Practical Church

What should you do to make sure a first time guest doesn't return? Welcome to welcome to episode 87 of Practical Church Planting. We all want first time guests to return. We know that when a new person returns and gets connected, that is when life change can really happen. We also know that not every new guest will return. However, sometimes people don't return for reasons we can control. So in th...

How can you make the transitions in your service go smoother? Welcome to welcome to episode 86 of Practical Church Planting.  Every service has transitions. Transitions between songs, announcements, the sermon, videos, etc. The good news is that they don't have to be awkward. In this episode, we discuss these five tips to help your service transitions go smoother: Talk through your service and you...

Easter is one of the largest attended Sundays of the year for churches. What are you going to do to invite new guests back? Welcome to welcome to episode 85 of Practical Church Planting.  Many people who don't normally attend or take part in a church will do so on Easter, so what is your church going to do to invite them to return for more than just one Sunday. In this episode, we discuss these si...

Anniversary services should be celebrated. Here are a few ways you can do it. Welcome to welcome to episode 84 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. Whether it's your first anniversary as a church or your 100th, anniversary services are worth celebrating! They are also a great way to add special elements to make the se...

What are some pitfalls that stop churches from launching well? Welcome to welcome to episode 83 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. In the past 3-4 years since I (Dylan) began the journey of launching New City Church, I've connected with a lot of hopeful church planters. Some that are leading churches that eventually...

Want more people to show up on time for your services? Here are some things you can do. Welcome to welcome to episode 82 of Practical Church Planting. It can be hard and discouraging to begin a service with few people in the room. While there will always be latecomers, in this episode we want to share five tips on how you decrease the number of late arrives at your church. Connect and never miss a...

Sometimes we need to hear what we don't want to hear. Welcome to welcome to episode 81 of Practical Church Planting. In this episode, we share some thoughts on things we see churches do that aren't a fan of. To be sure, these are simply our opinions and there aren't wrong, we just think it would be better to not do them. See if you agree or disagree with our eight opinions in this episode.   Conne...

    What we learned from Exponential. Welcome to welcome to episode 80 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are six things we learned from the Exponential church planting conference. Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our  Facebook page  or our  YouTube Channel . Have questions or want encouragement from other...

Adding a service for Easter could be a great idea. Welcome to welcome to episode 79 of Practical Church Planting. For most churches, Easter is one of the largest attended Sundays of the year. But what should you do if you are worried you might run out of space? Or maybe you are looking forward to a packed out service, but that might not be a good thing either. So in this episode, we share five rea...

Is it better to meet in a portable location or a permanent one? Welcome to welcome to episode 78 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. Is it better to meet in a portable space, or in space your church can have 24/7? In this episode, we share the pros and cons of both situations to help you better decide what might work...

How do you know if it's time to end a ministry or program? Welcome to welcome to episode 77 of Practical Church Planting. We've all been a part of or experienced a ministry or program that went on longer than it should, but how do we know when that is? In this episode, we share five signs that show it might be time to end a ministry or program in your church. Connect and never miss an episode Did...

Why there is nothing inherently wrong with using modern tools to lead people in worship. Welcome to welcome to episode 76 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. "If we took away all the fancy lights and only used an acoustic guitar, would people still show up? If not, that's a problem." We have all likely heard someone...

How to make sure your church planting residency is right for you. Welcome to welcome to episode 75 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. Church planting residencies are a great way to train and equip yourself before planting a church, but they are not all equal. In this episode, we share six things to think about and l...

Should I attend seminary online or in person? Welcome to welcome to episode 74 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode.  If you're considering seminary or any type of advanced education, you may have wondered about whether online or the traditional route will be better for you. In this episode, we share a few pros and con...

Want to keep people engaged during your sermon? Welcome to welcome to episode 73 of Practical Church Planting.  You've worked hard on your sermon, prayed, and hope what you say helps people take steps closer to Jesus. But when people aren't listening, it's hard for them to take in what is being said. So in this episode, we share five ways to help people stay engaged during your sermon. Connect and...

Sermon writing can be a lot of work. Let's make it a little better. Welcome to welcome to episode 72 of Practical Church Planting. While many pastors enjoy preaching, writing the sermon can be strenuous and tiring at times. Because of that, in this episode, we discuss four things you can do to help make the sermon writing process more enjoyable. Connect and never miss an episode Did you know that...

Church membership can be tricky. Here are some tips to help it go better. Welcome to welcome to episode 71 of Practical Church Planting. There is a lot that goes into church membership, from assimilating members, creating a membership process, church accountability, and more. In this episode we discuss these five tips to make it a little better: You should have it A process for joining the church...

A lot goes into planning a sermon series. Here are some free resources that can help. Welcome to welcome to episode 70 of Practical Church Planting. More goes into a sermon that just preparing its content. We also have to think of sermon series graphics, videos, bumper videos, and more. Money is tight with most church plants, and so is available time. So in this episode, we talk about these four f...

Ministry can be grueling, so how can we stay healthy? Welcome to welcome to episode 69 of Practical Church Planting. It's pretty common to hear about ministry leaders burning out or having to step out of ministry due to moral failure. In this episode, we share six ways leaders can stay healthy in ministry. We talk about: Not neglecting physical health Prioritizing family Creating healthy boundarie...

Connect better with your people with this unique idea. Welcome to welcome to episode 68 of Practical Church Planting.  If you work at a church you have undoubtedly been asked this question: what do you do during the week? In this episode, we share a fun way to answer that question, build more trust and connection between church staff and your members, and how you can let people behind the scenes o...

A healthy marriage leads to a healthy ministry. Welcome to welcome to episode 67 of Practical Church Planting. One of the difficulties about being in vocational ministry is how much you have to give. You give much of your time, money, nights, and days off helping other people. While that can be, and is, a privilege and a joy, it can also be hard at times. Because of that, there are times when you...

Are you making some easily avoidable mistakes on social media? Welcome to welcome to episode 66 of Practical Church Planting.  Social media is vitally important in connecting with people in our culture. In this episode, we share seven mistakes we see churches make on social media and how you can avoid them. Here are the seven problems we discuss: Not taking social media seriously Spamming people w...

While launching large has a lot of benefits, having a small start can be helpful as well. Here are five dangers of launching large. Welcome to welcome to episode 65 of Practical Church Planting. There are some great benefits of launching with a large team. However, most churches don't. So in this episode, we want to share some encouragement to the majority of small church plants and share some of...

Do you work with your spouse in ministry? Here are some tips for doing it well. Welcome to welcome to episode 64 of Practical Church Planting.  In ministry, and in particular church planting, there is a good chance you have or will work closely with your spouse. So today, we share 4 tips for you can work with your spouse well while also protecting your marriage. Here is what we discuss: Recognize...

Seminary is not a replacement for local church involvement. Welcome to welcome to episode 63 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. It can be easy to think that being involved in a local church isn't that important while in seminary. In this episode, we talk about why that isn't true, and how not being involved in a l...