NOTE FROM LUMINEX: This is the second entry in an 8-week series on Priorities. Today’s focus is Evangelism. Enjoy! As a pastor I found Evangelism easy to preach and teach. But living evangelism out in my daily life – well that was entirely different. It’s a truth that hit me hard on two related occasions. The first occasion occurred one Easter season following …
Priorities …
Happy New Year! As we enter 2018, we thought it would be appropriate to begin the new year with a series on Priorities. The series will cover eight written blogs, and will begin on January 8 and conclude on February 26. In the Priorities series you will hear perspectives on key Luminex priorities from eight different writers, some of whom are part of …
Church Snopes: Debunking Common Myths about Starting New Churches
Myth: We don’t need any more churches in North America Reality: While we have made much progress over the last two decades by starting thousands of new churches across North America, three facts are sobering: 1) The number of church starts parallels the number of church closures. 2) The rate of population growth in North America exceeds the rate of …
Luminex Podcast 12: Missions in Detroit
When we think of missions, we often think of crossing oceans to witness to unreached people groups. But in reality, there are unreached people right here in our American cities. On this week’s podcast we have Nate Bull and Mark Van Andel from Hesed Community Church in Detroit. They tell of their ministry in some of Detroit’s toughest neighborhoods. [00:00:30] …
Eight Trends in Church Planting, Part Two
In this week’s post we continue with Doug McClintic, Church Multiplication Catalyst for Luminex, as he discusses the last four of eight trends that he is observing in church planting: Trend 5: The marriage of the church as both congregation and missional community. Over the past 20 years pitting the gathered congregation of believers who meet in a particular place, …
Eight Trends in Church Planting, Part One
In this week’s post Doug McClintic, Church Multiplication Catalyst for Luminex, discusses the first four of eight trends that he is observing in church planting: Trend 1: Continued tragic mistakes on the part of sending agencies and churches. Church planting has come a long way in the past 20 years but as new churches, leaders and agencies come online in …
Podcast Episode 3: “Church Life Cycles”
On today’s episode, we have Art Wiers, Church Health Catalyst for Luminex, talk about the lifecycle of a church from birth to decline. The reality is that all churches fall somewhere on this cycle and it’s important for leaders to know which stage theirs falls into. Learn how church life cycles leads to effectively starting and strengthening churches, and how …
Welcome to the Luminex Podcast
We are excited to announce the launch of the Luminex Podcast! Luminex is focused on giving the leaders the resources they need to start and strengthen churches. In each of our upcoming podcasts, you’ll hear a variety of experts engage in conversations that will equip and develop you as a leader – whether you’re in the church or the marketplace. Stay Tuned for …
The Miracle of Team
On today’s Whiteboard Wednesday, Rick Veenstra, Regional Executive for the Synod of the Great Lakes, discusses team ministries and how they help start and strengthen churches. As a pastor and leader in the church for many years, there were times early on when Rick led staff with a “divide-and-conquer” approach. However, in the latter part of his journey, Rick became …
The Reality of Sabotage
On today’s Whiteboard Wednesday, Rick Veenstra, Regional Executive for the Great Lakes Region of the Reformed Church in America, discusses one of the challenges of starting and strengthening churches – when the tail wags the dog. For many years, Rick has dedicated his life energy toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The church in North America has been in …