Resources

Hello! I’m A.S. Westbrook, the firstborn daughter of James and Desiree Westbrook of Realm Church in Oakland, CA. From me and my brother’s perspective, I want to share with you five feelings that your child/teen might be experiencing when preparing to plant a church. I hope this will be helpful to you as you consider…

Our American Labor Day holiday commemorates values associated with the relentless nature of our work. On Labor Day, we honor the work and work ethic of our fellow laborers, and the way this prospers our nation and us in both the personal and the common good. We celebrate by taking a holiday from our work,…

Church planting is as old as the church. The early Christians planted numerous churches according to the strategic plan given by Jesus in the Great Commission. They planted in Jerusalem first, then in Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world, according to the strategic direction of Jesus in Acts 1:8. In 2019, we…

I’ve spent the last 24 years serving a church in San Jacinto, California’s big, bad, beautiful city. Our church is nestled between the twin cities of Riverside and Palm Springs, resting at the base of Mount San Jacinto, which houses the City of Idyllwild, CA, at 5300 feet. But that doesn’t sound exciting or missionally…

In the ever-changing landscape of today’s modern world, the significance of churches and their role in communities cannot be underestimated. Urban centers are continuing to expand, and the suburbs have emerged as vital hubs of growth and development. As families flock to the suburbs, “one of the best ways to reach young families is to…

As a Church Planter’s wife, who grew up in a major metropolitan area in Southern California and who also Co-Founded and co-planted a Gospel-centered Church in the San Francisco Bay Area, we believed early on that when God sends, He sends entirely. And with that, we have discovered a great need to discern and protect…

I have lived in Santa Cruz, Orange, and San Diego Counties – all quintessentially Californian. However, my recent move to Los Angeles County has prompted me to reevaluate cultural context as it relates to evangelism. As a result, I have identified three specific contexts that will directly inform how we point the people in our…

I’ve lived in the Golden State for two years now and I have lost count of how many times I have heard “He (or she) is California!” At first, I didn’t understand that phrase. After hearing it said several times, I was finally brave enough to ask. To my surprise, those who used it didn’t…

Hey CSBC family. I want to give you a quick update on what God has been doing in California through His churches and through your CSBC staff. CSBC Staff Retreat A couple weeks ago, our elected staff went on a short retreat, where we focused primarily on three things. We evaluated some of the programs…

If you were an avid reader of Christian fiction during the nineties, chances are you had a shelf in your house packed with Left Behind books. Perhaps the only set of Revelation-inspired books to appear on the bestseller lists, Left Behind follows a set of characters who come to faith in Jesus after the rapture and must experience the…