Sean Benesh's Blog, page 14

But I Don't Want to Be Bivocational ...

I rarely come across a church planter who deliberately ventures into bivocational church planting. Sure, there are many who do. Out of necessity. It’s also unfortunately reflective of what I’d call deep-rooted injustices in our ministry world. What I mean is that more often than not “ethnic” church planters are bivocation...

Rooting Justice in the Context of the Missio Dei

It is interesting how at times two seemingly separate events or happenings that appear to have nothing to do with each other are actually intrinsically linked. In most of our cities we’ve watched or participated in various protests linked to justice, or lack thereof. In essence, that is what these protests are all about …...

How Will You Become an Insider?

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Last night I heard one of the funniest stories from a church planter I’ve come across in a while. Years ago when he first ventured into church planting he would hang out at coffee shops a lot. He had ample initial up-front funding that gave him the opportunity to dedicate 100% of his time to this new church plant. Like a ...

Personal Reflections on the State of Church Planting

Admittedly, I’m not the most expressive person. According to a variety of personality tests I’m a high introvert … even off the charts. I’m a 5w4 on the Enneagram. I value alone time, down time, and reflection. Sometimes I prefer books, writing, and ideas more than being with people. As a result I fail to realize that at ...

Brand Building: Who Are You Going After ... and Why? (Part 6)

Foundational questions matter … a lot. I’m currently working on building a class for a local seminary on a theology of church planting. What is the biblical and theological foundation of church planting? Today that is seemingly a question that’s rarely asked. Or if there is an answer it has something to do with the Great ...

What is Missing from Church Planting Training?

I’ve been apart of training church planters as well as higher education long enough to see a disconnect between what or how people are trained (i.e. programs, classes, workshops, etc) compared with what they will actually need once their training or education is over. Some programs, let’s take elementary education as an e...

Brand Building: Who Are You Going After ... and Why? (Part 5)

I love maps. A lot. I’ll spend time each week poring over an Oregon topo map that I bought a couple years ago. It shows me granular detail of the state … trailheads, dirt roads, and other nuggets that don’t show up on regular maps or any map app on your iPhone. Often I will sit at my desk or on the couch and analyze the m...

MOST Church Plants Fail. Do You Want to be Another Stat?

Everything comes with risk. There are no guarantees. That transcends all areas of life and work. However, we also know that there are pathways that ensure a greater likelihood of success. Take university degrees for example. Youre more apt to immediately find a job after graduation if your degree is in nursing compared to history, philosophy, or that glorious general studies degree. The same principle applies in church planting.

If youve tracked along with Intrepid for any length of time...

Brand Building: Who Are You Going After ... and Why? (Part 4)

During stay-at-home protocols during COVID-19 weve all had to adapt in different ways. Many of the normal routines have been upended there are now lines to get into grocery stores as they minimize how many people can be in there at once, in Oregon youre actually allowed to pump your own gas, you can still eat food from some of your favorite restaurants but it is take-only, and so many other changes. Obviously this varies from state to state and country to country. One of my own routines...

What Keeps Church Planters Up in a Cold Sweat at 2 AM ...

If there ever was a singular issue, struggle, or problem facing 99.99% of all church planters it is this funding. You wouldnt think so, right? I like to point it out by asking a simple question, what causes a church planter to lie in bed in a cold sweat at 2 AM with their heart racing? Its not the song list their worship leader picked out for this coming Sunday (whether youre meeting in-person or online), its not deciding between two different logos and color schemes for the new website,...