I just received and read a new book by Jim Griffith and Bill Easum. “Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by New Church Plants” will now be on my short list of books that every church planter, parent church pastor and district leader should read before the start a new church. This book is loaded with time/experience tested practical wisdom that can help the leaders and overseers of new church starts avoid “rookie” mistakes.  Here are just a couple of the mistakes they suggest you avoid. “Neglecting the Great Commandment in Pursuit of the Great Commission.” ” Failing to Take Opposition Seriously.” Each chapter describes the mistake followed by some great counsel on how to avoid the mistake. Tips for supervisors and coaches are included. Outstanding. Check it out here.

Here are a couple of seemingly random thoughts that combine together to make a very important point.

Random thought #1- Frequently, district level leaders report on how their district is doing by saying something like…”well, we planted 6 churches last year, but we closed 5 so we had a net gain of only one.” This comment is usually accompanied by a sigh of resignation indicating their frustration with their pace of progress in terms of Kingdom impact.

Random thought #2- Take a moment to read the article below from Christian Post. Read the rest of this entry »

Great People Decisions by Claudio Fernández-Aráoz

The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists by Ravi K. Zacharias

Go Put Your Strengths to Work by Marcus Buckingham

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson

The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay

Breaking the Discipleship Code: Becoming a Missional Follower of Jesus by David Putnam