Why church planting? We’ll give you 7 Billion Reasons.

Download the 2012 Stadia Vision Book.

By Steve Caton, Church Community Builder

As the Exponential Conference kicks off, I can’t help but think about how technology helps leaders overcome the hurdles of church planting. In fact, I had a great conversation with a few Stadia church planters about that very subject last night and I have to say it was really exciting to hear. I believe local communities of believers is exactly how God intended to spread the gospel. Church planting helps ensure new communities are emerging to reach even more people. Isn’t that what it’s all about, anyway?

I’ve been privileged to work with a number of church planters as well as leaders in that space. Church Community Builder works hard to make sure we can offer something beneficial to even the smallest of churches. We believe that if you can begin with great systems, you’ll not only grow faster but will also be able to sustain that growth over time.

Some of the biggest hurdles to church planting are:

Read more …

Stadia Pool Party
Over 200 planters and partners gathered for barbecue and poolside fun. Check out photos.

Stadia Banquet
The Stadia family celebrated in style at the Hard Rock Live. The evening featured:

• Stadia President Greg Nettle compelling us with his message that church planting is all about bringing the hope of Jesus to 7 billion people on earth.
• Keynote Speaker Dr. Scott Todd, Senior Ministry Advisor with Compassion International, explained that we are winning in the war on extreme poverty. He emphasized that The Church is the key to eliminating the needless deaths of 21,000 children who die every day from preventable causes. Planting The Church brings hope to the poorest lives and transformation to the poorest communities. Read more about “58: Fast. Forward. The End of Poverty.”
• We celebrated the five-year anniversary of Stadia’s 2007 church plants. Watch 2007 church plant video.
• We celebrated the life and community transformation that has taken place over the past year through Stadia’s 2011 church plants. Watch 2011 church plant video.
• We commissioned Stadia’s 2012 church plants through prayer. Watch 2012 church plant video.
• We did all of this in style at the Hard Rock Live venue. Check out photos.

Breakfast with the Girls
Stadia’s Bloom! Ministry hosted a church planting spouses at a special breakfast. The relaxing setting served as a perfect background for spouses to connect and share challenges and celebrations in their parallel journeys. Bloom leaders shared about more events for spouses, such as Google+ Hangouts and a Fall Retreat.

Exponential 2012: Sifted
The overall conference theme challenged church leaders to assess our “readiness,” questioning if we have truly been “sifted” as Peter was in Luke 22: 31-32. Stage and workshop presentations about personal discipleship and family health led into deeper conversations on those topics among groups that naturally come together at Exponential. Watch for conference podcasts posting this summer over at the Exponential iTunes page.

Exponential 2013  – Terrific Early Bird Rates

• April 22-25 in Orlando FL
• Register by May 18 for $99 and your spouse gets in FREE!
• Also, email Melissa to get in on the $25/night rate for Stadia’s exclusive and exceptional housing.

Stadia Sponsors
Stadia was able to provide a first-class experience for our planters thanks to the generous support of our sponsors:

• Church Community Builder
• Church Development Fund
• CoMission Fund
• Group Imaging
• Kairos Legacy Partners
• Potter’s Will Consulting
• Raygun Design
• Visioneering

Balancing It All?
As planter wives we are busy chicks. We do everything that our husbands can’t do. Where is the balance? No more spinning plates in the air, even if they are pretty plates! Come and be encouraged on this virtual hangout on Google+. Since it’s in the comfort of your home, you can even wear your pajamas!

Live on Google+ Video Chat
All Stadia women are invited to hangout!
*Please share this with the ladies on your staff.

Monday, May 14th @ 1:30pm & 9:00pm EST
Leader: Vanessa Pugh

Tuesday, May 15th @ 9:00pm EST
Leader: Tammy Smith

All participants will need:

• High-speed Internet
• A Google+ Account and Add Vanessa Pugh and Tammy Smith to your Friends Circle.
• A Webcam
• Headphones with a microphone if at all possible.
• A place where the chance for background noise is minimal.

God has been growing New City Church of L.A. and I believe we have become an inclusive gospel-centered community. But our vision is not just for downtown. We want to spur a church planting movement in Los Angeles so a gospel-driven church lives within each of the 200 neighborhoods of Metro L.A.

Some of these neighborhoods are as small as 10,000 people and others as large as 220,000. In each we envision a church that brings people together to become the light of Jesus, reaching that area by preaching the good news of Jesus and serving.

Stadia shares our vision and has committed to invest $50,000 for each of these new churches. They’ve helped us begin the Los Angeles Church Planting Network, 10 churches (so far) committed to this vision by investing funds, leadership and other resources.

Please pray for these churches and the neighborhoods we’re investing in!

Global population now exceeds 7 billion people. For those of us at Stadia, this population spike makes two needs glaringly obvious:

1. More people than ever before need the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Millions upon millions around the world have little to no access to healthy, Christ-following, Bible-teaching local churches. Less than 20% in the U.S. are connected to a local church.

2. We have more responsibility to reach children and to care for children at risk.
Half of the 2.2 children in the world live in poverty. Most impoverished families live on less than $1 per day. Almost 22,000 children die every day as a result of poverty.

We know that the best way to reach more people with the Good News of Jesus is by starting new churches. And since 85% of people who decide to follow Jesus do so between the ages of 4 and 14, we have an even more compelling reason to start new churches that meet the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of children.

These glaring needs compel Stadia to do what we do — bring people and churches together to transform lives and communities through church planting – with an even greater urgency than ever before. We must move from starting 30 churches per year to planting 100 or more.

Why church planting? God has given us 7 Billion Reasons!

Click the links below to learn the latest from each of these churches. Then make plans to attend the Stadia banquet (link) on Tuesday, April 24, as we take time to honor these churches in a special way.

Bridges Church
Rural Hall, NC
Patrick Norris, Lead Pastor

CityWalk Christian Church
San Diego, CA
Steve Denney, Lead Pastor

Common Ground Christian Church
Tampa, FL
Danny Schaffner, Lead Pastor

Crossings
Knoxville, TN
Mark Nelson

Crossmark, A Christian Church
Columbia, SC
Michael Cottle, Lead Pastor

Hope Christian Church
Murfreesboro, TN
Mark Elliot

Iglesia Cristiana de Communidad
Napa, CA
Isaac Perez, Lead Pastor

Momentum Christian Church
McDonough, GA
Bart Stone, Lead Pastor

New Community, A Christian Church
Braselton, GA
Chris Hoffman, Lead Pastor

Paseo Christian Church
El Paso, TX
Greg Hunt, Lead Pastor

Real Life Christian Church
Gilbert, AZ
Danny Dodson, Lead Pastor

Shepherd of the Hills – Woodland Hills Campus
Woodland Hills, CA
Mike Johnson, Campus Pastor

Solid Ground Christian Fellowship
Redlands, CA
Rick Gunn, Lead Pastor

Summit Ridge Church
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Rick Schoon, Lead Pastor

Westcoast Christian Church
Surrey, BC
Kurt Kuykendall, Lead Pastor

Tom with 2007 Stadia Planter Bart Stone, Momentum Christian Church, McDonough, GA

I vividly remember my kids’ first days of kindergarten. They were five years old. It was a big deal. Debbie and I gathered with all the other parents at the bus stop, coffee mugs in hand. Melanie and Tommy had their back-packs filled with pencils, crayons and whatever else Mama Debbie thought they needed. We had worked hard to get our kids to this point. As the school bus pulled away, we had a mixture of feelings … pride, tears, laughter, lots of memories and a sense that we had just crossed a significant milestone.

Like children, when churches turn five years old, IT’S A BIG DEAL! In fact, the five-year mark is a significant success factor Stadia measures. If a church makes it to that point, their long-term survival rate is strong. And they are probably thriving.

So together, let’s give a collective Stadia “Congratulations” to all of our five year olds! We are incredibly proud of the transformational work you are doing in your communities and in the lives of hundreds and even thousands of individuals and families you reach. I remember sitting with many of you in assessment or training. Your coach is sitting back and smiling, thinking of many frantic phone calls. Your spouse deserves a special word of thanks for hanging in there. You’ve had your share of sleepless nights and worry. Please know we love you. You’re the best.

But just because you’re five doesn’t mean we are going away. We’re still here for you and you can always call home. In fact, we will rely on you more than ever. We need you to help with your little brothers and sisters … coaching, training, investing and encouraging. We need you to shape the future of Stadia!

We pray that your sixth year will be the best yet. If you need something, don’t forget to call home.

Click here to see a list of the 2007 Stadia Church Plants we’re celebrating this year.

Throughout Exponential Week, Stadia will host many opportunities to celebrate what God is doing, inspire leaders and dream about the future:

Monday, April 23, 5 to 7 p.m.
Poolside BBQ at Vista Cay’s “Isles” pool:
Kick off Exponential week with this laid back, casual party designed for Stadia friends and family to catch up or connect for the first time. Check in at Vista Cay’s main lobby, then come on over to the pool. Casual and/or swim attire.

Tuesday, April 24, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Stadia Banquet at Hard Rock Live:
We are fired up about a new twist on this Stadia tradition. Stadia friends and family will gather at a new venue … the Hard Rock Live … to celebrate what God is doing through church planting. Dress is business casual … or dress like the rock star you are!

If not staying in Stadia housing, please RSVP to Melissa by April 13. Parking: Park at CityWalk for $5 after 6 p.m. ($15 before 6.) Allow 15 minutes to walk from parking to Hard Rock.

Wednesday, April 25, 7:15 to 8:15 a.m.
Breakfast with the Girls at the Wyndham
Bloom! is hosting this very special event for the first 50 to register. Enjoy a delicious breakfast and connect with all the other women in Stadia’s church planting world.

Limited number of houses left!
Discounted Accommodations:
Beautiful condos only 15 minutes from the conference are available for ridiculously low prices. Email Melissa for a housing form. Extended deadline … Friday, March 23!

Use Stadia discount codes!
Discounted conference registration:
If you haven’t done so already, register for Exponential using these Stadia discount codes: Individual = stadia2012; Couples Code = stadiaspouse. This will register you at a price of $149 for an individual and $99 for a spouse. ($50 off the conference rate.)