Practical Church

Why  it's actually a good thing to do things on your schedule. Welcome to welcome to episode 112 of Practical Church Planting.  On the surface, it sounds crazy, maybe even wrong, but the reality is your time matters. In ministry, with the right intentions, we will often plan things for when it is best for others. But as church leaders, that isn't actually what is best for you or your church. In th...

Seven tips for healthy church plants. Welcome to welcome to episode 111 of Practical Church Planting.  If you want to plant a church or be a church that plant churches, there are a lot of important things to do to help ensure the health of the church plant. In this episode, we share seven vital things all church planters must do. Don't plant alone Meet with as many local pastors as you can Be hone...

Become easier to find online. Welcome to welcome to episode 110 of Practical Church Planting.  Regardless of the size of your church, there are things you can do to make your church more discoverable online. In this episode, we share six free ways you can make that happen. Here is what we discuss: Ask for Google reviews Ask for Facebook reviews Ask your people to engage your content Don't only pos...

There are advantages to being a smaller church. Welcome to welcome to episode 108 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. It can be easier to look at larger churches and want many of the things that they have. However, there are certain strengths and things that smaller churches have that can be harder to come by at la...

Here are a few great podcasts for leadership and ministry. Welcome to welcome to episode 108 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the nine podcasts we recommend in this episode: Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast This Cultural Moment Pro Church Tools The Bible Project Radio Free Leader Ted Talks Unseminary Listen to other pastors! Connect and never miss an episo...

How can we avoid becoming inflexible leaders? Welcome to welcome to episode 107 of Practical Church Planting. No one sets out to be a leader who is "stuck in their old ways." Unfortunately, it can happen much easier than we think. In this episode, we share five thoughts on why leaders resist change. We discuss these reasons: It worked in the past New somehow is considered bad It's intimidating to...

Small things can make a big difference to first time guests. Welcome to welcome to episode 106 of Practical Church Planting.  In this episode, we talk about things we often unintentionally do that can make new guests feel unwelcome. We talk about: No parking lot volunteers/distracted parkers Volunteers on phones Dirty/unkept facility No acknowledgment of new people No/poor signage Rules over relat...

What should you do when someone signs up to serve? Welcome to welcome to episode 105 of Practical Church Planting.  A solid follow up process is crucial for getting people to serve or volunteer at your church. In this episode, we share how we do it at New City Church. Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our  F...

How can we make parents feel more comfortable when dropping off their kids? Welcome to welcome to episode 104 of Practical Church Planting.  Parents (especially new parents or families visiting your church for the first time) are extra cautious about dropping off their kids to your church's kid's ministry. This means we need to do everything we can to make parents feel good about dropping off thei...

Summers don't have to be a dead period in the life of your church. Welcome to welcome to episode 103 of Practical Church Planting.  Summers can lead to less engagement (and people) for many churches. But does it  have  to be that way? We don't think so. While people may travel more in the summer, it doesn't mean churches have to suffer. Here are five ways churches can create engagement over the su...

Here are some books to help take your ministry to the next level. Welcome to welcome to episode 102 of Practical Church Planting. Check out these non-ministry specific books (except #4) to help improve your ministry: Atomic Habits by James Clear Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt Do You Talk Funny by David Nihill Sticky Series by Larry Osborne Ted Talks by Chris Anderson Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo...

Here's what you should think about when starting a student ministry. Welcome to welcome to episode 101 of Practical Church Planting. When starting a student ministry (middle and high school) there are a lot of things to consider? Do you wait until you have enough students, or do you start one in the hopes that it attracts students? What should the beginning phases look like? In this episode we dis...

The story of New City Church. Welcome to welcome to episode 100 of Practical Church Planting. Interested in Dylan's story of church planting? In this special episode, we share how New City came to be, and what Dylan has learned on the journey. 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  You...

Want a connect card people will actually fill out? Welcome to welcome to episode 99 of Practical Church Planting. Most churches have a connect card for new guests to fill out, but there is a difference between having a good connect card and a bad one. In this episode, we share six characteristics of an effective connect card and how to get more guests to fill them out. Here is what we share: Have...

How can we welcome first time guests in a way that isn't awkward or forced? Welcome to welcome to episode 98 of Practical Church Planting.  How can we welcome first time guests in a way that isn't intrusive and also isn't too stand-offish? The balance can be tricky, but in this episode we share these 7 tips: Volunteers in the parking lot Acknowledge they are present from stage Connect card Give a...

Church lobbies can sometimes feel awkward. They don't have to be. Welcome to welcome to episode 97 of Practical Church Planting.  Church lobbies can sometimes feel awkward. They can feel cold, unwelcoming, and even lonely. But they don't have to. Today we share these 5 tips on how to make them feel less awkward: Make it smaller Create spaces where people can naturally congregate Music, please Don'...

Why do people join church planting launch teams? Welcome to welcome to episode 96 of Practical Church Planting. When it comes to building a launch team it can be easy to think of all the reasons why people won't join you on the journey of planting a church. However, there a quite a few reasons why they will. Here are 7 we discuss in this episode: Community People want to make a difference Their re...

Some tips on telling better stories. Welcome to welcome to episode 95 of Practical Church Planting. Good communicators not only use stories but know how to tell good ones. Stories help people connect better with the communicator and makes the content more applicable. In this episode, we share these 10 tips for telling better stories: Personal stories are always best The more removed you are from t...

How can we talk about generosity in a way that doesn't feel forced? Welcome to welcome to episode 94 of Practical Church Planting. Talking about giving and generosity is important, but how can we do it in a way that doesn't feel forced or weird? In this episode, we give these 5 tips: Talk about giving often Always explain why Encourage people to take steps Celebrate what their generosity has done...

Some thoughts and tips on preaching. Welcome to welcome to episode 93 of Practical Church Planting. Dylan is no expert, but has learned a few things from preaching every week. Here are the last four (the first for were in our previous episode) of the eight lessons we discuss in this episode: People laugh and connect with things you often don't expect Less information is more You have more time tha...

Some thoughts and tips on preaching. Welcome to welcome to episode 92 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. Dylan is no expert but has learned a few things from preaching every week. Here are four of the eight lessons we discuss in this episode: Experience isn't the only thing you need to get better Nervousness does go...

Church growth can sometimes be a taboo subject. Here is why it shouldn't be. Welcome to welcome to episode 90 of Practical Church Planting. You're involved in ministry because you want to see people take steps closer to and with Jesus. Ideally, the more people that do that, the better. But yet it seems like wanting to have a growing church is sometimes seen as a bad thing. In this episode, we shar...

What can we do to help create a culture of singing at our churches? Welcome to welcome to episode 90 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. If you are a church or ministry leader, you undoubtedly would love to see your church full of people who are engaging in worship. The good news is that there are things we can do to...

What should you think about when buying a camera for your church? Welcome to welcome to episode 89 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. If you're a church plant or a smaller church with a small budget, how do you go about finding a camera you can use for pictures and/or videos? In this episode, we talk about four thin...

How can we preach in a way that connects with people who aren't sure what they believe about God? Welcome to welcome to episode 88 of Practical Church Planting. How can we preach in a way that engages and invites seekers and those who are not Christians to listen and follow along? In this episode, we give 7 tips for doing just that. We discuss: Always qualify Biblical context and characters Explai...