Word of Hope Blog
Read the latest thoughts from Ralph Moore, a veteran practitioner in disciple making and church multiplication.
Harnessing Mammon for Church Health
I sat through an interesting board meeting early this week. Church management underwent some healthy change. As we looked at our financial statement, someone voiced concern over some costly, “out-of-the-box,” expenses associated with an annual missions project. Specifically, moving resources through a certain country we “tip” officials at various checkpoints. The tips involve a lot…
A Dangerous Book–Todd Wilson/Exponential.org
Few times in my life have I ever read what I would call “a dangerous book.” I’m talking about content that leaves you questioning your thinking and challenges you to live differently—something that disrupts life. Today, we’re releasing a dangerous book. I had the privilege of writing the foreword and in it I said this…
Why Disciplemaking is the Key to Church Planting–by Bobby Harrington
Pastors and church planters have many tasks. We teach, preach, encourage, counsel, give pastoral advice and generally build up the church. It is easy to get over-whelmed. Clarity & Focus We need clarity and focus. Thankfully the Bible gives that to us. Our core job is to make disciples. The apostle Paul described this core…
Single Salary, Virtual Office, Financial Surplus…
Thinking of planting a church? Or, perhaps multiplying one from your congregation? Maybe you pastor a “portable church” that meets in public spaces. The following might be helpful to you. It is an excerpt from an upcoming book series called “How To Hire, Fire and Manage In Between.” A Single Salary Consider a congregation that…
Visibility, Power And The Pew
Have you noticed that the people who attend your church are a reflection of who they see on the way in the door? Whether you are church planting or pastoring a long-standing congregation, the “face” of the church dictates who will feel comfortable in your congregation. Visibility And The “Face” Of The Church Whoever occupies…
Let Monkeys Run The Zoo… NOT!
I was young when I heard the lecture. Years later, I thank God for the wisdom I gained in just over an hour. It resulted in much disciplemaking and church planting in coming years. I learned two new terms that day, “ossified,” and “laissez-faire.” A Common Problem The speaker, a denominational leader, complained…
A Challenge From Africa – Patrick Acquah
(NOTE: Watch a 4 minute video of Patrick) I moved from Ghana to the United States because of a command, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Worldwide disciplemaking means that we must plant churches across…
Church Planting Tensions Ralph Moore & Dave Ferguson (Exponential)
Watch this 17 minute video with Dave Ferguson, President of Exponential and myself. In it we discuss some of the tensions accompany church planting. Church multiplication is important. We need to deal with the inevitable tensions it brings. You’ll gain insight into how we saw one congregation of 12 people turn into 2,300-plus churches through…
Re-thinking Church Multiplication
I’m currently in the middle of a week spent teaching church multiplication to a “family” of church planters called, “Nexus.” I met the leaders at a recent Exponential gathering where we decided to team up. I am impressed with their vision and values. They’ve planted nearly 50 healthy churches. They, on the other hand, are…
Church Planting & Letting Go…
When I told my buddy about my church planting plans, he said, “You’ll never let go of the ring, Frodo, they never do.” My friend Ken Hiroshige was also my dentist. He drilled me with words while while working a long needle into my jaw. “They never let go when they get to your place.…