Church planting or church migration?

In 2010, a number of churches and Christians agreed to partner together to see 20 new churches planted by 2020 in Birmingham and then after that, to seek another 30 planted by 2030 with the hope that if each of the 50 churches planted again within our lifetime, that would be about 100 new churches.… Continue reading Church planting or church migration?

Is Church planting the enemy of healthy church life and discipleship?

I saw this tweet the other day, it’s from Marcus Honeysett who heads up Living Leadership. As someone who is actively involved in encouraging church planting I thought it might be helpful to respond a little. First, it is important to recognise that it is possible for people and churches to become so focused on… Continue reading Is Church planting the enemy of healthy church life and discipleship?

Who will you send?

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It’s been pointed out that the only way that you know if you’ve been called to pastoral ministry is not through an inner prompting, though some may experience this, it’s also not about having a few friends saying that they think you might be good at it.  Rather, it’s about having a local church who… Continue reading Who will you send?

Attitudes to Church Planting

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I’m currently running this little survey to find out a bit more about attitudes to church planting. I’m particularly interested to know whether there are people seriously considering the possibility of church planting in the near future. If you are interested in church planting, then I’d like to find out a bit more about what… Continue reading Attitudes to Church Planting

How big should you grow and at what size should you plant?

A friend recently asked this question on Twitter. Now, these kinds of polls are great at getting a quick reaction but often the answers need some detail and nuance.  Often, we find ourselves responding with “it depends”.  So, they work best when they generate further conversation and discussion.  This, to my mind is one such… Continue reading How big should you grow and at what size should you plant?

Able to teach: How do we assess?

I’ve been writing a little here about taking a different approach to training and equipping for Gospel ministry. I’ve argued that we need to start by thinking about outcomes, what are the competencies we are looking for in someone who will be planting a church, pastoring, working as an evangelist in the community, involved in… Continue reading Able to teach: How do we assess?

Training for Gospel competencies

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I’ve argued that we need a different approach to Gospel training if we are to see workers equipped to go into the neediest areas.  One aspect of this is the need to start from outcomes and think about the types of competencies we are looking for in Gospel workers.  A competency is an area of… Continue reading Training for Gospel competencies