Tag Archive - church community builder

Top 10 reasons NOT to plant a church

February 23, 2012 in ChMS, community, leadership, ministry with 0 Comments

This blog post caught my eye: 9 Reasons NOT to Plant a Church. It suggests that the church planting movement has missed something along the way.

While the author raises some valid concerns which question the validity of church planting, I still believe it is one of the most effective ways we can continue to engage people in community and expand the Kingdom. Can we learn from mistakes, improve our strategies, and make a greater impact in the years ahead? Absolutely! Do we need to scrap the whole concept of church planting as the author hints? Heck no!

Rather than trying to refute his arguments, I’d like to tap into David Letterman’s comedic genius and create my own Top 10 list as to why we SHOULDN’T plant church. Continue Reading…

Making the case for a “Connected Church”

November 15, 2011 in community, leadership, ministry, spiritual formation with 0 Comments

I am sure it won’t come as a surprise to you that statistics show the percentage of people living alone in America is at an all-time high and friendships are on the decline. The evidence can be found in every community.  America has experienced soaring levels of substance abuse, addiction to porn and obesity, all illegitimate means to reduce emotional pain from social isolation.

The best solution to the problems facing America and most market democracies around the world is to develop local churches like Paul described in the book of Acts; churches where believers connect with the Lord, connect with one another and connect with their communities.

At this year’s Connected Church Conference, we had the honor of hosting Michael Lee Stallard, president of the leadership training firm E Pluribus Partners and a director of Life Spring Network. His breakout sessions on this topic were among the most attended. As church leaders, we need to equip our staff and our congregations to develop more strategic, sustainable community in our ministries. Before we can develop good processes to support this, we must first understand the why behind it and the challenges we will face as we implement our strategies. This is why we invited Michael to share his wisdom with a larger audience.

Continue Reading…

Connected Church Conference: Notes from Ron Edmondson

October 14, 2011 in community, leadership, ministry, nonprofits with 2 Comments

Ron Edmondson has to be one of the most unassuming guys I’ve ever met. He is an influential blogger, pastor, and leader in the church space, and I was delighted when he accepted our request to provide a keynote at our recent Connected Church Conference. 

I knew he’d bring a perspective that would be practical and much needed. His focus on team-building reminded me of the many things I’ve experienced over the years — good and bad — working on various teams.

Continue Reading…

Connected Church Conference: Notes from Will Mancini

October 11, 2011 in community, leadership, ministry with 4 Comments


Will Mancini is brilliant. You don’t even have to be around him — just read his stuff — and you’ll know. He calls himself a “clarity evangelist,” and he can certainly bring things in focus. In fact, he and his team at Auxano is currently navigating our leadership through a clarity process as part of our strategic planning at Church Community Builder. 

Will was on a seriously tight travel schedule, but he made time to cast vision at the Connected Church Conference, and I’m grateful.

Here are some of my notes from his presentation:

Continue Reading…

Connected Church Conference: Notes from Wayne Elsey

October 7, 2011 in community, leadership, ministry, nonprofits with 0 Comments

We were very excited to have Wayne Elsey deliver a keynote on the opening day of the Connected Church Conference. Wayne is someone I have admired since I read his book, Almost Isn’t Good Enough. It really challenged me as a business professional but also personally. I couldn’t help but feel motivated to stop doubting what is possible when God is behind an idea, a movement or an opportunity to help others. 

Here are some of my notes from Wayne’s presentation:

Continue Reading…

Tony Morgan and the next “Leisure Suit” eBook

October 4, 2011 in ChMS, community, leadership, metrics, ministry, technology with 0 Comments

Tony Morgan just released the second of four eBooks in his Leisure Suit Series. This is an excerpt from the introduction:
The Leisure Suit Series is not about updating your Web site, becoming a more seeker-friendly congregation, changing the kind of worship songs (or hymns) you sing, or even what a leadership team structure should look like. Some of those things may need to be addressed, but only after you take a look below the surface to figure out why things are done a certain way and what God is calling you to do to live out the gospel message.
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