PLNTD Conference: Cultivating Gospel Communities

March 09, 2012 in Church, Church Planting, Conferences, Gospel

At the end of March (March 30-31), the PLNTD Network is hosting a great training event in South Florida focused on cultivating gospel communities. Steve Timmis and Jared Wilson are scheduled to speak, and there will be breakout sessions as well as Q&A to discuss and consider contextual application to your local church.

Get the details (schedule, location, hotel, reservations) by going to the conference website. Current registration for the conference is $49, but PLNTD has a special promotional code for Reformissionary readers. Get $10 off that price when you put "mccoy" in the promotional code slot as you register.

Here's a description of the conference from their website:

God has given the church a mission. At the very heart of that mission is the call to make disciples. And at the very heart of making disciples is gospel communities on mission.

The PLNTD conference : Cultivating Gospel Communities

is a training event focused on equipping God's people to engage in the mission of the church in ordinary life with gospel intentionality. The gospel is extraordinary good news, and communities formed and fueled by the gospel are persuasive displays of how life-transforming and kingdom-advancing it really is. During these two days, we will pursue ways to communicate in word and commend in deed the gospel to our neighbors as we pray for a move of God that impacts our cities for Christ.

Who should attend this training event?

Anyone who wants to make, mature, and multiply gospel-centered disciples. Pastors, church planters, small group leaders, and ministry apprentices/interns are strongly encouraged to attend. For those in South Florida, you will also hear about new developments to collaborate for kingdom advance through the formation of a regional network. There is no better time to get in the trenches and scatter the gospel seed than now! We hope you'll join us!

Sounds great! Hope many will get to go. When you get there, give Timmy Brister a big kiss from me. Actually, a hug will do. :)

PLNTD Conference: Cultivating Gospel Communities

March 09, 2012 in Church, Church Planting, Conferences, Gospel

Here's a description of the conference from their website:

God has given the church a mission. At the very heart of that mission is the call to make disciples. And at the very heart of making disciples is gospel communities on mission.

The PLNTD conference : Cultivating Gospel Communities

is a training event focused on equipping God's people to engage in the mission of the church in ordinary life with gospel intentionality. The gospel is extraordinary good news, and communities formed and fueled by the gospel are persuasive displays of how life-transforming and kingdom-advancing it really is. During these two days, we will pursue ways to communicate in word and commend in deed the gospel to our neighbors as we pray for a move of God that impacts our cities for Christ.

Who should attend this training event?

Anyone who wants to make, mature, and multiply gospel-centered disciples. Pastors, church planters, small group leaders, and ministry apprentices/interns are strongly encouraged to attend. For those in South Florida, you will also hear about new developments to collaborate for kingdom advance through the formation of a regional network. There is no better time to get in the trenches and scatter the gospel seed than now! We hope you'll join us!

Sounds great! Hope many will get to go. When you get there, give Timmy Brister a big kiss from me. Actually, a hug will do. :)

Liberate Conference

December 02, 2011 in Conferences, Gospel, Theology

I hope some of you will be able to make Liberate 2012 in February.

Tullian Tchividjian - War & Peace

October 24, 2011 in Church, Church Planting, Gospel, Pastoring & Leadership

Christianity Today (Drew Dyck) interviews Tullian Tchividjian on his move to Coral Ridge, the dark days of church transition, and the realities of the Gospel that got him through. A snippit...

I was realizing in a fresh way the now-power of the gospel—that the gospel doesn't simply rescue us from the past and rescue us for the future; it also rescues us in the present from being enslaved to things like fear, insecurity, anger, self-reliance, bitterness, entitlement, and insignificance. Through my pain, I was being convinced all over again that the power of the gospel is just as necessary and relevant after you become a Christian as it is before.

When that biblical reality gripped my heart, I was free like I had never felt before in my life. It gives you the backbone to walk into a room full of church leaders and say "this is what we're going to do and this is why we're going to do it, even if it gets me thrown into the street."

There is a fresh I-don't-care-ness that accompanies belief in the gospel. Whether you like me or not doesn't matter, because my worth and my dignity and my identity are anchored in God's approval. Christ won all of the approval and acceptance I need.

Go read the whole interview.

T4A | Tullian Tchividjian - Session 2

October 21, 2011 in Conferences, Gospel, Theology

Tullian delievered a great message on Law & Gospel at Together for Adoption 2011 Conference. Rather than redo work others have done, I commend to you the notes of a new friend of mine, Aaron Armstrong (author of Awaiting a Savior). Here are a couple of my favorite quotes I took on Twitter from Tullian's talk...

"It's a lie that grace is dangerous and needs to be kept in check."

"It's silly that we have to put the word 'radical' before Grace, as if there's some other kind."

"There is nothing more radically unbalanced than grace."

I'm excited about Tullian's new book coming out October 31st, Jesus + Nothing = Everything. Order it now.