ChurchPlanting.com

I’ve noticed an interesting trend in church planting recently. An increasing number of sending organizations are offering coaching as part of their planter support package.  I’m seeing this across a wide variety of denominations—from Anglican to Vineyard. And why not?  For significantly less than the cost of health insurance, you can see a 30% to [...]

I’ve coached people—including church planters—for pretty much forever now. When all is said and done, here’s what needs to happen in each coaching session: prepare, engage, and act.  This cycle is what makes coaching effective. It’s what gets things done:  preparing for the session in advance, interacting during the session, then determining next steps at [...]

It was the best of decisions. It was the worst of decisions. In my last blog, I questioned whether John Mark should be considered a false positive or false negative. Paul and Barnabas disagreed sharply on his fitness to rejoin them in ministry, leading the companions to go their separate ways. Paul had a successful [...]

Leaders who are effective in the long run have a set of enduring values that guide them. Values are important in all areas of leadership, but perhaps are most important in the way leaders utilize the people who follow them. There should be two values that you hold in balance when it comes to utilizing people [...]

I’ve planted three churches. One in my early 20’s, one in my late 20’s, and my final one after I had just turned 40. I am now 53 and the funny thing about getting older is that you seem to know less than you did when you were younger. Now I know that not all [...]

To select or not to select? That is the question. Paul and Barnabas struggled over a critical personnel decision—whether or not to allow John Mark to rejoin them in ministry (Acts 15: 36-40). The two companions found themselves in strong disagreement. Barnabas wanted John Mark to resume as an assistant, despite his abandonment of the [...]

A few weeks ago I had the unique experience of chatting with Green Bay Packers’ head coach Mike McCarthy, in his home.  Long story, but I was given an on-field pass before the Packers/Broncos game, watched the victory with the coach’s family in their luxury skybox, then went to the house after the game.   (I [...]