So you hop off the plane…within a few days get over jet lag….and then you ask….How do I plant a church here?  It’s one thing when you join an existing team with an existing strategy….but what about when you land somewhere and have to start everything from scratch.  I have a friend who uses these terms to describe overall strategy ideas…but I thought, what if we used them for the process of leading to a Christian movement…church-planting…whatever you may want to call it. Here’s what I came up with for the overall themes.

Explore…this stage will include everything from culture, language to your own gifts.

Discover…this stage will include everything from discovering connections to discovering communities.

Forge…this is when the relationships and communities are being developed…and the Kingdom takes root in the local community.

So over the coming weeks I’ll be dissecting these in much detail as I work through them.  Your feedback and experience would be helpful.  So join in the conversation and let’s explore this…

all posts in this series will be tagged EDF so you can pull them up as we go along.

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I’m here…now what?

by Grady on August 3, 2010

The journey started over a year ago…the move from one part of the world to another.  There were countless obstacles to be overcome…and one by one we moved closer. The calling remained the same…be on mission….but everything else changed.  And now…we’re here….

The bags are unpacked…language classes start soon…we’re starting to feel comfortable getting around….now what?  So far in our overseas experience we’ve always joined existing teams…with existing strategies…with histories.  This time….we’re the first. Starting a movement is thrilling and exciting and also overwhelming.  Whether you’re in the US or overseas…what did you do to start things off?  What did you research?  How did you map things?  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

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let’s give this another try

by Grady on August 2, 2010

Hi blog…I’m Grady.  So sorry I have neglected you the last few months.  I’ve been kind of busy…and well….you had kind of become a drag on me.  You see…mr. blog although I’m grateful that you allow me to say whatever I want…I sometimes take advantage of this.  The result is that I can quickly become jaded and negative….and neither is what I want to be.  So….

I’m going to give this another try…and try to take it another direction and see what happens.  Alot had changed over the last few months…we’ve been in the US and returned to a totally different field.  I’ve moved up into leadership and worked through alot of issues.  So with that I say thanks blog for waiting for me….let’s give this another try….

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Tim Keller on New Questions facing the Western Church

June 1, 2010

Here are 5 questions Tim Keller presents that he says face the American church. Here’s his outline:

The opportunity for extensive culture-making in the U.S.
The rise of Islam
The new non-Western Global Christianity
The growing cultural remoteness of the gospel in our society
The end of prosperity?

Here are 5 suggestions he gives [...]

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TOMS shoes and charity:water

May 28, 2010

TOMS Shoes & charity:water are partnering on a new shoe! Now you can give a child shoes & build a well in one shot – kill two enemies of the developing world with one stone.
Proceeds from the TOMS Shoes for charity: water sales will raise money to build a clean-water well in [...]

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What if we became learners?

May 26, 2010

Wherever we go in the world we usually take on the role of teacher.  We teach English, we teach health-care, we teach people how to start small businesses….we do a lot of teaching.  What if instead we became learners?
Think about it….let’s say you’re going into a new culture as a farmer.  Normally you would immediately [...]

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Could your church survive without sermons?

May 24, 2010

Donald Miller asks….
If a church decided to go a period of time without a sermon, a sunday school teaching or a seminar or “traditional” Bible teaching of any kind (sitting down to study the book in a classroom style) how would you teach people about God and how would you teach them [...]

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Has American Christianity jumped the shark?

April 14, 2010

One of the trappings of being in the “ministry” is that we can allow it to become our profession.  Each quiet time is milked for sermon nuggets…each relationship quickly turns into us selling our goods (whether it’s Jesus, our church or ministry)….and the joy of the relationship is lost.  This is where I’ve been.  We’ve [...]

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Jesus gets your heart, you get an Audi

March 29, 2010

He is Risen!  He is risen Indeed!
If you’re one of the first 10 down the aisle you get a free bike!
This is the approach that Bay Area Fellowship is taking to get a crowd on Easter Sunday.  Wow…seriously?!?  The day that we celebrate Jesus coming back from the dead…the day that we celebrate sin no [...]

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What about Saddleback Sandy and Sally?

March 3, 2010

Imagine the couple coming to meet you at church.  They’re in a committed relationship….they share bank accounts, life insurance policies, mortgages….they’re in love and committed to each other.  Now they’re interested in becoming believers and joining the church.  The only issue is….they’re lesbians.  What do you do?
Most churches won’t ever have to deal with this [...]

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