Articles for tag: Stadia

October 22, 2013

Mark A. Taylor

We”re Doing Well, but Not Well Enough

By Mark A. Taylor A generation ago, Dr. Steve Hancock made sure his graduate Christian education students understood the principles of Sunday school growth. One of the rules, which he learned at the Southern Baptist seminary he attended, went something like this: “New classes grow faster, win more people to Christ, and develop more workers than existing classes.” We don”t hear much about Sunday school growth nowadays. But church growth, especially growth through church planting, is on everyone”s radar. Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, is a Southern Baptist church growth advocate for today”s generation. And he says “any movement

October 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Finding the Person Who Can Plant

By Justin Horey One of the most popular axioms in church planting is that new churches are the most effective means of reaching the lost. It is often the first defense given to the skeptic who questions the need for more new churches in North America. But among church planting leaders, another idea is just as prevalent: the most important factor in determining the success of a church is the church planter himself. Brent Foulke, mobilization executive at Stadia, puts it this way: “The single most indicative factor for a church plant”s survival and health is the capable leadership of

October 12, 2013

Christian Standard

Transforming Our Region

By Glen Elliott Pantano Christian Church exists in a city and region that is facing huge challenges. Over this past spring, there were four reports that captured my attention. We did not fare well in any of these reports. According to Barna Group research, Tucson, Arizona, is the 17th least Bible-minded city, the 11th most unchurched city, and the 12th most post-Christian city. Finally, we are the sixth-poorest city in the nation. We have a community that is far from God and struggling, and that is not OK with God. It must not be OK with the church either. How

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

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 9, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Greg Lee

GREG LEE Lead pastor,  Suncrest Christian,  St. John, Indiana Having been privileged to know and serve side-by-side with Greg from his senior year at Lincoln Christian University through 2005, I feel I know this leading servant, and I certainly value highly his many contributions to the kingdom of God. A Christian leader and lover of his family””exemplary. A son and father who invests generously in his family and keeps his priorities balanced and guardrails in place””yes. A man of consistent, godly character””solid as a rock. A pastor characterized by patience and incarnated compassion””totally. A colleague who respects his leaders and

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 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Missional Revolution

By Darrel Rowland RiverTree Christian Church in Massillon, Ohio, has not tried to become just a little more missional. Led by visionary minister Greg Nettle, more than three years ago the church made a revolutionary commitment to a missional strategy for all its ministry. The result is breeding influence and disciple-building in a way Nettle believes is vital for the very survival of the church in America. Just a few minutes after Greg Nettle”s message and the closing song, a man with an idea pulls him aside in the hallway. “You know what? I know all these remodelers,” the contractor

January 19, 2013

Christian Standard

Interview with Danny Schaffner

By Paul Boatman Danny Schaffner Jr. is the preaching and teaching minister at Common Ground Christian Church in the urban corridor of Tampa, Florida. He has lived with his wife and three boys in this community since 2007. His church”s website is www.commongroundtampa.com.   What makes your ministry distinctive? Common Ground is a restart of a church that was closed for a year and a half. Our zip code, 33603, is where much of America will be in another generation: predominantly Hispanic-American, then African-American, and then Caucasian American. It feels like the mission field, where most of the people look,

November 13, 2012

Christian Standard

For the Love of a Child

Child sponsorship programs are changing lives””in distant lands and right here in the United States. Discover the facts. Listen to the testimonies. And realize how this is happening. By Doug Priest “Our people sponsor nearly 400 children, and congregational giving continues to grow. In fact, the more we give to others outside our walls, the more our general fund has grown.” “”Steve Reeves, Connection Pointe Christian Church (Brownsburg, Indiana) Alice was conceived out of wedlock. She never knew her father. After the birth, her mother entrusted Alice to her grandmother and moved to another country. Alice lived in the Mathare

October 2, 2012

Christian Standard

Planting Churches, Sponsoring Children

By Jennifer Johnson In 2011, church planting organization Stadia (Irvine, CA) partnered with Compassion International and Ecuadorian and U.S. church partners to plant four new churches in Ecuador. In 2012 they”re starting another dozen churches. Compassion offers its child sponsorship program and other initiatives through each church, and Stadia Executive Director Tom Jones estimates more than 4,000 children will be helped through the work by the end of this year. In January, Compassion President Wess Stafford asked Stadia to expand the ministry into other South American countries. While continuing to plant churches in Ecuador, Stadia plans to start two churches in

May 12, 2012

Christian Standard

Partnership Hoping to Start 200 Churches in LA

By Jennifer Taylor Three years ago, Stadia partnered with Kevin Haah to plant New City Church of Los Angeles. Last month, Haah announced a partnership with Stadia that will result in 200 more churches across Los Angeles. “New City has grown to about 400 people,” he says. “We reflect the ethnic and economic diversity of downtown and have built an amazing community of believers here. We want this same experience in every neighborhood in the city.” Haah says Los Angelenos identify with specific neighborhoods, mentioning one of 119 areas when asked where they”re from. The neighborhoods range from small, 10,000-person

April 23, 2012

Christian Standard

The Missional Model: “˜Go and Make Disciples”

By Greg Nettle It all boils down to “how well we are doing at making disciples.” After 23 years at the leadership helm of RiverTree Christian Church, I have to take at least some responsibility for the quality of disciples we are producing. Now, don”t get me wrong, I know it is God who brings about the sanctification process and that we, as humans, certainly continue to have the freedom to make good or bad choices. However, surrounding my 20-year anniversary as leader of RiverTree, I spent a lot of time praying and reflecting. And I didn”t like what was

January 24, 2012

Christian Standard

Church Planting Organizations

Compiled by R. Paige Mathews Christian churches and churches of Christ are committed to church planting! Just a quick look at this list will remind you that church leaders from coast to coast are working to reach non-Christians with new congregations. Church planting organizations and associations were asked to share information about their ministry beyond basic contact information. That information is condensed below, for those who answered our survey.   (For your convenience, this list is available as a pdf. Just click here: Church Planting Organizations.) “¢ “¢ “¢   Alabama State Evangelizing Association Philip King 3601 Lorna Ridge Drive Hoover, AL 35216

January 22, 2012

Christian Standard

Power Planting

Brent Storms became president of Orchard Group in 2009 and CEO this past July. Greg Nettle joined the Stadia team as president just a few months ago. These two young leaders recently sat down with us for a candid conversation about the future of church planting and the future of the church.   Brent, what is Orchard Group”s niche and overall mission? STORMS: Our mission is to plant growing and reproducing churches in New York, the Northeast, and beyond, which often means strategic urban settings. We began in the New York metro area and in the last 20 years we”ve

October 5, 2011

Christian Standard

RiverTree Providing Tools for Missional Movement

By Jennifer Taylor A number of factors began to converge, and Greg Nettle, senior pastor at RiverTree Christian Church (Massillon, OH), thought God might be up to something. There were partnerships with Stadia (Irvine, CA) and Compassion International; the launch of 18 churches and counting with Kingdom Synergy Partnership, a church planting network; the addition of Alex Absalom, coauthor of Launching Missional Communities, to the RiverTree staff; the launch of Love Canton, an urban church plant; and the transition of RiverTree from megachurch to missional movement. “It started to become clear that God was moving,” Nettle says. The RiverTree team

August 31, 2011

Christian Standard

Nettle Selected President of Stadia

On Aug. 29, Provision Ministry Group announced the selection of Greg Nettle as the new president of Stadia, Provision”s church planting organization. “Greg is an international church planter as well as the vision caster and senior pastor of a church planting megachurch in northern Ohio,” wrote Provision CEO Larry Winger. “Instead of plucking Greg out of that context to lead Stadia, we are leaving him right where he is to keep on practicing and perfecting.” Nettle is senior pastor with RiverTree Christian Church (Massillon, OH) and also one of the creators of Kingdom Synergy Partners, a church planting group formed

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