At the end of July, Matt, Michael, Scott and their wives gathered with 1300 other folks for the Acts 29 Global Gathering. People from over 40 different countries came together to worship, commune, learn, invest, and rest as one diverse, global family of church-planting churches. It was an incredibly unique experience - one that not only matters to those who attended, but to their local churches, as well.

In the next two episodes, Matt, Michael, and Scott talk about Acts 29, the Global Gathering, and how our relationship with this global family shapes who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Enjoy!

Related Links:

• Acts 29

• Acts 29 2019 Annual Report

• US Midwest Network

• Church in Hard Places

• Rural Collective

• Islam Collaborative

• 1000 in for 1000

We're closing out our two-part conversation about work and rest on this week's episode of the podcast! While the first part dealt largely with work, the second half will explores the nature of rest, it's significance, and what all this talk of toil and sabbath might look like in your life.

Although Matt couldn't join us for this whole conversation, Adam Hanauer took his seat at the table! Adam is a lay pastor here at The Village, and he brings a unique and valuable voice into this conversation as an elder who leads and labors in a traditional workplace. In fact, he kicked off our current sermon series, "Toil & Rest," just a few weeks ago by talking about God's good gift of work.

We're talking all about work and rest for the next two episodes of the podcast! Work is something that all of us - no matter your occupation, employment status, or paycheck - put our hands to every single day. But what actually is work in God's eyes? Is it a result of sin or is it a good gift? And would God really call us to rest? Doesn't it just get in the way of being productive? Should we really be working for the weekend?

Although Matt couldn't join us for this conversation, Adam Hanauer took his seat at the table! Adam is a lay pastor here at The Village, and he brings a unique and valuable voice into this conversation as an elder who leads and labors in a traditional workplace. In fact, he kicked off our current sermon series, "Toil & Rest," just a couple weeks ago by talking about God's good gift of work.

A couple of episodes ago episode, we talked to Pastor David Hackney about church planting, pastoring Cedar City Church, and what's in store for their gospel efforts in Lebanon, Ohio. While we shared what it was like to send a group of healthy, invested, committed members of The Village away from our community and into a new one, we didn't talk much about what it would be like to stay.

Matt, Michael, and Scott spend this episode - just like the last one! - talking about what it means to be sent by God to stay here. In part two of our conversation, we'll look back at how the last 10 years have prepared us for the next 10, what we hope is the same (and different!), and how we believe God wants to challenge the church (including ourselves!) right now. Enjoy!

In our last episode, we talked to Pastor David Hackney about church planting, pastoring Cedar City Church, and what's in store for their gospel efforts in Lebanon, Ohio. While we shared what it was like to send a group of healthy, invested, committed members of The Village away from our community and into a new one, we didn't talk much about what it would be like to stay.

Matt, Michael, and Scott are spending this episode - and the next one! - talking about what it means to be sent by God to stay here. In part one of our conversation, we'll talk a bit about the state of The Village, as well as the state of our own hearts. We'll also discuss where we're hoping to steer the church by God's grace and under his leadership. Enjoy!

This is audio from our very first Discipleship Panel Conversation + Q&A, hosted by Rooted, our monthly women's gathering. Thanks to Adam Jacob, Ruthie Wallace, Katie Stephenson, Scott O'Donohoe, and moderator Kelly O'Donohoe for leading the evening!

[Note: Sorry about the audio quality on this one, folks! It appears as if the built-in laptop mic was capturing the audio instead of our nicer stand-alone microphone. Sorry for the inconvenience!]

For the last 18 months, Pastor David Hackney has been our Church Planting Resident as he, his family, and a core group of people from The Village planned to plant a brand new local church in Lebanon, Ohio. This past Sunday, we officially sent them out from under our wings and onto their new adventure on their own. Thankfully, they're not too far away!

So this week, Matt, Michael and Scott brought David to the table to talk about his journey into church planting, what the process so far has been like, and where they are now. Likewise, we get to share what it was like from our perspective and lessons we've learned along the way. Hope you enjoy!

When Matt and Michael were away in Guatemala, Scott invited Aaron Debbink to talk about the intersection of Faith & Science. Aaron led a four-part series during last year's Truth + Culture that dove deep into the questions, considerations, and (perceived) conflicts when we try to bring science and the scriptures together.

This episode is the second of two we recorded over the course of one evening. In Part One, we talked about the source of the tensions we might sometimes feel between faith and science before discussing the bible's particular role when it comes to conversations about science. In Part Two, we zoom in on the topic of the origins of material and biological life, and we consider the theological implications of discovering life on a planet that's not our own.

While Matt and Michael are away in Guatemala, Scott invited Aaron Debbink to talk about the intersection of Faith & Science. Aaron led a four-part series during last year's Truth + Culture that dove deep into the questions, considerations, and (perceived) conflicts when we try to bring science and the scriptures together.

This episode is the first of two we recorded over the course of one evening. In Part One, we talk about the source of the tensions we might sometimes feel between faith and science before discussing the bible's particular role when it comes to conversations about science. In Part Two, we zoom in on the topic of the origins of material and biological life, and we consider the theological implications of discovering life on a planet that's not our own.