Being Pastor or Planter involves embracing a ministry vocation that includes a consistent encounter with the conflicts and challenges most spend their life trying to avoid. While leading people to the beauty of Christ, we concurrently face the tragedy of betrayal, grief from unending losses, and pain from emotional assaults. What happens to our mind, soul, and body from this …
There’s a story from American folklore that Henry Ford, after launching the Model T, declared consumers could pick any color they wanted…so long as it was black. To me this sounds like the same approach Christian worship has taken. It comes in basically one color. There are two main versions: sing songs and listen to a preacher, or follow some …
If you’re following along with the ministry of Jesus, He spoke of seeking — searching for with all your might and with urgency — only two things. He tells His followers to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) which feels like a given since people are wanting to participate in the good and powerful rule and reign of …
At 57 years old, a lot has changed in my perspective of things. Life looks different, the future takes on the priority of legacy-leaving, and my idealism has taken on more grace. The other thing that has exited my priority list is the need of a title. I often have people ask me what I do and so I have …
We are thrilled to feature Ben Atkins on this episode of The Planter’s Life. Ben Atkins is an innovative and compassionate Planter all the way from Canning Town, UK with Saint Matthias Canning Town. You can watch here, listen on Spotify, or download the V3 app for a first look at all of our freshest content.
Do you practice a regular rhythm of Sabbath? Do you “Sabbath”? What does it even mean when we use “Sabbath” as a verb? In fact, what is Sabbath? Something Important Generally speaking for many of us, when we hear the word “Sabbath” our thoughts go to attending a Sunday morning church service, hearing a sermon, participating in musical worship, talking …
A couple weeks ago I woke up, ate breakfast with the family, and walked my son to elementary school. From there, my 3-year old daughter and I walked to the local cafe, as we usually do. After properly caffeinating, I responded to a few emails, texted a new friend to hang out, and got to know the person sitting next …
The year was 250 CE and Rome found itself facing, invaded even, by a different kind of enemy. It was not an army it could simply defeat on the battlefield, but a plague that swept through parts of the empire. Most historians think the invader was akin to Smallpox or Bubonic Plague, based on the early descriptions of symptoms. Whole …
The V3 Movement has been raising up and releasing men and women church planters, from across the theological spectrum, all over the country, that are focused on locally-rooted presence, tight-knit community, life-forming discipleship, and boundary-crossing mission. We are a training movement. So, we wanted to share with you our favorite books in 2019 (and a couple gems from 2018) that …
In a previous post I discussed why new plants (or any church for that matter) should have neighborhood presence as a central identity piece. Easier said than done. There are challenges to make this reality including: leaders who are figuring it out themselves, no active connection to the neighborhood, superficial relationships, or unrecognized activity. Sometimes we need help to turn …