Category Archives: Church Plants and Foreign Missions

Church Plants and Missions: Mistakes to Avoid in Church Planting

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Jay F Guin

I don’t often post videos (other than music), because I don’t have the patience (or time) to listen to a video when I can read so much more in the same time — and there’s so much worthwhile reading out … Continue reading →

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Church Plants and Missions: Putting a Congregational Vision Together, Part 2

Posted on November 21, 2009 by Jay F Guin

5. Have the entire congregation support the missionary. * Make sure his newsletter goes to everyone (electronically, of course). * Be sure the entire church gets to spend time with him before he’s sent and each time he visits. * … Continue reading →

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Church Plants and Missions: Putting a Congregational Vision Together, Part 1

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Jay F Guin

We in the Churches of Christ aren’t very good at missions — foreign or domestic. The biggest problem isn’t in the mission field, though. It’s in our churches. We just don’t know what we’re doing. I don’t pretend to have … Continue reading →

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Church Plants and Missions: Failing Missions, Better Approaches, Part 2

Posted on November 19, 2009 by Jay F Guin

5. Be honest and forthright. Tell him exactly what you are concerned about, ask for his views, and discuss the problems man to man. Most churches are so afraid to hurt someone’s feelings and to engage in a hard conversation … Continue reading →

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Church Plants and Missions: Failing Missions, Better Approaches, Part 1

Posted on November 18, 2009 by Jay F Guin

I’m talking about — except I do know something about having employees. I have a few dozen. And there are certain principles that govern how you treat people who count on you for their living. You may well have to … Continue reading →

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Church Plants and Missions: What Works

Posted on November 17, 2009 by Jay F Guin

The Churches of Christ split 100 years ago over missionary societies. As a result, we’ve found ourselves with each congregation acting as its own missionary society. A deacon gets handed the task of overseeing a missionary or two with no … Continue reading →

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Church Plants and Missions: What Doesn’t Work

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Jay F Guin

Seems obvious, doesn’t it? Why would we invest lives, energy, and money in church plant efforts that don’t have at least some of the characteristics described in the previous post? But that’s what Churches of Christ are doing all over … Continue reading →

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Church Plants and Missions: Factors that Affect Success

Posted on November 15, 2009 by Jay F Guin

We need to talk some about church plants. You see, the denominations that are growing the fastest are the denominations planting churches. In fact, back when the Churches of Christ were growing rapidly, we were planting churches (sometimes on purpose; … Continue reading →

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Church Planting

Posted on January 16, 2009 by Jay F Guin

Over at his site Who Told You That, Dell Kimberly has asked for reader input for what I think is a critically important question: How can an established church act like a church plant?  This is the most unusual post … Continue reading →

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Managing Missions: Are Short-Term Missions a Good Investment?

Posted on July 17, 2008 by Jay F Guin

Thanks to Monday Morning Insight, I found this recent article in the Washington Post questioning the benefits of short-term mission trips. Fairfax Community Church is repositioning its mission trips “to get away from the vacation-with-a-purpose, large groups going somewhere to … Continue reading →

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