Mark Hallock

Pastors (and men in leadership), your first ministry is to your wife and family. Nothing comes close to this. If we’re not faithfully loving, leading, and caring for those God has entrusted to us at home, we have no business seeking to lead His church. Our ministry must never come at the expense of our family. Lord, help us to be faithful, Christ-like husbands and fathers before anything else. Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it. 1 Timothy 3:4-5 - He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?

We need to remember…the church down the street is not our competition. The pastor across town is not our opponent. The new church plant in our community is not our enemy. If they are faithfully preaching the gospel and making disciples, we're on the SAME TEAM…they are our brothers and sisters in Christ and we should praise God for them. We have an adversary, it’s not them.

What a blessing to attend the Mile High Association annual meeting tonight! So thankful for the leadership of Matt Olson and his team and all the ways they are serving and encouraging churches across Denver. My good friend and fellow pastor at Calvary Englewood, Jeff DeClue, did a fantastic job bringing the Word and challenging us to pursue greater collaboration and multiplication together as churches. Lord, would You continue to unite Your people and churches across Denver as we seek to reach those far from You with the hope of the gospel!

A few thoughts on being a sending church… One of the great joys of being a sending church is getting to see people you love step out in faith to help start or strengthen another church. It really is exciting to see what God is doing and to see people reached and lives transformed by Jesus! But there’s a hard side to it, too. You’re sending out people you love. Good friends, faithful leaders, kids you’ve seen grow up, families you’ve done life with. People you love worshiping with and serving alongside. And the thought of not seeing them every Sunday is genuinely sad. That part is very real. And it’s not easy….this is part of the cost of church planting. But it is more than worth it, and here’s why. Because we want to see more people come to know Jesus. More disciples made. More healthy churches planted, replanted and renewed. And if that means sending out some of our very best people, even when it hurts, then we must be resolved to make the sacrifice. I was sharing with a few people how after years of planting and replanting churches, the Lord continues to teach me so many things. At the top of the list is that being a sending church means holding people with open hands, trusting the Lord, and remembering that His kingdom is so much bigger than our one church. This is the truth and it must be a conviction. If it’s not, we will simply talk about the importance of planting and replanting without actually doing it. Lord, may we never lose the joy and privilege it is to be a sending church, even when it is hard and it hurts. This is Your church. Your will be done.

Such a joy being in Jacksonville, FL this past week for First Coast Churches’ Annual Celebration! What an encouragement to see the unity, friendship, and genuine collaboration among these churches and pastors. So much of this reflects the outstanding leadership of Bob Bumgarner and Darren Sullivan, who are doing a fantastic job bringing churches together for the sake of the gospel. I left encouraged and reminded once again of the incredible importance and potential of local associations. When pastors and churches work together, encourage one another, and pursue a shared mission, the kingdom impact can be tremendous! Grateful for what God is doing through First Coast Churches!

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! - Psalm 118:24

Church planting and church replanting are not competing works. We need both. We need healthy new churches planted in growing communities and unreached places. But we also need struggling churches renewed and replanted with fresh gospel hope. Across our nation, there are churches with faithful histories, strategic locations, and untapped potential that are not dead yet. By God’s grace, their story may still be unfolding. The work is different. Church planting often begins with momentum and building something new. Replanting usually begins with lots of tactical patience, wisdom, courage, and earning trust. One launches from the ground up….the other restores what is broken and helps bring renewal where discouragement has settled in. Both are hard. Both require faith. Both matter deeply to the mission of Jesus. This is not an “either/or” conversation. The Kingdom needs church planters and church replanters. Same mission. Same gospel. Same King. @sendnetwork @NAMB_SBC

Ambition is a good thing. The Lord made us to be ambitious! But if you’re like me, maybe you’ve wrestled with how to balance ambition for God’s glory and His purposes with your own motives and desires. I want to make sure my ambition flows from the right kind of heart and mind, rooted in God’s Word and guided by His Spirit. Do you ever wrestle with that? So the question I ask is how can I/we pursue godly ambition in every area of our lives, making sure it’s ultimately about His glory and not our own? This book was really helpful for me in thinking through these questions. Highly recommend it! a.co/d/03Ne7QfS

Hey pastors, a little encouragement for you this Sunday… Ministry is hard. At any given time, chances are there are a few people in your church who are frustrated with you about something. And usually for completely different reasons! That can be discouraging, especially when you’re doing your best to love and lead people well. But remember, this is normal. You can’t please everyone, and the good news is, God hasn’t called you to. He’s called you to be faithful to Him. So keep loving people. Keep showing grace. Keep forgiving, even when it’s hard, so bitterness doesn’t take root. Keep preaching the gospel and clinging to Jesus. And one more thing…you probably don’t hear this enough, but you are a gift to SO many people. More than you know. God is using your faithfulness in ways you may never fully see. I’m so thankful for you, pastor. Keep going. The Lord is with you!

Wise words a godly mentor shared with me years ago... In life and ministry: 1. Not every comment needs a response. 2. Not every criticism requires a defense. 3. Not every controversy deserves your attention. This is so true...I have to remind myself of these 3 things regularly. Sometimes the wisest, most Christlike and fruitful response is to remain silent and move on. There is great wisdom in knowing when to speak, when to listen, and when to lovingly walk away. Paul said it best... “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.” — 2 Timothy 2:23

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. - Philippians 2:3

Why does church revitalization and renewal matter? Because the gospel that saved us must not stop with us. Think about it… Twenty, thirty, fifty years from now, there will be children growing up in broken homes, young adults searching for purpose, and families desperate for the hope of Christ. Will there be a faithful, gospel-preaching church nearby to reach them? Future generations need churches that: 
- Faithfully proclaim the gospel
- Help children and young people flourish
- Pass down biblical truth
- Raise up future leaders
- Model sacrificial love and courageous faith
- Send and multiply among the nations
- Steward well what we’ve been given Years ago, when our church faced the real possibility of closing, my small children were watching. They saw faithful saints like the Elliots, the Bridges, and sweet Suzy Harpster refuse to let fear have the final word. My kids are in their 20’s now, and they still carry that example with them. Your church may be small. Your people may be tired. But the Lord is not limited by any of that. “One generation shall commend your works to another.” (Psalm 145:4) So here’s the question: What are we willing to do today so that future generations will have a faithful gospel witness tomorrow?

There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. - Soren Kierkegaard

Really excited about this new book that will be coming out soon. It is based on years of work we have done with the NAMB Replant and Renewal team to identify the key marks of churches that are truly ready to pursue revitalization and renewal. Here are the 6 biggies: Mark #1: Reality - Is the Congregation Ready and Willing to Name Reality? Mark #2: Humility - Is the Congregation Made Up of Hearts That Are Humble? Mark #3: Authority - Does the Congregation Have a Deep Commitment to the Authority of God’s Word? Mark #4: Mission - Does the Congregation Have a Genuine Desire to Reach the Community with the Gospel? Mark #5: Flexibility - Is the Congregation Willing to Lay Aside Non-Essential Preferences? Mark 6: Faith - Does the Congregation Believe That God Isn’t Finished with Them and Can Turn This Church Around?

Churches can accomplish far more for the Kingdom of God together than they ever could alone. This means we need pastors and church leaders who are willing and eager to share their resources, give away their best leaders, celebrate other churches’ successes, and sacrifice for the advance of the gospel. We need churches that think beyond their own attendance, budgets, buildings, and programs. We need churches that understand Kingdom advancement is more important than individual church advancement. This is why micro-networks and families of churches matter. Because the mission is too important, the needs are too great, and the opportunities are too significant for churches to keep trying to do it all alone. If you want to learn more about how churches can radically collaborate together, this book will help: a.co/d/04AfUHcO