New Churches Podcast

Episode 681: Sometimes church planters feel tension between being a pastor and a husband and father. Host Clint Clifton and guests Kathy Litton and Noah Oldham discuss how to deal with the practical issues “Pastor Dad” can face. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What makes a church planting couple thrive Common struggles church planting families face How church planning families release pressures What a planting wife can do if her husband’s service is harming the family Questions planters need to ask their families regularly Helpful Resources: Books mentioned in this podcast: Pastor Dad: Scriptural Insights on Fatherhood The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help 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): Families deal with these issues every single day. When they are ignored over the long haul, it will be destructive to their marriage, to their witness, to their relationship with their children and to their church plants. – Kathy Litton There’s so much pressure to take time away from the home. Most church planters are willing to sacrifice for the mission of God and what they don’t realize is they’re not just sacrificing themselves but also sacrificing their wife and kids. @NoahOldham Sometimes being a pastor can feel at odds with being a dad and a husband. I remember one family member saying to me at one point, Can I get my dad back? I don’t need my pastor right now; I need my dad. @clintjclifton When I thought about “pastor dad” early on, what I thought was teaching all about teaching and discipling. But my wife helped me understand she doesn’t need me to be her personal Bible study leader. What she needs me to be is a shepherd who listens intently and with compassion. My kids need that. @NoahOldham My wife sometimes is used as an agent of God to rattle my attention back to where it should be on family matters. I get all laser-pointed at something and sometimes I’m not able to see the more important matters in the home. @clintjclifton We all need a plurality of voices speaking into our lives. So many times church planting wives don’t feel they can share with anybody about issues going on in their home because it’ll taint their view and they’ll leave the church. @NoahOldham The post Pastoring at Home appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 680: Serial church planting hasn’t seemed to be a valued option in the world of church planting. Ed Stetzer talks with two experienced sequential planters – John Worcester and Jared Huntley – about the nuts and bolts of planting a church, positioning it for long-term efectiveness, then moving on to plant another. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why it is important that we think in terms of and create pathways for serial church planting What it looks like to be a sequential planter What the finances of serial planting look like Where the energy and motivation for sequential planting come from The family implications of moving frequently Helpful Resources: Ed Stetzer’s book: Planting Missional Churches Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Are you ready to explore our Church Planting Masterclass? Do you think our Sending Church Masterclass could be helpful to you? Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): I get a plant up to support level, work hard to find the takeover pastor and then turn it over. God puts it together in various kinds of ways. The denomination has helped at various times. Churches and individual friends helped us various ways. Every time we plant, we start over and piece it together. – John Worcester If it sounds exhausting and draining to you, then it’s probably not how you’re wired and you probably shouldn’t do it. Starting new things energizes and excites me. I didn’t set out to be a serial church planter. I just realized I’m gifted at it. @Jared Huntley One of the benefits of being a serial church planter is that you learn from your mistakes and you’re able to be a more effective church planter. @Jared Huntley Our experience has been that it’s been really good for the family. It’s helped make us more dependent as a unit on one another rather than them getting dependent on on their peers. Our kids learned how to meet new people and go new places and do different things. – John Worcester Most church planters in North America see church planting as an entrepreneurial beginning to something that’s probably a long-term vocation. They’re going to be pastor of this church. But many church-planting missionaries tend to birth missionaries. @EdStetzer There’s a fine line between being wired and gifted by God as a serial church planter and being discontented and restless. That’s something each person has to wrestle through on their own and it can be helpful to invite others in to speak into that. @Jared Huntley Some of the things to look for to discern whether this might be something God’s calling you to is if you’re energized by starting new things. Are you a self-starter? Do you have a track record of people following your leadership? Are you able to articulate and cast vision in a compelling way that other people want to get involved and jump in? Are you able to develop leaders? @Jared Huntley The post Serial Church Planting appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 679: Hector Medina came from a gang background and hated God and Christianity. Now he serves as pastor of Salvo Por Gracia in Claremont, California. Host Clint Clifton talks with Hector and his wife, Alicia, about how God miraculously took them from the brink of divorce to a fruitful ministry in church planting.  In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How God can take the most broken of souls and redeem it for His purposes That our investment in gospel work sometimes pays off in ways we can’t imagine  How God uses our feeble efforts to do things we don’t even know about  That God can continue to give hope in the face of difficulty  How church planting is like a sheet of plywood 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): No one really wanted to do anything with me in life. Society, my family, school, everywhere I went, that was the life I lived. — Hector Medina I was such a baby believer, and I didn’t have nobody to walk with me, to guide me, or to tell me, “It’s all going to be okay. Trust God.” For me, giving up was the easiest, healthiest option for both of us, before he would kill me or something. — Alicia Medina Hector and Alicia’s story is a story where God began to work in them and they, with obedience, stepped one step right in front of the other, and eventually God prepared them and equipped them for the work. @ClintJClifton I needed to be humbled to enter this church planting. I think God was like, “Man, you can’t enter this like this.” — Hector Medina One of the primary reasons church planters quit is because of isolation. @ClintJClifton Finally, I said, “I need help. I know God’s called me. I just don’t know how to do it.” — Hector Medina Church planting is a difficult and dangerous sport, but it’s worth it in the end, as God uses us to establish churches that become rooted in our community and proclaim the gospel of Jesus to others for generations. @ClintJClifton The post From the Brink of Divorce appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 678: As a church planter, what does “sustainable” mean to you? Host Ed Stetzer discusses various aspects of quickly becoming sustainable with experienced planters Jared Huntley and John Worcester. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The “three self” idea of church planting How a planter can, from the beginning, plan for his own successor What a reasonable amount of time is for a church to be financially self-sustainable How to introduce the principle of giving to new believers The value of holding up leadership that exemplifies giving 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 think a church planter should be consumed with “How am I going to reach the most people in the fastest possible way?” If he does a good job with that, then long-term sustainability takes care of itself. – John Worcester An equal emphasis needs to be placed on developing leaders around you. If you can’t plant with a team, try to raise up a team as quickly as possible. If everything is dependent upon you as the planter, then you don’t have something sustainable. @Jared Huntley Too many people say success is a full-time pastor pastoring a self-supporting church. It doesn’t have to be a full-time pastor. That is not the biblical norm and around the globe that’s certainly not the case. @EdStetzer I like being intentional about giving other people space to lead and platforming other people. You should be aware of areas where you’re weak and allowing other people to run in their lane where they might be gifted in an area where you’re weak. @Jared Huntley You have the best opportunity for the fastest growth momentum, the younger the church you’re in. As a planter, put your energy into getting the momentum to reach a lot of people as fast as you can. It’s out of that mix that you create the larger group where you find leaders. – John Worcester We don’t want to sell our souls to get there, and we’ve got to trust God to bring about that growth. But there is a practical component to this: If more people don’t start attending our church, then you’re not going to become financially self-sustainable. @Jared Huntley In the early days, when it’s evangelistic growth going on, I don’t emphasize giving a lot on Sunday mornings. Say something about it but don’t make it a big push. But when people are going to join the church, I teach about tithing and giving, and I promote leaders who are examples of giving. – John Worcester The post Becoming Sustainable Quickly appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 677: It’s hard to get people who are on your side to give you honest feedback, but without it a leader is doomed to failure. Host Ed Stetzer talks with Dan Darling and Jessica Thompson about creating an environment for constructive criticism in your ministry. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to solicit and receive constructive criticism from trusted advisors Insights about receiving feedback and passing it on to others Some qualities to look for in people who will work around you How constructive critical feedback can be redemptive for you Why it’s hard to receive feedback and the role of emotional IQ Helpful Resources: Dan Darling’s free course: Using Online Conversations for Good Michael Godfrey free article: Brutal Feedback is Your Friend 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 is hard to get people who are on your side to give you brutally honest feedback. All kinds of people want to give me brutal feedback, but not all are there to do it constructively in ways that are helpful. @EdStetzer I think this is vitally important for every leader by allowing people into your inner circle who have permission to give you criticism. I’m not talking about cynics. If you start out pushing away honest criticism, what happens is you create this bubble around you. That’s really dangerous for a leader. @Dan Darling I think ultimately you have to ask yourself, are you actually open to receiving the feedback? I think you have to separate what is being shared from your emotions, and really try to listen, ask questions and understand before reacting. Then you figure out what you can learn from it and improve.  – Jessica Thompson You may also need to think about the structure of your team. It’s very easy for a leader to surround themselves with people who are sycophants. You want people on your team who believe in you, but also know that you have frailties. @Dan Darling It’s hard to receive feedback because we’re all insecure at some level. We all want to hear the good parts of the annual review, but not the bad parts. @EdStetzer You need people in your life who don’t just feed your ego, but fill your gaps. You have to invite them in and have those relationships where you’re open to hearing that.  – Jessica Thompson A leader without a cycle of feedback is ultimately doomed to failure. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” @Dan Darling The post Brutally Honest Feedback appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 676: The ministry demands of church planting can weigh heavily on a pastor, with the result that he finds himself “minoring on the majors.” Clint Clifton discusses with Adam Muhtaseb and Nathan Knight the challenge of properly allocating time and energy to ministry priorities that put a church plant on the strongest foundation possible. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Ways planters often misallocate their time when beginning the church planting journey The importance of equipping over “doing” Why it’s critical to give more than lip service to prayer The top priorities a church planter should focus on How a church planter’s role shifts over time from missionary work to shepherding Helpful Resources: Free ebook: Building Your Core Team: Models and Best Practices Free ebook: Church Planting Thresholds: A Gospel Center Church Planting Guide 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): One of the advantages – and maybe even a disadvantage – of being a church planter having the opportunity to shape your own schedule and priorities. Any time I’m frustrated, I only have myself to blame. @ClintJClifton Taking on outside ministry opportunities sucks your energy away from the the work God has called you to in the first three years. You should be laser-focused on multiplying and equipping leaders the first two years. @Adam_Muhtaseb Planters plan too much and pray too little. Planters plan too much and pray too little. More time should be spent hearing from Christ before they plan him out of stuff. @NathanKnightDC You should not be doing. You should be training other people to do so you can multiply and scale the ministry. @Adam_Muhtaseb I’m not a great preacher and I’m comfortable with that. When I recognized there was a more fruitful preacher in our congregation, I quickly put him in that seat. @ClintJClifton If you want to be a pastor, you should definitely be a pastor. Just do it at an existing church. But if you want to plant church, you need to be catalytic, a missionary. @Adam_Muhtaseb Sometimes giving up on church planting has to do with a misallocation of energies and attention in the church planting journey. @ClintJClifton The post Minoring on the Majors appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 675: Trevin Wax and Clint Clifton review our new (free) Church Planting Masterclass, which offers 80 powerful videos intended to be used in two different ways: (1) If you’re an aspiring planter or a church planter yourself and (2) to be tools you can use to equip other leaders in your church. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Insights from three Church Planting Masterclass sample clips: Matt Chandler on being a missionary in your city David Platt on involving your family in in ministry Heather Thompson on becoming a better communicator Helpful Resources: Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass? Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): You really do have to think like a missionary. We expect missionaries who go to other parts of the world to examine the culture that they’re going to reach. And yet for some reason when we think about North America  we don’t we don’t prioritize exegeting the culture as much. @TrevinWax It’s not just that there are differences in cultures; it’s that our cultures are always changing. So even information about your city 20 years ago might not be relevant now. @ClintJClifton There’s this popular idea of balancing family and ministry. We even have the phrase “Don’t sacrifice your family on the altar of ministry.” But I think sometimes we’re in danger of sacrificing our ministry on the altar of family. It actually goes both ways. They are your ministry and they’re your co-laborers in ministry. @ClintJClifton It’s not sacrificing your family for ministry; your family is your ministry. You minister to your family and then you minister alongside your family. @TrevinWax I love the idea that we’re not just bringing a person to a message; we’re wanting the message to get to a person. And it’s not the communicator that matters most; it’s what’s being communicated. @TrevinWax When people come to church, they really want to hear what God says. The Bible is the best thing your church has going for you. You have something no one else has: the very Word of God. How could we not want to be the very best most effective communicators possible? @TrevinWax What I’ve heard for years about Jonathan Edwards is that he was so clear in his message and so vivid in his articulation, but so monotone in his delivery. Yet he’s one of the most powerful preachers we could ever consider. @ClintJClifton The post Your Church Can Plant appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 674: Churches with a desire to multiply will greatly benefit from the expertise of pastors experienced in developing and sending out planters. In this episode, Trevin Wax and Clint Clifton introduce the first part of our new Sending Church Masterclass, which is designed specifically for churches that want to multiply. This free course showcases practical advice from planting practitioners and well-respected leaders across the spectrum of evangelicalism. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Insights from three Sending Church Masterclass sample clips: Jimmy Scroggins on the “ready leader” D.A. Horton on the qualities of fruitful church planters Craig Springer on the role of community in spiritual development Helpful Resources: Are you ready to enroll in our Sending Church Masterclass? Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer Tim Chester’s book: A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community, and Mission around the Table Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): I’m close enough to church multiplication to know how difficult it is. In the beginning I wondered whether there really are any masters in church planting. But as I’ve watched this come together, I’ve learned so much and thought, “Man, these really are masters in their craft.” @ClintJClifton Yes, masters, but they don’t come across in a pretentious way. You can tell they are continuing to learn and grow. There’s also a built-in aspect of contextualization. It’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of course. @TrevinWax As diverse as this group of people is philosophically, the whole course presents really practical ideas. This is designed to be a tool, if you’d like to lead your church to multiply, you could use this as a part of your equipping for that. @ClintJClifton A lot of people want to plant churches, but they don’t make the connection that you won’t ever become effective at planting churches if you don’t become effective at developing leaders. That’s a fundamental skill for every every church multiplier. @ClintJClifton I’ve been hearing more and more about inviting people to the table of fellowship, that sharing meals together and listening in community shows that the spiritual journey starts with community from the beginning. @TrevinWax The great missionary theologian Lesslie Newbigin always said the church is the hermeneutic of the gospel, the church is to make the gospel visible to people. There’s true evangelistic power in being invited into the community of the cross to witness what the life of Jesus looks like fleshed out. People who don’t feel they’re that equipped for evangelism should recognize that spiritual conversations play a part in someone’s spiritual journey, moving them toward faith, even though they might not have been the one to cross the threshold of faith with them. @TrevinWax The post Your Church Can Send appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 673: When the preparedness of a prospective church planter is being assessed, different evaluators may come to different conclusions. Clint Clifton, Nathan Knight and Adam Muhtaseb, however, discuss several traits that should be automatic dealbreakers for an aspiring planter’s approval. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Whether a church planter could potentially not meet the scriptural qualifications for a pastor The relative value of competence and character in the assessment process The necessity of having a Sending Church behind a planter How much and what kind of debt an aspiring church planter should have Whether a planter’s primary goal should be multiplication or founding a biblical church 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): As we think about this in the assessment process, sometimes there’s an ultra-focus on competence and virtually none on character. @ClintJClifton Paul says he came “in weakness and trembling,” so he didn’t have much competence, but he had a lot of character. We need more of that. @Adam_Muhtaseb If no church is sending you – if you are sending yourself – that should be a dealbreaker. If you’re part of a bad church, you need to align yourself with a good one. @ClintJClifton If you’re not meaningfully involved in a local church, I see all kinds of red flags. @NathanKnightDC One church planter had $300,000 of student debt. We ran a credit check and it came back good because he paid his bills. I had to say, “I just don’t think I can see you going out and raising funds for this new church, knowing that so much of that’s going to to your student debt.” @ClintJClifton If a guy wants to plant and his wife’s not on board, it’s game over game over and not even a question. I wouldn’t join a church that my wife didn’t want to join. Just let it go and let God in His timing send you out when you’re ready and she’s ready. @Adam_Muhtaseb I would just want to be clear that you’re doing this because of your devotion and affection for Christ, not because you like planting churches and want to multiply and have an influence. @NathanKnightDC The post Church Planting Dealbreakers appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 668: The past couple of years have been a difficult season for church planters and too many have thrown in the towel. Host Clint Clifton and veteran church planter Peyton Jones open up about their most discouraging moments in church planting and why they persevered. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Spurgeon’s perspective on quitting The encouraging word that kept Peyton Jones going Whether feeling discouraged is normal How church planting is like marriage How God uses even the darkest despair Helpful Resources: Book: Church Plantology: The Art and Science of Planting Churches App: Through the Word 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): Charles Spurgeon was once asked by a student, “Did you ever think of quitting?” And he answered, “Yes, about once a fortnight.” — PeytonJones In my first year of one plant, I drove to church on Sunday morning and there were hardly any cars in the parking lot. But there was this lady named Pam who said, “But Jesus is here,” and it gave me what I needed to keep going. — PeytonJones I remember this Sunday where nobody showed up to help me unload the trailer. I set everything up and greeted people. I was so sweaty I had to change my clothes. I sang the songs, said the prayers, preached the sermon and greeted people as they left. Then I packed up the trailer. I told my wife, “I’ll never drive back in this parking lot again.” @ClintJClifton I think a lot of planters may feel condemned by feeling discouraged. But that is normal. It comes with it. — PeytonJones Every marriage goes through rough times. You’re going to have some real pain and at times you’re going to see things in yourself you don’t want to see. But you tough it out. — PeytonJones In those moments, it feels so terminal. But it’s against that dark backdrop that the light of the gospel shines brightest. God shows He can redeem even the darkest despair. He can still use our lives for His glory, even when we are a mess. @ClintJClifton If you are a church planter in that season, I want you to know there is only one thing you can do to ensure you won’t fail as a church planter and that’s to not give up. Trust in Jesus, put one foot in front of the other each day. Down the road, you’ll be grateful you did. @ClintJClifton The post Our Most Discouraging Moments appeared first on New Churches.