Practical Church

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 Limit how much someone can serve Clear scheduling/expectations/training Share stories of how serving changed a life Do yearly membership follow up   IMPROVE YOUR CHURCH WEBSITE This episode was brought to you by The Church Co. Get 40% off the first two years and have a fast, mobile-friendly, and well-designed website for your church. Use the promo code "practical" at checkout to get 40% off and get a better website today. Visit thechurchco.com/practical for more info. 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 watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

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 Share them in the present tense Don't make yourself the hero Message review Never read them Story tracker   IMPROVE YOUR CHURCH WEBSITE This episode was brought to you by The Church Co. Get 40% off the first two years and have a fast, mobile-friendly, and well-designed website for your church. Use the promo code "practical" at checkout to get 40% off and get a better website today. Visit thechurchco.com/practical for more info. 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 watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

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 People will say there are interested and hardly, if ever, come Living with low level frustration from others Disappointment with yourself Financial ability Your church making a smaller difference than you thought IMPROVE YOUR CHURCH WEBSITE This episode was brought to you by The Church Co. Get 40% off the first two years and have a fast, mobile-friendly, and well-designed website for your church. Use the promo code "Practical" at checkout to get 40% off and get a better website today. Visit thechurchco.com/practical for more info. 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 watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

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 episode: Infrequent church attendance People wanting to watch a service/sermon Needing a quality online presence Groups = most engagement Fundraising still works People want to know what the Bible says   IMPROVE YOUR CHURCH WEBSITE This episode was brought to you by The Church Co. Get 40% off the first two years and have a fast, mobile-friendly, and well-designed website for your church. Use the promo code Practical at checkout to get 40% off and get a better website today. Visit thechurchco.com/practical for more info. 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 watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

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 homework (if sermon based) Start with a couple of announcements Do some ice breakers Break up Biblical text into multiple sections with a couple fo questions and a brief description Include questions about life and experiences, not just bible and theology Avoid inductive Bible study questions Keep it to 6-8 questions Send the guides out before Sunday   IMPROVE YOUR CHURCH WEBSITE This episode was brought to you by The Church Co. Get 40% off the first two years and have a fast, mobile-friendly, and well-designed website for your church. Use the promo code Practical at checkout to get 40% off and get a better website today. Visit thechurchco.com/practical for more info. 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 watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

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 ok with only doing what you can do Prioritize life-giving ministry moments Have a hobby Improve your church website This episode was brought to you by The Church Co. Get 40% off the first two years and have a fast, mobile-friendly, and well-designed website for your church. Use the promo code Practical at checkout to get 40% off and get a better website today. Visit thechurchco.com/practical for more info. 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 watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

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 from older people and/or older books It's better to focus on who you have than who you could have It's better to try new things that fail than never try anything new Sunday morning attendance isn't the best indicator of faith and dedication Having a high quality online presence is easier than you think. Improve your church website This episode was brought to you by The Church Co. Get 40% off the first two years and have a fast, mobile-friendly, and well-designed website for your church. Use the promo code Practical at checkout to get 40% off and get a better website today. Visit thechurchco.com/practical for more info. 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 watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

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 this episode:  Eldership process in place Work boundaries Sexual guardrails Itemized budget Applying the Gospel before fixing the problem Clear, practical, and realistic launch plan Local friends Improve your church website This episode was brought to you by The Church Co. Get 40% off the first two years and have a fast, mobile-friendly, and well-designed website for your church. Use the promo code Practical at checkout to get 40% off and get a better website today. Visit thechurchco.com/practical for more info. 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 watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

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 date website Consistent social media presence Clean facility Smooth kids check-in process Acknowledgment new people might be there Proper follow up Improve your church website This episode was brought to you by The Church Co. Get 40% off the first two years and have a fast, mobile-friendly, and well-designed website for your church. Use the promo code Practical at checkout to get 40% off and get a better website today. Visit thechurchco.com/practical for more info. 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 watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

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 about doing that? How is this impacting what you think about God? Why do you think this upsets you so much? If you could do it over again, what would you do differently? Repeat a question if you didn't get a real answer Is there anything I can do to help you? Improve your church website This episode was brought to you by The Church Co. Get 40% off the first two years and have a fast, mobile-friendly, and well-designed website for your church. Use the promo code Practical at checkout to get 40% off and get a better website today. Visit thechurchco.com/practical for more info. 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 watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.