New Churches Podcast

Episode 716 Raising funds for a church plant in the expensive urban core of a city poses many challenges – among them the task of financing the ministry. Host Ed Stetzer talks with James Roberson and Taylor Field about their planting experiences in New York City. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The “three self formula” of planting indigenous churches How starting with a nonprofit can help structure your approach The importance of depending only on the God who called you How facilities factor into the equation Ways to prioritize missions giving in church planting Helpful Resources: Link: Bridge Church NYC Link: Graffiti Church Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): The way we got our apartment was our sending church co-signed for us. It was 600 square feet and we paid close to $3,000 a month for that. — James Roberson We call it the “F word.” No one wants to talk about finances but it’s really important. — Taylor Field Play the cards you’re dealt and focus on that. People always ask, “How many sources do you have?” We say, “One source, many channels.” We do have many challenges but it’s one source: our Heavenly Father. — Taylor Field Your confidence must be categorically in God, because if it’s not, then you’re going to be depending on Big Bucks Tabernacle to fund you. I literally had individual, single-parent moms give me more than huge name churches. — James Roberson You can’t get into that corrosive mentality of “You owe me.” You’ve got to know that God called you and He will fund what He’s called you to. Once you’re convinced of that, no city can stop the call of God. — James Roberson What we said was “Lord, we don’t want to be a sofa. We want want to be a launching pad.” One of the root words for “salvation” in the Hebrew is “make a space for.” Having a space helped us become a launching pad. — Taylor Field It’s important for church planters, especially in the urban core, to look beyond our own self-interest as a church. — Taylor Field The post Financing Ministry in the Expensive Urban Core appeared first on New Churches. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 715 Even if we say growth is really not a congregation’s goal, there’s a subtle pressure for our churches to always be numerically larger. Host Clint Clifton talks with Jess Thompson and Todd Adkins about five advantages to staying relatively small. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The advantage of agility in mission Why relational depth is so important What forced ingenuity means in a smaller church context Why smaller churches can handle failure better Why volunteer dependency is such a good thing Helpful Resources: Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s book: Team of Teams John Kotter books: Leading Change Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World Lawrence Miller’s book: Barbarians to Bureaucrats Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): We obviously we want to continue to reach people with the gospel. However, there are some advantages to your local church being modest in size. @ClintJClifton The advantages of staying small are numerous. You always hear the speedboat versus freight liner analogy. One is easier to maneuver than the other. @ToddAdkins A big church has more resources to put into an initiative but in large churches there’s this hesitancy toward change or doing something new. I think it’s harder to pivot to try new things when there’s this hesitancy.  – Jess Thompson When the lines of decision-making are very clear but they’re not very relational, it becomes a lot harder to do something outside the box. @ClintJClifton Relational depth is the biggest bonus for small churches. That’s what we want spiritually – to be known, by our Creator, by each other. In large churches that’s hard to do.  – Jess Thompson John Kotter says organizations start relational and nodal, then move to hierarchical. Legacy churches and organizations tend to have their lunch eaten by the upstarts, who are more relational. The secret sauce to stay relational and grow at the same time is to have both. @ToddAdkins Unfortunately the larger and more established you get, you tend to be innovative where you should be static and static where you should be innovative. But smallness allows you to say, “Oh, I can take initiative here.” It’s easier to take risks. Church planting tends to just attract people who can see that way. @ToddAdkins The post 5 Advantages of Staying Small appeared first on New Churches. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 714 The complex diversity of places like New York City poses challenges and creates opportunities for church planting. Host Ed Stetzer talks with James Roberson and Taylor Field about the missiology of planting in such an environment. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What makes New York City so complex from a missiological perspective How to bridge economic disparities The missiological challenges of changing neighborhood demographics Factors that make it harder to plant a church in a place like New York City The value of compassion ministries in building relationships Helpful Resources: Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): New York City is seen as maybe the Mount Everest of church planting – a lot of folks have tried, a lot of plants have died. @EdStetzer We sometimes say New York City is a not a melting pot, it’s a tossed salad. Where we started we rebuilt a synagogue. On one side is a “squat,” where people illegally occupied the building; on the other side there’s a luxury apartments. — Taylor Field If you try to stop a person walking in New York, it’s like stopping a person mid-traffic in the South. — James Roberson In more northeastern places, some of the most welcoming Christian folks – when they get changed, man, they get changed. It’s not cultural religion. @EdStetzer Bonhoeffer says you can’t speak the words of God until you listen with the ears of God. The big thing is just to be a listener. Kindness crosses every culture. — Taylor Field Trying to get them to understand the Calvary Road – suffering and trials – takes a long time in the city. You’ve come up here with a dream. God’s not really impressed with your dream. He wants to see you be sanctified and grow. — James Roberson There’s also a missiological simplicity to New York City. Here the different people groups are all on top of each other. So there is that opportunity: every language, every tongue, everybody’s welcome. That could simplify things, rather than make it more complex. — Taylor Field The post Church Planting in the Big Apple appeared first on New Churches. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 713 People talk about calling in such a subjective way that it’s a little hard to pin down, but one of the most invigorating, satisfying things a pastor can do is “tap the shoulder” of someone who demonstrates ministry leadership qualities. Host Clint Clifton talks with Scott Pace and Shane Pruitt about specific ways to “call out the called.” In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Specific ways to use the “Calling Out the Called” resources How the pastor plays a pivotal role in developing the planter Ways the book and resources provide structure to talk about things like finances, what it’s like to live in a glass bowl or how to balance marriage and ministry Indicators pastors might notice in church members that God might be calling them toward ministry The important difference between teachability and agreeability Helpful Resources: Scott and Shane’s new book Calling Out the Called Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): Think about the huge impact it could have if some pastors begin to get a vision for calling out called people in their church: new churches planted, lots of new people in ministry, more ministry happening. @ClintJClifton We want to reignite the conversation of actually calling out the called – and when we do, what do we do with them? @rscott_pace Our target is to equip the equipper, to help others in their ministry leadership calling, discovering specifically what it is, and then how to mature in that. @shane_pruitt78 Pastors and other church leaders are on the front lines. They’re able to observe what they see by way of giftedness and there are some objective criteria in terms of giftedness and ability, skills, passions that you recognize in others that you say, “Hey, have you ever considered a calling to ministry?” @rscott_pace Look out for consistency, humility, teachability – and people who just love Jesus, love people, love to serve – meaning they’re already doing it without any kind of title or position, without any accolades. @shane_pruitt78 Teachability is another characteristic to look for, that they’re eager to learn and they have a passion for the church in general. They see the kingdom big picture, not just the immediate ministry need that’s in front of them. @rscott_pace I want to challenge pastors to ask, “What’s it going to take for you to be the most influential minister in another minister’s life?” @ClintJClifton The post Calling Out the Called appeared first on New Churches. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 712 Seasonal community outreach isn’t a topic of widespread discussion but it’s a very practical component to the ministry of a church planter. Host Clint Clifton talks with John Ames leveraging holidays to engage the community for gospel impact. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Two common thoughts about community outreach that need to change Some diagnostic questions we should be asking ourselves about outreach events Two major considerations for planning community outreach What your goal in outreach events ought to be The importance of personal engagement and building relationships Helpful Resources: Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): There’s not a whole lot that everybody in your community agrees on but even people who aren’t Christians recognize Christmas season. Statistically speaking, in the U.S. people are a lot more likely to go to church or at least to be introspective about spiritual things around holidays. @ClintJClifton When you start to listen to and engage your community, you hear the values already in play. People are very excited during Thanksgiving or Christmastime about the idea of just pouring out resources to others and that people are entitled to compassion and kindness during that time. — John Ames Almost 20 years into church planting, I almost won’t do an event if I don’t have a community partner and I think novelty is not nearly as important as I thought it once was. @ClintJClifton I really like returning to that theological understanding that God is already on mission where where you’re going. Your goal is not to come in and create something new. Your goal is to find out where God is already at work in the community. — John Ames Sometimes we can get all excited about something we’re going to do but we don’t ever think about the person we’re serving. We just think about us and how it’s going to make us feel. — John Ames Some of it is just taking an event that’s already happening and looking for ways to make it more personal by leveraging your members to sit next to a stranger and engage them in conversation. @ClintJClifton When you provide events that pull people in and engage that shared common interest, you’re already a step ahead. — John Ames The post Seasonal Community Outreach appeared first on New Churches. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 711 Is a multi-leader organization really a “two-headed snake”? Or is co-pastoring a restoration of a New Testament trend? Host Ed Stetzer talks with Jon Mollohan and Colby Garman about whether and how co-pastoring can work. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What “plurality health” means in church leadership How scriptural injunctions and culture interact in leadership structures Advantages and challenges of co-pastoring How plurality done well feeds the quality of discipleship The roles of plurality in church planting Helpful Resources: Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): I have had the privilege of planting, depending how you count, six churches and the one that probably was the most difficult was the time we tried to plant with three co-pastors. @EdStetzer Co-pastors sounds like the most difficult thing in the history of mankind to do well. Plurality health, however, is just making sure the leadership of a church is guiding one another to lead the church in a healthy way. — Jon Mollohan It’s good for us to acknowledge that we are stepping into the wise application of some ideas that don’t get entirely fleshed out for us in the New Testament. But if we value plurality, it’s worth valuing at the very highest level. @ColbyGarman Discipleship should be the greatest expression from the plurality or the leadership of the church. — Jon Mollohan Church planters have to go into the room being willing to submit to others. That’s a key thing of plurality. @EdStetzer When we broaden out the the voices that shape and define the church, we protect them against our own weaknesses and having a church built around our own strengths. We prepare the church for the day when we’re not going to be part of it. @ColbyGarman It is so much fun to be a pastor when you know the elders have your back. You know they care for you. My elders are my friends. I’m actually doing ministry with these guys. — Jon Mollohan The post Can Co-Pastoring Work? appeared first on New Churches. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 710 Planters face challenges trying to raise up pastors, but they also have some advantages. Host Clint Clifton talks with Adam Muhtaseb and Greg Gibson about raising pastors from within your plant. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How praying for or giving money to a church planter is different than raising leaders internally Advantages of raising up leaders in a planter context How to identify potential church planters in your congregation Where to start developing a system for leadership development The subtle but important difference between teachability and agreeability. Helpful Resources: Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): Even megachurches with all the resources in the world are struggling to raise up leaders. @Adam_Muhtaseb One advantage is that there’s less people, so you can already see who’s engaged, who’s faithful and then who has these more apostolic gift sets. It’s definitely more observable in a smaller context. — Greg Gibson Jesus did not rent out the Roman Colosseum and start a service. He had dinner with 12 guys for three years. So who are you having dinner with? Who are you developing? @Adam_Muhtaseb You’re imagining from the beginning something that’s going to work, not just for one or two people you have a personal relationship with, but you’re trying to create a pipeline where members can move through the process. @ClintJClifton My impulse is always to want the excellent person, but in a sense I want to lower my standards a little and look for people who have high moral character, love Jesus and are willing to be faithful, to make sacrifices for him. — Greg Gibson No one’s on the bench. We’re all being developed to our next step. Just what is our next step? @Adam_Muhtaseb The professionalization of pastors doesn’t equate to church advance. So maybe if we de-professionalize pastoral ministry, we might make a little more progress. @ClintJClifton The post Raising Pastors from Within appeared first on New Churches. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 709 As you reach people for Jesus, inevitably they are going to ask what the church believes about a particular point of theology – and a pastor better be prepared to explain. Host Ed Stetzer talks with Trevin Wax and Colby Garman about why theology position papers matter in a practical way for a church planter. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why a pastor should be the church’s resident theologian How a position paper helps a church unify around how it will carry out ministry Some ways a theology position paper can be used What level of agreement members should be expected to have Some pressing issues of our day on which a church may need to clearly articulate a view Helpful Resources: Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): Someone’s going to be the resident theologian of your church. It ought to be you, because God has given you the responsibility of being the dominant theological voice in that congregation and because healthy doctrine matters. You ought to care about the unity of the church. @TrevinWax A well thought-out and clearly articulated position statement – on some important subject in the life of the church – draws out where the Bible touches on the subject and how we actually live that out in the in the context of the local church. @ColbyGarman I have seen pastors use position papers in the hiring process. I’ve seen churches get blown up because they bring on pastoral staff and find out they are not on the same page about a doctrinal issue and how you work out that issue. @TrevinWax We have a real opportunity as pastors here to teach our churches how to gather around core historic Christian doctrine, while at the same time creating space for people in their discipleship to grow and develop and become more nuanced. @ColbyGarman Clarity is good. People ask if it is unkind to lay out details. No, quite the opposite. It’s kind to tell people this is where we are on what sometimes may be difficult issues. @EdStetzer Position papers really are useful when the the culture around us or the shared assumptions we might have change. If we don’t somehow articulate them, we move into categories of talking about those topics that are driven primarily by the culture. @ColbyGarman Statement papers enable you to thoughtfully, convictionally, biblically, winsomely lay out what you believe. I say to people, “Take a look at that and then let’s talk through if you have additional questions.” @EdStetzer The post Theology Position Papers appeared first on New Churches. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 708 Leveraging business for mission presents numerous challenges, yet there are strong arguments to be made for its benefits. Host Clint Clifton talks with Adam Muhtaseb and Greg Gibson about the value and tensions inherent in mixing the two. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How a church leveraged a co-working space and coffee shop to buy a facility How business can help plant churches in expensive cities The challenges of mixing business and church Whether business as mission muddies the water of “pure pastoral work” Missiological advantages of business as mission Helpful Resources: Book: Gospel Patrons Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): It’s naive to think that if you enter the business world with your church it will not take away your time. We had a lot of lost people coming to our building and we were making money, but I spent so much of my time on the businesses, it was driving me insane. @Adam_Muhtaseb I wanted to be able to plant churches and not always have the the weight of the the financial need behind me. I was thinking about how we can plant churches in major cities that are super expensive and quickly think about sustainability and then reproducibility. — Greg Gibson You have to clearly define your “why.” But I also want to sit in the seat of the prudent man and think in terms of stewardship: How can I turn what I have into more? — Greg Gibson The reason we even do business as a church is because money is mission ammunition, and we want more bullets to shoot to adoption funds, church plants and staff. @Adam_Muhtaseb It is a necessary follow-on from the focus on urban church planting. It’s inevitable that those who embed themselves in the most expensive cities in the world and try to do so on a bivocational, volunteer or a small church-planting salary would have to get creative in order to stay. @ClintJClifton From Paul’s tent-making days to the modern covocational thing, church planting’s always had a foot in the marketplace and the marketplace has had a foot in the church. This is not a brand-new conversation. @ClintJClifton I’m interested in training business guys in my churches to think about using their businesses as mission. The missiological impact of it begins to unfold exponentially. — Greg Gibson The post Business as Mission appeared first on New Churches. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 707 There’s so much to book writing that’s unknown and kind of mysterious to those who desire to write a book. Host Clint Clifton talks with Ed Stetzer and Christine Hoover about steps aspiring writers need to take. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: First steps to discovering the publishing industry The importance of having a well-known agent Ways to actually accomplish the labor of writing The role deadlines play How to evaluate if you’re any good at writing  Helpful Resources: Christine Hoover’s author page Ed Stetzer’s author page Clint Clifton’s author page Michael Hyatt The First Step You Must Take to Get Your Book Published Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): Writing a book is not just having the idea, not just having the desire. It’s putting your bottom in a seat and actually spending time doing it. It’s really an act of discipline. @ChristineHoover Most books should be an article and most articles should be a Tweet. The expansion of ideas across chapters is a stunning amount of effort. If you want to write a book, you better start by writing some articles. @EdStetzer I don’t read anything until I’m done and then I go back through and I re-read and edit myself pretty extensively. @ChristineHoover Real writing is editing. Anyone can write something once. It’s your editing and re-editing where the pain comes, but it’s necessary. @EdStetzer I have to go away for multiple days to get anything substantive done. Both of the major writing projects I’ve done were accomplished in two-, four- or five-day chunks of time. @ClintJClifton You can self-publish and then be picked up by a publisher. That’s an increasingly common path as well. @EdStetzer One way, especially for women, is using social media platforms to write and test things. When people resonate with certain topics, you realize, “Oh.” @ChristineHoover The post So You Want to Write a Book appeared first on New Churches. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.