Relationship or Discipline (or both)? How is your relationship with Christ these days? This question is one that is quite familiar in Christian circles. Knowing that our passion for God has a tendency to ebb and flow, often we disciple…
When I was heading to Memphis for the recent Gospel Fluency of the Heart training, I happened to throw Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried in my bag. I didn’t realize its relevance to the subject at hand—the gospel and…
Bragging about what we have attained and accomplished is a constant temptation. It’s also evidence of our deepest desires to be good enough. We’re searching for evidence of right being through right doing. Boasting is an expression of our desire…
When Plans Get Interrupted I am bi-vocational. That means I regularly wish I had more time to devote to all that I need to do (and want to do). My first year as bi-vocational pastor of my church was a…
We have considered adding “Storyteller” as one of the team leadership roles for our missional communities. And I would love to fulfill this role. I love stories—especially stories of God’s faithfulness. But I’ve faced some ethical dilemmas in the past…
We are so excited about the release of our newest resource “Strong Church: Video Series + Workbook” that we want to offer everyone a glimpse into this new content. The Strong Church Video Series + Workbook is designed to assist you,…
We are so excited about the release of our newest resource "Strong Church: Video Series + Workbook" that we want to offer everyone a glimpse into this new content. The Strong Church Video Series + Workbook is designed to assist you,…
Early in the pandemic, it was said, “We are all in the same storm, but different boats.” This has proven to be true over the past year and a half, especially when it comes to missional communities or community groups.…
“WE ARE ALL START-UPS NOW” This was Andy Crouch’s insightful prediction early on about the coming fallout for organizations in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic. While many did not want to believe this was their situation, coming into Fall…
“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your…
Often we clarify our convictions hoping to strengthen unity—“Here is what I believe… Who’s with me?” But what if a doctrine becomes destructive or divisive not because of what it is, but because of how we hold it? Isn’t it…
A missional community is a way to organize the church to gather and send groups of people on the mission of God. Simply put, a missional community is a group of people who are learning to follow Jesus together in…
All-of-life discipleship—learning to follow, trust, and obey Jesus in the everyday stuff of life and training others to do the same—requires submitting to and obeying God’s Word in three key environments: life on life, life in community, and life…
Part of our own discipleship is “paying it forward”: seeing God not only work in us, for our own discipleship, but also seeing him work through us, for others’ discipleship The person and work of Jesus cannot remain as…
Church leader? Your job is not to do the ministry for the church, but to equip the church to be gospel ministers. Habakkuk 2:14 speaks of a day when “The knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the…
Soma School is a gospel-centered, missional ecclesiology immersion experience which exists to see pastors, planters, and leaders thoroughly gripped by the gospel. Soma School is a combination of white-board theology sessions, personal processing, and immersion within the life of a…
Today we are releasing a sneak peek at one of four new videos in the Q+A series with Jeff Vanderstelt. We love getting to interact with your questions at live events, and want to bring that experience online through…
Prior to meeting Jesus, we were lost and broken in desperate need for a Savior. However, such a necessity was not bound to our pre-salvific state. As believers who securely hold salvation by the name of Christ and are…
Throughout the years, I have come across a growing number of people on the cusp of burnout in communities and organizations across the spectrum of the gospel-centered discipleship movement. Many were close friends, few were acquaintances, and one of them…
Today we are offering a second sneak peek video into a new series with Jeff Vanderstelt that dives into your most asked questions. We love getting to interact with your questions at live events and have been encouraged by your response…
School is wrapping up, the days are getting longer, and with COVID restrictions easing, we are looking forward to making the most of this summer! Plans are being made for vacations, weddings, camping trips, family reunions, and playing in…
We love getting to interact with your questions at live events and this year we are bringing that experience online in our new Q+A Series. How do you disciple in a busy, individualistic culture? How do you learn to…
“Who will help me plant my seeds?” asked the Little Red Hen. “Not I,” said the dog. “Not I,” said the cat. “Not I,” said the duck. “Then, I will plant them myself,” said the Little Red Hen, and…
The world is a mess, you may have noticed. It’s been broken and aching for restoration since Genesis chapter 3. We see the brokenness everywhere, but the means for restoration often seems nowhere to be found—usually a result of…
This blog is an excerpt from our recently released Leader Cohort Series. We designed this series of videos and guides to help groups of pastors and leaders to meet together in cohorts for the purpose of growing in health, learning…
What Does Membership Have To Do With Gospel Saturation?
This year has left us all longing for more… more than pandemic fears and isolation, political unrest, racial injustices, economic challenges, and the weariness in our own souls. We long for hope, peace, and joy. We long for…
This year has presented many opportunities to speak of Jesus with our friends and neighbors. After all we’ve gone through, our neighbors' needs and emotions create space to enter into their real experiences and point them to the truth…
There is always hope in darkness, because there was Hope lying in a grave for three days—He who now is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Can you imagine what it must have been like…
Pastors and leaders, have you felt out of control over this past year? If we’re honest, many of us have been filled with fear about our churches, our leadership, and the future of pastoral ministry as a whole. In the…
The past year has been filled with loss, chaos, and sadness for many. How does the gospel speak to our sadness in this moment? In the video below, Jeff Vanderstelt shared how God has given us the gift of…
Last year when the Angel Soft and Lysol—along with staple foods like Ramen and Chef Boyardee—disappeared from our grocery shelves, I was strangely filled with a bit of anticipation. I thought it could be the wilderness that would teach…
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the…
Written by Kevin Platt and Chris Gonzalez If you have ever led a missional community or a congregation of missional communities, you have fielded some form of at least a few, if not all, of these questions: Who is God?…
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