Church Planting and Revitalization

When Two Become One: Legal Considerations of a Church Merger

By Jonathan Rourke | 9Marks Journal: Church Mergers and Plants | 06.20.2017

This article outlines the legal considerations of a church merger. It’s not a recipe for the success of the marriage, but a roadmap for blending families. It’s not very romantic, but it’s necessary.

Book Review: Proliferate: A Church Planting Strategy for Everyday Churches, by Jason Crandall

Review by John Joseph | 9Marks Journal: Church Mergers and Plants | 06.20.2017

As long as you’re aware of its errors, this book offers insights for the prospective church planter.

Planting Churches for Pleasure, Not for Profit

By Nathan Knight | 9Marks Journal: Church Mergers and Plants | 06.20.2017

What’s needed to plant a church isn’t the wisdom of Jim Collins, but the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Calculated Risks of Church Planting: Sending Your Best Members and Elders

By Juan Sanchez | 9Marks Journal: Church Mergers and Plants | 06.20.2017

No matter the costs and effects of church planting on the planting church, the Lord is always faithful.

Anatomy of a Church Merger

By John Folmar | 9Marks Journal: Church Mergers and Plants | 06.20.2017

Four things I learned from our successful and fruitful church merger—almost 20 years after it happened.

How to Merge Two Church Cultures

By Dave Russell | 9Marks Journal: Church Mergers and Plants | 06.20.2017

In a church merger, you must understand the two existing cultures and lead them to become one. Here are five ways to do that.

You Can’t Plant a Church If You Don’t Know What a Church Is

By Nathan Knight | 9Marks Journal: Church Mergers and Plants | 06.19.2017

Ecclesiology can’t be assumed nor should it be considered a distraction to the church planter’s “mission.”

Nine Lessons for Pastors Facing Leadership Conflict

By Peter Hess | 05.08.2017

Two years into our church plant, we faced our first major crisis. Here are nine takeaway lessons on dealing with church conflict.

Dear Wormwood . . .

By Sean DeMars | 04.24.2017

I’m writing to you today because we’re concerned to see a steadily growing trend in America. It’s called “revitalization.”

Mailbag #59: Two Questions on “Re-Baptism”; The Importance of a Church’s Architecture

By Jonathan Leeman | 04.14.2017

— What are some of the pastoral principles, pitfalls, and guidelines when dealing with church members who doubt their baptism took place after their conversion? — A church member wants his daughter to be baptized twice, in two different churches. How should I respond? — As a church considers planting or revitalizing, how much should they take into account a building’s architecture?

Mailbag #58: Does the State or Church Have Authority to Marry; Counsel for Re-Writing Our Constitution

By Jonathan Leeman | 04.07.2017

— Who has the authority to marry: the state or the church? — Four brief questions from a pastor who’s rewriting his church’s constitution.

Episode 7: How to Leave Your Church Well

By J. Leeman, M. Dever | 03.28.2017

In this episode of Pastor’s Talk, Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman discuss how to think about leaving a church wisely.

Episode 1: On Gospel Growth Beyond Your Church

By J. Leeman, M. Dever | 02.14.2017

In the inaugural episode of our new podcast Pastors’ Talk, Jonathan Leeman sits down with Mark Dever to talk about seeing the gospel grow in your city, not just your church.

Book Review: Growing God’s Church, by Gary McIntosh

Review by Matt Felton | 02.13.2017

But chasing after what works can become intoxicating Why? Precisely because it works! In fact, it can become so intoxicating that many pastors run right past the safety of God’s Word.

Churches in the United Arab Emirates: Lights in the Desert

By J. Mack Stiles | 9Marks Journal: Healthy Churches around the World | 12.09.2016

Through the faithfulness of Christian doctors a generation ago, God gave churches favor in the eyes of the rulers of a nation in the heart of the Middle East. Through the recovery of one church, now many healthy churches are springing up in this desert country.