Practical Church

Sermon slides are a helpful tool to keep people engaged while preaching, but they can also cause a number of distractions during your service if they are not done well. In this episode, we share with you 7 tips for better slide transitions during your sermon. Welcome to episode 287 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the 7 tips we discuss in this episode: Slides inputted and edited before Sunda...

Want to preach effective sermons without spending an unnecessary amount of time on sermon prep? In this episode, we give you 7 ways you can do it. Welcome to episode 286 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the 7 ways we discuss in this episode: Same time every week Same setup every week Large block of uninterrupted time (with a deadline) Get ahead Review sermon with others Focus on one thing to...

Ministry can at times be unpredictable and stressful, but there are things we can do to make it better. In this episode, we share 6 small hacks you can easily try. Welcome to episode 285 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 6 hacks we discuss in this episode: Give yourself 2 weeks to choose from by prepping your sermon ahead of time Make a "to do list" of things coming up in your weekly new...

We all want our sermons to not simply involving information, but lead to people taking steps in their faith. In this episode, we share 6 ways you can be more practical in your sermons. Welcome to episode 284 of Practical Church Planting.  Give a simple and specific way to pray this week Give a simple and specific action item to do this week Give some practical examples of how to do what you're ask...

Discouragement in ministry happens to everyone, so how can we endure it well? In this episode, we share 6 tips for dealing with discouragement in ministry. Welcome to episode 283 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 6 tips we discuss: No major decisions on Monday Work on Monday Find a pastor to meet with regularly Be honest with your elders/leadership team Put vacations/time away on your ca...

In this episode, I (Dylan) share 9 church planting regrets. Welcome to episode 281 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the regrets I discuss in this episode: Church planting residency More & better training Clear & defined planting timeline Sermon work/coaching sooner More clarity around my management team Two monitors Logos for sermon prep Consistent working calendar Interested in sending Dyla...

In this episode, we answer ministry questions asked in your Practical Church Planting Facebook group. Welcome to episode 281 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch this episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and get our episodes delivered right to you. Interested in sending Dylan a MarcoPolo message? Download the app and then send Dylan a Facebook message or an email at dylandodson@newc...

When it comes to planting a church, what you might think is most helpful in raising money and gathering a team might not be as helpful as you think. At the same time, there are things that can make a bigger difference than you might realize. In this episode, we share 6 underrated church planting tactics. Welcome to episode 280 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the 6 underrated tactics we disc...

When it comes to planting a church, what you might think is most helpful in raising money and gathering a team might not be as helpful as you think. In this episode, we share 6 overrated church planting tactics. Welcome to episode 279 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the 6 tactics we discuss in this episode: Prospectus Talking about not wanting to be a large church Post-launch timelines Talk...

Encouraging your people is practical way for us to live out the good news of the Gospel. In this episode, we share 6 ways you can do just that. Here are the 6 ways we discuss in this episode: Speak highly/well of your people Celebrate your differences Track prayers and pray for your people Reach out to people when they make an impact When preaching on challenge topics, encourage your church knowin...

In this episode, we share 5 tips on how to do pre-marital counseling. Here are the 5 tips we discuss in this episode: The pre-marriage course by Alpha ( themarriagecourse.org ) Set expectations up front Plan within your already decided boundaries Ask questions more than give advice Talk about sex/birth control   CONNECT AND NEVER MISS AN EPISODE Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get practical...

In this episode, we break down Dylan's sermon prep process and give highly practical tips on tweaks you can make to your own. Welcome to episode 276 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the 7 steps we discuss in this episode: Knowing what you're going to preach Sermon prep setup What studying/writing looks like Finding stories/illustrations Work on your intro last Timeline for sermon prep How sm...

Ministry exists to serve other people and help them experience Jesus. This means ministry consists of meeting with and spending time with people. In this episode, we share 6 tips on how you can do that more effectively. Welcome to episode 275 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 6 tips we discuss in this episode: Use a 3rd party tool Keep standard meeting times Make a note right away when o...

When preaching through books of the Bible, there are some important things to keep in mind to help people stay engaged. We share six of them in this episode. Welcome to episode 274 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the six tips we discuss in this episode: Give brief context of the book every Sunday Explain the characters every Sunday Keep your recaps brief Use phrases like "if you have been...

Regardless of church size, all churches could use more volunteers. In this episode, we share with you 8 tips to attract and keep them. Welcome to episode 273 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 8 things we discuss in this episode: Be clear on expectations upfront Talk about needs from the pulpit Make connect cards accessible in service with a serving option Follow up within one working day...

Using stories well can dramatically improve your effectives when preaching and teaching. In this episode, we share 6 tips for telling better stories. Welcome to episode 272 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch this episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and get our episodes delivered right to you.   Here are the 6 tips we discuss in this episode: Assume people will stop listening Shar...

Ministry can be difficult and discouraging, however, it doesn't mean you are being unfaithful. There are disappointments everyone faces in ministry, and in this episode, we discuss 7 of them. Welcome to episode 271 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the 7 disappointments we discuss in this episode: Embarrassment/shame when hardly anyone shows up People close to you will leave your church Peopl...

A lot has changed in the last two years, including habits and practices around church involvement. In this episode, we share 6 trends that have emerged that aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Welcome to episode 270 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch this episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and get our episodes delivered right to you.   Here are the 6 trends we discuss in this ep...

Healthy small groups are vital to healthy churches. In this episode, we share 9 practical things you can do to help ensure you are writing and creating good small group leader discussion guides for your groups. Welcome to episode 269 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 9 tips we discuss in this episode: Sermon based is the easiest/most consistent People will already have done their homewor...

If we are not careful, the work of ministry can become busy and all-consuming. In this episode, we share some practical things you can do to ensure you are living at a sustainable pace for the long haul. Welcome to episode 268 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 6 tips we discuss in this episode: Schedule big rocks at the beginning of the month Solidify your boundaries Weekly calendar Bo o...

As New City closes in on 5 years as a church, we share 9 reflections we have learned about leading and pastoring. Welcome to episode 267 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the 9 reflections we discuss in this episode: It's better to have not than have the wrong people leading Be proactive in how you talk about money Faithful pastoring is much more than preaching Less is more Read more books fr...

While there are certain things that are contextual to churches in their given areas, there are also general principles all churches and leaders should have in place to ensure a healthy church. In this episode, we share 7 specific pieces of advice that are helpful to all church leaders regardless of context. Welcome to episode 266 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 7 things we discuss in t...

It is easy to miss things that new people see and care about. In this episode, we share 6 of those extremely important things churches should stay on top of that are easily missed. Welcome to episode 265 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch this episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and get our episodes delivered right to you.   Here are the 6 things we discuss in this episode: Up to...

When meeting with and counseling people in your church, there can be an internal pressure to think you have to have all the right answers. In this episode, we share questions to ask that are often more helpful than giving advice. Welcome to episode 264 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the 7 questions we discuss in this episode: What would you like to see happen? How would you want to go abou...

All preachers want to improve their skill in preaching but might not know the best way to go about doing it. In this episode, we share 6 practical things you can do to improve your skills. Welcome to episode 263 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 6 tips we discuss in this episode: Preach as much as you can Reduce your notes Listen to 3 people for 3 months Ask 3 people to give you feedback...