Practical Church

Should you have membership at your church? In this episode, we focus on the practical (not theological) reasons why membership is good for churches. Welcome to welcome to episode 12 of Practical Church Planting. While we would encourage membership from a Biblical perspective, it also has a quite a few practical implications as well. In this episode, we talk about how it helps you: Explain your mis...

Before your service begins, you should be intentional about when you open the doors to your auditorium.  Welcome to welcome to episode 11 of Practical Church Planting. Keeping your auditorium (worship center, sanctuary, etc.) doors closed until a specific time before you service starts is a great idea, and share how we do it at New City Church. In this episode, we discuss a few reasons why you sho...

It may not seem like you need parking lot volunteers, but in this episode, we explain why they are so important. Welcome to welcome to episode 9 of Practical Church Planting. There are a number of reasons why having volunteers in your parking lot helping to park cars is vital to a great guest experience. Here are some of the reasons we discuss: It creates energy It shows you are prepared and expec...

Every church needs more volunteers, but how do we balance that need with the need to make sure things are being done well? Welcome to welcome to episode 9 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. Even though all churches, and especially new churches, need all the help they can get. There is wisdom is still having a high...

Should you actually put out fewer chairs than you need for your weekend services? In this episode, we share why that is actually a good idea. Welcome to welcome to episode 8 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. Putting out fewer chairs than you need and then adding them as your seats fill up is really counter-intuit...

Small groups, community groups, life groups, etc. Whatever you call them, how do you start a strong groups ministry at a church plant? Welcome to welcome to episode 7 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. Launching groups in a new church is hard. We did something we called Dinners for 6 that allowed us to launch mult...

What should you do and what does it look like to meet with and grow your launch team prior to launch? Welcome to welcome to episode 6 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. What should you do in the months leading up to launching a church? It's a critical time to build relationships in and grow your launch team and to...

Raising money is a big part of planting a church. But what about raising money not just for your church, but also your salary? And if your not the lead pastor, can you raise support too? Welcome to welcome to episode 4 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. Raising support can be very intimidating, but it's something...

Everyone puts the scripture being taught from the sermon on your screens so everyone can follow along during the service? But is there a better idea? In this episode, we share why you should consider taking your main Bible passage(s) off your screens. Welcome to welcome to episode 4 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episo...

What does it mean to contextualize to who you are trying to reach, and why is it important? In this episode, we share how you can and should contextualize the Gospel to impact God has called you to reach. Welcome to welcome to episode 3 of Practical Church Planting.   When it comes to contextualizing to our target, we need to understand that we cannot reach everybody. Instead, the more specific we...

How can you use social media to connect with people and grow your church? Welcome to welcome to episode 2 of Practical Church Planting. Social Media is a great tool that can help people discover you, learn about your church, and connect with you before they ever visit. Below are some things to consider, and what we talked about, in this episode. Have a social media presence and functioning website...

A lot goes into naming a church, but what specifically should we be thinking through when it comes to church names? In this episode, we share some very important, but commonly overlooked, aspects that should influence your decision. When it comes to naming our churches, we need to be discoverable by people online. No one goes anywhere new these days without checking it out online first. This is es...