The restaurant had a live band and dance performances. Simple enough— but this wasn’t just any restaurant and band. This was a halal eatery that served Egyptian food, and hosted an authentic Egyptian performance group. There were belly dancers from a local Academy of Egyptian Dance who swayed, turned, …
On my small, short block in San Francisco, there are people who represent various races, ethnicities and nationalities. They are Chinese, Burmese, Vietnamese, Caucasian, Armenian, Japanese, and African American. My city, like many of your cities, has a high foreign-born population. Our neighborhoods, like yours, are filled with people who not only do not know Christ, but who are adherents …
Sure, everyone wants to hear from God about where or among whom He is calling them to plant, but people seem to hear Him through various lenses. In recent years, this seems to be shifting. Affinity For most of the 30+ years I have worked in church starting settings, planters have gravitated towards affinity. They look for people and places …