Practical Church

Before your service begins, you should be intentional about when you open the doors to your auditorium.  Welcome to welcome to episode 11 of Practical Church Planting. Keeping your auditorium (worship center, sanctuary, etc.) doors closed until a specific time before you service starts is a great idea, and share how we do it at New City Church. In this episode, we discuss a few reasons why you should try it: It creates energy There is momentum in movement People are more likely to sit next to each other It makes people talk to each other People are more likely to connect with someone The show releases every Monday and Thursday morning Did you know that you can also subscribe to the podcast version of Practical Church Planting? Subscribe for free and never miss an episode! Appreciate the podcast? Please leave a rating and review, and even share it to help spread the word! Here’s where you can subscribe: iTunes Google Play

It may not seem like you need parking lot volunteers, but in this episode, we explain why they are so important. Welcome to welcome to episode 9 of Practical Church Planting. There are a number of reasons why having volunteers in your parking lot helping to park cars is vital to a great guest experience. Here are some of the reasons we discuss: It creates energy It shows you are prepared and expect people to arrive It's unexpected for non-church goers It helps people feel welcomed right away It creates fun It can help you sell your mission to your team The show releases every Monday and Thursday morning Did you know that you can also subscribe to the podcast version of Practical Church Planting? Subscribe for free and never miss an episode! Appreciate the podcast? Please leave a rating and review, and even share it to help spread the word! Here’s where you can subscribe: iTunes Google Play

Every church needs more volunteers, but how do we balance that need with the need to make sure things are being done well? Welcome to welcome to episode 9 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. Even though all churches, and especially new churches, need all the help they can get. There is wisdom is still having a high bar of what to expect from volunteers. Here are some of the reasons why that we discuss in this episode: People notice straggles People will self-select out People want to be called to something greater First-time guest experience is huge Growing churches take this seriously The show releases every Monday and Thursday morning Did you know that you can also subscribe to the podcast version of Practical Church Planting? Subscribe for free and never miss an episode! Appreciate the podcast? Please leave a rating and review, and even share it to help spread the word! Here’s where you can subscribe: iTunes Google Play

Should you actually put out fewer chairs than you need for your weekend services? In this episode, we share why that is actually a good idea. Welcome to welcome to episode 8 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. Putting out fewer chairs than you need and then adding them as your seats fill up is really counter-intuitive. However, it's actually something you should do. In this episode, we talk about why you should and how you can do it. Here are the why reasons we discuss: It creates momentum People will actually sit together People will sit up front No one likes to stand Saving seats look bad to new guests The show releases every Monday and Thursday morning Did you know that you can also subscribe to the podcast version of Practical Church Planting? Subscribe for free and never miss an episode! Appreciate the podcast? Please leave a rating and review, and even share it to help spread the word! Here’s where you can subscribe: iTunes Google Play

Small groups, community groups, life groups, etc. Whatever you call them, how do you start a strong groups ministry at a church plant? Welcome to welcome to episode 7 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. Launching groups in a new church is hard. We did something we called Dinners for 6that allowed us to launch multiple healthy groups from the beginning. In this episode we talk about: Why starting groups as a church plant is hard Dinners for 6 are laid back and do not require a big commitment We connect better over a meal People will then sign up for a group with their dinners group It's an easy place to invite friends. The show releases every Monday and Thursday morning Did you know that you can also subscribe to the podcast version of Practical Church Planting? Subscribe for free and never miss an episode! Appreciate the podcast? Please leave a rating and review, and even share it to help spread the word! Here’s where you can subscribe: iTunes Google Play

What should you do and what does it look like to meet with and grow your launch team prior to launch? Welcome to welcome to episode 6 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. What should you do in the months leading up to launching a church? It's a critical time to build relationships in and grow your launch team and to prepare for the start of the church. In this episode, we talk about: Creating a consistent time to gather your team and invite new people Building momentum closer to launch Not holding formal church services before launch Have a defined timeline How far out to start meeting The show releases every Monday and Thursday morning Did you know that you can also subscribe to the podcast version of Practical Church Planting? Subscribe for free and never miss an episode! Appreciate the podcast? Please leave a rating and review, and even share it to help spread the word! Here’s where you can subscribe: iTunes Google Play

Raising money is a big part of planting a church. But what about raising money not just for your church, but also your salary? And if your not the lead pastor, can you raise support too? Welcome to welcome to episode 4 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. Raising support can be very intimidating, but it's something everyone can do. It's also a great way for a church plant to afford multiple staff positions even from the very beginning. In this episode, we talk about: Asking in person is by far the best, followed by a phone conversation, then sending out support letters When making the ask (in person or on the phone) make your ask and then don't say anything Send a monthly update to all of your supporters Ask for a specific time period, we recommend one year or two at the most Give people a deadline to respond to your ask by (not too far in the future) Remember: people give to relationships and those they trust Don't say "no" for people The show releases every Monday and Thursday morning Did you know that you can also subscribe to the podcast version of Practical Church Planting? Subscribe for free and never miss an episode! Appreciate the podcast? Please leave a rating and review, and even share it to help spread the word! Here’s where you can subscribe: iTunes Google Play

Everyone puts the scripture being taught from the sermon on your screens so everyone can follow along during the service? But is there a better idea? In this episode, we share why you should consider taking your main Bible passage(s) off your screens. Welcome to welcome to episode 4 of Practical Church Planting. You can watch the episode below, or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. There certainly is no right or wrong way to do it, but a New City Church, we don't put up our main Bible passage on the screen during our services. Here are the reasons we share in this episode: Non-Christians know for sure that we are reading/teaching from the Bible It encourages people to open up and actually read the Bible for themselves Some people will be opening up the Bible for the first time in their lives It's less intimidating for people who actually want to follow along in a Bible/device It helps keep people's attention People can read it again during the message When you put that page number on the screen, no one is embarrassed about trying to find the passage The show releases every Monday and Thursday morning Did you know that you can also subscribe to the podcast version of Practical Church Planting? Subscribe for free and never miss an episode! Appreciate the podcast? Please leave a rating and review, and even share it to help spread the word! Here’s where you can subscribe: iTunes Google Play

What does it mean to contextualize to who you are trying to reach, and why is it important? In this episode, we share how you can and should contextualize the Gospel to impact God has called you to reach. Welcome to welcome to episode 3 of Practical Church Planting.   When it comes to contextualizing to our target, we need to understand that we cannot reach everybody. Instead, the more specific we can be on who we are trying reach, the more effective we can be. In this episode, we talk about: How you can't reach everyone Why young families are the default for many church planters How to find your target person We share who the "target" is for New City Church and what that means for us.

How can you use social media to connect with people and grow your church? Welcome to welcome to episode 2 of Practical Church Planting. Social Media is a great tool that can help people discover you, learn about your church, and connect with you before they ever visit. Below are some things to consider, and what we talked about, in this episode. Have a social media presence and functioning website prior to launch Have consistent (i.e. the same) social media handles across all major platforms Post consistently so people know you are active and actually doing things Recruit people in your church to help Don't just post about upcoming events, offer value in your posting as well We also share what New City Church currently does on social