Articles for tag: Church Planting

September 27, 2013

Christian Standard

Interview with Ken Henes

By Paul Boatman Ken Henes is in his 18th year as director of Wisconsin Christian Mission Association (WCMA)””a church planting organization for the state. Since 2008 he has also served as preaching minister of Westwood Christian Church in Madison, Wisconsin.   What are the challenges to church planting in the northland? We start with a small support base””about 40 Christian churches in Wisconsin, two-thirds of them with average attendance of less than 100. Only one church, Central Christian in Beloit, ranks as a megachurch. Historically, we followed the old style of church planting””a small nucleus that was typically many years

September 16, 2013

Christian Standard

Chicago Impact

By Tammy Melchien “We need to plant campuses in the city!” It was a simple text. I typed the eight words to Community Christian Church”s lead pastor, Dave Ferguson, and hit SEND as I was finishing an overnight getaway in downtown Chicago. I was energized by the past 24 hours in the city. I”ve always loved big cities. The energy. The life. The opportunities. Dave”s reply was simple too: “We do and we will!” It wasn”t until the car ride back to my suburban home that it hit me. I was supposed to be part of the vision to reach

September 15, 2013

Christian Standard

Boston Strong

By Dan Clymer I love Boston. Even though it is ridiculously expensive, academically arrogant, religiously skeptical, sometimes dangerous, and a place where it seems that sins are magnified and multiplied””I love this city. It has diverse worldviews and four idols called the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox. It is the focus of terrorist bombs and gangster murders, but I love this city. Why? Because God loves the people and desires to transform the soul of the city. Why plant churches in a city? In 1900 just 14 percent of the world”s population lived in cities. Today that number has

September 12, 2013

Christian Standard

Leading with Love in Las Vegas

By Vince Antonucci Travis moved from New York City to Las Vegas to make money. He was a photographer and started showing up at nightclubs and strip clubs asking, “How about you make me your photographer?” Travis became the photographer for many of Vegas”s nightclubs and strip clubs, and then strippers. Before long, Travis was sleeping with the strippers. Travis”s wife found out, and she moved out with their kids. Travis began convincing strippers that they could make more money, and soon he became their pimp. Travis is the kind of person I moved to Las Vegas to reach. We

September 9, 2013

Christian Standard

Shining His Light in Canton

By Jason Lantz People don”t necessarily view Canton, Ohio, as a thriving city. Well, not yet. Like many urban areas across the country, Canton has felt the negative effects of fatherlessness, a struggling economy, inconsistencies in education, and the decline of once-thriving churches. However, throughout history, God has always called his church to go and shine the brightest in the places that seem the darkest. I am so thankful Jesus called my family to be a small part of what he”s already doing in Canton. We are a part of a four-year-old church plant called LoveCanton. We get to join other

September 8, 2013

Christian Standard

Phoenix: New Approaches at New City

By Brian Kruckenberg “Do you own this gallery?” (As a pastor of a local church, it wasn”t a question I had ever expected to be asked.) “Well, sort of. Yes.” (Not the most eloquent answer, perhaps, but an honest one.) Over the past two and one-half years, I have been asked that question, and similar ones, time and time again in a place we call the New City Studio, one of New City Church”s venues. New City Studio is the place we intersect the message of the gospel with the world of art. I am pastor of this church, started

September 7, 2013

Christian Standard

An Urban Kingdom Church Planter Entrepreneur in Los Angeles

By Thomas F. Jones Jr. I met Kevin Haah in a church planting assessment event in Johnson City, Tennessee. I was immediately impressed by this bright, but humble, Korean-American Christian. Haah”s path to church planting was not a simple one. After graduating from Cornell Law School he married Grace (also a lawyer), and they had three kids. He became partner at a prestigious law firm in Los Angeles only to give up law to pursue a master of divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary. Soon he became a pastor, and then a church planter. And now he is the key

September 2, 2013

Christian Standard

A Conversation with Matt Proctor

Meet Our Contributing Editors: This month we talk with Ozark Christian College President Matt Proctor about the impact of a convention theme, the health of the churches in our fellowship, and the genius of the Restoration Movement. Interview By Jennifer Johnson Well, two big things have been part of your life this past year: the North American Christian Convention and your wife”s cancer. Of course, that”s in addition to your work leading Ozark Christian College. I want to talk about all of it””let”s start with the NACC. What have you discovered about our churches this past year? It”s been an honor to

August 25, 2013

Christian Standard

Disciples Who Make Disciples

By Greg Nettle I don”t believe I can overstate that one of the most effective ways to be a disciple who makes disciples is simply to model what it means to be a follower of Jesus. In other words, to say to those in our sphere of influence what the apostle Paul says to us: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). How do we invite others to follow our example as we follow the example of Jesus? How do we become disciples who make disciples? The short answer is through relationships. But I

July 15, 2013

Christian Standard

A Conversation with LeRoy Lawson

Meet Our Contributing Editors: In this, the second of our series of interviews with CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors, an elder statesman talks about””and speaks to””the young leaders our movement is producing. Interview By Jennifer Johnson  Let”s start with the positive: what encourages you about our young leaders? Their commitment, their curiosity, and””for the most part””their hard work. They have chosen ministry in response to a demanding call, not as a secure job with benefits. They also know the difference between doing religion and serving Jesus. I”m not sure I knew that when I started out. When I planted a church early on,

July 14, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Brad Prunty

BRAD PRUNTY Lead planter, The Westline Movement, Community Christian Church,  Naperville, Illinois During his senior year of college, Brad Prunty and two of his classmates came to a church planting agency I serve and said, “We want to plant a church here together.” We hated to disappoint them, but it was clear they needed some seasoning and experience, so we turned them down. But Brad didn”t give up (nor did his friends). After working his way through the “followership” path at Community Christian Church in Chicagoland, Brad progressed to become the congregational leader of what is now a very strong part of

July 13, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Nick Parsons

NICK PARSONS Recruitment,  Orchard Group, New York I have been fortunate to watch Nick”s leadership grow since his days in college. Nick has shown himself to be very courageous while pursuing wisdom as a foundation for his work. He has lived in Los Angeles, Thailand, and Japan and has displayed his wise and strong leadership in each of those contexts. He cofounded Mustard Seed Global Fellowship and has seen it become a healthy church planting group in Japan. He is now working with Orchard Group on both recruitment and deployment of new church planters. I expect a new momentum for

July 12, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: T.D. Oakes

T.D. OAKES Worship arts pastor, Mission Church, Ventura, California Patient. Friend. Servant. Kind. Caring. Creative. Generous. Consistent. Shepherd. Humble. Developer. Fully present. Party waiting to happen. Super talented. Jack-of-all-trades. Includer. I have known T.D. since I was 18 years old, and have been privileged to call him friend for more than 16 years. And each of the above words fits him perfectly. We”ve worked together, laughed together, cried together, prayed together, served together, given together, sacrificed together, dreamed together, learned about parenting together, baptized friends together, tried to become better husbands together, moved together, planted a church together . .

July 8, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Kurt Kuykendall

KURT KUYKENDALL Pastor, Westcoast Christian Church, Surrey, British Columbia Determined, diligent, and faithful are words that come to mind as I consider the ministry of Kurt Kuykendall””and he”s just getting started! Kurt grew up in a small town in northern Alberta but felt called to serve in the “big city” of Toronto. In his first full-time ministry, Kurt served with me as a youth minister and then felt called to serve on the launch staff of a new church plant I was undertaking in Greater Toronto. This was quite a project and a huge step of faith for this young,

July 7, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Melissa Hofmeister

MELISSA HOFMEISTER Assistant director of networks and recruiting, Stadia Melissa Hofmeister has emerged as a leader within the church, while keeping her roles as Christ follower, wife, and mom as priorities. In the coming years, her influence on the Christian church will reach far and wide as she connects high-capacity, world-changing leaders to more than 45 Stadia church plants in the United States and Latin America. She”ll influence Muskego, Wisconsin, as God uses Melissa and her husband to transform lives through the new church they just planted. And most importantly, she will influence the mission field of the three boys

July 5, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Rich Gorman & Dori Gorman

RICH GORMAN & DORI GORMAN Campus pastors,  Community Christian Church,  Edgewater, Illinois My former students Rich and Dori Gorman are an extraordinary pastoral couple with outstanding leadership gifts and a passion to reach urban people via the church. Their marriage and family are models for young couples and families. They are on the cutting edge of missional church planting and are creating a new model for new church development that reaches people who live in the margins. They are all about relationships and helping to empower people to find their gifts so every person is able to figure out his or

July 3, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Jeremy Brown

JEREMY BROWN Lead pastor, Journey Church, Medina, Tennessee You need spend only a little time with Jeremy to see he is an influencer. He has charisma and witty charm that makes him an easy guy to be around. But he stands out as a leader because of his generosity and vision. Many leaders in their later years begin to mentor others and look to leave a legacy; Jeremy is doing that naturally in his 30s. He is very generous with his time, willing to coach peers and the next round of church planters. Jeremy leaves a footprint of encouragement with

June 20, 2013

Christian Standard

A Conversation with Jeff Faull

Meet Our Contributing Editors: This month we begin a series of interviews with CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors. What they have to say about the church, the ministry, our fellowship of churches, and anything else on their minds will challenge and interest our readers. Their insights and questions amply illustrate why each of these volunteers is such a valuable part of the CHRISTIAN STANDARD team.   Interview by Jennifer Johnson QUESTION: You and I both sit in on these conversations about the future of the Restoration Movement, and it seems many times they rehash the same topics and complaints. Let”s go

June 8, 2013

Christian Standard

Is Missional Working?

By Stephen Sams At Axis Church in Mason, Ohio, we don”t use the word missional. It”s not that we are opposed to the word, it”s just that we try to use words that people understand. When you are trying to reach people who don”t know Jesus, you must use words that communicate and create mental pictures. If people can”t define it or explain it, then they can”t carry it out or act on it. Nearly everyone in America has a concept of church. They think they understand it. They have predetermined definitions of concepts like discipleship, evangelism, and worship, largely

June 6, 2013

Christian Standard

Missional Plant

By Chris Travis “I think this is what church is supposed to be like,” a young actor said to me. Between us were two empty bowls of chili. I smiled. We cracked jokes about the diversity of our group of 20 people. It looked like we had hired models to make our group look as perfectly diverse as possible. There was a white couple with three daughters; a Dominican single mother with two young children; a couple in their 60s who had been married for decades; an African-American woman; a Korean woman and her New York-native husband who was a

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