SENT CHURCHES, SENDING CHURCHES
Ebooks and exercises to help every church plant churches and send missionaries — for the gospel and through the gospel
Welcome to the “Sent Churches, Sending Churches" course!
Every session of this course involves an ebook, with information and examples on two related concepts, followed by reflection questions for you to answer in light of your specific church and situation. The goal is to help you implement and apply principles in a contextualized way, as you and your team take next steps into sending for God’s mission.
We encourage you not just to read the content, but to work through all components of each session. That will better equip you as you consider the realities of sending well.
Along the way you can share your learnings, and of course, feel free to reach out if you need anything. Thank you for participating in this Digital Course!
Course Overview (the full course is below)
Your church has a role to play, in equipping and sending for God’s mission
What if every local church on earth embraced the example of the first-century Church at Antioch? What if we all followed God’s leading in sending, and were willing to pray and give away our finances, and even our best leaders? What if we could do so, not in our church’s 20th or 200th year of existence, but in its second year? And what if we could at least start down that path, not when we have 200 or 2000 people engaged, but when we have 20 people?
Over a series of eight reflections in four ebooks, Ben Connelly shares from his years of experience — of being sent to plant churches, of training planter teams and sending missionaries from his local churches, and of working with dozens of churches to help them step into a healthy sending process.
This course is designed with helpful information and real-life examples, as well as tangible exercises to help your church take similar steps, recognizing and embracing your church’s “sentness” through the gospel, and boldly equipping and sending church planters and missionaries for the gospel.
SESSION ONE
HOW EVERY CHURCH CAN PLANT CHURCHES AND SEND MISSIONARIES
This session looks back in to history’s first “sending church,” the first-century church at Antioch. We learn from their example, how to counter the one common misperception that keeps many churches today from equipping and sending church planters and missionaries.
You’ll reflect on your own church and its current view of sending, then discover your church’s first step — or next step — in joining God in his history-long mission.
Download Session One eBook:
SESSION TWO
HOW EVERY CHURCH CAN CAST A VISION AND CREATE A SENDING CULTURE
“Culture eats vision for lunch,” the leadership axiom says. As the course starts to get practical, we address both sides of that statement: vision and culture. Both are vital…but both are often misunderstood in churches.
In this session we’ll see how to craft and cast your church’s sending vision, and how different aspects of your ministry and leadership either support that vision, or detract from it. You’ll end with tangible steps to inform and reform your sending efforts — in your vision and each element of culture.
Download Session Two eBook:
SESSION THREE
HOW EVERY CHURCH CAN EQUIP AND SEND TEAMS FOR GOD’S MISSION
The Christian life is better together! This session recognizes the reality of multiple giftings in a church body, and the health equipping and sending teams well — rather than one individual or household — on God’s mission.
You’ll also see the benefit of laying a long foundation for sending: as you send and celebrate send new ministries or groups, and train leaders in “smaller” ways, sending becomes a more natural outflow of church life.
Download Session Three eBook:
SESSION FOUR
HOW EVERY CHURCH CAN EXPERIENCE THE JOY AND GRIEF OF SENDING AND SUPPORTING WELL
There’s no way around it: sending away friends and church family is hard! And if it’s sending for the sake of mission, it’s also joyful. This final session addresses the mix of emotions, and the spiritual highs and lows of sending.
We talk about how to prepare your church for the send, personally and organizationally — and how to walk with both the sending church and the sent people after the sending moment, in healthy ways for the long haul.
Download Session Four eBook:
