New Churches Podcast

Episode 708 Leveraging business for mission presents numerous challenges, yet there are strong arguments to be made for its benefits. Host Clint Clifton talks with Adam Muhtaseb and Greg Gibson about the value and tensions inherent in mixing the two. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How a church leveraged a co-working space and coffee shop to buy a facility How business can help plant churches in...

Episode 707 There’s so much to book writing that’s unknown and kind of mysterious to those who desire to write a book. Host Clint Clifton talks with Ed Stetzer and Christine Hoover about steps aspiring writers need to take. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: First steps to discovering the publishing industry The importance of having a well-known agent Ways to actually accomplish the labor of writin...

Episode 706 When disaster strikes your community, every church planter must see it as a God-given opportunity to get the gospel into lives. Host Clint Clifton talks with Taylor Field and Kay Bennett about ways a church can position itself to be ready to respond. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Ways your church can be prepared ahead of time How gospel opportunities are embedded in disasters The i...

Episode 705 As we’re coming out of Covid, how do we get churches thinking about church planting again? Host Ed Stetzer talks with Chuy Rodriguez and Catherine Renfro about raising the “church planting IQ” of a congregation. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why an established church would plant 15 minutes away The importance of exposing churches to different models of church planting Why the life...

Episode 704 Planters and church-planting networks and organizations are trying to figure out how they fit alongside other. Clint Clifton, Trevin Wax and Vance Pitman hash through the relational levels between and value of national and micro-networks. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What really holds church-based and micro networks together How to maintain relationships so network values remain s...

I’m Trevin Wax. In October, I’m starting a new podcast called Reconstructing Faith that examines the state of the American church’s witness. For years now, we’ve seen the church rocked by sin and scandal and our credibility as Christ’s followers has been diminished. Reconstructing Faith avoids the simplistic knee-jerk reactions you see on social media and instead looks at the church the same way y...

Episode 703 Church planters and their teams are on the lookout for best practices in starting kids ministry. Host Clint Clifton talks with Danielle Whitley, author of a new free resource, “10 Steps to Developing a Kids Ministry,” which lays a great foundation for discipling young Christ-followers – for generations to come. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why it’s so vital to instill energy in ki...

Episode 702 We often think of discipleship as a post-conversion process, but it also can be seen in a broader way. Host Ed Stetzer talks with Chuy Rodriguez and Catherine Renfro about disciple making as sharing the gospel, people responding to the gospel, growing in the truths of the gospel and then multiplying. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Different ways churches are effectively making disci...

Episode 701 Most, if not all, church planters aspire to start a multiplying church. Yet often that doesn’t happen because we have our missiology backwards. Host Clint Clifton talks with Vance Pitman and Trevin Wax about what they see as a more biblical approach. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Vance Pitman’s “inverted” church planting missiology Scheduled activities that will help a church plant...

Episode 700 Ministry wives face unique challenges, and fewer resources are produced to help them than their husbands. Co-hosts Ed Stetzer and Clint Clifton talk with Christine Hoover about her new NAMB podcast for ministry wives. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why a podcast specifically for ministry wives is needed Some things ministry wives can learn from Christine Hoover’s podcast Effective w...

Episode 699 Church planters are thinking about financing permanent facilities, but probably no group of people is less equipped to go into commercial real estate transactions. Host Clint Clifton talks with Colby Garman and Ray Clark about the basics of financing church facilities. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Advice about how a facility’s price tag might translate into a monthly cost The perc...

Episode 698: Finding a facility for a new church is is one of the most challenging aspects of planting, particularly in an urban environment. Host Clint Clifton talks with Colby Garman and Ray Clark about why creative facility solutions are needed now, more than ever. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Kinds of facilities commonly used by church plants Some advantages and disadvantages of owning a...

Episode 697: No planter goes in thinking it’s going to be easy, but none knows quite how hard it’s actually going to be. Host Clint Clifton discusses the incredible benefits of endurance in planting with Jeff Belcher and Amanda Hudson. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The importance of staying through difficulty and the fruit of endurance Why longevity in a community enables others to entrust you...

Episode 696: When a church sends out a planter, the relationship hasn’t ended; it’s just begun. Host Clint Clifton discusses with Jason Robertson and Dannie Williams how Sending Church pastors can provide meaningful support to planters as they face their inevitable challenges. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The importance of helping a planter enjoy the ministry Ways to encourage planter spouses...

Episode 695: How you plant a church is shaped by missiology and what you end up with is shaped by ecclesiology. Host Ed Stetzer hashes through different approaches to both with Nathan Knight and Rivers Partin. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Nuances in the theological motivation behind three church plants Ways to strike a balance between alleviating earthly suffering and eternal suffering. How t...

Episode 694: What is the mission of the church? To many, the answer seems obvious but the topic actually is pretty significantly debated. Host Ed Stetzer engages the subject with two guests – Nathan Knight and Rivers Partin – who approach it from significantly different directions. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How “bless and impact neighbor” intersects with “evangelize and congregationalize”...

Episode 693: Many times, church planters are disappointed when they work hard to rustle up support but walk away empty handed. Host Clint Clifton talks with seasoned Sending Church pastors Jason Robertson and Dannie Williams about why pastors who love church planting might say no when approached for funding. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Red flags that might steer away a pastor from supporting...

Episode 692: When you are planting a church in a community that’s new to you, getting deeply embedded in that community is extremely important. Host Ed Stetzer talks with Jeff Belcher and Amanda Hudson about the why and how of getting embedded in the fabric of your community. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Practical ways of getting deeper into the culture of a community How much you can learn b...

Episode 691: Whatever you want to be true of your church in maturity must be embedded at the beginning. Host Clint Clifton discusses with Todd Adkins and Jamie Limato how a church planter should be thinking about his end goals from the very beginning. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why it’s detrimental for a planter to hold off until the church is “ready for that” How goals themselves can be re...

Episode 690: Pastors often are criticized unfairly and need to forgive the sin, yet they also find themselves in the position of making mistakes that need to be forgiven. Host Clint Clifton explores various aspects of that challenge with Dave Harvey and Kathy Litton. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to fight the tendency to become hardhearted and thin-skinned How your response to others revea...

Episode 689: Church planting families face complex issues in today’s increasingly secular social environment, especially when it comes to children in school. Host Clint Clifton tackles the multilayered topic with Noah Oldham and Kathy Litton. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How issues affect both planter families and church members Why there’s no one solution for these heart-wrenching and diffic...

Episode 688: A lot of planters and pastors want to read more but they are strapped for time. Trevin Wax and Todd Adkins offer some immensely practical ways to read more when you’re really busy. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to make reading a priority Several different media that will help you read more How following a blogger may be better than reading the book More efficient ways to read...

Description: Episode 687: Leaders are readers and if you’re not a learner in this day and age, you’ve got a short shelf life as a leader. But acquiring books is difficult for a pastor whose finances are limited. Trevin Wax and Todd Adkins point out several ways to read great books on a tight budget. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why it’s important to read widely Ways to read well when you can’...

Episode 686: The old maxim is “Church planting and money – it’s hard to get them in the same room.” But host Clint Clifton and experienced planter Peyton Jones discuss why church planting actually is free and they sketch out a pathway for planting without raising and expending large financial resources. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How much money a Sending Church usually is putting into a pla...

Episode 684: One of the biggest challenges planters face is recruiting people and building them into a team. Host Clint Clifton explores the issue with Jamie Limato and Todd Adkins. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The difference between core teams and launch teams How a church planter can recruit team members when there’s nothing yet to show for their ministry. The Swiss cheese and grid methods...