New Churches Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

Episode 706 When disaster strikes your community, every church planter must see it as a God-given opportunity to get the gospel into lives. Host Clint Clifton talks with Taylor Field and Kay Bennett about ways a church can position itself to be ready to respond. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Ways your church can be prepared ahead of time How gospel opportunities are embedded in disasters The importance of focusing on individuals in crisis The value of seeing disaster response as worship How churches should be engaging with nonprofits Helpful Resources: Send Relief website 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): When somebody comes for relief items, it’s not the items they want the most. They want to tell their story. Listening to their story, debrief them, help them deal with what’s going on. Pray for them. The disaster has a person where they’re ready to hear about Jesus. — Kay Bennett Throughout history, God has used His people in times of disaster and distress to advance the gospel. You help people rebuild their lives, one at a time, and it matters to every person you help. Focus on the one. — Clint Clifton If we’re imagining what we’re doing as worship, as opposed to moving the needle in terms of correcting the  problem, it makes a difference in your motivation for why you’re doing what you’re doing. — Clint Clifton The bigger the crisis, the more personal we need to become. We don’t want to know people by their need. We want to know them by their name. Sacrifice is what’s going to touch people, where you pour out your life for other people. — Taylor Field Churches should be engaged front and center in these issues and be known for their partnerships with nonprofits that spearhead these efforts. The church’s organized engagement has potential for incredible power. — Clint Clifton When you engage with nonprofits, it opens a door for you that normally wouldn’t be available. You get to see the greatest needs in your area and you’re able to come alongside to meet those needs. It’ll be amazing what it does to give your church an identity. — Kay Bennett When a crisis comes, make a three- to five-year plan, not a one-month plan. Because being embedded in your community is going to make a difference in a lot of different ways. Think about it not just as a crisis for a few weeks. — Taylor Field The post How to Help When Disaster Strikes Your Community appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 705 As we’re coming out of Covid, how do we get churches thinking about church planting again? Host Ed Stetzer talks with Chuy Rodriguez and Catherine Renfro about raising the “church planting IQ” of a congregation. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why an established church would plant 15 minutes away The importance of exposing churches to different models of church planting Why the life cycle of a church has to be taken into account The value of engaging local communities that are “different than us” The importance of understanding everybody can do something when it comes to church planting Helpful Resources: Church Planting Masterclass  Sending Church Masterclass Church Planting Primer Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): A lot of congregations – new and existing – don’t really know how to articulate church planting as part of their vision. Maybe they don’t even feel church planning is very vital. @EdStetzer The importance of church planting is taught, but a passion for it is caught. That comes from a church leader continuously showing passion. You talk about it. You give to it. You send people. That shows it’s important to us. @CatherineRenfro If you leave the the majority culture, you find a new harvest and a new group of people in desperate need of new churches and the gospel. —Chuy Rodriguez One of the advantages of being part of a denomination or network is you have churches of different ethnicities and backgrounds. That gives you an opportunity to engage in different ways. @EdStetzer The more we engage our churches with the immigrant, with the widow, with the poor, the more they will realize that we need more churches. —Chuy Rodriguez A lot of people wonder “Is church planting for me?” If every church member knew and really understood that everybody can do something when it comes to church planting, it makes it a lot easier to engage. @CatherineRenfro I would suggest taking local mission trips. I truly believe the future of church planting lies in how we are going to reach the new people coming to our country. One of the best ways to get our IQ high as a church is rethinking local missions. —Chuy Rodriguez The post Increasing Your Congregation’s Church Planting IQ appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 704 Planters and church-planting networks and organizations are trying to figure out how they fit alongside other. Clint Clifton, Trevin Wax and Vance Pitman hash through the relational levels between and value of national and micro-networks. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What really holds church-based and micro networks together How to maintain relationships so network values remain strong What needs national and micro-networks can each meet uniquely How large a church needs to be to begin multiplying How national networks can collaborate Helpful Resources: Trevin Wax’s book The Thrill of Orthodoxy 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): What really holds church-based and micro networks together is values collaboration. @VancePitman It’s really good for us to recognize the concentric circles of care and love that make it more likely a church planter will be successful. @ClintJClifton The ground is level when it comes to church multiplication, because it only takes one thing to multiply a church and that’s a ready leader. It’s all about discipleship. @ClintJClifton The big mega-church in the New Testament missed out on Paul They sent him home. It was the small Antioch church that was able to build the relational equity with him where Saul became Paul. So who had greater impact? @VancePitman As organizations grow, we go from barbarians to bureaucrats, from being willing to do whatever it takes to having lots of factors to consider. Sometimes the barbarians are just better suited. @ClintJClifton But sometimes the bureaucrats have larger reach and extent of of influence too. @TrevinWax The kingdom of God is bigger than any one denomination network or tribe. The endgame is about kingdom expansion to the ends of the earth. @VancePitman The post Do Little Networks Matter? appeared first on New Churches.

I’m Trevin Wax. In October, I’m starting a new podcast called Reconstructing Faith that examines the state of the American church’s witness. For years now, we’ve seen the church rocked by sin and scandal and our credibility as Christ’s followers has been diminished. Reconstructing Faith avoids the simplistic knee-jerk reactions you see on social media and instead looks at the church the same way you’d look at your home after a natural disaster, say a flood. We’ll examine the foundations of the church that have stood the test of time, both here in America and around the world. We’ll also examine the rot in the church, the attitudes and practices that have sprung up over the decades like mold. While there’s been a lot of bad news, we’ve got to remember the good news of the gospel and work within the church to restore and rebuild its witness so that people experience the majesty of Jesus. I hope you’ll join me. Find out more at ReconstructingFaithPodcast.com. The post Introducing Reconstructing Faith appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 703 Church planters and their teams are on the lookout for best practices in starting kids ministry. Host Clint Clifton talks with Danielle Whitley, author of a new free resource, “10 Steps to Developing a Kids Ministry,” which lays a great foundation for discipling young Christ-followers – for generations to come. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why it’s so vital to instill energy in kids ministry volunteers Ministry can be done even in less-than-ideal spaces The importance of making ministry space fun and kid friendly Qualities to look for in recruiting a kid’s ministry director Helpful Resources: Free new resource: 10 Steps to Developing a Kids Ministry Youtube channel: Solid Foundation Kids 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): This is such a critical point in a person’s life. As spiritual leaders of the church, we really want to take advantage of this opportunity God has given us to invest during these influential years. @Danielle Whitley It’s critical for a church leader to be able to step into the space with volunteers and leaders with a sense of honor, optimism and joy that will be contagious among among your leaders. @ClintJClifton There are so many things you can do, honestly in almost any given spot, to make it look fun and kid friendly when you follow these tips. @Danielle Whitley Kids’ ministry, like church planting, is fraught with challenges and difficulties. But the fact you have an optimistic, positive, excited, encouraged outlook about the opportunity to invest in the lives of children is a game changer. @ClintJClifton This type of attitude is going to create volunteers who will be excited about it. They’re going to be long-term leaders because they’ve caught onto the fact they’re actually investing in eternity by pouring into these children. @Danielle Whitley We used this seminar in one of the residency sessions to actually train church planters. @ClintJClifton With the seminar and the 10 basic steps, you are laying a strong foundation you’re going to be able to build off for years to come. You can apply it to really any ministry, including an existing church plant. @Danielle Whitley The post Kids Ministry for Church Plants appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 702 We often think of discipleship as a post-conversion process, but it also can be seen in a broader way. Host Ed Stetzer talks with Chuy Rodriguez and Catherine Renfro about disciple making as sharing the gospel, people responding to the gospel, growing in the truths of the gospel and then multiplying. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Different ways churches are effectively making disciples The relationship between evangelism and discipleship in the new church Varied approaches to church-based discipleship strategies How to see disciples become disciple makers Advice for church plants to have a disciple making culture 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): The most effective churches I’ve worked with are translating academic education into practical implementation – complementing traditional tools with serving the community. It’s not just acquiring information but also putting it into practice so we grow in our walk with Christ. —Chuy Rodriguez Oftentimes we talk about evangelism and discipleship as though it has to be one or the other. I don’t think you can have true discipleship without evangelism; I don’t think you can have evangelism without discipleship. Discipleship and evangelism go hand in hand. @CatherineRenfro Discipleship is not follow-up. Discipleship is calling people to follow Jesus and the disciple-making journey starts at the even sharing the good news of the gospel with people, sharing what it means to follow Jesus. Disciple making includes conversion and spiritual growth and, ultimately, multiplication. @EdStetzer We see one-on-one discipleship and group discipleship. I don’t think you can choose one over the other. Both are equally important. At the end of the day, I think relationships are the foundation of discipleship. @CatherineRenfro As a new church grows, it takes on structure. All living things, when they become more complex, take on structure. We help people move from sitting in rows to sitting in circles, so they can have that life-on-life discipleship that makes makes the difference. @EdStetzer A lot of times church plants, if they don’t grow in maturity, can become a mile wide and an inch deep. Church plants must have a disciple-making culture. @EdStetzer You need a model of what it means to be a disciple and to disciple others. I’ve seen pastors who preach a lot about certain things but they are not the first ones doing it. I would say to most pastors, “Just be what you preach.” —Chuy Rodriguez The post Disciple-Making Strategies for New Churches appeared first on New Churches.