I recently came across this post by Tim Stephens of Granger Community Church: 10 Hard Questions Every Planter Needs to Ask. A couple of paragraphs grabbed my attention:
Just about every church in America can be described by three words: “Come to us.” That is it. Continue reading
You may have heard the name David Livingstone before. He was a famed British missionary, explorer, and abolitionist of the 19th century whose accomplishments included being the first European to discover Victoria Falls and travel across central Africa from the Atlantic to Indian Ocean. One fact that does not escape many modern day missionaries is how Livingstone learned winning converts was more difficult in Africa than in his British homeland: he saw only one convert during the 1840s.
This past Monday I was snowshoeing with one of BCC’s college students when he asked, “Do you think doing ministry in Vermont is like it was for David Livingstone in Africa?” Continue reading
Last night we had a Christmas dinner with Burlington City Church’s pastors and Gospel Community leaders. Once again I was reminded of what an amazing team of people God has placed around us. Continue reading
Many of you who have followed our church-planting journeys from the beginning will remember Christin and I moving from metro-Atlanta in June of 2004 to New Brunswick, NJ where we helped start the Point Church. From time to time people will ask how “the Point” is doing. The simple answer: never better! Now they’re ramping up to launch another church in 2013… Continue reading
A couple of weeks ago I was chatting with a guy who equips people to start churches in one of the least Christian and most resistant areas of the world. Although the people group he focuses on includes very few followers of Jesus (less than 1%), there are several households of Jesus followers in each population center. His goal is very simple: mobilize and equip these followers of Jesus to live out the message and mission of Jesus together to their community. Continue reading
As we continue launching new Gospel Communities in Burlington neighborhoods, God continues to teach us a lot about the competencies a leader needs before launching a new group. Leader need to able to… Continue reading
You can download our Fall Newsletter here:
Read it, print it, pass it on. Continue reading
Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak at North Ave. Alliance Church in Burlington. I enjoyed speaking there so much, but the one part I don’t always enjoy is the accountability that comes with teaching. James writes, Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1).
So, here’s the big question I’m contemplating this morning for you, me, and anyone else reading this blog:
How does our functional mission as individuals and churches line up with the mission of Jesus? Continue reading
How can we as American Christians have so much access to the Bible yet not really know God’s story? Many of us know enough to recite specific stories, reference popular verses, and argue theological points. We may be well poised to win a trivia contest or theological debate yet we can often miss the greater narrative of scripture and its implications for both our personal stories and those of our neighbors. Continue reading
The following is an excerpt from what Michael Ly, one of Burlington City Church’s pastors, shared this morning with our Gospel Community in Winooski. These questions are incredibly relevant to all of us involved in church-planting. Continue reading
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