

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

Oct 22, 2018 • 13min
PCP 040: $2 Trivia Night
$2 trivia night, what it is, and how you can do it. Welcome to welcome to episode 40 of Practical Church Planting. $2 trivia night is a monthly event we host at New City Church that has become a great place for our people to build relationships with each other and invite their friends. In this episode, we share what it is, why we started it, and how you could do something similar in your context. 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 New City Church's YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group!

Oct 18, 2018 • 16min
PCP 039: 8 Terrible Decisions We've Made At New City Church
Not every decision turns out the way we would like. Here are 8 terrible decisions we have made at New City Church. Welcome to welcome to episode 39 of Practical Church Planting. In this episode, we share eight terrible decisions we have made in and since planting New City Church to encourage you that we all make mistakes. Sometimes bad decisions lead us to great decisions, and sometimes nothing good comes of it and you just have to move on. Here are eight decisions we have made at New City that didn't work out so well that we share in this episode: Church Bible reading Free pizza Friday Monthly service projects Family Fun Days Monthly launch team meetings Live Streaming services New City Media Finding a space to meet 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 New City Church's YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group!

Oct 15, 2018 • 19min
PCP 038: Church Planting Q & A
We answer your questions! Welcome to welcome to episode 38 of Practical Church Planting. In this episode, we answer a few of your questions that have been submitted to us. If you have any questions about church planting and/or ministry you would like us to cover in a future episode, click here and submit them! 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 New City Church's YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group!

Oct 11, 2018 • 10min
PCP 037: How Many Worship Songs Should You Do In A Service?
The number of songs you do in your services affects more things than you may think. Welcome to welcome to episode 37 of Practical Church Planting. Does it matter how many worship songs you do in a service? In this episode, we talk about how the number of songs you sing impacts who you are going to reach, what the desired goal of your services are, and who will even show up at your church? There is no "right" amount, but understanding what you want to accomplish in your service goes a long way in deciding the number of songs you will do. 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 New City Church's YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group!

Oct 8, 2018 • 10min
PCP 036: 1 Resource For Following Up With First-Time Guests
Following up with first-time guests is vitally important. This resource will make it easier. Welcome to welcome to episode 36 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. There are many different methods and ways to follow up with first-time guests. In this episode, we talk about Text In Church, which is the program we use to follow up with and connect with first-time guests at New City Church. 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 New City Church's YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group!

Oct 4, 2018 • 14min
PCP 035: 5 Ways To Connect College Students To Your Church
Connecting college students to your church doesn't have to be a mystery. Welcome to welcome to episode 35 of Practical Church Planting. If you are near a college or university, you probably desire to impact those students with the Gospel. In this episode, we share five ways you connect with and involved college students in the life of your church. Here is what you can do to connect with more college students: Be relevant to them Recognize them Go to where they are Invest in them financially Give them significant roles to play 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 New City Church's YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group!

Oct 1, 2018 • 12min
PCP 034: 4 Free Kids Ministry Curriculum
Did you know there are many free options of kids curriculum that you can use at your church? Welcome to welcome to episode 34 of Practical Church Planting. In this episode, we share four free options of kids ministry curriculum you can use at your church. We also discuss some tips and give advice about what to do when it comes to kids ministry in general. The four kids ministry curriculum we discuss are: The Zoo Messages from Monsters Life Church Kids Curriculum Children's Ministry Deals 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 New City Church's YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group!

Sep 27, 2018 • 11min
PCP 033: The Service Planning Blueprint
If you have a church service, you have to plan it. Here is a blueprint for how you can plan and prepare your services every week. Welcome to welcome to episode 33 of Practical Church Planting. In this episode, we share the service planning blueprint we currently use at New City Church. From how we create our sermons, pick our songs, add any creative elements, and work to avoid the "why didn't we think of that?!" that can happen after your weekend services. 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 New City Church's YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group!

Sep 24, 2018 • 14min
PCP 032: 1 Sermon Template To Help You Preach Clearer Sermons
We all want to preach (and hear) clearer sermons. In this episode, we'll share a sermon template that will help you do just that. Welcome to welcome to episode 32 of Practical Church Planting. We all want sermons that are clear, applicable, and help us see who Jesus is. But it can be hard to do that every week with various Biblical texts and topics. In this episode, we share a sermon template we've been using at New City church that helps us keep our messages clear and consistent regardless of sermon series, topic, or Biblical book. Here is the breakdown of the template: Create a tension What do they need to know? Why do they need to know it? What do they need to do? Bottom Line Why do they need to do it? How does the Gospel speak to this? 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 New City Church's YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group!

Sep 20, 2018 • 12min
PCP 031: 5 Tips For Better Insta-Stories
Insta-stories are a great way to share with people what is going on at your church. Here are five tips to make them even better. Welcome to welcome to episode 31 of Practical Church Planting. Insta-stories area great tool for people to see what is happening at your church and for you to give people a sense of what it would be like for them to join you. In this episode, we share five tips that you can use to make your insta-stories more effective on Sundays. They are: Do 5-10 insta-stories, but no more than 10 Take different types of pictures Make different types of posts Make it look like something is going on Use volunteers 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 New City Church's YouTube Channel. Have questions or want encouragement from other church planters? Join the Practical Church Planting Facebook group!