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(In preparation for Sunday, January 8th, I would like to share with you 10 specific things to pray for. You can read the other day's prayer points at the bottom of this post)

Planting a new church takes money. Planting a new church in San Francisco takes more money. And while many people can get uneasy about the subject of church and money, the real issue has to do with stewardship. Meaning, the resources placed in our hands are not our own but belong to Jesus. Our job is to take care of it in a way that reflects the generosity, humility and servanthood of the gospel. read more...

(In preparation for Sunday, January 8th, I would like to share with you 10 specific things to pray for. You can read the other day's prayer points at the bottom of this post)

There is no doubt that our task to make disciples cannot fall solely upon one person. The task of shepherding, caring, serving and leading must be a shared task. That is why we are praying for many leaders within Redeemer City Church. Leaders who are passionate about Jesus' fame and not their own, leaders who want to serve others at their own expense, leaders who delight in blessing others. read more...

(In preparation for Sunday, January 8th, I would like to share with you 10 specific things to pray for. You can read the other day's prayer points at the bottom of this post)

During this summer our core group to some time to study through the book of Acts together. While the early church faced persecution and opposition, they also had a good reputation with non-Christians: read more...

(In preparation for Sunday, January 8th, I would like to share with you 10 specific things to pray for. You can read the other day's prayer points at the bottom of this post)

Spiritual warfare is just simply a part of the Christian life. It seems to be even more intense anytime we step out in faith, intentionally seek to share the gospel, or establish new works where there previously has been very little gospel influence. Would you pray specifically for protection against our adversary the devil who walks about like a roaring lion seeking to devour? read more...

(In preparation for Sunday, January 8th, I would like to share with you 10 specific things to pray for. You can read the other day's prayer points at the bottom of this post)

People can change for any number of reasons - how and why they change is of utmost importance. Guilt, fear and pride are all very strong motivators in our lives that cause us to stop doing certain things or start doing other things (New Year's resolutions anyone?).

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(In preparation for the launch of Redeemer City Church on January 8, I will be posting one prayer request each day as we approach. You can read the other posts here).

We all know it is possible to do a right thing the wrong way, and in church planting it is especially true. The right message, gifted leaders and a strategic plan can all be undone with the ugliness of pride - and it resides in all of our hearts.

Would you pray with us that Redeemer City Church would be known as a group of people who make much of Jesus and not themselves as we pursue genuine humility?

1 Peter 5:5 (ESV)

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

As many of you know, Redeemer City Church launches in just 10 days, on January 8th! I can't tell you how excited I am for that day and watching Jesus continue to build his church. In preparation for that Sunday, I would like to share with you 10 specific things to pray for - 1 for each day until January 8.  This is an intentional effort on my part to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, especially in season where it is very easy to become distracted with all the tasks at hand.

Would you join with us in praying for the next 10 days for each of these things?

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We are excited to announce that Redeemer City Church officially begins on January 8, 2012! After months of prayer and planning, we are ready to open the doors and gather together as a church.

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I am excited to share with you that God has provided a location for Redeemer City Church to gather in! After looking at numerous halls, schools, theaters and community centers, we are excited to announce that Redeemer City Church will be meeting at 1337 Sutter Street.This is a central location in the north-east corner of the peninsula. Lighthouse Church, which has been a faithful gospel presence here in San Francisco for several years, has offered to rent their building to us on Sunday evenings. They have been very generous in sharing their space with us and welcoming our group as they too have a desire to see this city transformed by the gospel of Jesus. This is just one example of the humility and service of the local churches in the city that have been encouraging, welcoming and so supportive of us. Truly, God's favor is upon this city.

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Often times, the normal response to discussions about church planting is something like this:

• We already have plenty of churches and lots of room for all the other people. Let’s get them filled before we build other churches
• A new church will just take people away from existing churches
• Help should be given to the struggling churches first. We need better churches, not more churches.

Although these statements appear to be ‘common sense’ to many people, they rest on several assumptions. The error of this thinking will become clear if we ask, “Why is church planting crucially important?” read more...

We’re all on a mission of some kind. The question is: what’s yours? What defines what your life is about? That’s your mission. Jesus gave His church, His people, one mission: make disciples (Mt 28:18-20). Calling rebellious sinners to faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, life with God and partnering with Him in his unfolding story is the mission of the church.

However, often the church drifts from this mission. This happens when a church lets something else take over as the primary mission: a building project, an unstated theology of “people should come to us,” personality of the preacher, the size of the church, making budget, keeping programs running or sometimes simple laziness.

Ultimately, when mission drift occurs indefinitely the church stops reaching people.

The term “missional” is simply the noun “missionary” adapted into an adjective. Thus, a “missionary” is someone who acts like a missionary (e.g. understands a culture, proclaims the faithful Gospel in a way that people in culture can understand, and uses parts of that culture to glorify God). A “missional church” is a church that acts like a missionary in its community.

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