Planting Space

I am helping several planters complete their IRS 1023 applications (for 501(c)(3) status) right now. My experience causes me to recommend filing the 1023 within the first year of the planter being brought on staff.
The main reason is this: it is far easier to complete the tedious financial section based on proposed figures than on [...]

Some have asked why we are so focused on planning at Passion 4 Planting. Our online Converge software contains over 800 tasks a church planter can choose from when planting a church. A part of the reason is that a new church can only grow to what their systems and process will support. [...]

Last summer I went with friends from church to hike to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite NP. If you haven’t been to Yosemite, put it on your bucket list.
It is still very warm during the day in late August, so we planned our hike to begin at night. We hit the trailhead at [...]

Blogs are a great way for a church planter to quickly and easily communicate with supporters. However, its easy for blogs to get stale and be just one more thing in the inbox. Consider using a video blog instead. Carl Kuhl, lead pastor of Mosaic Christian Church in the Baltimore area, posted [...]

Postcard mailers have been the communication of choice for church plants for some time now. There is growing consensus that, while still effective, they are declining in that department. I wasn’t in this ‘business’ at the time when postcards became en vogue, but I imagine that the practice was bootlegged from the business world. Many [...]

Is it really worth it doing everything yourself? We’ve talked on this blog about the need to use team based ministry so you can accomplish more than you can on your own. Today I want to extend that just a bit farther… Is it worth doing the church finances in house or [...]

Early Bird registration for the Exponential Conference is only available until Feb 15th. Don’t miss this opportunity to attend the largest church planting event ever in America for just $129.
The seven main tracks are packed full of practical and inspirational material and include dozens of leaders in church planting and church leadership including Rick [...]

I had the privilege of hearing Rick Warren speak this afternoon at Ebeneezer’s, a great coffeehouse owned by National Community Church. Among all the wisdom he shared with a room full of pastors was the statement that people grow through commitment, not to commitment. In other words, if you want people to grow, [...]

I just finished filing Articles of Incorporation for a new church in California. I was told that if I mailed the forms in, it would take up to 3 months to receive them back. I opted to walk them into the Capitol and pay a small processing fee ($15 in CA). I had the Articles [...]