Every three months, we’ll round up a few highlights from the past quarter. Q1 of 2021 was a whirlwind, but as we head into Q2 we are inspired and motivated by the church leaders we are honored to work alongside in our shared mission of starting churches for the next generation!

Q1 Numbers

Just the cold, hard facts. It’s not about the numbers, but we know these numbers represent children, families, and entire communities whose lives are being changed as new churches spread the hope of Jesus.

• 4 U.S. churches launched: Beacon Church in New Hampshire, Lux Digital Church streaming on Twitch, New City Church in Nashville, TN, and Fresh Hope Church in the Denver, CO area.
• 117 global churches started through our global partnerships,
• Nearly 600 children sponsored through our global partnerships,
• 62 potential planters went through our discovery process and Church Planting Assessment,
• And over 50 new prayer partners joined us to pray at 11:09am every day – for the church to thrive, grow, and multiply in 2021 and beyond.

Q1 Words

We love stories! Especially ones about the Church moving forward and spreading the hope of Jesus farther than before. Here’s a few of our favorites from the past three months:

• For the One: church planter Jessie Davis of One City Church in Denver, CO wrote about the importance of being a church ‘for the one.’ She reflected on the beauty of being a church plant, and how to savor this season of your church. Such a great read.
• How a First Year Church Plant Cultivated Community in 2020: Church 180 turned a year old this quarter. In celebrating their first birthday, church planters Toney and Kelsey Collins reflected on how they were able to build community as a brand new church during a pandemic.
• Playing Without the Queen: Stadia’s Senior Director of Project Management, Doug Foltz, shared with us how churches are learning to do church without the typical Sunday Gathering.
• Praying for Justice: As part of our 11:09 Prayer Blog Series, Wesley Bolden wrote on the important role the Church has in fighting for Justice.
• While the World Was Shutting Down, God was Building His Church: Church planters Brady and Bridget Wright share their experience of being in pre-launch during the pandemic. Spoiler alert: even in the pandemic, God was building his church!!
• Three Reasons to Start a Multiethnic Church: Project Manager Emily Diaz shares why it is important to start multiethnic churches. Be on the lookout for part 2 of this blog, which will talk about mistakes to avoid when starting a multiethnic church. Coming in April.

Q1 Conversations

We value relationships and as we said above…we LOVE stories! Below we’ve highlighted a few wonderful podcast episodes/interviews that you don’t want to miss.

• Plant Strong Podcast Episode 65 with Shaila Visser of Alpha Canada: Shaila and Lisa discuss creative ways to be a source of hope and joy in your own sphere of influence as Shaila redefines and clarifies evangelism.
• TheChurchDigital: What the Church can Learn From WandaVision: With it’s unique storytelling approach, are there lessons for we the church? Dive into this recording of a recent Clubhouse conversation.

Q1 Celebrations

We’re thankful for the Kingdom work being done by church leaders across the globe. Let’s CELEBRATE all that has been done – and 2021 has just begun!

• In February, our staff attended a Virtual Staff Rally. And while we miss our in-person Retreats, this Rally was an inspiring, motivating time spent together.
• The first ever Stadia Innovation Meetup: Phygital™ Innovations for the Long Haul! We were blown away by the turnout for this brand new event, as we heard from some incredible church leaders such as Dr. Conway Edwards and Jada Edwards, Matt Anderson, Angela Craig, Emily Diaz, Dani Hicks, and many more! If you missed out – do not fret! Our next Innovation Meetup is on August 17, be on the lookout for more information.
• Phygital™ Learning Communities are still going strong! We have another round starting the week of April 13^th – you can sign up here.
• Stadia earned the ‘Excellence in Giving: Transparency Certificate’ by submitting 175 strategy, leadership, and financial, and impact data to Non-Profit Analytics. You can review this data here.
• Stadia donors and partners were able to attend our virtual event, the Stadia Church Planting Experience to see how church planters across the globe are starting churches for the next generation, in the midst of a pandemic.

Q1 Prayer Requests

As a staff, we are intentionally focusing on prayer in 2021 as we ‘Ask, Seek, and Knock.’ We invite you to pray along with us for the Church to thrive. Sign up to be a prayer partner and get monthly update videos from Greg. Here are a few prayer requests as we continue into a new season.

• Continue to pray for the Church to thrive in 2021 and beyond; we are passionate about helping start churches for the next generation, which means including the many expressions of Church.
• Bloom is holding their second virtual retreat, ‘Fearless,’ on April 17^th. Pray that this is an intentional and restful time for church planting women. We pray that it is a time that allows them to be poured into – as we know they pour into others daily.
• Our global team is in contact with our church planting partners in Myanmar, a country currently experiencing unrest. Learn more here and pray for our partners and the families in Myanmar being affected.