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Planting a Church When People Keep Moving: What to Know about Planting in Transient Contexts
Dan Steel
Life in the Land of the Anywheres From experience, church planting (or even simply pastoring) in high-mobility contexts—such as university cities, tech hubs, or urban centers with rapidly changing rental markets—presents both unique opportunities and frustrations. These are the places...

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Discipling New Christians with Ancient Tools: Catechesis in Church Planting
Thomas West
Church planting is exhilarating. New life is springing up, new people are being reached, and new believers are entering into the joy of knowing Christ. But every church planter knows that the early days of growth come with a sobering...

Article
Leading a Church Without Neglecting Your Marriage
Jon Kelly
It was over nine years ago, during the second year of our church plant. I was at home in the living room on a phone call with a young man who had recently started attending our church. My wife sat...

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Why a Sermon Works
J.A. Medders
A recent sermon I gave reminded me why sermons “work.” I was preaching on how to experience Jesus, how to enjoy him, rejoice over him, and “extol his love” (Song. 1:4). And at the apex of the message, as my...

Article
Bothering God: Becoming Persistent in Prayer
Ronnie Martin
“Forgive me for bothering you with something so minor …” How many times has somebody approached you with words like this? If we’re paying attention, we can probably detect some level of shame in their approach. They are likely afraid...

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Theology for the Front Lines of Church Planting
J.A. Medders
Church planters wear many hats. Disciple. Missionary. Evangelist. Pastor. Preacher. Counselor. Leader. Theologian. Embrace your role as a theologian. Theology is Practical While some people are technical and professional theologians, you are a missional theologian. A pastor-theologian. A planter-theologian. Your...

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Rural Is Not a Plan B: Recovering the Strategic Significance of Small-Town Church Planting
Dan Steel
“When I told a friend we were planting in a rural town, he looked at me like I’d failed the church planter audition.” That was the half-joking confession from a friend, but it reveals something real. In much of the...