Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

church planting

Three Reflections on Being a Pastor and a Professor

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My school just published this short article:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Three Reflections on Being a Pastor and a Professor.” Bethlehem College and Seminary, 16 August 2024.

I expand on these three reflections:

  1. It is helpful to lay out a spectrum of six options for being a pastor or professor.
  2. It is good for seminary professors to be pastors as they train pastors.
  3. Pastor-professors labor to build up Christ’s church.

Related:

Announcing a New Church Plant

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Big news for the Naselli family: We’re planning to plant Christ the King Church with some dear friends.

More info at www.ChristTheKing.build.

(I plan to continue teaching full-time at Bethlehem College and Seminary. And our family hopes to move closer to the Stillwater area in due course.)

Would you please pray for us?

Update in mid-October 2024: Our family has moved to the Stillwater area. Please pray for us as we settle and labor. We plan to covenant together as a church on January 5, 2025.

Related:

  1. Three Reflections on Being a Pastor and a Professor
  2. Why and How Our Church Plans to Use the Treasury of Psalms and Hymns

Tim Keller’s “Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City”

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centerThis book comes out early next month:

Timothy Keller. Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.

It’s large (9.4 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches) and long (400 pp.).

The book is a strategic manual for developing a church’s theological vision. I read the introduction carefully and read the rest more quickly. It’s obvious that Keller has thought deeply about theological vision for a long time.

This graphic shows how important theological vision is (p. 19):

vision

(Tim Keller drafted TGC’s theological vision for ministry.) [Read more…] about Tim Keller’s “Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City”

Resources on Church Planting

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This 121-page paperback came out in March:

Graham Beynon, Planting for the Gospel: A Hands-on Guide to Church Planting. Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2011. [Endorsements]

Beynon recommends six books on the church and church planting (pp. 119–20):

  1. Timothy J. Keller and J. Allen Thompson. Redeemer Church Planter Manual. Available from Redeemer Church Planting Center.
  2. Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.
  3. David Stroud. Planting Churches, Changing Communities. Milton Keynes: Authentic, 2009.
  4. Steve Timmis, ed. Multiplying Churches: Reaching Today’s Communities through Church Planting. Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2000.
  5. Mike McKinley. Church Planting Is for Wimps: How God Uses Messed-up People to Plant Ordinary Churches That Do Extraordinary Things. IX Marks. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.
  6. Graham Beynon. God’s New Community: New Testament Patterns for Today’s Church. Leicester: IVP, 2005.

A Future Church Plant Worth Supporting

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Below is a picture of the Eric True family. Eric is my brother-in-law, and his wife, Alicia, is my older sister. (I’m the second of seven children.) Their two boys are Brandon (age 4) and Jonathan (age 2).

 

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God has burdened Eric to glorify Him by serving as a pastor in Southern California. Check out their . . .

Eric’s plan is to begin by spending about two years serving at Grace Bible Church of Menifee, pastored by Tim Lovegrove.

  • Tim planted GBC of Menifee about four years ago with the support of Heritage Bible Church in Greer, SC.
  • GBC of Menifee is now self-supporting, and Tim recently posted a short video in which he explains his church’s burden to initiate “a vibrant church planting movement.” The text for this short video is available here.
  • Tim has also prepared a slide show that explains this burden.

I’ve known Eric well since about 2001, and I couldn’t dream of a better brother-in-law. He is above reproach. He’s perfect for my sister, and God has gifted him with outstanding pastoral gifts such as teaching, leadership, and overall people skills. Also, from my perspective, his theology is rock solid. And since Eric is a native of Southern California, it’s hard to think of a better fit for church planting. (Can you tell that I’m excited about this?!)

What can you do?

  • Pray earnestly.
  • Give bountifully and cheerfully (cf. 2 Cor 9:6–7).

For more info, contact GBC of Menifee.