New Churches Podcast

Episode 762 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham join with small group guru, leadership expert, and church planter Spence Shelton to dissect the issues faced within small groups, specifically pertaining to men’s involvement. Tune in to learn more about engaging the men in your church plant and creating spaces for authenticity within your discipleship models. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The way...

Episode 761 Host Ed Stetzer meets with author, pastor, and leadership expert Eric Geiger to discuss the inevitability of change in church planting. Tune in to learn how Christ’s transformational power impacts us personally as believers as well as within our leadership roles. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How naivety can benefit our younger leaders The importance of adjusting our approaches to...

Episode 760 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham spend some time with pastor, author, and discipleship consultant Spence Shelton to uncover the role community groups play in the life of the local church. Tune in to discover how you can cultivate more group-centric rhythms while furthering the gospel’s reach within your own community. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How NOT to start up a groups min...

Episode 759 Host Ed Stetzer meets with Lifeway’s Director of Leadership Todd Adkins to explore the relationship between the body of Christ—the church—and its next generation of young leaders. Tune in to discover so much more about the church’s responsibility in leading and serving its Gen Z counterparts. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The importance of growing young leaders’ competence and conf...

Episode 758 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham team back up with author, speaker, and church planting director Scott Thomas to dive even more deeply into the role that failure plays in leaders’ lives. Tune in to discover how you can be on guard against your sin and the havoc it wreaks in ministry. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The four steps to take when faced with your own failures Which sign...

Episode 757 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham team up with pastor, author, and church planting director Scott Thomas to discuss the lessons they’ve learned throughout their years in ministry. Tune in to hear more about how prayer, desperation, and the health of your family can aid you in your calling to plant churches and make disciples. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The power of desperation...

Episode 756 Host Ed Stetzer meets with leadership extraordinaire Todd Adkins to dive into the ways the pandemic has impacted our leaders’ discipleship and development. Tune in to learn how you can empower your people to better lead through intentional relationships. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What culture, leadership, and the weather all have in common The importance of interpersonal connec...

Episode 755 Host Ed Stetzer meets with writer, professor, and missionary Trevin Wax to discuss the responsibility of preachers and teachers to further the knowledge of their craft. Listen to learn why the congregation, culture, and context you shepherd deserve more of your intellectual attention. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to grow your mental stamina The importance of diversifying the c...

Episode 754 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham join Brad Lomenick for the second installment of their discussion on humble, hungry, and hustle-driven leadership. Listen as they delve even further into the topic of church-planting leader development, especially through the lens of healthy hunger and how rest can take you further in your hustle. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Where to find zeal a...

Episode 753 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham spend time with author, speaker, and consultant Brad Lomenick examining the impact of humble, hungry, and hustle-driven leadership within the church planting context. Here’s how you can level up your personal and professional development as you seek to become the planter and leader whom God has wired you to be. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The im...

Episode 752 Host Ed Stetzer meets with Tony Merida and Adam Muhtaseb to discuss the complex yet essential relationship between church plants and their sending churches. Listen to learn more about establishing a sending culture within your own congregation, as well as how to partner with planters in a healthy way. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Tips for creating a church-wide lifestyle of abidin...

Episode 751 Hosts Ed Stetzer and Trevin Wax sit down to discuss the life and impact of Dr. Tim Keller. Known for his many roles as an author, pastor, apologist, and evangelist, he was also an esteemed urban missionary to New York City and beyond. Listen to learn more about Dr. Keller’s legacy in transforming the world of church planting as we know it. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Dr. Keller’s...

Episode 750 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham team back up with The Hub Urban Ministries’ Cassie Hammett to share how your church can take the next step in serving the most vulnerable populations in your city. Here’s how you can mobilize your people to live on mission while creating space for all who may come to believe in the name of Jesus. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How trauma impacts di...

Episode 749 Host Ed Stetzer meets with Tony Merida and Adam Muhtaseb to discuss the ins and outs of preaching within the church-planting context. Here’s how you can find your rhythm as a pastor, preacher, and planter. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why sincerity from the pulpit matters Tips for establishing your rhythms of preaching How to engage the unbelieving and disconnected The role of cur...

Episode 748 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham meet with The Hub Urban Ministries’ Cassie Hammett to discuss how you can best assess the needs of the most vulnerable populations in your midst. From your church pews to the city streets, here’s how you can take trauma-informed care to the next level. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to assess and invest in the needs of your city Tips for establ...

Episode 747 What is the next generation looking for in discipleship relationships? Host Ed Stetzer chats with Shane Pruitt and Catherine Renfro on how we can effectively meet Gen Zs with the gospel of Jesus Christ and equip them to make disciples themselves. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to address the challenges of Next Gen discipleship Why prayer is essential for effective evangelism Tip...

Episode 746 We talk about “mobilizing the church” but what do that really mean? Noah Oldham, Vance Pitman, and Matt Carter talk about unleashing the church to join in God’s mission. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How churches can partner to plant healthy multiplying churches Why mobilization requires intentionality and collaboration What “starting small” looks like The “dirty little secret” abo...

Episode 745 As our society tips toward majority non-Christian, the need for clearer calls to the gospel becomes paramount. Ed Stetzer, Shane Pruitt and Catherine Renfro talk about how to give an effective gospel presentation. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Different ways to invite people to Jesus without manipulating Four kinds of people hearing every sermon Important theological elements of a...

Episode 744 One way we build a sending culture in a church is preaching about “living sent.” Noah Oldham, Vance Pitman and Matt Carter talk about how to preach a theology of sending. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The biblical basis for “Sending Church” How a pastor can cultivate a culture of sending through his preaching How to help your people put “living sent” into action Systems you can put...

Episode 743 Time is our most precious commodity, and most bivocational leaders say they have trouble managing it. Ed Stetzer and Brad Brisco discuss practical ideas for managing your time. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The difference between “bivocational” and “covocational” The danger of compartmentalizing Why managing expectations is crucial The importance of a theology of work How to find h...

Episode 742 What does it look like to connect with your community? Noah Oldham and Vance Pitman talk with Mark Lee about best practices for engaging your community as a new church planter. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The best place to start connecting with your community How to be seen as a partner, rather than a parasite What foreign missions can teach us about being a missionary The princi...

Episode 741 You’ve heard about “having a multiplication mindset” but what is it and why does it matter? Ed Stetzer talks with Brad Brisco about what it looks like to have a multiplication mindset. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What a multiplication mindset is and why it matters Four principles for cultivating a multiplication mindset How multiplication is about more than planting churches What...

Episode 740 New churches must be built on a foundation of evangelism. Noah Oldham and Vance Pitman talk with Mark Lee about how to build a church through evangelism. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What it looks like to birth churches out of evangelism An “elevator pitch” for an evangelizing church plant Things to keep in mind to build a church plant through evangelism A relevant lesson drawn fr...

Episode 739 Establishing healthy partnership between an established church and a plant can be a challenge. Ed Stetzer talks with Ron Edmondson about how to lead an established church to support church planting . In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to get an established church focused outwardly Ways to involve established church staff and volunteers The value of doing a “faith in work” survey How...

Episode 738 Planters, lead pastors, apprentices – we all need to grow as preachers. Clint Clifton talks with Bryan Loritts and Bobby Jamieson about the “how to” of becoming a better preacher. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The value of apprenticeship Why feedback is important The importance of self-awareness Why preaching cohorts are helpful How a church is like a teaching hospital Helpful Reso...