Here’s another winner for you gang.
If you haven’t planted, download this thing and use it as a template.
If you already have, download this and use it for your future planters.
Thanks to Brett Wagner for his hard work on this great document.
Click Redeemer Vision Packet to get it.
Every church planter and pastor I know could benefit from taking 3 minutes to see this. How’s that for an intro. ; )
The 1st one is a website that I just found out about last night called GAZELLE.
You can click HERE and read all about it. I have not used this company personally, but it seems totally legit to me.
Click HERE to get some bonus codes if you decide to do it. (I assume they work…)
The 2nd option comes from one of my commenters from last week’s post, my good friend, Dan Gossett. Here are his thoughts:
“Though other than Siri, there isn’t much need for me to upgrade to the 4S. As I’ve compared the 4 and 4S side by side, I can’t see too much of a difference.
However, if you do decide to upgrade, you can always sell your iPhone 4 on Craigslist or Ebay for $200 or more – more than enough to cover the cost of an upgrade. People love to buy iPhones without contracts, so they are more than willing to pay more than the upgrade cost of a new phone. I’ve actually upgraded every iPhone before my 4 this way. Including selling an iPhone in the AT&T store parking lot for cash, then walking into the store to cover the cost of an upgrade, with more storage than the previous phone!
The catch is you have to be available for an upgrade price ($199).
Also, when selling anything on eBay or Craigslist, you need to be wise and not ship it overseas without actually verifying the funds are in PayPal (which I learned the hard way).
Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience, Dan.
Anybody else got any creative solutions?
As you can tell by yesterday’s post, I love all things technology.
I especially love it when technology collides with ministry.
Enter church planter Alan Trippe and his family.
Alan, a church planter near Atlanta, Georgia, is about a year and a half into his church planting journey. Like many churches in the United States, his church recently encountered financial difficulties. In response, in order to provide for his family, he chose to pursue additional sources of income.
Enter Crazy Play.
Alan writes
After seeking God’s direction over this past year I have felt led to use my tent-making skills as a software developer to create a new family-friendly physics-based iPhone/iPad puzzler game called “Crazy Play”. In fact, it’s turned out to be an amazing adventure with my wife and kids (3 teenage boys and a daughter in college) who have all pitched in, in various ways.
Crazy Play + TOMS Shoes
If all goes according to plan, they will be launching Crazy Play this weekend (Oct. 21-23rd), in cooperation with TOMS Shoes (www.toms.com). For those of you unaware, TOMS gives away a pair of shoes to a child in need, for every pair purchased. It is our goal to apply 50% of our profits over the weekend toward the purchase of TOMS Shoes. We hope to raise enough money in 3 days to give away 1000 pair of shoes (500 from us, and 500 by TOMS).
Crazy Play + Church Planting
After our launch weekend, we will continue to take a portion of our earnings and apply it toward kingdom work, including church-planting efforts.
So how can you help?
Alan writes:
First, we need your prayers.
Pray for favor, opportunity and success. Pray that we would trust God no matter the results.
Second, please consider buying Crazy Play (it’s only $.99/iPhone & $2.99/iPad), and recommend it to others. You can also follow us on Facebook & on Twitter.
You can also help us spread the word.
Check out our promo links:
It is our prayer that Crazy Play will provide us with the supplemental income we need, plus provide some additional resources for other kingdom work. Thanks for your prayers & support!
What a great opportunity to have some fun and help build the kingdom in the process!
I’m going to be getting the app and trust that it will be a wonderful conversation starter for me and my children to discuss how to use your gifts and talents for Jesus.
I hope you’ll consider doing the same.
These are my quick thoughts on the issue.
Feel free to post yours below.
Especially, if you have clearly decided yay or nay. And why.
This is a great story. Will be particularly helpful for those who are ministering cross-culturally.
If you need a workaround to avoid buying an iPhone 4S, this may help…
You guys are going to owe me BIG TIME for this. 
So…
I found a FREE app called VLINGO that is not exactly like Siri but sure looks a lot like it.
It wont allow you to schedule appointments, but it will allow you to dictate text messages, emails, web searches and voice dialing. Strong!
—
Since I don’t have a turn-by-turn GPS (and I get lost almost anywhere), I need an app that will do that for me.
I found an app called TELENAV GPS PLUS that will do just that.
It also plugs into your car stereo (assuming it is equipped for it through an adapter of some kind) and allows you to play iPod music and will automatically reduce and restore volume as the non-annoying voice gives you turn-by-turn directions.
It costs $.99 for a 30 day trial and $9.99 for an entire year. Love it!
So there you go.
My advice won’t replace a 4S, but it will save you some money until you get one (or wait for the 5) in the meantime.
A few weeks back, I began a series unpacking some of what I think is required to be an effective church planter. You can catch those posts HERE , HERE and HERE if you missed them.
Today, I want to add the next installment by asking what is perhaps the most important question of all - “Are you biblically qualified to be a pastor or planter?”
We can talk evangelistic effectiveness or entrepreneurial acumen all day long, by if a man doesn’t meet the Bible’s qualifications for being a pastor in one of God’s churches, he should’t plant a church.
Plain and simple.
My friend, Scott Thomas, published this helpful list of the Biblical qualifications and a little commentary a while back.
“The Bible specifically speaks about the qualifications for those who will lead a congregation of people. These qualifications have been the same for almost 2,000 years. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of these qualifications as the “senior pastor” of the Church.
Above Reproach (Titus 1:6, 7; 1 Tim 3:2)
This is the overarching, summarizing characteristic. You will find similar (but not identical) lists in First Timothy and Titus. Living a life above reproach is the first requirement in both lists and Titus repeats it. The other items on the list explain what “above reproach” means. If we peruse the two lists, as well as First Peter, we find 17 qualifications of an elder who is above reproach.
1. A Pastor must be devoted to his wife; one-woman man (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim 3:2).
The pastor’s marriage illustrates Christ’s love for His church—His bride (Eph. 5:22 ff.). A Pastor must love his wife exclusively with his mind, will and emotions and not just his body.
2. A Pastor’s children must be in submission, though not perfect (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim 3:4-5).
If a man does not know how to manage his own family, he will not know how to take care of God’s church. The first flock for a pastor is his own family as Pastor Dad. A Pastor’s qualification for the church starts in his home management as he leads them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).
3. A Pastor is a faithful Steward (Titus 1:7)
Here the term used is overseer (Greek episkopos). It is not another office, but a functional title of the elder. It is what he does. He is a steward, a manager of God’s resources and Jesus’ flock. He takes responsibility, but not ownership.
4. A Pastor must be humble – not arrogant (Titus 1:7)
A pastor must constantly demonstrate the gospel by admitting when he is wrong and assuming responsibility and restoring relationships.
5. A Pastor must be gentle – not quick-tempered (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3)
No man will be of any use in the kingdom that is quick-tempered. The difference between how Jesus demonstrated anger is that He was angry at the abuse of others in the name of religion and the dishonoring of God. We get angry at how it affects us.
6. A Pastor must be sober – not a drunkard (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3)
This is not just overindulgence in alcohol but is idiomatic for any behavior that fuels addictive responses.
7. A Pastor must be peaceful – not violent (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3)
A pastor is prone to inflict violence through his words. He is to be a peacemaker.
8. A Pastor must have financial integrity – not greedy for gain (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3; 1 Peter 5:3)
A pastor is to be upright in his financial dealings and not accused of pursuing money over the kingdom of God.
9. A pastor must be hospitable (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 3:2)
A pastor’s home is to be open for others to enjoy. A pastor’s home is not a heaven on earth, but rather a place of ministry.
10. A Pastor must be a lover of good (Titus 1:8)
A pastor genuinely loves what is good. He does not just think he should love it.
11. A Pastor must be self-controlled (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 3:2)
Self-control is a characterization of every area of a pastor’s life: diet, time, mouth, exercise, relationships, sex, and money.
12. A Pastor must be upright (Titus 1:8)
He has integrity in his relationships and in how he treats others.
13. A Pastor must be holy (Titus 1:8)
His life is devoted wholeheartedly to Jesus externally and internally.
14. A Pastor must be able to teach (Titus 1:9; 1 Tim 3:2)
All of the other qualifications are character qualities. This is the only ability-based requirement. He is to be able to teach sound doctrine, not just be able to communicate in an excellent manner. His teaching can be to one or two, to twenty, to a hundred or to a thousand. Most of the churches in Crete were house churches. The elders were to defend the faith once delivered to the saints against the numerous false teachers that arose.
15. A Pastor must be spiritually Mature (1 Tim 3:6)
Positions of authority without spiritual maturity lead to the trap of pride. When pride grows in a man, sin abounds.
16. A Pastor must be respectable (1 Tim 3:7)
That does not mean that everyone must like him or even appreciate him. It means that there is no credible witness to an ongoing sinful behavior.
17. A Pastor must be an example to the flock (1 Peter 5:3)
Elders are examples of Biblical expressions sexually, time management, marriage, parenting, worship, relationships and any other way. A pastor should be someone your sons could pattern their life after and the kind of man your daughter should marry.
After reading this list, take a moment and prayerfully consider these questions.
At the recent Plant! Conference, I sat down with my good buddy Daniel Montgomery to talk ministry. In this short video, he discusses how biblical theology can serve us as pastors.
Listen. Learn. Tweet.
I love Ray. And I love what he has to say.
I’ll be rapping backup on Owen Strachan’s rap album soon
Listen. Learn. Tweet.
