Church Planting Process

The Theology of the Local Congregation: What is the Church?   In the previous article, we addressed the question, “why is a theology of the congregation necessary in church planting?” The answer is simple, you have to know what something is before you attempt to...

The Theology of the Local Congregation: A Primer for Church Planters   I have been asked to contribute a series of articles focusing on the theology of the local congregation. These articles will be written through the lens of Georg Sverdrup, a 19th century...

Lessons Learned in a Church Plant "Pastor Elden Nelson served as a previous AFLC Home Missions Director for many years. That time was a unique time of growth in the AFLC as Lutheranism was shifting dramatically across the United States. In this time of opportunity,...

Lessons Learned in Rural Church Ministry   Near the beginning of his classic biography on Martin Luther (Here I Stand), Roland H. Bainton writes something you may not know about Luther. He writes, Returning from Rome, Luther came under new influences due to a...

Four C's of a Church Planter (Part 4: Competency) In this final blog, we are diving into the hardwiring and gifting of a planter. As I wrote last week, every person is unique, and every situation is unique. An obvious aspect of life is that there are unique giftings...

Four C's of a Church Planter (Part 4: Chemistry) As this series continues, a very important aspect in church planting is chemistry. Now, we aren't talking physical science, but rather chemistry in terms of fit between pastor and congregation. This is very important....