New Churches Podcast

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.

Discussing the impact of spiritual practices on church planters, the contrast between spiritual formation and self-help, dissecting entrepreneurialism versus the Spirit's work, the basics of spiritual disciplines, adding watchfulness to prayer life, and Paul's encouragement for church planters.

Host Noah Oldham sits down with Adam Muhtaseb, the pastor, planter, and recipient of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Joe B. Brown Preaching Award. Listen in as they discuss the impact of your church’s Sunday morning preaching culture and how you can take strides to engage the assembled nonbelievers as you strengthen your flock from the platform. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What expository preaching offers our audiences The difference between moralism and true evangelism Why you should consider explaining the “why” behind your Sunday morning sacraments How you can promote a missional culture that engages the lost throughout the week The big question you can ask those who are seeking and searching for truth 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): Preaching is both the precursor and the ongoing mission of church planting. It’s so much more multifaceted than we anticipate as we go into this field. – Noah Oldham Preach to who you want to be there. Intentionally preach like there are lost people in the room. – Noah Oldham The meat and potatoes of what we communicate should be God’s Word. Every now and then, I like to say, “We can go out to eat” and do a topical sermon on some random topic, but we try and stick to the Word. – Adam Muhtaseb We need to preach sermons in which an unbeliever can come in and be like, “Oh, this makes sense,” fall on their face, and worship God. – Adam Muhtaseb Make sure that if somebody were to come to your service, it feels like good news. You’re not proclaiming something they need to do, but the good news of something that’s already been done. Proclaim the “It is finished” of the text. – Adam Muhtaseb If you can honestly just bear your soul to people and apply the text and its good news to your life, that is the start of an amazing sermon. – Adam Muhtaseb The post Preaching to the Lost appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 805 Host Tony Merida meets with Matt Carter, Send Network’s Vice President of Mobilization, to discuss their journeys through preaching the Word within their respective church-planting contexts. Tune in to discover their wisdom gained and lessons learned throughout their years of preaching and planting. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to contextualize your message to your mission Why warmth, wisdom, and servanthood should characterize your preaching presence What cultural awareness offers to your diverse congregation Why your authentic style is essential for effective preaching The steps you can take to build out your new church’s evangelistic culture! 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): You can say things in the midst of a sermon that will completely derail the main point of your text, whether you’re preaching in a small or large, rural or urban, conservative or not-so-conservative environment. – Matt Carter You need to be wise about who you’re talking to but be authentic to who you are. – Matt Carter “I’ve made myself a servant to them all” sounds a lot like Jesus, who did the real contextualization in coming to earth and becoming a servant to us. – Tony Merida In preaching, you’re not just exuding a passage, but you’re showing why it’s significant to this day and age and to whatever set of ideas is prevalent today. – Tony Merida Part of contextualization is knowing where your flock is right now. Are they beat up? Do they need to hear the words of a loving shepherd? Or are they running from their responsibilities and from God, and are they in need of that prophetic voice? – Matt Carter The last thing you want is to send a message that your church is just for insiders or for people who are familiar with the Bible. You wouldn’t be sacrificing substance; you’d be preaching with expositional hospitality. – Tony Merida The post What Role Does Preaching Play in Church Planting? appeared first on New Churches.