Articles for tag: Thomas F. Jones Jr.

July 15, 2015

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed severalÂ influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is fromÂ Thomas F. Jones Jr., executive director of Stadia, Irvine, California. ________ Wess Stafford, president emeritus of Compassion International: Wess is an extraordinary leader who grew Compassion International, a child advocacy organization that works only through the local church, to one of the world”s leading nonprofits. Most important, he has helped shape the world”s thinking about the importance of giving hope to

October 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Planting

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

September 7, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Planting

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

July 5, 2013

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

40 Under 40: Rich Gorman & Dori Gorman

RICH GORMANÂ & DORI GORMAN Campus pastors,Â Community Christian Church,Â 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

October 2, 2012

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Planting

Planting Churches, Sponsoring Children

By Jennifer Johnson In 2011, church plantingÂ 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

October 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Pastoral Transitions & Succession

How to Get Started Selecting a New Minister

By Thomas F. Jones Jr. Selection of a minister by a local church is an extremely important task and should not be taken lightly. We”re talking about the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, and the people of God. This is not like choosing a Little League baseball coach, a hired hand, or a repairman to fix a leaky faucet. Strong and gifted leaders guide successful organizations. The church is no exception. High-quality leadership is needed to fulfill the mission of the church. This is serious business. Few decisions are equally crucial to the church, and none is more