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In this interview, Acts 29 Director Scott Thomas shares some great wisdom on the top 5 qualities for a successful church planter, some wisdom for those considering planting, and his “one thing” for church planters.

This one is a “can’t miss.” Tweet it up.

Be sure to check out Pastor Scott's recent post Am I a Church Planter? on the new Acts 29 site for more on the qualities of a successful church planter.

For more from Dustin Neeley, check out Church Planting for the Rest of Us.

Acts 29 Network

A network of churches planting churches for the glory of Jesus. Get more info.

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At the recent AMBITION Boot Camp sponsored by Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY, I sat down with Dave Harvey, Director of Church Planting and Church Care for Sovereign Grace Ministries, to discuss discerning the call to church planting and the role of the church in that process, the balance between ambition and humility, and his ONE THING for church planters.

Dave is a great guy who drips with grace and wisdom and is a great gift to the Kingdom.

Check out Dave Harvey's new book, Rescuing Ambition.

For more from Dustin Neeley visit Church Planting for the Rest of Us

Vintage Jesus

A theological journey chasing Jesus through Scripture and pop culture. Timeless answers to timely questions about the most important man who has ever lived. Find out more.

One of the most difficult aspects of my work as a pastor is wading through the vast amount of ministry opportunities that seem to be never-ending.

Opportunity Is Everywhere

For church leaders, every day brings a barrage of ideas and decisions related to potential opportunities. They come from everywhere: God, the Bible, church staff, Sunday services, a restful vacation, the congregation, the web, the news, a walk down the street, and on and on.

I’ve found that every opportunity is fraught with some form of opposition.


Opportunity and Opposition


You don’t have to get far into the Bible to see the tension between opportunity and opposition. Our forefather Adam is created and given an enormous opportunity from God: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28).

Those with an entrepreneurial bent get pretty excited when reading about an opportunity of such grandiose potential—being the first to inhabit the entire earth. Read a little further, however, and the opposition is readily apparent. In this case Adam and Eve are opposed and tempted by Satan, and they’re also opposed by their sinful desire to be like God, knowing good and evil.

Of course, our first parents do sin, and all future opportunities are forever changed by the curse upon humanity. For the man specifically, his work to “fill the earth and subdue it” is a lot harder now that the earth is at war against him, broken and fallen from its luscious garden state.

You Are Cursed

The same call and the same curse that burdened Adam remain in place for all of us, which means that effectively evaluating opportunities is no easy task.

Three key filters can help separate fruitful opportunity from sinful distraction: wisdom, priorities, and cost. I’ll discuss these biblical principles in future posts.

Jamie Munson is the Lead Pastor of Mars Hill Church. You can connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.

Advance 09 Media

Video, audio, and images from the Advance 09 conference in Raleigh-Durham, NC, June 2009. Find out more.

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At the recent A29 Louisville Boot Camp, I sat down with A29 Pastor Jason Martin from Austell, GA to talk about replanting a church, the counsel he would give to guys in similar situations, what it looks like with 5 kids, and his one thing for church planters. Great stuff, brother! Thanks for sharing with us.

Churches Helping Churches

Who will help local churches in the wake of catastrophes? You can. Learn more here.

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I sat down with Steve Timmis, author of Total Church and Acts 29 Director for Western Europe, at the recent Acts 29 Boot Camp sponsored by Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY. He offers some amazing counsel for planters a couple years in as well as common mistakes to avoid. Thanks Steve for serving us so well.

Total Church

Tim Chester and Steve Timmis present a vision for churches centered on gospel community. Find out more.

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Georgia A29 Pastor Matt Adair talks about church revitalization, the difference between planting and revitalization, and his one thing for planters/revitalizers. He offers a helpful perspective we haven’t heard yet in our video interviews. Watch. Learn. Tweet.

I sat down with Matt at the recent Acts 29 Boot Camp hosted by Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY.

Pastor Dad

Every dad is a pastor. The important thing is that he cares for his flock well. Pastor Mark Driscoll's new eBook offers spiritual insights on fatherhood. Get it here.

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At the recent Acts 29 AMBITION Boot Camp, sponsored by Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY, I had the opportunity to talk with Acts 29 Pastor Jamie George, from Franklin, TN, about what has made his church merger successful and his “one thing” for church planters.

Also, Jamie will be speaking at an upcoming local event in Franklin, TN, called Honesty: Death to Performance.

Porn Again Christian

Pastor Mark Driscoll's frank discussion on pornography and masturbation is now available from Amazon. Find out more.

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My good friend Nick Nye, Planter/Pastor of Veritas Church in Columbus, OH, talks about what God has used in their life to help them be so effective from the outset, loving their city, and his “one thing” for church planters.

I sat down with Nick at the recent Acts 29 Boot Camp hosted by Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY.

Veritas is hosting an exciting event called Act Like Men in February. If you are in the region, you won’t want to miss it.

Re:Train

We are launching The Resurgence Training Center (Re:Train) to prepare leaders for ministry locally and around the world. Additional details and downloadable application form here.

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At the recent AMBITION Boot Camp sponsored by Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY, I had the opportunity to sit down with A29 pastor and blogger Joe Thorn. In this short conversation, Joe shares part of his own story and in the process gives us some great counsel. Watch and learn. And pass along.

For more from Dustin Neeley, visit Church Planting for the Rest of Us.

Resurgence Literature

Re:Lit is a ministry of Resurgence. There you will find a growing line of books to help guide the resurgence of the new reformed. Find out more.

This series reveals five hard truths church planters must learn if they want to faithfully carry out their calling. Here are quick links to each post in the series:

1. Be Resilient
2. Be Yourself
3. Think Hybrid
4. Kill Your Stress
5. Lead Your Family Well

A Day With Dr. Don

Get all the audio and video content from D.A. Carson's lectures at Mars Hill Church in December 2008. Read More.