Author Archives: Phil

To our readers (final blog post)

Posted on January 1, 2010 by Phil

This is our final post on this blog.  In the future one or more of us may start a new blog, but in this season of life we’re finding it difficult to keep up with blogging.  We turned off the … Continue reading →

Posted in uncategorized | Comments Off

Joining God In Mission: Appeal to Christians’ crazy love not fear

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Phil

If you want established churches to get excited about growing and starting new churches, don’t appeal to their fear that their brand of church is losing influence (even if it is). The question is not, ”What will we do to keep ourselves from going … Continue reading →

Posted in the why | 2 Comments

Joining God in Mission: Showing the Selfless Savior, not the Self-Preserving Church

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Phil

  Have you been asked to support church planting because of what it will do for your church or denomination (or your non-denomination as the case may be)?  I used to give these well-intended presentations, but now I’m skeptical.  They go … Continue reading →

Posted in the why | Comments Off

A Message Worth Telling: Delivered From and Delivered To

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Phil

People in LA need to hear about the God who delivers!  Several friends have described situations where Christians pleaded with them to be or get “saved,”  and to their disappointment they discovered salvation means no deliverance.  You gotta stop dressing … Continue reading →

Posted in the why | 1 Comment

Life In EHO: Rejecting the label, not the message

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Phil

Christians and Jesus-followers.  These are supposed to be synonymous, yet a 20-something woman with tattooed arms and pins in her lip doesn’t think so.  In last night’s Bible study she explained why she needs Christ not Christianity in her life.  … Continue reading →

Posted in stories, stuff to pray for | Comments Off

Joining God In Mission: The Myth of Rapid Reproduction

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Phil

One thing that has been helpful for me as we seek to lay the foundation for an obedience-based faith movement (a.k.a. Church Planting Movement) is acknowledging the myth of “rapid” reproduction. My mind is blown by the exponential growth of church … Continue reading →

Posted in the how | Comments Off

Joining God In Mission: Should you get paid to serve?

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Phil

If you are called to be a Christian leader/pastor/missionary/etc, that does not automatically mean God is asking you to get paid for it.  “Who should the church pay to serve?”  This is the question Neil Cole is thoughtfully addressing from … Continue reading →

Posted in the how | Comments Off