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In this interview I talk with Acts 29 Director Scott Thomas about two things that he has lots of experience with—replanting churches and dealing with criticism.

As expected, he offers some sound counsel for both.

Watch, learn and help us spread the word.

For more from Dustin Neeley check out cp4us.org.

Death By Love

Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears tackle some of the most serious redemptive aspects of Jesus' work in these twelve letters of counsel. Find out more.

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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.

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.

The 2009 Raleigh Acts 29 Boot Camp, hosted by Vintage21 Church on February 4-5, 2009, was about planting churches and making sure new plants thrive. Mark Driscoll, Scott Thomas and other Acts 29 pastors were joined by several guest speakers for the event, including Wayne Grudem and Andreas Köstenberger. Get all the video and audio through the links below.

Session 1: Raleigh Boot Camp Intro Session – Mark Driscoll

• Audio
• Video

Session 2: Mission Rises out of Community – Tyler Jones

• Audio
• Video

Session 3: Mission Rises out of Discipleship – Ed Marcelle

• Audio
• Video

Session 4: Our Mission – Daniel Montgomery

• Audio
• Video

Session 5: The Biblical Mandate on the Man – Scott Thomas

• Audio
• Video

Session 6: Gospel Centered Reformed Theology – Wayne Grudem

• Audio
• Video

Session 7: Preaching the Gospel – Daniel Akin

• Audio
• Video

Session 8: The Effects of Planting on Family and Self – Andreas Köstenberger

• Audio
• Video

Session 9: Systems & Structures – Jamie Munson

• Audio

Session 10: Q&A with Mark Driscoll – Mark Driscoll

• Audio

Session 11: Leadership Development: Elders, Deacons, Volunteers – Elliot Grudem

• Audio

Session 12: We Are A Movement – Mark Driscoll

• Audio
• Video

Missional Ecclesiology

Re:Train professor Gregg Allison explains the missional church in his blog series on Missional Ecclesiology.

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I sat down to talk leadership with Bruce Wesley and Yancey Arrington from Clear Creek Community Church (A29) at the recent AMBITION Boot Camp, sponsored by Sojourn Community Church, in Louisville, KY. In Part One of this conversation, the guys shared why they joined A29 as an established church, how to keep a team together for the long haul, some reproducible principles for young leaders, and their “one thing” for church planters. Their experience together makes their perspectives unique and profitable.

For more from Dustin Neeley, visit 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 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.

What is the difference between going to church and being the church? In a recent blog post for Boundless Webzine called Stop Going to Church, Jonathan Dodson talks about how his life was radically changed when he stopped simply going to church. Comparing some of today’s churches to fortresses, shopping malls, and cemeteries, Dodson calls us to remember that the church is intended to be a family.

More on Jonathan Dodson and his ministry can be found at his blog, Creation Project.

Resurgence On Facebook

Become a fan of the Resurgence on Facebook, get connected with other fans, and stay current on all the latest updates. Find out more.

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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.