Search / 12 posts tagged church planting movement

Some light relief from a meaningful life. . . Pre-Game Coin Toss Makes Jacksonville Jaguars Realize Randomness Of Life Shades of Monty Python’s Philosopher’s Football. . .

Dear Church Planter, As I write, we are just over two weeks out from going public with Project Church. I’ve spent the last two or three years preparing for this.  I’ve read loads of church books,  listened to some amazing church leaders, and swapped stories with some very bright church planters.

Caught up with a church planter recently. He’s doing a great job. Growing in skill and character. Taking the church beyond the pioneering phase to health and viability. At this point too many church planters get the idea that it’s all about the growth of “their” church. But growth is a by-product of health.

A bit of light relief thanks to Kiwi, Andrew Taylor. Two advertising executives create campaigns to inspire Australians to cross the Tasman Sea and invade New Zealand. “Helen Clark” referred to in the second ad is the current New Zealand Prime Minister. A warning for bad language.

According to the Age the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney has declared a formal split in the worldwide Anglican communion over the consecration of openly gay clergy and the blessing of same-sex unions.

Every living thing has limits to growth. Ever living thing dies. Growth has its boundaries in both space and time. God made elephants big. He made whales enormous. But even their size has its limits. There are trees on this planet that last thousands of years. Even they die. Growth is not the point.

What lives dies. Animal, vegetable, enterprise. No escape. Not even the wise. None! But one—propagation! Conceive of this: A stratified calcified petrified Enterprise in desperation forgoes habitual cloning and Tolerates (allows) permits. . . . genuine birth.

Some Austin evangelical leaders are moving toward developing a Citywide Church Planters Assessment that is cross-denominational and city renewing. Stew summarizes our recent meeting very well. He lists several reasons this is a good movement: It smells like the Kingdom: anytime gospel-centered churches pursue a vision to work together to plant churches Jesus seems to show up.

I just finished Bob roberts Jr.’s The Multiplying Church. I hope it’s on the to-read list for every church leader in North America. It’s not quite as technical as Stetzer’s Planting Missional Church’s, less dense and cerebral than Hirsch’s Forgotten Ways, and a bit more strategic than Cole’s Organic Church (All of which are excellent books btw).

This may come as a surprise to some- but I’m a skeptic. It must be the Simon Cowell in me. The upside of this is I can typically spot when someone (or something) is genuine. The flip side of this is I can also spot when someone (or something) isn’t.