A pastor friend of mine, Jonathan Cleveland, recently reminded me of a metaphor that is not necessarily new but is good to revisit, especially when talking about missional church planting and ecclesiology. The imaging of this metaphor revolves around the differences between an oak tree and aspen tree. I live in Colorado, at a higher elevation, where Aspens are an …
Most of us as church planters are probably eager to get the ball rolling, set some concrete rhythms of gathering our community together, and implement worship services from the get-go. But, as our community was in its launching phase, I took note of two vital thoughts that pivoted my own church plant’s focus. Pathways One, I participated in a Praxis …
Tell us a little about yourself and your experience in leading a church for creatives? I’m an actor/director by training who found myself in seminary about 15 years ago searching for the next steps on my journey and a way to integrate my faith and calling as an artist. While I never envisioned pastoring (let alone planting) a church, God …
What does pastoral leadership look like in a post-Christian world? What changes should be made? Should development be revamped? Or perhaps things should stay the same? One thing is for certain. We live in an age where “pastor” means little to non-churchgoers. The vocation is often deemed archaic and perhaps even nefarious. For good reason too. The shift in cultural …
We are honored to have Dr. Christine Pohl join us for our June webinar: Life Together in a Fragmented World. Dr. Christine Pohl speaks regularly on recovering the practices of hospitality and community and is the author of many publications including: Living into Community: Cultivating Practices that Sustain Us (Eerdmans, 2012) and Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition …
This year has been an amazing awe and wonder springtime on America’s west coast. In California the spectacular blooming of the desert brought thousands of people out to relish the brilliant oranges, yellows and purples of the flowers whose seeds lie dormant, sometimes for years waiting for rain. In Oregon brilliant purple lupines waved their heads across the mountainsides and …
The concept of the “Trinity” is often so complex that sometimes we don’t really know how to engage with God as “three in one”. But, if we as church planters want to engage with the culture around us through a missional community, understanding the Trinity can help us answer key questions in regards to what community is meant to look …
We recently took some time with innovative author Rohadi to explore more about his recent book: Thrive. Ideas to lead the church in post-Christendom . “Thrive” is a guide to help unlock features in you, and your church, to emerge as leaders and co-creators in our cities, neighborhoods, and beyond. What is the central message of the book? America has …
Well, the news is out again. Gallup’s latest faith poll showed church membership is “down sharply”[1] over the past two decades. Relevant Magazine recently reported that young people are leaving the church due to perceived judgment and hypocrisy [2]. These types of reports are all the more common today, and it is getting harder for church leaders to navigate the …
V3 is thrilled to host our next free webinar “Healing Our Polarized Church” with Dan White Jr., author of the new book Love Over Fear and our host Elice Kim. This webinar is scheduled for May 16 @ 12pm EST. You can register here: Whether it’s the news, social media, or well-intentioned friends, we’re taught daily how to hate and …