Note: I am not one who has the role of the Holy Spirit, the gifts, and the supernatural figured out. I have been on a long and difficult journey to figure it out, but I have learned some things along the way in regards to church planting. I had to confess to my Board and … Continue reading CHURCH PLANTING LESSONS: THE HOLY SPIRIT AND CHURCH PLANTING
This is the most common question I have been asked in the last few years. I believe the answer is YES. Jesus says the harvest is plentiful, so I do not think he meant that only in certain countries. I have heard countless people say it cannot happen and when leaders share that belief, that … Continue reading CHURCH PLANTING LESSONS: CAN A CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENT HAPPEN IN AMERICA?
If I could rewind almost 20 years of ministry, I would change one significant thing. I thought it was my job to recruit as many church people (usually white Americans) as I could to reach the people groups I was trying to reach. Not only was it mostly ineffective as far as church planting because … Continue reading CHURCH PLANTING LESSONS: REACHING YOUR OWN OIKOS VS CROSS-CULTURAL WORK
To note: Insiders are internationals who we have trained or added to our team for the purpose of reaching their own or similar people groups here in America. Also to note: when I say Americans, I mostly mean white Americans because from my experience, this makes up the majority of church planters whom I know … Continue reading CHURCH PLANTING LESSONS: AMERICANS VS INSIDERS
A major mistake that I see church planters making and I have made numerous times is being so focused on getting Discovery Groups started that we bypass what it really takes to successfully get groups started. Often times, we take the principles from the "methods" we have been trained in and try to start groups … Continue reading CHURCH PLANTING LESSONS: DISCOVERY GROUPS ARE NOT HARD TO START!
One of the couples on our team met and started discipling a woman (believer) in Disciple Making Movements (DMM) who was selling pupusa's (a traditional Salvadoran dish) to make enough money so she could support herself in her own city and so she could travel to other countries to share the gospel and encourage other believers. … Continue reading CHURCH PLANTING LESSONS: FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE
For most of my ministry life, I refused to even build relationships with believers inside the communities I was working in. Why? Because I thought I was simply obeying God and the Great Commission by reaching nonbelievers. I would have networks of believers outside of the communities I was working in, mostly white Americans (because … Continue reading CHURCH PLANTING LESSONS: START WITH BELIEVERS OR NONBELIEVERS?
