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 8, 2024 • 31min
PC 025: 7 Ways To Increase Giving at Your Church
In this episode of the Practical Church Podcast, Dylan shares his journey of taking a break from the podcast and its return through a partnership with Mission Support, focusing on content while backend tasks are managed by Mission Support. The primary focus of the episode is on exploring seven ways to increase giving within the church community. Here are the 7 ways discussed on this episode: Mention it every week (especially if you don't pass a plate) Quarterly giving statements Make it a value at your church Connect stories to generosity Talk about it with no qualifications First time giving follow up email Be honest when you have needs / if things are tight Dylan also shares a personal observation on the benefits of proposing meeting locations closer to oneself to save time and offers a personal growth tip on transforming frustration into hope through actionable planning. Additionally, a listener's question regarding the use of church management apps and the challenge of engaging congregation members with new software is addressed. 00:00 Welcome Back to the Practical Church Podcast! 00:28 The Journey of the Practical Church Podcast 00:53 Partnership with Mission Support: A New Chapter 01:25 What's Next for the Practical Church Community 02:07 Diving Into Today's Episode: Increasing Church Giving 02:47 7 Effective Strategies to Boost Church Giving 24:37 Personal Growth Tips: From Frustration to Hope 27:31 Q&A: Navigating Church Management Software —— GET MORE CHURCH TIPS AND ADVICE Missionsupport.com/practical Practical Church Facebook Group
Feb 28, 2024 • 42min
PC 024: 4 Ways To Create More Community In Your Meeting Space
Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter. And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. HERE ARE THE 4 WAYS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE Auditorium (pipe and drape - rope off chairs - put less chairs out Lobby (pipe and drape - stanchions - use closest rooms if portable for kids space - signs to direct people) Kids (it can be too big! - Room dividers - pipe and drape - smaller rooms - more kids together Parking lot - Cones - Signs
Feb 21, 2024 • 39min
PC 023: 8 Easy Ways To Be A More Hospitable Church
Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter. And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. HERE ARE THE 8 WAYS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE Umbrellas when it rains (even if you don't get every person) Parker(s) in the parking lot Make your connect area obvious Coffee area should be accessible and not crowded Clean your facility Acknowledge new guests every Sunday Introduce yourself to people who are new Have clear signage
Feb 14, 2024 • 39min
PC 022: 6 Tips For Making Big Changes At Your Church
Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter. And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. HERE ARE THE 6 TIPS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE Do not apologize Invite questions Expect resistance & give people time to come around Bring your leaders in first Include it in your preaching Live with low-level frustration
Feb 7, 2024 • 35min
PC 021: 7 Ways To Get More Connect Cards
Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter. And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. HERE ARE THE 7 WAYS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE Prioritize a physical option Have a digital option Reference it every Sunday - and be clear what to do with it Give (and mention) a gift people actually want Limit number of things to fill out Designed well + easy to write on Have it readily available + pens
Jan 31, 2024 • 38min
PC 020: 6 Ways To Engage Infrequent Church Attenders
Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter. And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. HERE ARE THE 6 WAYS I RECOMMEND IN THIS EPISODE Get people serving Assume many people haven't been to a single week of your sermon series Invite people to something (Christmas / Easter…baptism, and event…) Challenge people, but don't guilt them (do they know you want them to come more??) Engage people online (remind them you exist) Ensure your leaders prioritize the gathering
Jan 24, 2024 • 40min
PC 019: 7 Recommended Gadgets for Ministry
Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter. And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. HERE ARE THE 7 RECOMMENDATIONS I MAKE IN THIS EPISODE Fountain ink pen Standing desk + walking pad 3 ring leather sermon notebook (half sheets of paper) $70 Pulpit with cup holder halfway down Todoist Calendly Logos
Jan 17, 2024 • 44min
PC 018: 5 Nonconventional Ways To Better Engage Your People
Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter. And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. HERE ARE THE 5 WAYS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE Don't put your main scriptures on the screen Don't give people the option to sit so far apart from each other Don't ask people too many options (serving, groups, etc.) - get them in and then give options later Restrict your available time to meet with people (same amount of available time - just more focused) Ask people to step into bigger roles (they won't ask themselves
Jan 10, 2024 • 36min
PC 017: 6 Ways To Create More Energy On A Sunday Morning
Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter. And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. HERE ARE 6 WAYS TO CREATE MORE ENERGY ON A SUNDAY MORNING Music playing Close your auditorium doors until 10 minutes before service starts Play under announcements/end of service/speaking transitions Have a clear end of service Lead from stage - regardless of number of people The vibe starts with you and your leaders
Jan 3, 2024 • 50min
PC 016: 5 2024 Church Predictions
Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter. And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. HERE ARE MY 5 2024 CHURCH PREDICTIONS Churches that understand they have a "new" church will do better than those who don't In person Sunday attendance is still a vital metric to track and lead people towards Churches that raise (or keep) a high bar for their leaders will be more effective than those who make excuses Livestream/online engagement will be the biggest missed opportunity to reach new people Jesus focused churches will (continue) to be the most New Testament-reflective churches


