Growing up in North Carolina, Pastor Michael Johnson has fond memories of his home church taking up an offering on one special Sunday each year. It was a growing church and their facility often needed upgrades or expansion. The church was committed to using the building as a tool to reach new people. His pastor used the story of King … Read More
Church Planter Retreat 2020
On January 16-17, over a dozen of Montana’s current and future church planters gathered at Fairmont Hot Springs for the annual Church Planter Retreat. This is a much-needed time each year when church planters and their wives can connect with each other while learning and being encouraged in their ministry. The speaker this year was Danny de Armas, Senior Associate … Read More
FIRST PERSON: Six common traits of Gen Z
by Shane Pruitt, posted in Baptist Press Wednesday, November 06, 2019 ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) — Often when you hear an “expert” speak or write about reaching a particular generation, it will inevitably be someone from an older generation. For example, you’ll have a baby boomer or Generation X-er talking about how to connect with millennials or Gen Z. In no way am … Read More
California Is Forcing Churches to Pay for Abortions – Here Are the Facts
How extreme is the state of California on abortion? You probably already know that the state tried to force pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise for abortions. But you might not know that some state officials want to force churches to pay for abortions. That’s not a typo. A California agency actually added elective abortion coverage to the employee healthcare plans of churches throughout … Read More
Are You Comfortable?
One of the most dangerous situations any church can face is comfort. When we’re comfortable, we can lose sight of reality. Someone riding on a raft on the Niagara River could be enjoying the ride for a while, but eventually, that is going to come to an abrupt end. Similarly, too many churches are riding along feeling very satisfied and … Read More
Church Planting: Looking Ahead at 2020
As we approach a new year, the following is a short list of things to anticipate that will be happening with church planting in Montana. New Churches – We anticipate new churches to be started in Missoula, Bozeman, and Roundup in the upcoming year. Church Planters – Currently, we have new planters in the assessment process with the North American … Read More
No Restraints: Coming to Montana in 2020
In 1 Samuel 14, we read of the incredible faith of Jonathan as he climbs a rocky cliffside to engage a garrison of Philistine soldiers with his armor bearer. He believed that the Lord would work for him and in verse 6 declared “for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.” This declaration … Read More
Introduction to the Montana-Alberta Partnership – Part 1
My name is Lee Merck. I have the privilege of serving as pastor of Church of the Rockies in Red Lodge. I am very excited about the opportunity to serve the MTSBC as coordinator of our new mission partnership with Alberta, Canada. In October of 2019, under the leadership of Dr. Barrett Duke, we as a state convention voted unanimously … Read More
It’s ACP Time Again!
By now, your church should have received your Annual Church Profile (ACP) materials in the mail. Although this seems like a mundane and even unnecessary detail in your mission to advance the kingdom of God, here are some reasons why it is important: • Numbers can help us strategize, plan, and know where God is working.• They can also show … Read More