Practical Church

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...

We all want our worship services to be as distraction-free as possible, but how do we turn that aspiration into a reality? In this episode, we share 7 things you can do to have smoother services. Welcome to episode 262 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 7 tips we discuss in this episode: Service run through Consistent service run through time Sermon slides ready before Sunday Print sermon...

James Clear writes, "you do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems." So how can we ensure we have the proper systems to hit our aspirations? In this episode, we shave six systems you should have in place to improve your ministry. Welcome to episode 261 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 6 systems we discuss in this episode: Preaching Follow up Task/requ...

Free does not always mean you should use it. Sometimes free can cost you more money in the long run. But in this episode, we share 9 free resources that your church can use with confidence. Welcome to episode 260 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the 9 free resources we discuss in this episode: Todoist Google Workspace OBS Logos Practical Church Planting resources: Sermon series artwork, new...

All of us in ministry lead people older than us. The younger you are, the more intimidating this can be. In this episode, we share with you seven tips on how to better lead those older than you. Welcome to episode 259 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the seven tips we discuss in this episode: Your age is a bigger deal to you than to them Cool and hip isn't a positive Be conscious of what yo...

In a time when church involvement continues to shift, how can we know if we are actually engaging our people well? In this episode, we share six church metrics you can track that show if your people are engaged with your church. Welcome to episode 258 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the six metrics we discuss in this episode: Group attendance Giving units Giving unit average Number of uniqu...

As we begin a new year, we are back with our second annual church predictions. In this episode, we share 9 predictions for 2022. Welcome to episode 256 of Practical Church Planting. Here are the predictions we discuss in this episode: Churches that engage their people the best during the week will see the most numerical growth Growth in giving will outpace growth in attendance Bible teaching will...

As we come to the end of 2021, we look back on our 2021 church predictions. How did we fare? Find out in this episode. Welcome to episode 256 of Practical Church Planting. CONNECT AND NEVER MISS AN EPISODE Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get practical tips delivered right to you. For free resources to help you plant a church that thrives, check out practicalplanting.com .  You can also watc...

We all know engaging people online is important, but what are some of the best ways to do that? In this episode, we share six types of online content your church can create to reach more people. Welcome to episode 255 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the six types of content we discuss in this episode: Sermon Clip Bible in a minute Online Bible Study Bible characters/topics Bottom line grap...

We all want to help people grow closer to Jesus, but how can we know whether or not that is happening? In this episode, we share seven different ways you can know whether or not disciples are being made in your church. Welcome to episode 254 of Practical Church Planting.  Here are the seven measurements we discuss in this episode: Groups Financial giving Attendance Bible reading plans Serving Memb...