New Churches Podcast

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Increasing Your Congregation's Church Planting IQ Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

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 cycle of a church has to be taken into account
The value of engaging local communities that are “different than us”
The importance of understanding everybody can do something when it comes to church planting

Helpful Resources:

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

A lot of congregations – new and existing – don’t really know how to articulate church planting as part of their vision. Maybe they don’t even feel church planning is very vital. @EdStetzer

The importance of church planting is taught, but a passion for it is caught. That comes from a church leader continuously showing passion. You talk about it. You give to it. You send people. That shows it’s important to us. @CatherineRenfro

If you leave the the majority culture, you find a new harvest and a new group of people in desperate need of new churches and the gospel. —Chuy Rodriguez

One of the advantages of being part of a denomination or network is you have churches of different ethnicities and backgrounds. That gives you an opportunity to engage in different ways. @EdStetzer

The more we engage our churches with the immigrant, with the widow, with the poor, the more they will realize that we need more churches. —Chuy Rodriguez

A lot of people wonder “Is church planting for me?” If every church member knew and really understood that everybody can do something when it comes to church planting, it makes it a lot easier to engage. @CatherineRenfro

I would suggest taking local mission trips. I truly believe the future of church planting lies in how we are going to reach the new people coming to our country. One of the best ways to get our IQ high as a church is rethinking local missions. —Chuy Rodriguez

Do Little Networks Matter? Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

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 strong
What needs national and micro-networks can each meet uniquely
How large a church needs to be to begin multiplying
How national networks can collaborate

Helpful Resources:

Trevin Wax’s book The Thrill of Orthodoxy
Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer
Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass?

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

What really holds church-based and micro networks together is values collaboration. @VancePitman

It’s really good for us to recognize the concentric circles of care and love that make it more likely a church planter will be successful. @ClintJClifton

The ground is level when it comes to church multiplication, because it only takes one thing to multiply a church and that’s a ready leader. It’s all about discipleship. @ClintJClifton

The big mega-church in the New Testament missed out on Paul They sent him home. It was the small Antioch church that was able to build the relational equity with him where Saul became Paul. So who had greater impact? @VancePitman

As organizations grow, we go from barbarians to bureaucrats, from being willing to do whatever it takes to having lots of factors to consider. Sometimes the barbarians are just better suited. @ClintJClifton

But sometimes the bureaucrats have larger reach and extent of of influence too. @TrevinWax

The kingdom of God is bigger than any one denomination network or tribe. The endgame is about kingdom expansion to the ends of the earth. @VancePitman

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Introducing Reconstructing Faith Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

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 you’d look at your home after a natural disaster, say a flood. We’ll examine the foundations of the church that have stood the test of time, both here in America and around the world. We’ll also examine the rot in the church, the attitudes and practices that have sprung up over the decades like mold. While there’s been a lot of bad news, we’ve got to remember the good news of the gospel and work within the church to restore and rebuild its witness so that people experience the majesty of Jesus. I hope you’ll join me.

Find out more at ReconstructingFaithPodcast.com.

The post Introducing Reconstructing Faith appeared first on New Churches.

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Kids Ministry for Church Plants Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

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 kids ministry volunteers
Ministry can be done even in less-than-ideal spaces
The importance of making ministry space fun and kid friendly
Qualities to look for in recruiting a kid’s ministry director

Helpful Resources:

Free new resource: 10 Steps to Developing a Kids Ministry
Youtube channel: Solid Foundation Kids
Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer
Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass?

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

This is such a critical point in a person’s life. As spiritual leaders of the church, we really want to take advantage of this opportunity God has given us to invest during these influential years. @Danielle Whitley

It’s critical for a church leader to be able to step into the space with volunteers and leaders with a sense of honor, optimism and joy that will be contagious among among your leaders. @ClintJClifton

There are so many things you can do, honestly in almost any given spot, to make it look fun and kid friendly when you follow these tips. @Danielle Whitley

Kids’ ministry, like church planting, is fraught with challenges and difficulties. But the fact you have an optimistic, positive, excited, encouraged outlook about the opportunity to invest in the lives of children is a game changer. @ClintJClifton

This type of attitude is going to create volunteers who will be excited about it. They’re going to be long-term leaders because they’ve caught onto the fact they’re actually investing in eternity by pouring into these children. @Danielle Whitley

We used this seminar in one of the residency sessions to actually train church planters. @ClintJClifton

With the seminar and the 10 basic steps, you are laying a strong foundation you’re going to be able to build off for years to come. You can apply it to really any ministry, including an existing church plant. @Danielle Whitley

The post Kids Ministry for Church Plants appeared first on New Churches.

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Disciple-Making Strategies for New Churches Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

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 disciples
The relationship between evangelism and discipleship in the new church
Varied approaches to church-based discipleship strategies
How to see disciples become disciple makers
Advice for church plants to have a disciple making culture

Helpful Resources:

Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer
Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass?

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

The most effective churches I’ve worked with are translating academic education into practical implementation – complementing traditional tools with serving the community. It’s not just acquiring information but also putting it into practice so we grow in our walk with Christ. —Chuy Rodriguez

Oftentimes we talk about evangelism and discipleship as though it has to be one or the other. I don’t think you can have true discipleship without evangelism; I don’t think you can have evangelism without discipleship. Discipleship and evangelism go hand in hand. @CatherineRenfro

Discipleship is not follow-up. Discipleship is calling people to follow Jesus and the disciple-making journey starts at the even sharing the good news of the gospel with people, sharing what it means to follow Jesus. Disciple making includes conversion and spiritual growth and, ultimately, multiplication. @EdStetzer

We see one-on-one discipleship and group discipleship. I don’t think you can choose one over the other. Both are equally important. At the end of the day, I think relationships are the foundation of discipleship. @CatherineRenfro

As a new church grows, it takes on structure. All living things, when they become more complex, take on structure. We help people move from sitting in rows to sitting in circles, so they can have that life-on-life discipleship that makes makes the difference. @EdStetzer

A lot of times church plants, if they don’t grow in maturity, can become a mile wide and an inch deep. Church plants must have a disciple-making culture. @EdStetzer

You need a model of what it means to be a disciple and to disciple others. I’ve seen pastors who preach a lot about certain things but they are not the first ones doing it. I would say to most pastors, “Just be what you preach.” —Chuy Rodriguez

The post Disciple-Making Strategies for New Churches appeared first on New Churches.

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Engage the City, Make Disciples, Build the Church Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

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 planter engage their city and make disciples
The difference it makes to start with a city, rather than a service
Leadership principles for planting churches that multiply
Steps that set up a church for long-term success in multiplication

Helpful Resources:

Trevin Wax’s book The Thrill of Orthodoxy
Eric Swanson’s book The Externally Focused Church
Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer
Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass?

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

The starting point is wrong when we start with the church. The starting point is the city and gospel engagement. The Great Commission is to make disciples. Jesus never said, “Go plant churches.” @VancePitman

When when you take the gospel to the city, the Gospel doesn’t skip over cultures. One of the reasons we have so many homogenous churches in North America is we start with a church service. When you start with a church service, you start with a culture that attracts people like itself. @VancePitman

It’s wisdom for a church planter to spend the majority of discipleship time with the most mature in his congregation, helping them become really effective leaders. It’s not so much about if a person is new to faith in Christ or if they’ve been a Christian for a long time. It’s about their trajectory toward leadership. @ClintJClifton

You’re basically focusing on making disciples who will then make disciples. @TrevinWax

When we talk about multiplication, often we limit that to talking about multiplying the church. But if you’re going to see churches multiplied, you have to think multiplication at every level. That starts with multiplying disciples. @VancePitman

In the beginning it feels like you’re doing it poorly, but you basically have to make the choice to go ahead and do it, even though all your ducks, proverbially speaking, aren’t in a row. That’s a hard thing for a conscientious pastor to do. @ClintJClifton

Jesus focused more on succession than he did on success. He planned for succession. He planned for the generation beyond him. Unfortunately in the local church in America, we spend 99% of our time focused on success. @VancePitman

The post Engage the City, Make Disciples, Build the Church appeared first on New Churches.

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Engage the City. Make Disciples. Build the Church Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

Episode 701

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Vance Pitman’s “inverted” church planting missiology
Scheduled activities that will help a church planter engage their city and make disciples
The difference it makes to start with a city, rather than a service
Leadership principles for planting churches that multiply
Steps that set up a church for long-term success in multiplication

Helpful Resources:

Trevin Wax’s book The Thrill of Orthodoxy
Eric Swanson’s book The Externally Focused Church
Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer
Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass?

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

You’re basically focusing on making disciples who will then make disciples. @TrevinWax

For Ministry Wives Sep 13, 2022

Show notes

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 ways ministry wives are involved in church life
How Christine hopes the podcast will encourage ministry wives
Ways pastors can help their wives establish needed boundaries

Helpful Resources:

Christine Hoover’s Ministry Wives Podcast
Christine Hoover’s author page on Amazon
Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer
Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass?

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Being a ministry wife often is a vocation without a job description. @EdStetzer

When we planted there were zero resources for me as a church planting wife. That’s what sparked my desire to serve and help women who sometimes feel unseen. They’re the unsung heroes of church ministry. @ChristineHoover

Ministry wives face unique challenges. We experience church very differently than our husbands, because it’s not our job. The dynamics can be really challenging. @ChristineHoover

The issue of ministry wives is a complex algorithm. You’ve got expectations and assumptions that come along with the faith tradition, as well as the unique personality of the wife. Those two things manifest themselves in so many different ways. @ClintJClifton

Pastors have a job description but one of the greatest challenges for pastor’s wives, especially within the first 10 years, is just figuring out who they are and what God has created them to do in their context. @ChristineHoover

The relational challenges are a big piece too – the blurred lines of ministry. It can be very confusing to know who you share things with, who you go to when you need help. @ChristineHoover

A big component is for the pastor to help his wife see herself, to see how God is using her. Sometimes it can be hard to see that in ourselves and so for the husband to say “I see God using you in this way,” that’s really encouraging. @ChristineHoover

The post For Ministry Wives appeared first on New Churches.

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Demystifying Church Facility Financing Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

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 percentage of budget mortgage payments should be limited to
A standard expectation for how long you would be paying on a mortgage
How obtaining a permanent facility relates to the church’s mission
Some ways churches don’t have sound biblical ways of thinking about money

Helpful Resources:

Download our Church Plant Facility Guide
Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer
Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass?

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

The easiest rule of thumb is to look at a church’s annual income and multiply it by three to four times. Probably 98% of churches can use that to approximate what they could afford in a facility. — Ray Clark

Church planters are notoriously optimistic about the the future of their work. That needs to be tempered a little bit when we’re talking about getting into a multimillion-dollar facility promise for what amounts to decades. @ClintJClifton

Making a big decision like getting into a mortgage impacts how you function in ministry going forward. Some of the freedom to think about multiplication and sending out church planters goes away by making that decision. @ColbyGarman

We put a fence around the possibility of over-extending ourselves financially and we said we’re going to keep mission and ministry our priority. @ClintJClifton

Every single decision you as a leader make has a financial ramification. Every time you say yes to something, you’re automatically saying no to something else. — Ray Clark

Sometimes Christians have really off ways of thinking about money that make these conversations really hard. Like, “Hey we’re supposed to just have faith and all this talk about details and financing is uncomfortable.” @ColbyGarman

The No. 1 thing we run across is pastors who are the “tip of the spear” leader who just don’t engage in this conversation at all. — Ray Clark

The post Demystifying Church Facility Financing appeared first on New Churches.

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Finding a Facility for Your Growing Church Sep 06, 2022

Show notes

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 facility
How to assess your readiness for a permanent facility
The importance educating yourself about local government rules
Where owning a facility should rank in your list of priorities

Helpful Resources:

Dan Mackett’s article: Creative Facility Solutions for New Churches
Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer
Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass?

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Church planters will use just about any space they can gather a crowd in: school cafeterias or auditoriums, movie theaters, small concert venues, hotel ballrooms and conference centers. @ColbyGarman

When you’re in the throes of church planting and things get difficult, you start to believe that if you had a facility, it would solve all the problems. That’s not true. In some ways, it creates problems. @ClintJClifton

Rightly thinking about facilities as a tool for ministry is probably the healthiest place a church planter could could start. The facility just facilitates the gathering of the church. — Ray Clark

Churches can take body blows of difficulty when they have a facility. But a family that’s not well relationally doesn’t get better by owning their own home. @ColbyGarman

Many church planters who think they’re ready for that step aren’t ready for that step. @ClintJClifton

The first place to start is really understanding where you’re at and the only way to understand where you’re at is to is to actually track income and expenses. A good rule of thumb would be about 25% of your budget allocated to your debt payment. — Ray Clark

One of the beautiful things about alternative situations is additional cash flow, but often that comes with additional operation. As a pastor, you’ve got to protect yourself against capacity creep. — Ray Clark

The post Finding a Facility for Your Growing Church appeared first on New Churches.

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Episode 705

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Episode 704

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Episode 703

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Episode 702

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Episode 701

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Episode 701

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Episode 700

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Episode 699

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

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