Church Planter Podcast

In this episode of the Fully-Funded Church Planter , Chestly Lunday sits down with Demeko Bivens to talk about the unique dynamics of planting churches in urban environments. Demeko shares what he’s learned about entering a city with humility, listening before leading, and building a church that reflects the diversity and complexity of the people it serves. From the dangers of rushing vision to th...

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Chestly Lunday sits down with worship leader and songwriter Robbie Seay to explore one of the most overlooked aspects of church planting: worship. Together they unpack why worship leaders are more than song leaders, how vision shapes worship culture, and why community is essential for avoiding burnout. Robbie shares insights from his work with The Wor...

Church movements are flourishing all over the world, and there's plenty of people lined up to share the secrets with you. But how many times do those movement "principles" really transfer? Not often. Emanuel Prinz has just finished the broadest research on movements to date, and he's made some discoveries on what factors catalyze movements, no matter the context. Listen in on Peyton & Emanuel'...

God has a pattern of using young and inexperienced people to do his work...and yet we rarely do the same. More often than not, we require leaders and church planters to have many years of experience before we give them any responsibility. The result? The average age of pastors is steadily increasing and, eventually, our leadership pipelines will dry up completely. Joshua Branham explains that the...

Unlike other hot topics in the ministry world – like discipleship or leadership – not everyone thinks microchurch is a good idea. It's become a polarizing factor: are you pro microchurch or pro megachurch? Is microchurch of the Holy Spirit or the devil? In this episode, Peyton and Pete discuss the controversy and what they think about building community in smaller settings. Resources and Links Men...

The weight of spiritual leadership has a tendency to distort our ideas of how to create a healthy culture of community and leadership. Rather than being open-handed and valuing people for their own sake and insights, leaders sometimes become fearful of failure exert too much control. Christina Rivera shares her story of being in high control faith communities and how she's learned to rely on the H...

Your character shapes the people around and impacts the effectiveness of your ministry. Mac Lake joins Pete and Peyton in this episode to discuss the ins and outs of leading yourself well. They cover emotional intelligence, teachability, and how to change leadership development from being content-oriented to process-oriented. Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode: Multiply Group Reliant Mi...

Did Peyton die? Is the podcast finished? These are the questions you've been asking, and now, there are answers. Peyton Jones returns to the Church Planter Podcast with Pete Mitchell! They catch up in this episode and talk Discipology, ChatGPT, and whether they'll ever have an AI co-host. Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode: Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp NewBreed Training Thanks for l...

Forces far beyond our reach are shaping the world around us, and the Church is not built for the community of the future.  This episode features a presentation by Chestly Lunday to the heads of technology for major corporations. In it, he explains how the Church got to its current point,  why  we need to change, and  what  about our churches need to change. Resources and L...

If you're church planting in difficult soil rather than church starting, then it may not be possible to be self-sustaining in the standard three years that many organizations and donors expect. The economics play by different rules and so should your fundraising strategy. In this episode, Demeko share his experience planting in Houston and why it was important for him to raise support to fund his...

What happens when someone dies and comes back? In this episode, Chestly Lunday sits down with Eric Bennett, creator of the Round Trip Death podcast, who has interviewed hundreds of people who have experienced near-death experiences (NDEs). With nearly 2 million downloads, Eric’s conversations explore the intersection of spiritual encounters, scientific inquiry, and how these stories can reshape pa...

In this episode, Brooks Hamon sits down with Pastor Jeff Kapusta of Lifepoint Church in Wilmington, NC—a seasoned church planter, leader of a thriving faith community, and author of the new book Fully Alive: God’s Will for Everyone Everywhere . Jeff shares the surprising journey that led him to write Fully Alive —including a vocal cord injury that sidelined him for months—and how that season resha...

Sometimes life hits you unexpectedly. Sometimes it's hard to feel the presence of God. Sometimes you just need a break. In this episode, Aubrey Sampson shares her experiences with grief, including the death of her best friend and co-planter. She explains why we need to practice lament and how to model these situations for our churches. Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode: AubreySampson.c...

The Church is great at transferring information, but doesn't always provide opportunities for kids to see faith lived out or to practice what they're learning. Parents however have an enormous opportunity to model Jesus to their kids and explain the heart of God. David Sunde explains how he's done this in his own life and how you can do the same. Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode: Davi...

It's said that you're either in the middle of a storm, going into one, or coming out of one. Life is often defined by the storms we experience. Sometimes they seem overwhelming. Bishop Dudley experienced such a storm and it almost defeated him. But God intervened and now he's able to stand on the other side and encourage others to weather their own. Find out how you can do the same. Resources and...

Adam Cruz helps mission-driven leaders sustain a healthy hustle. Too often, success comes at the expense of our health or vice versa. It doesn't have to be that way, but it does take intentionality. Don't miss this episode as Chestly interviews Adam on how to achieve your goals without burning out. Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode: The Healed Hustle Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp Ne...

You want to reach new people in your community, right? But most people who don't attend church services don't pay attention to churches. They drive past five churches to get to the grocery store. So, how do you stand out and get noticed? Small business expert Mike Michalowicz will walk you through how to hear from your community, involve them, and get their attention. Resources and Links Mentioned...

Drew Hyun, a church planter and network leader in New York City, explains why life is beautiful, disappointing, and hopeful, and what the Christian response to each of those should be. He unpacks three practices that are essential for Christians: gratitude, grief, and grace. Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode: Beautiful, Disappointing, Hopeful by Drew Hyun Reliant Mission: reliant.org/c...

Leadership is a learning curve, we won't always get it right and neither will others. How do you know though when the leadership of your church is on the right trajectory or when you need to part ways? Join Peyton and Pete to find out. Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode: The Unstoppable Church Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp NewBreed Training Thanks for listening to the church planter...

In partnership with Reliant, we're launching a new series that tackles one of the biggest obstacles in church planting: money. We often discuss new church models for reaching a shifting cultural landscape, but those new models sometimes require new funding models. Raising hundreds of thousands of dollars that starts a three-year sustainability countdown might not be the best way forward for everyo...

Even though God doesn't change, people do and the way we communicate does. Jesus leveraged a lot of communication strategies and methodologies that translate to social media and modern communication. Antjuan Robinson helps us understand the principles behind Jesus' actions and how that helps us spread the Good News through all of our areas of influence today (include some of the digital channels t...

When planting a church, you will probably find that your vision outpaces your funding. So, how do you get funding to advance that vision and mission? Chestly and Pete talk about a system for developing relationships with people that can help you reach your goals. Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode: Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp NewBreed Training Thanks for listening to the church pla...

We all know that there are noticeable differences between generations, but understanding how to work together and lead across generational divides is now more important than ever. Millennials are increasingly taking over for Boomers and Gen X in church leadership and are navigating how to empower Gen Z for ministry at the same time. With all these generational dynamics, Tim Elmore helps us chart a...

Community is critical to anyone navigating change, whether it's adapting to a changing world or changing a personal habit. For church leaders, we know that's why Jesus hardwired community into his Church. In this episode, Chestly Lunday is joined by Gina Bianchini, CEO of Mighty Networks and an expert on creating community to discuss the fundamentals of community development. Resources and Links M...

The idea of personal branding might sound weird in the ministry world, but that's because we have misconceptions about what it means. Everyone has a personal brand, whether we like it or not. AJ Vaden joins us to explain how to be intentional about your brand, how to make it others-focused, and then how to expand it to reach more people. Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode: FreeBrandCall...