What comes after Alpha? Beta

What comes after Alpha? Beta

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve explored some of the ways the Alpha Course intersects with Church Planting. There are more parallels than one might initially expect, especially in the relational ways people come to faith. The Alpha philosophy fits well with...
How people come to faith

How people come to faith

In last week’s blog entry, I wrote about how the Alpha process parallels church planting. In today’s entry, I’m thinking about how the end goals of Alpha and church planting fit together as well. Really, the cornerstone of church planting and of Alpha are the same:...
Alpha and church planting

Alpha and church planting

I was recently talking with someone about the intersection of Alpha and church planting. He works with Alpha—the well-known and effective evangelism tool. I have been working in the field of church planting in one way or another for over 40 years. It was interesting...
Navigating leadership challenges

Navigating leadership challenges

Because leadership challenges look different in every church plant, they can be difficult both to identify and to figure out how to handle. Sometimes the issue is a spiritual one; other times it’s a management one; sometimes a combination. Different problems...
The leadership challenge

The leadership challenge

This blog entry has been excerpted from my upcoming book, The Church Planting Journey. Without exception, every church planter I know of has gone through a leadership challenge at some point in his or her planting process. A leadership challenge is when things go...
Spiritual warfare and church planting

Spiritual warfare and church planting

This blog entry has been excerpted from my upcoming book, The Church Planting Journey. These are two topics you don’t always see in the same sentence. Yet I’d argue that they are inextricably linked. When you are planting a church, you are encroaching on what the...