Make a bold, new, creative mistake, don't make this mistake. Don't make the mistake of not understanding the difference between a stated value and a core value. 

You visit a church and they've got the core values in the worship bulletin. They got the core values framed, but how do you know whether it really is a core value or a stated value?

Having looked at beliefs and having looked at behaviors, we're going to narrow in on the concept of values. Church planters often fail to understand the true underlying values of the church. Which as we'll see in this article, are often not the same as the churches stated articulated values.

We exist to help under-served church leaders develop churches that transform lives and communities worldwide. We're seeking more partners to invest in the next generation through Pathway Learning. Will you help church leaders develop churches that transform lives and communities?

Church planters need to be very clear not only on their beliefs, and the required beliefs of members and church leaders, but certain behaviors that are required, whether written or not. You don't have to be there very long before you find out these are the behaviors that are expected. The more clear you can be on the front end in terms of what behaviors are expected and what are not, the better it is for everybody.

Church leaders, whether you call them elders, whether you call them deacons, whether you call them ministry leaders, or group leaders, they all have certain things that they are expected to believe, and the sooner that you are crystal clear on what are the requirements, and what aren't the requirements, the better the church planter is.

A Gospel-Centered Church primarily focuses on proclaiming the Good News that God promises all who repent of their sin and trust in Christ a new record, a new heart, and a new world to come. This means a Gospel-Centered Church is one that places a top priority on the ministries of Good News for the lost or evangelism. Good News for the found or discipleship or spiritual formation. And Good News for the poor through ministries of mercy and justice.

The Church is the only institution in the world both designed and equipped by God for the spiritual, cultural and social renewal of all nations. God has ordained that His Kingdom come with transformational power into every sphere of life primarily through the Church. This why global Church planting is so important. 

The Good News of the Kingdom is not only that one day, when Jesus returns, God’s Kingdom is coming to earth to make all things new. The Good News is also that God’s Kingdom has already come to earth to make all things new through the resurrection and ascension of Christ.

Because justification is a one-time declaration of our forgiveness and acceptance by God through Jesus blood and righteousness, Christians often fail to understand why they need to obey God and confess their sins. If God has forgiven us through the blood of Christ and accepted us in the perfect righteousness of Christ, why do we need to keep obeying God’s law and confess our sins?

God takes pleasure in pouring out His blessings on those who will dare to align their life purpose more with His. This raises one of the most important and ancient questions of the ages: “What is God’s purpose for the world?” Jesus gives us a wonderful glimpse into God’s overarching purpose for the world when he taught his disciples how to pray.

Why it is that human beings everywhere always want to make a difference? This is true of both religious and non-religious people. When most people die they want to somehow leave the world a better place.

We learn from Scripture that’s because human beings are created in the image of God. You are designed by God in his image to make a difference in the world.

Sound theology places the good news of Jesus Christ at the center. This article will help you understand why the good news about Jesus Christ must be at the center of the study of theology.

The ultimate goal of salvation is to restore fallen humanity and creation so they will flourish in a new earth for eternity. This article will help you learn how sound theology reflects the good news of God’s saving grace that restores fallen humanity and creation to the full beauty of his original design.

A theology that is sound and faithful to Scripture must reflect the story of God’s unfolding covenants in history. This article will help you learn that the topic of biblical covenants is not an isolated topic in theology but one that can help us understand all other theological topics.

God reveals in Scripture who he is and what he does through his magnificent acts of redemption in history from the beginning to the end of time. We develop sound theology in light of God’s unfolding acts of creation, redemption, and restoration of all things in Christ. This article will help you learn how to develop sound theology by understanding doctrine in light of redemptive history.

The Trinity must be seen as not only one topic amidst a list of theological topics, but also as the foundational perspective through which we see all theology. We need to return to the ancient, creedal Trinitarian approach to theology. This article will teach you how to gain a Trinitarian perspective toward the development of sound theology.

The essence of God’s revelation of himself in Scripture is that he is Lord. Sound theology is about God’s Lordship over all things. This article will help you learn how to know, love, serve, and honor God as Lord in all of life.

If we would have a sound theology of the Bible, then we must rightly understand God’s mission detailed throughout Genesis to Revelation. This article will help you learn how God means for the revelation of his mission in Scripture to shape your theology, to draw you into its plot, and to compel you to align your life purpose more with his.

Like Martin Luther, we must learn to test everything, including the ancient creeds, confessions, and our church’s doctrinal statements by studying the Scriptures. This article will help you learn how to develop sound theology that is based primarily on the study of Scripture and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Having answered the question, “What is theology?” we need to ask an even more important question: “What is sound theology?” In Christian theology, sound doctrine is teaching that agrees with the Bible. But how can we know if our beliefs are in agreement with the Bible?