Church Planting

Equip Retreat 2016

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vtcpequipretreatblank-01This weekend, January 29-30, we host our third annual Equip Retreat through Vermont Church Planting.   Forty church planters and potential church planters from across Vermont and the neighboring region are attending with Mike Breen from 3DM Movements leading our sessions.

This week I sensed God leading me to pray three specific things for this retreat.  Will you pray the following with me?

For God to remind us Jesus is worth the risks we’re taking and sacrifices we’re making.
For God to encourage us  as we share stories with other like minded guys.
For God to equip us with some practical tools for our ministry toolbox.

Thank you for your prayers and partnership.

Trust the process

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Most church planters I know walk into church planting with clarity in four areas:

  1. They know how God has wired them- including their passions, talents, strengths, and giftedness.
  2. They sense a calling to a specific group of people- whether it’s a neighborhood, cultural group, city, etc.
  3. They have a clear vision of what the church could and should be- rooted in the intersection of scripture and cultural context.
  4. They have a process in mind of how this will work- which involves strategic steps in leading people individually and collectively forward in following Jesus.

Many times when circumstances appear tougher, people respond slower, and momentum takes longer than we anticipated, we prematurely abandon the process for something that appears to move us more quickly towards our desired destination.   Continue reading →

Sabbatical Recap: Maine

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20150806_094713If our week in Southern California was all about equipping and our week in Pennsylvania was all about unplugging, then our three weeks at a cottage in coastal  Maine was definitely about refueling and listening.  As many have asked what we did, the answer includes long strolls on the beach and through the woods, cycling the rolling hills of a coastal peninsula, hunting for hermit crabs with the kids, lots of time with the family at the pool and beach. What we did doesn’t really describe the significance of what happened: God truly used this time away to deepen my relationship with Him and with my family. Continue reading →

Sabbatical recap: week in the Poconos

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Thanks to our good friends Ken & Lynn Nipp, we were able to really begin our sabbatical in the Poconos of Pennsylvania.   Our goals for this sabbatical are simple: unplug, refuel, and listen to God.  Unplugging is not easy and requires discipline.  I’m understanding why Jesus made a habit of escaping to lonely places away from crowds to spend time with the Father.   He’d often cross the Sea of Galilee to get away.  In this modern era of technology this requires me staying off line (except for these posts) and putting my cell phone on a shelf.  Continue reading →

Sabbatical recap: stopover in NJ

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After returning to Burlington to pick up the kids, we made a detour through New Jersey on our way to Pennsylvania.   We were in the New Brunswick area for only about 24 hours, but every block of that community has so many of memories connected to the six spent years we spent pouring ourselves out in helping start the Point Church.    Even more important than seeing the place was briefly seeing people we know and love. Continue reading →

Sabbatical recap: Southern Cali

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We began our sabbatical on July 6 with Christin and I flying to southern California to attend a preaching/teaching conference at North Coast Church with 25 other couples involved in church planting.  Larry Osborne and Chris Brown provided the best training I’ve personally experienced concerning preaching and teaching.  None of this would have happened, though, without Brian Bloye and Kevin Dunlap of West Ridge Church providing this for church planters they’ve invested in over the years.  These guys LOVE church planters and it shows.

2015-07-07 17.02.34

Continue reading →

Sabbatical & Summer Update

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As many of you know, me and my family are heading on a sabbatical from July 6 to August 7.  Christin and I will begin with just the two of us attending a church-planting conference in Southern California, then head with the whole family for one week in the Poconos of Pennsylvania and three weeks on the coast of Maine.  Thank you to all who contributed to making this possible.

We have three simple goals: unplug, refuel, and listen to God.  Please pray with us Ephesians 1:16-20:

16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.

You can also download our summer update here: summer 2015 update

lessons I’m relearning: marathon mentality

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I’m often asked by other pastors and church-planters to describe ministry in Vermont.  It often reminds me of a century ride I did on my bike a couple of summers ago.  Me and a buddy mapped our route so the pinnacle of Smugglers Notch would be the exact halfway point- which means at 42 miles in, youBike-Pedals-to-clip-or-not-to-clip begin an eight mile, 1800 ft climb.  About three miles into the climb you begin feeling the stress in your thighs and calves, and your simple focus becomes spin that flywheel, spin that flywheel one pedal push at a time.  You quickly realize you have no idea how far you’ve actually traveled, because all of your normal training rides felt much easier than tackling this mountainous behemoth.  Your hope is to eventually reach the summit… you will know it when you get there and not a minute before. Continue reading →

Seven lessons from the San Antonio Spurs

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Reposted from northcountrycpn.com.

I may live in the frozen tundra of Vermont where hockey rules and locals hope to see their children one day compete for the Stanley Cup, but I still enjoy watching the NBA playoffs.  This year I especially enjoyed watching the San Antonio Spurs systematically dismantle the Miami Heat.  After watching the final game, I jotted down seven lessons learned from watching the Spurs and especially Coach Greg Popovich (which just might also apply to church-planting). Continue reading →

A NEW SEASON

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Spring bring a sense of newness to Burlington as the chill of winter fades and the warmth of summer takes over. The sounds of birds chirping fills the air. City parks become repopulated, Lake Champlain beaches reopens, and Church Street comes alive. Neighbors reintroduce themselves.   For me, my family, and our church, this sense of newness is especially true.

photoA NEW SON. By far the biggest news of our lives this spring was the birth of our son, Skye Maloy Pounds, on May 25.  Continue reading →