Practical Church

As pastors and ministry leaders, we are involved in all sorts of varying decisions, tasks, and problems. It can be easy for people and things to fall through the cracks, but it doesn't have to be that way. In this episode, we share with you six things you can do to ensure people and tasks don't fall through the cracks. Welcome to episode 212 of Practical Church Planting. You can listen to this epi...

The financial health of your church plays a big role in carrying out your mission. The good news is that money doesn't have to be a taboo subject for your church. In this episode, we share seven ways to build a culture of generosity at your church. Welcome to welcome to episode 211 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 7 things we discuss: You have to talk about giving You have to (personall...

We all know what it's like to spend hours preparing a sermon only to see people disengaged and not paying attention while we are preaching it. In this episode, we share 7 things you can do to keep people better engaged during your sermon. Welcome to welcome to episode 210 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 7 tips we discuss: Start with a story Practice out loud beforehand One point per sl...

We all know the frustration of planning, preparing, and working towards our various church events only to have a much lower turnout than expected. The good news is that there are practical things you can do to keep your church calendar in front of your people. In this episode, we share with you eight of those things. Welcome to welcome to episode 209 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the eig...

While creating a great livestream experience can require money and expertise, there are a few free things you can do to increase your quality. In this episode, we share with you seven  free tips for doing just that. Welcome to welcome to episode 208 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the seven things we discuss in this episode: Mark where you singers/preacher will stand Don't show the whole st...

As we end 2020, we are making predictions on what Church in 2021 will be like. From what type of churches will grow in 2021 to what will look different.  Welcome to welcome to episode 207 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the seven 2021 church predictions we share in this episode: Many churches will almost get back to pre-COVID numbers, but most of the new numbers will be from new people and...

What are the most helpful metrics your church should be tracking? Not everything you can track is helpful, but some things churches don't track often are. In this episode, we share with you seven helpful metrics your church should track. Welcome to welcome to episode 206 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the seven metrics we discuss in this episode: Attendance Giving (regular & outside givers...

How do you display worship lyrics or sermon points? Are the screen displays you use helpful or distracting? In this episode, we share eight practical things you can do today to improve your screen display(s) at your church. Welcome to welcome to episode 205 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the eight things we discuss in this episode: Go faster with your worship lyrics Limit the overlapping...

The #1 question that all church planters ask is how to gather a team to start a church. We all know we should meet people build relationships, but what can you do that in an effective way? In this episode, we share 6 practical things to do to help gather people pre-launch. Welcome to welcome to episode 204 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the six tips we discuss in this episode: Have a laun...

How can you best walk your people through pain and tragedy? What are things that are helpful and unhelpful? In this episode, we share practical things to help people who are suffering, and it isn't always what you think. Welcome to welcome to episode 203 of Practical Church Planting.  Here at the tips we discuss in this episode: Don't tell them you understand or relativize their pain Tell them you...

How do you know when or if your church is ready to plant a church? Is it just something that will happen eventually, or are there signs that your church is ready? The good news is that there are indicators that show if your church is ready, and we discuss seven of them in this episode. Welcome to welcome to episode 202 of Practical Church Planting. Here are seven signs your church is ready to plan...

Figuring out a good livestream setup can be confusing, especially if you don't have much experience in this area. In this episode, we walk through what our livestreaming setup looks like at New City and breakdown the equipment that we use. Welcome to welcome to episode 201 of Practical Church Planting. Below is the equipment we use and discussed in this episode. Click here to see a video of our se...

One of the most helpful and interesting things for church planters is to hear the stories of other church planters. In this special edition episode of the podcast, you'll hear the church planting journey of Adam Pickard and Citizens Church. Welcome to welcome to episode 200 of Practical Church Planting. Click here to learn more about Citizens Church and/or to connect with Adam . Connect and never...

How do you know the difference between desiring to plant a church and when you should actually pursue that desire? As we all know, God's timing is often different than our own. The good news is there are some tangible markers of when you should begin your church planting journey. In this episode, we share five signs of when you should actually pursue planting a church. Welcome to welcome to episod...

Sermon prep takes a lot of time and effort. But what if there was a way to reduce the amount of time it takes and  make your sermons better? In this episode, we share six practical things you can do to spend less time on sermon prep without reducing the quality of your sermons. Welcome to welcome to episode 198 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the six things you can do to reduce your sermon...

Most church planters have a desire to connect with other churches and pastors in the area. The problem? It's hard developing those relationships? The good news is there are some things you can do to help you connect with other churches and pastors in your area. In this episode, we share six specific things you can do to help you not feel so alone. Welcome to welcome to episode 197 of Practical Chu...

Pastors are called to care from people and emails come from people. If you have trouble staying on top of your email, you're missing out on loving your people well. The good news is that email doesn't have to be overwhelming. In this episode, we share with you seven practical things you can do today to stay on top of your email and love your people well. Welcome to welcome to episode 196 of Practi...

There has been a lot of talk about the "new normal" that COVID-19 has created. The truth, however, is that we are not currently living in a "new normal." COVID-19 will certainly change a lot of things, but our current season is not how life will be like forever. This means that there are some normal things that COVID-19 won't change, and we want to be sure churches continue to do things well. So w...

We often hear about the difficulties of ministry. But does ministry have to be as miserable as we can sometimes make it sound? It does when we believe five particular lies about what ministry has to be like. If you want your ministry to be life-giving and instead of life-sucking, you'll want to see if you have bought into any of these 5 lies. Welcome to welcome to episode 194 of Practical Church P...

We all know what it is like to have new people come visit your church only never to see them again. At the same time, we know growing churches have somehow figured this out. The good news is there are tangible things we can do to help new guests return. In this episode, we share 5 things you can do to make it more likely new guests will return. Welcome to welcome to episode 192 of Practical Church...

We all know what it's like to wish we could have done things differently. When it comes to church planting, the mistakes we make can sometimes have big consequences. I (Dylan) have made a lot of mistakes that, and six in particular anyone can learn from. Check out this episode and see if you are doing any of these six things. Welcome to welcome to episode 192 of Practical Church Planting.  Here ar...

Do you know if your church's website has everything it needs to answer the most pressing questions people have when visiting your site? Are new guests not coming because you don't have the most vitally important information on your homepage? Here's what we know; if we make it hard for people to find the information they need, we may never see them on a Sunday. In this episode, we share six of the...

What should you do when you feel God might be leading you to plant a church? You're excited and nervous, but what are you supposed to do about this prompting? The good news is that there are practical next steps that you can take, and it doesn't have to be as confusing as you might think. In this episode, we'll share with you what you should do next. Welcome to welcome to episode 190 of Practical...

We know how discouraging it can be to pray, prepare, and serve as faithfully as you can, but not see any growth in your church. How can you get people to invite their friends, coworkers, and classmates? What does it look like to even create a culture of invitation at your church? The good news is there there are some very practical things you can do to help people invite their friends. Don't sit i...

You've been praying and dreaming about what your church could be and the impact it could have. But, you're not sure how to get people on board with your mission or even how to best articulate it. In fact, you're not even sure if you have a compelling vision for your church plant. If you can relate to any of this, you'll want to check out today's Practical Church Planting podcast episode. In today'...