Monthly Archives: December 2006

2007

The first few months of 2007 are jam-packed with excellent training opportunities. Here are some of the best. The next1000 for church planting leaders. Liam Glover from NxCD will be training church planting coaches in the application of Natural Church Development early in 2007. You can find out more and sign up for the workshop [...]

Warning, having children could be good for you!

Having kids is costly, time consuming and emotionally demanding. I know. So I have a plan. Wait until you’re wise enough, wealthy enough and have discretionary time on your hands. Then start a family. . . when you’re 65 years old. Planting churches is costly, time consuming and emotionally demanding for the parent church. So [...]

Growing leaders for a church planting movement

Sherwood Lingenfelter’s reflections on non-formal leadership training as pioneered by Paul Gupta and the Hindustan Bible Institute: 1. Non formal training vastly expands the potential recruits. Some of the most successful church planters won’t make it into or through formal training. 2. Practical engagement quickly sifts out those who are not wired for, or committed [...]

Learning from Paul

I’ve just finished Paul Gupta’s account of the church planting movement that has emerged out of his Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI). Good case studies of contemporary church planting movements are rare. Everyone is too busy to take the time to write up the story and the lessons. It’s also rare for an established ministry to [...]

The most important thing about you

What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will show that no people has ever risen above its religion. And man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. For this reason the [...]

Why church planters shouldn’t

I keep bumping into evidence that is causing me to question whether it’s the job of every “church planter” to plant churches. This from Rodney Stark: Following Paul there was no organized or systematic program evangelism. Personal evangelising was the program. Once under way, this program allowed full-time missionaries such as Paul to assume the [...]