Practical Church

Do you make any of these mistakes? Welcome to welcome to episode 162 of Practical Church Planting.  None of us are perfect preachers, but sometimes we can make mistakes that are easily fixable so long as we are being intentional about getting better. In this episode, we discuss these five mistakes preachers often make: Complexity over simplicity Length over impact Impressive over impressionable Po...

What is the best way to preach? Welcome to welcome to episode 161 of Practical Church Planting. Is it better to preach expositionally or topically? The reality is both methods and be done faithfully and effectively. In this episode, we discuss both methods and share these four reasons as to why we lean towards expositional preaching: People want to know what the Scriptures actually say People need...

Contextualization should be rated, not overrated. Welcome to welcome to episode 160 of Practical Church Planting. Contextualization is important and helpful in helping you reach the people in your area. However, it can also be overrated and even unhelpful if we make it a bigger deal than it should be. In this episode, we discuss these four reasons as to why contextualization is overrated: Building...

Be firm on your theological convictions. Here are some reasons why. Welcome to welcome to episode 159 of Practical Church Planting.  It can be hard to be honest with people on certain theological positions your church might hold. However, it is better for you and your church not to shy away from these things. In this episode, we discuss these four reasons why you shouldn't be weak on your theologi...

Is your children's ministry safe? Welcome to welcome to episode 155 of Practical Church Planting. Is your children's ministry area safe? Not only that but does it also appear safe? The safety of kids is vitally important for their well-being, as well as for the comfort of the parents dropping their kids off. One of the quickest ways to have first-time guests not return is missing the mark in this...

How is your kid's check-in process? Let's make it better Welcome to welcome to episode 157 of Practical Church Planting. The kid's ministry check-in process is a vital but often overlooked area that can cause either positive or frustrating experiences at our churches. In this episode, we discuss these six things you can do to ensure your check-in process goes smoothly: Allow for self check-in Have...

Church finances can lead to all sorts of issues if you are not careful. Welcome to welcome to episode 156 of Practical Church Planting. While no one sets out to run into issues with your church's finances, it can easily happen if we are not intentional with our systems and structures. In this episode, we discuss these four ways your church can be transparent with its finances: Send quarterly updat...

Being a young pastor can have its challenges. Here are some things that may help. Welcome to welcome to episode 152 of Practical Church Planting. You can listen to this episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and get our episodes delivered right to you. There are both advantages and disadvantages to being a young pastor. In this episode, we discuss these five tips to help you out: Learn from...

Watch out for these things. Welcome to welcome to episode 154 of Practical Church Planting. As we enter into a new year, there are things we should do and avoid if we don't want our churches to struggle. In this episode, we share these six things that may cause your church to struggle in 2020: If you aren't clear about your mission and/or vision You livestream when you shouldn't You don't record y...

How t o reach more people in 2020. Welcome to welcome to episode 153 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. It's the start of a new year and you likely want to engage with and reach more people this year. Because of that, we share these four ways you can do exactly that in 2020: Social media presence Serve event/event...

We all agree the Gospel is the most important thing, yet it's easy to forget. Welcome to welcome to episode 152 of Practical Church Planting.  Most would agree that the Gospel should be somehow shared in every sermon. And yet, sometimes it's hard to connect it to a particular passage you may be preaching out of. Or perhaps with everything you are trying to say, you simply forget it. In this episod...

A better staff equals a better church. Welcome to welcome to episode 151 of Practical Church Planting. The growth and development of church staff directly impacts the growth, development, and health of a church. In this episode, we share these five reasons to do year end reviews with your staff: Clarity in staff performance Set expectations for next year Development doesn't happen by accident You...

How can we connect better with non-believers? Welcome to welcome to episode 150 of Practical Church Planting.  All of us desire to reach and connect with those who don't yet know Jesus. However, some of that disconnect comes from when we do things that non-believers do not understand. So in this episode, we discuss these five things you can do to make your services more understandable to non-belie...

What we wish we knew then. Welcome to welcome to episode 149 of Practical Church Planting. In this episode, we discuss these three things that Dylan wished he understood better before planting a church: It takes years to build trust and relationships Newness will create excitement for a while but vision is needed to sustain it You can't rush preaching development What we wish we knew then. Welcome...

How a lot of money was raised in not a lot of time. Welcome to welcome to episode 148 of Practical Church Planting. Recently at New City Church (where we lead), we raised $117,515 in financial commitments in three weeks towards our move into a new building. That's a lot of money given the size of our church. So in this episode, we discuss these four thoughts on how it happened: People need to know...

What should you do when you don't know what to do? Welcome to welcome to episode 147 of Practical Church Planting.  We all face times when we have to make a decision but we aren't sure what to do. How should we respond in these moments? In this episode, we share these four thoughts on what to do: Pray for wisdom well before you need it Allow others to speak into the process, then listen Is your pr...

We all make mistakes. Often similar ones. Welcome to welcome to episode 146 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. No one plants a church with all of the answers. We all face similar difficulties and challenges which means we are likely to make similar mistakes. In this episode we share these four common mistakes chur...

You don't need everything, but you do need somethings on launch day. Welcome to welcome to episode 145 of Practical Church Planting.  You don't have to have everything figured out on launch day, but you do need to have some things in place on day one. In this episode, we share these five very important things all churches should have on launch day: Sermon recordings Website/social media Serve team...

You don't have to have everything figured out on day one. Welcome to welcome to episode 144 of Practical Church Planting.  There is a lot of pressure to have everything figured out for your church on launch day. While there are certainly many good things we should have in place, we don't have to have everything figured out. In this episode we share these five things that won't kill your church if...

Some  reflections on preaching through one book in a year. Welcome to welcome to episode 144 of Practical Church Planting. This year we did something different at New City Church and spent most of the year preaching through one book of the Bible (1 Corinthians). Here are four thoughts on how it went: I (Dylan) learned a lot Our people saw the relevance of Scripture Our people learned the importanc...

Preaching to a small crowd can be tough. Here are some tips. Welcome to welcome to episode 142 of Practical Church Planting.  All of us have or will be in a situation where we will preach to a small crowd. This is especially true as you work to gather a launch team and start a new church. Because of that, we share these five tips for preaching to small crowds: People don't think it's as small as y...

We need church plants in the South. Welcome to welcome to episode 141 of Practical Church Planting.  Contrary to what many may assume, the American South actually needs more church plants. In this episode, we discuss these four reasons why: A lot of people are moving to the South Familiarity with the church ≠ familiarity with the Gospel The South is the most churched region of the United States, a...

Make the most of your preview services. Welcome to welcome to episode 140 of Practical Church Planting. Having a couple of preview services before the launch of a new church is a great idea. In this episode, we discuss these five things in particular to look out for when you do them: The energy in the parking lot/lobby What questions people are asking How many connect cards were filled out Parents...

We  all want to save more money. Here are some things you can try. Welcome to welcome to episode 139 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. All of us are always looking for ways to save money for our churches. In this episode, we discuss these six things that we have done: Rechargeable batteries Ask for church plantin...

Social media for church leaders is tricky. Welcome to welcome to episode 138 of Practical Church Planting. Personal social media use for pastors and church leaders can be tricky. In this episode, we share these five thoughts and considerations for how we should use social media: Supporting political candidates/causes will push some people away The rules are different for pastors/church leaders Don...