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.

Episode 804 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham return for another episode with pastor, planter, and leadership expert Dr. Crawford Loritts. Tune in to discover what you can gain through the guidance of those who have gone before you on this church planting journey. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The wisdom to be found in healthy biblical community What to look for in your next mentoring relationship How to establish healthy boundaries and expectations for both the mentor and the mentee Why you should consider making 2 Timothy your next book for personal study The three kinds of people every church planter needs in his 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): There are two ways to learn how to do your job: there’s humility, and there’s hardship. You can either humble yourself and listen to some people further down the road than you, or you can face the hardship of bad decisions. – Vance Pitman You influence, but you don’t control. You never want to get in a relationship where a mentor doesn’t know the difference between appropriate authority and a domineering relationship. – Dr. Crawford Loritts Your twenties and thirties are a season of learning. I’m not saying that God’s not using you in very significant ways, but you’re learning who you are and who you’re not. – Dr. Crawford Loritts The difference between a trend and a fad is that which is enduring. – Dr. Crawford Loritts There’d be no Paul without Barnabas, and yet we are looking for “the name guys.” A lot of times, it’s the unnamed heroes that you’re talking about. – Vance Pitman When the heat gets turned up, things get a little hot, and adversity comes, there’s a tendency to run, shift, change your environment. The problem is there is no such thing as character apart from endurance. The fuel that you need is found in what you don’t like. – Dr. Crawford Loritts The post Good Mentoring Relationships appeared first on New Churches.

Delve into fearless and expectant prayer with insights on John 15:7. Explore the role of prayer in church planting, patience, and the power of a prayer journal. Hear about the simplicity of prayer, the essence of petitionary prayer, and the importance of trust and obedience in prayer lives.

Episode 802 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham spend some time with pastor, planter, and leadership expert Dr. Crawford Loritts to examine the impact of aligning today’s current events with Scripture’s eternal truth. Here’s how you can honor God from the pulpit as you leverage your platform for the sake of the gospel made known. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The key difference between reacting harshly and responding effectively to the happenings around you The significance of pursuing biblical consistency in a hectic, inconsistent world How to walk into an election year well—from the sanctuary pulpit to your social media platform What the Bible specifically says about our modern-day preaching context Why humility and integrity must mark your every move as a leader in the 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): Humility is not a lack of courage. We need to denounce sin, but whenever we denounce it, there ought to be a tear in our eyes. – Dr. Crawford Loritts Let’s not rush to judgment, but at the same time and in the name of Jesus, let’s weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn. – Dr. Crawford Loritts This is not about politics, who has the last say, or who’s getting the most likes, clicks, and followers. It’s about humility, giving an appropriate word, and positioning the gospel. – Dr. Crawford Loritts You have got to be careful to not define “righteous indignation” as vomiting all the truth you know and beating people up with the Bible. You’ve got to represent the heart of the Savior. – Dr. Crawford Loritts Your character and godliness have to be greater than the platform you stand on or the issue you’re addressing. – Dr. Crawford Loritts You’re not trying to be cute or relevant. You’re trying to help your people think distinctively and biblically as kingdom people in light of the issues occurring right now. Preaching is a discipleship deal. – Dr. Crawford Loritts The post Preaching and Current Events appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 801 Host Tony Merida spends time with Jeff Medders to discuss the life and legacy of Charles Spurgeon not only as a pastor and preacher, but as a dedicated church planter, too. From his intentionality as a leader to his vision casting as a church revitalizer, Spurgeon has much to teach planters today about faithfully living on mission, no matter the context in which you lead. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Spurgeon’s most taught from book of the Bible What it looked like for his church members to “live sent” Greater insight into Spurgeon’s leadership pipeline Ways the great preacher emphasized Christ from the platform and in his personal life How Spurgeon’s sorrows impacted his life and faith Helpful Resources: Geoffrey Chang’s Spurgeon the Pastor Arnold A Dallimore’s Spurgeon: A Biography Zack Eswine’s Spurgeon’s Sorrows John Theodore Mueller’s Great Heroes of the Faith Charles Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students Charles Spurgeon’s C.H. Spurgeon Autobiography 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): Spurgeon was called “the prince of preachers,” and I think we could also call him “the powerhouse of church planting.” — Jeff Medders Spurgeon didn’t just allow his name and funds to be leveraged for church planting. He was personally investing, teaching, and mentoring young men at his house. — Jeff Medders You may go from being a church planter one day, but the church-planter mindset probably never leaves. — Jeff Medders Christ was the gravitational center of everything Spurgeon taught. He called and proclaimed Jesus either through evangelism or edification, and I think that is for church planters today. — Jeff Medders When you find yourself discouraged or depressed, or when you’re dealing with sickness in your family; whatever it is, it’s not new. The Lord throughout history has used weak saints by His grace to build up the body of Christ. — Tony Merida The post What Church Planters Can Learn from Spurgeon appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 800 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham team back up with pastor and planter Ray Ortlund to share the internal and external measures you can take as a church planter to keep your leadership and ministry healthy and guarded from harm. Discover the personal and theological safeguards you can set in place to protect the calling God has placed upon you and your church. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The significance of personal and relational transparency How to combat isolation and pursue Christ’s freedom through fellowship Why online precautions are essential in the digital age How to establish accountability for the longevity of your ministry How to invest in the community God has given you, from the pulpit to the small-group meeting space 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): Walking in the light is not sinless perfection. It’s where we confess sin and experience cleansing. — Ray Ortlund We come together with an advocacy, a solidarity, a cohesion, and a tenderness that’s unmatched in all this world; that’s real Christianity. — Ray Ortlund We could wake up one day in a place we never thought we’d be because we lack that level of honest transparency in our lives.  — Vance Pitman We can’t improve on the gospel, and the gospel’s not going to be better than it is right now, five minutes from now. So, let’s just jump into the gospel God gave us and go deep, not only holding onto the gospel but exploring it boldly. — Ray Ortlund The desire for proper accountability and safeguards is powerful evidence of God’s grace. — Ray Ortlund Where in the New Testament do we see Jesus or the apostles saying, “Go it alone”? — Ray Ortlund The post Ministry Safeguards appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 799 Host Ed Stetzer chats with his colleague Craig Hazen, the Founder and Director of Christian Apologetics at the Talbot School of Theology. Together, they discuss the impact of apologetics within the church-planting sphere and how this study and practice grants us confidence to move forward in our missional calling to share the peace of Christ’s truth with the world. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to demystify apologetics for both yourself and your congregation Ways to move from evangelism to apologetics as you minister to others Why the college campus is a great place for this study and practice How you can meet people where they are with the truth of Christ, no matter their starting point with the gospel The role of joy within your apologetics engagement! 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): Offer reasons for your faith and why it is you put your trust in Jesus. Apologetics is the ministry of helping people answer their questions. — Craig Hazen Apologetics is going to become more and more important as the culture becomes more and more secular. — Ed Stetzer We still make strong arguments, but we try to do so with gentleness and respect. The one thing that really juices up the gentleness and respect is having a deep knowledge of the subject. — Craig Hazen Argumentation means different things to different people, but persuasive apologetics in the public sphere and in relationships is essential today. — Ed Stetzer I’m much more sensitive to the Holy Spirit when I’m not working out of anxiety as I’m witnessing to a person. — Craig Hazen The challenge is that a lot of people are just not safe conversation partners with spiritually questioning people. — Ed Stetzer The post The Role of Apologetics in Church Planting appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 798 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham share an encouraging word with Ray Ortlund, the author, pastor, and founder of Immanuel Nashville. Together, they discuss the significance of forming Christ-exalting personal habits within the earliest days of ministry. Tune in to discover how you can create safeguards for the long-term health of your ministry as well as your own personal spiritual walk with Christ. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: What sets church planting apart from other vocations The tried-and-true basics of spiritual discipline within the Christian faith Why your understanding of prayer may need some recalibration The role of confession within the church today Why theological accountability and alignment matter in your ministry from day one 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’s a lack of theological accountability in the world we live in today because denominations were the buttresses of theological accountability. — Vance Pitman How can you preach a crucified Savior with personal, showoff-y, “Look at me. I’m so cool” kind of preaching persona? It doesn’t fit. — Ray Ortlund The Holy Spirit entered into Paul’s ministry and created converts, not because they were impressed by him, but because they were enthralled by Jesus. Now that’s church planting like an apostolic work. — Ray Ortlund Dear brother, to whom do you confess your sins? The answer cannot be nobody or “I only confess my sins to God.” There’s a reason James 5:16 is in the Bible. — Ray Ortlund I don’t use the word “accountability” because I’ve seen it used in a coercive way, but “transparency” is mutual. I don’t believe we can go too far wrong if we’re living in transparency and in honest brotherhood together. — Ray Ortlund We can face anything if we will walk with God. And if we don’t have a real, honest, moment-by-moment walk with the Lord and we’re just great at church planting, that is total failure, brilliantly disguised as massive success. — Ray Ortlund The post Disciplines to Start in Early Ministry appeared first on New Churches.