Calvary Church Planting Network - New Article Series - "Perspectives on Church Planting"

This is the introduction to a new article series called "Perspectives on Church Planting" that I am writing for the Calvary Church Planting Network.

I just posted the first article called 'Understanding Your Context'

Here's the introduction to the article.

At the time of this writing (March 2009), it has been about a year and a half since I began the Calvary Church Planting Network. I began the ministry as a resource to church planters. I saw the need for the ministry based on my personal experiences as a young church planter. Having planted two churches in the past six years, one on each coast, both in decidedly anti Christian areas, I began to see that there was a need to fill in an educational and relational gap for church planters. Having grown up in a ministry context that was simply ‘see a need, meet a need’, I took it upon myself to begin to compile resources, write articles, and put up a website and blog to have information on the web for church planters. Now a year and a half later, I am even more convinced of the necessity of this ministry. Since we began, I have corresponded with literally hundreds of church planters (via email, telephone, and sometimes in person) and potential church planters who have contacted me through the website. I find it a great privilege to be able to encourage, pray, and be involved in these men’s lives. These men have picked up their lives and families and heeded the call to see new transformational Christian communities established. Oftentimes they are working full time to keep their families going while trying to see a church get going (which easily translates into 70+ hour work weeks) all the while being many miles away from their personal support base. Over these last 18 months or so, in talking to men from all over the place, I’ve found that certain themes have emerged as major areas of discussion. My hope is that over the next month or so, to write a series of articles called Perspectives on Church Planting. Some of the major themes of discussions that I’ve had with church planters, and have pondered/experienced myself, are understanding your context, the necessity of being ‘called’, how to deal with church attendance, understanding your context, actually doing outreach with a small church, the need for pastoral fellowship, and the need for delegation, casting vision, and leader development. I’m hoping to write articles on these topics individually, as well as anything else that seems pertinent.