Practical Church

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

A lot goes into naming a church, but what specifically should we be thinking through when it comes to church names? In this episode, we share some very important, but commonly overlooked, aspects that should influence your decision. When it comes to naming our churches, we need to be discoverable by people online. No one goes anywhere new these days without checking it out online first. This is especially true for a first-time guest visiting your church. Because of that, here are some questions to think through to make it as easier as possible for people to be able to find you online: Does a widely known North American Church have this name? Does a well-known church in your state have this name? Can you find social media handles and a website URL that all match? Is your church name in English (if you are an English speaking church)? Greek and Hebrew are great, but it is much harder to spell correctly and remember.