

Practical Church
Dylan Dodson
Practical church exists to give you practical tips, advice, and encouragement when it comes to leading and growing healthy churches. Whether you are interested in planting a church, are in the process of planting a church, or just want to learn more about building healthy churches, you’ve come to the right place.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 30, 2019 • 56min
PCP 100: The Story Of New City Church
The story of New City Church. Welcome to welcome to episode 100 of Practical Church Planting. Interested in Dylan's story of church planting? In this special episode, we share how New City came to be, and what Dylan has learned on the journey. Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

May 27, 2019 • 15min
PCP 099: 6 Characteristics Of An Effective Connect Card
Want a connect card people will actually fill out? Welcome to welcome to episode 99 of Practical Church Planting. Most churches have a connect card for new guests to fill out, but there is a difference between having a good connect card and a bad one. In this episode, we share six characteristics of an effective connect card and how to get more guests to fill them out. Here is what we share: Have one Keep it minimal Make it visually appealing Is it easy to write on? Talk about it every week Give a gift people actually want Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

May 23, 2019 • 16min
PCP 098: 7 Non-Intrusive Ways To Welcome First Time Guests
How can we welcome first time guests in a way that isn't awkward or forced? Welcome to welcome to episode 98 of Practical Church Planting. How can we welcome first time guests in a way that isn't intrusive and also isn't too stand-offish? The balance can be tricky, but in this episode we share these 7 tips: Volunteers in the parking lot Acknowledge they are present from stage Connect card Give a tour Do not ask if it is their first time Signage In the preaching Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

May 20, 2019 • 13min
PCP 097: 5 Ways To Make Your Church Lobby Less Awkward
Church lobbies can sometimes feel awkward. They don't have to be. Welcome to welcome to episode 97 of Practical Church Planting. Church lobbies can sometimes feel awkward. They can feel cold, unwelcoming, and even lonely. But they don't have to. Today we share these 5 tips on how to make them feel less awkward: Make it smaller Create spaces where people can naturally congregate Music, please Don't open your auditorium doors too early Have a lobby greeter Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

May 16, 2019 • 17min
PCP 096: 7 Reasons Why People Join Launch Teams
Why do people join church planting launch teams? Welcome to welcome to episode 96 of Practical Church Planting. When it comes to building a launch team it can be easy to think of all the reasons why people won't join you on the journey of planting a church. However, there a quite a few reasons why they will. Here are 7 we discuss in this episode: Community People want to make a difference Their relationship with the planter Feeling like they are actually making a difference Being part of something from the beginning They have their own agenda They were asked Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

May 13, 2019 • 16min
PCP 095: 10 Tips For Telling Better Stories
Some tips on telling better stories. Welcome to welcome to episode 95 of Practical Church Planting. Good communicators not only use stories but know how to tell good ones. Stories help people connect better with the communicator and makes the content more applicable. In this episode, we share these 10 tips for telling better stories: Personal stories are always best The more removed you are from the story, the less effective it is Story stories are second best Don't be the hero of the story Keep it short Use stories soon after main points Tell them every week Practice them out loud Never look at your notes when telling a story No one cares how much you know until you tell a story Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

May 8, 2019 • 3min
PCP 094: 5 Tips For Talking About Giving That Don't Feel Forced
How can we talk about generosity in a way that doesn't feel forced? Welcome to welcome to episode 94 of Practical Church Planting. Talking about giving and generosity is important, but how can we do it in a way that doesn't feel forced or weird? In this episode, we give these 5 tips: Talk about giving often Always explain why Encourage people to take steps Celebrate what their generosity has done Explain the need Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

May 6, 2019 • 14min
PCP 093: 8 Things Dylan Has Learned From Preaching Every Week [Part 2]
Some thoughts and tips on preaching. Welcome to welcome to episode 93 of Practical Church Planting. Dylan is no expert, but has learned a few things from preaching every week. Here are the last four (the first for were in our previous episode) of the eight lessons we discuss in this episode: People laugh and connect with things you often don't expect Less information is more You have more time than you think you do If it looks easy, it's because it's not Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

May 2, 2019 • 16min
PCP 092: 8 Things Dylan Has Learned From Preaching Every Week [Part 1]
Some thoughts and tips on preaching. Welcome to welcome to episode 92 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. Dylan is no expert but has learned a few things from preaching every week. Here are four of the eight lessons we discuss in this episode: Experience isn't the only thing you need to get better Nervousness does go away (or at least greatly reduces) Improvement is much slower than you would hope it would be Humor is important Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.

Apr 29, 2019 • 15min
PCP 091: 4 Reasons Your Church Shouldn’t Apologize For Reaching More People
Church growth can sometimes be a taboo subject. Here is why it shouldn't be. Welcome to welcome to episode 90 of Practical Church Planting. You're involved in ministry because you want to see people take steps closer to and with Jesus. Ideally, the more people that do that, the better. But yet it seems like wanting to have a growing church is sometimes seen as a bad thing. In this episode, we share 4 reasons as to why we shouldn't apologize for wanting to reach more people. We discuss: Price point What are you buying it for? What other equipment will you need? What else can you use it for? Connect and never miss an episode. Did you know that you can watch the Practical Church Planting podcast? Connect with us on our Facebook page or our YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group.