Practical Church

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...

We tried Thursday night services. Here is what we found. Welcome to welcome to episode 137 of Practical Church Planting. Recently at New City Church we attempted Thursday night services. Here are reflections on how they went: I'm glad we tried it and would do it again Thursday nights need to be given as much effort as Sunday mornings Preaching Thursday makes Saturdays more relaxing Sermon prep was...

How  can we get people to join the launch team? Welcome to welcome to episode 136 of Practical Church Planting. Every church planter wrestles, prays, and hopes people will join the launch team of their church plant. After all, if you have no people, you have no church. In this episode, we discuss these six tips to do just that: Have a launch date in place Have something consistent to invite people...

Most  of us want to pray more than we do. Here are some steps towards making that happen. Welcome to welcome to episode 135 of Practical Church Planting.  Prayer can be hard. The vast majority of people we know would say they wish they were "better" at it (i.e. took it more seriously and prayed more consistently). Even as a pastor, this has been my (Dylan's) story. But earlier this year after bein...

Everyone  faces difficulties when planting a church. Welcome to welcome to episode 134 of Practical Church Planting.  Sometimes it can feel like we are the reason things don't always go they way we would like. The reality is, all church planters face difficulties. In fact, some difficulties are faced by every church planter. We discuss these seven in this episode: Your launch team won't be as pass...

When  it comes time to add a second service, what should you do with your volunteers? Welcome to welcome to episode 133 of Practical Church Planting.  Sooner or later, you may one day get to the point where you need to add a second service. There is a lot to plan for to make it happen, including how you are going to schedule your volunteers. In this episode, we discuss these five tips about making...

Ministry can be stressful, these tips can help. Welcome to welcome to episode 132 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or  subscribe to the podcast  and never miss an episode. Ministry can feel like you never get a break. These tips are designed to help remind us that we don't need to be (nor should be) always "on." We discuss these tips: Delete email from your phone Turn...

Preaching  through books of the Bible has a lot of benefits. Welcome to welcome to episode 131 of Practical Church Planting.  Preaching through books of the Bible (and not just the short ones) is a great thing for your people and even you as the preacher. In this episode, we discuss these five reasons why: You'll preach texts you would never pick (and you're people are never taught) People want to...

Church leadership can be difficult. Welcome to welcome to episode 130 of Practical Church Planting.  In this episode, we share four tensions that are particularly felt in church leadership. We discuss: Innovating for the future while honoring the past Sticking to your convictions while empathizing for those who disagree Making the best decision while being misunderstood Being confident in what you...

Unlimited  PTO is worth pursuing. Let us explain. Welcome to welcome to episode 129 of Practical Church Planting.  Traditionally, employees get a certain amount of hours or days off based on how much they work, how long they have worked where they worked, and various other reasons tied to the number of hours worked per week. We think there is a better way. In this episode, we share these five reas...