Host Tony Merida returns with his long-time friend and colleague Dr. Doug Logan to discuss the latter’s joys, challenges, and success stories of ministry within the urban context. Tune in to discover the creative ways in which you can engage your urban community with the hope of Christ’s gospel. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The most effective means of gathering data for your neighborhood Ways to leverage your digital platform for community engagement and awareness Proactive methods of engaging crisis within your congregation and context The impact of gathering in a fragmented community culture What gospel confidence and consistency can do for your urban ministry endeavors Helpful Resources: Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. 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): When the Holy Ghost sends you somewhere, He equips you with a focus and a calling. — Doug Logan Many people in the inner cities believe in some sort of God. They want to know if He brings dignity, honor, and value. Does He look like them and love them for who they are and the uniqueness of their race, history, and personhood? These are their questions. — Doug Logan Urban church planters are dying on the vine because they get out there bringing a Eurocentric philosophy of apologetics, and then they can’t handle it. So, we have to equip them with relevant gospel engagement, and they have to put in the work. — Doug Logan The problem is not just poverty, but it’s also theology. Everybody has a theology, and it often gets superimposed on poor people who are vulnerable and in need. — Doug Logan The pastor and church planter in the city has to step up and be in His Bible. He’s got to spend less time on the blog and more time on the block. — Doug Logan Being in those places of crisis, one of the things we pray for and want to exemplify is a steady confidence in our God and to allow the peace of God to be a characteristic of our leadership, to be a steady leader in chaotic times. — Tony Merida The post Innovative Outreach Strategies in Urban Ministry appeared first on New Churches.

Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham discuss their shared experiences of engaging the powerhouse of their church planting endeavors: prayer. Tune in to learn more about these prayer-fueled opportunities disguised as challenges from the first days of your church plant and beyond. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why desperation for the Father is a key marker of Jesus’ church How to cultivate the hard ground of your mission field through communing with God How intercession impacts your congregation’s ongoing gatherings Ways to implement prayer into every aspect of your Sunday and Wednesday services Two prayers that will pave the way for your church plant to engage your community! Helpful Resources: Daniel Henderson’s Old Paths, New Power John Franklin’s And the Place was Shaken Jim Cymbala’s Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire and Spirit Rising Henry Blackaby and Claude V. King’s book Experiencing God The 6:4 Fellowship Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. 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): There is no power in prayer, but there is much power in the One to whom we pray. If we really believe that God’s mission is accomplished by God’s power through God’s Spirit, we must live in dependence on Him. – Vance Pitman If we want to see God move in North America, it’s not going to be a matter of strategy, manpower, philosophy, or missiology. Until we see our desperation manifested in His people crying out to Him, we’re not going to see God move in power. – Vance Pitman God moves through the prayers of His people, so we want to help church planters get prayer into their DNA from their earliest days. – Noah Oldham Rather than just looking for skillsets, giftings, willingness, and warm bodies, let’s take it to the Father and seek His heart regarding who these people should be. – Vance Pitman We’ve allowed prayer to be almost silent in our corporate gatherings. – Vance Pitman When all we allow is a paid professional with a microphone to stand up and use eloquent words, we create a chasm that says, “You don’t know near enough to talk to God.” – Vance Pitman The post Overcoming Obstacles that Keep a Church Plant from Praying appeared first on New Churches.

Host Ed Stetzer chats with lead pastor Dean Fulks to share his experiences from serving as a church planter to later pastoring a sending church. Tune in to discover the key characteristics to look for in your core team members, as well as the ways to set your people up for success through the twists and turns of starting your new church well. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to pursue a culture of multiplication from the start of your church plant What the DNA of your church says about you Ways to navigate the emotional tolls of sending out your best people The qualifications of a thriving core team member How to answer prospective members’ biggest questions about God and their place in His church Helpful Resources: Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. 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): There are all kinds of ways to think about a core team for a new church plant. – Ed Stetzer The number one characteristic that defines the success or failure of a church plant is the spiritual and emotional health of the leaders, the pastor, his wife, and their family. – Dean Fulks If you have a great leader–certainly not a perfect leader with a perfect marriage–but a great leader who loves Jesus and has a good marriage, you can send as many people as possible.  – Dean Fulks The folks who go are the folks you don’t want to leave. They’re the most missional and generous and want to reach their communities. They’re the most stoked about the mission and vision. – Dean Fulks Look at Paul’s work in the New Testament and see the value he placed on women as part of planting teams and groups. – Dean Fulks The key to handling relational conflict well is a depth of relational equity. – Dean Fulks The post How to Make Your Core Team Thrive appeared first on New Churches.

Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham spend time discussing their shared experiences of church planting in the context of a team. Listen as they share the wisdom they’ve gained through the lessons they’ve learned on the field and why sticking together and building out your team is one of your greatest assets as a planter. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The biblical precedent of planting in community to reach your community The spiritual and emotional effects of isolation The challenges of building out your team and how you can get ahead of the curve The seven C’s of establishing your core team dynamic How perspectivalism may help your congregation well beyond your first years as a new church! Helpful Resources: Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. 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): No one individual is given credit for planting the greatest church-planting church in the New Testament. The New Testament knows nothing of a Christianity without community. — Vance Pitman God has given each of us spiritual gifts, and no one believer has them all. It’s when we use all of our gifts together in community that we see the mission of God carried out. — Vance Pitman It was in the team context of living out community that God inspired us, led us, and spoke to and through us. When you try to plant a church and do missionary work by yourself, you remove the vehicle of community from being able to hear from God together. — Vance Pitman Leading the team means discipling them to be missionaries and not church members. We have to get to the place of being a church before we can function in the way a church functions. — Vance Pitman Finding the right team begins and ends in prayer. Only one time did Jesus say, “Hey, would you pray for this?” And He said, “Would you beseech the Lord to send out laborers into His harvest?” — Vance Pitman We need to unleash the whole church, not just the paid professionals or pastors in the pulpits. When we unleash the church, there will be no end to the possibility of what God will do as we seek first His kingdom. — Vance Pitman The post Why the Strongest Strategy is Planting in Plurality appeared first on New Churches.

Explore the dynamics of urban church planting with Dr. Doug Logan as he shares insights on investing in mental health, meeting community needs, and the challenges of urban environments. Discover the diverse characteristics of urban planters, the impact of city dynamics on discipleship models, and the support sending churches can provide. Dive into the transformative journey of a former barber turned successful church planter, the importance of flexibility in urban outreach, and the significance of character growth and relationships in sustainable church planting.

Host Ed Stetzer returns with writer, speaker, and professor Kyle Strobel to dive more deeply into the leadership challenges of church planting today. Tune in to discover the profound paradox of leading from weakness as you make much of Christ and abide in His strength. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How our church context impacts our views of congregational health Christ’s purpose in rebuking Peter in Mark 8 How to acknowledge your gifting without allowing it to lead you The challenge of selfish ambition, from church planting to pastoring a megachurch How abiding in Christ’s power impacts the mission and vision of our congregations Helpful Resources: Kyle Strobel’s new book: Formed for the Glory of God: Learning from the Spiritual Practices of Jonathan Edwards Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel’s book: The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It Eugene Peterson’s Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. 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): I learned spiritual gifts like, “Here’s how to never minister in your weakness—only minister in your strength.” Then, I read 1 and 2 Corinthians and realized my understanding was the opposite of what I saw in Scripture. – Kyle Strobel We can wield our ministry in the flesh, but the fantasy is thinking that we can somehow reap in the Spirit. – Kyle Strobel A lot of church planters get up every day wishing to have all the wonderful, good things that happen in a church that’s grown to a very large size. But that motivation and how we pursue it is part of the challenge. – Ed Stetzer What does it mean to not be afraid of my weakness? Because that’s where the Lord is actually working. Most church planters’ weakness is recognizing how much they want to wield themselves rather than trust in the Lord. – Kyle Strobel Your growth will always be growth in seeing your need for forgiveness. And that must be true not only individually in terms of your sin in your life, but in terms of your ministry in your church planting. – Kyle Strobel The post Jesus’ Power in Church Planting appeared first on New Churches.

Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham meet with pastor’s wife, mom, and National Director of Women’s Evangelism, Catherine Renfro, to discuss the significance of women’s evangelism in the life of the church. Tune in to discover how you can mobilize the women of your congregation to join in the activity of God, one gospel conversation at a time. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The biblical precedent for women’s evangelism How to intentionally utilize your women’s gatherings for the sake of mobilization Why celebration is a key component in your ongoing women’s evangelism efforts The power of your testimony in reaching others for Christ How to help the women in your congregation leverage their unique mission fields, no matter their stages of life! Helpful Resources: Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. 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): The message of the resurrection was first entrusted to women in the New Testament to take and share. So, for Jesus to elevate the voice of women in carrying the most significant theological event should speak to us today about the role of women in evangelism. – Vance Pitman Jesus gives us examples of women having kingdom impact in sharing the hope of the gospel. – Catherine Renfro If we can help women think about living out their purpose in these everyday moments, God can eradicate fear. He’s greater than our fears and worries of rejection. – Catherine Renfro The global church is empowering and unleashing both men and women to engage in evangelism and mission. I’ve just seen women used by God as incredible evangelists who engage cities to see disciples made and churches born. – Vance Pitman We don’t naturally drift towards evangelism, so we have to keep it in front of our people. Keep talking about it and encouraging it. There is nothing more exciting than when you see someone realize that God can use them. – Catherine Renfro The post Encouraging Women in Evangelism appeared first on New Churches.

Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham team back up with pastor’s wife, mom, and National Director of Women’s Evangelism, Catherine Renfro, to dive into the impact of investing in the ladies of your congregation. Tune in to discover why God is calling each and every member of your church to live on mission—and why it’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Three focus areas of women’s leadership engagement The unique challenges women face inside and outside the church How you can equip the ladies of your church with hands-on training and education What God can do with the willingness and availability of your church’s women New resources for every leader in your church plant! Helpful Resources: Catherine’s free eBook: Women in the Mission of God Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here. 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): If we don’t have a plan for it, it’s probably not going to happen. So, creating a specific plan for raising up women leaders in your ministry context is where it all begins. – Catherine Renfro A lot of women need someone who will say, “God has gifted you in this way, and I want you to leverage those gifts for the kingdom.” – Catherine Renfro I want to challenge the pastors listening today. Yes, it’s your responsibility as Paul gave in 2 Timothy to pour into faithful men. But as a shepherd of the body of Christ, you have a responsibility to build intentional pathways to raise up both men and women to engage in the mission. – Vance Pitman So many church planters think that to multiply a church, they have to raise up their next church planter, but that is so shortsighted. We need to raise up teams and for every man, woman, boy, and girl to understand their callings as the leaders God made them to be. – Noah Oldham If you say you value something, you’ve got to build for it. So, if we want to see something changed to mobilize women to lead in their giftings, we have to change how we do things. – Noah Oldham What if we were to start talking about the possibilities for women in ministry at a younger age? It was terrifying for me to step out of the career path I thought God was leading me on to go a completely different way that I had no context for. – Catherine Renfro The post Raising Up Women Leaders appeared first on New Churches.

Tony Merida and Matt Carter discuss the importance of enduring in ministry, spiritual warfare, and the impact of eschatology on daily living. They emphasize the need for trusted relationships, self-care practices, and prioritizing marriage for effective ministry.

Explore how personality impacts feedback, balancing humility with confidence, and extending gospel honor in church culture. Learn to maintain resilience when faced with criticism and use it as an opportunity for growth.