church planting

When the Tire Goes Flat: Discipleship Through the Ministry Breaking Points

Discipleship /

Adam Muhtaseb sat on a Baltimore curb and wept. The tire had blown on his way to a meeting—just one more thing after years of cramped rental spaces, a beloved church member’s departure, newborn-induced sleep deprivation, his mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and financial leverage that kept him awake at night. As he sat there, the weight […]

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From Spectators to Multipliers: How Ordinary Churches Can Spark Disciple-Making Movements

Discipleship /

Here’s a number that should stop every pastor in their tracks: 224% growth in new discipleship groups in a single year. In 2025 alone, one ordinary movement saw 159 new groups launch—up from just 49 the year before. No megachurch budget. No celebrity pastor. No slick marketing campaign. Just ordinary believers who decided that making

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The Church Planter’s Second Priority: Why Raising Up Leaders Is Non-Negotiable for Multiplication

Church Planting /

Church planters are notorious for wearing too many hats. In the early days, you’re the preacher, the counselor, the custodian, the graphic designer, and sometimes the coffee maker. The temptation is to keep it that way—to remain the indispensable center of everything. But this isn’t just unsustainable; it’s unbiblical. John Calvin, reflecting on the pastoral

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The Priesthood of All Believers: Why Disciple-Making Movements Depend on Ordinary Christians

Discipleship /

Here’s a number that should terrify every church leader: 90% of Christians in America have never discipled another believer. Not once. Not ever. We have professionalized the Great Commission, handing it off to pastors and missionaries while the rest of the church sits in comfortable consumerism. But the Reformation recovered a truth that could spark

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When Elders Disagree: Why Conflict-Killing Leadership Multiplies Churches

Leadership /

Seventy percent of church conflicts that reach crisis level involve elder board dysfunction. Not the culture. Not the youth pastor’s wardrobe. Not the worship style. Elders who cannot disagree well. This statistic from Lifeway Research should stop every church planter cold. You’re pouring your life into a new work, building a launch team, finding a

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57 Conversions in 2 Years: What New River Fellowship Teaches Us About Church Planting

Faith /

Chan Kilgore has seen a lot in nearly 25 years of ministry. But he’s never seen anything like what’s happening at New River Fellowship in Fort Lauderdale. “I haven’t seen anything like it in the amount of time we’ve experienced,” Kilgore says. “The kind of conversions we’re seeing are undeniably a work of God.” The

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Why Most Church Plants Fail (And How to Build One That Multiplies)

Church Planting /

Every year, thousands of pastors dream of planting a church. They write vision statements, raise support, scout locations, and launch with excitement. Then, five years later, over 50% of those churches have closed their doors or plateaued into irrelevance. What’s going wrong? And more importantly—what’s the biblical alternative? The Copy-Paste Problem Jeff Hoglen, a veteran

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Why Shared Leadership Unleashes Church Multiplication

Faith /

The most dangerous phrase in church planting isn’t ‘we don’t have enough money’ or ‘we can’t find a building.’ It’s this: ‘Pastor knows best.’ Over the past three decades, a quiet revolution has reshaped the healthiest growing churches in America—and it has nothing to do with worship styles, sermon series, or social media strategy. According

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Learning to Plant Again: Recovering Psalm, Word, and Multiplication in an Age of Church Decline

Church Planting /

What we’re discovering about church planting in the CRC—and why we can’t stop trying The Conversation That Keeps Happening It usually starts over coffee. Or after a service. Or in a text message that reads: “Can we talk about your church planting vision?” I’ve had this conversation dozens of times now. Sometimes it’s with a

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