New Churches Podcast

Episode 779 Host Ed Stetzer meets with Executive Director of Lifeway Research Scott McConnell to discuss their recent findings on evangelism and gospel conversations in the United States. Tune in to discover why your expectations of pushback may be holding you back from the worthwhile, hope-filled message that the world is desperate—and curious—to hear. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The significance of evangelism in church planting The pros and cons of memorizing your own gospel presentation The spectrum of engagement among professing believers in the United States Steps you can take to evangelistically mobilize your congregation How our personal relationships pave the way for community outreach Helpful Resources: Lifeway Research/Evangelism Explosion Study: Americans’ Openness to Talking about Faith 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): If you’re going to bring up your faith with somebody, there’s a pretty good chance they’re actually going to be curious about it. — Scott McConnell We should be sharing the benefits of our faith with the world, which we should be singing about on Sunday Mornings and meditating on throughout the week. But too many of us are not used to putting these benefits into words. — Scott McConnell Though there’s an increasingly negative perception of Christianity, there are those in the world who have a good perception of you as you have built relationships with them as a neighbor. It’s appropriate for you to initiate a faith conversation. — Ed Stetzer In most areas of discipleship, the longer you’re a Christian, the more like Christ you look. But when it comes to evangelism, that’s not showing to be true. We’re seeing older saints being unwilling to bring up faith in conversations with others. — Scott McConnell Half of Christians say they’re ready to share the basics of becoming a Christian. But we must be ready for any opportunity to share those basic steps. — Ed Stetzer We have to remind each other that our message is hope-filled. Too often we get stuck on the fact that we’re coming across as pushy or rude. If we believe we have a message worth hearing, the gospel is that message and it’s our responsibility to share it. — Scott McConnell The post Are Americans Open to Talking About Their Faith? appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 778 Host Tony Merida chats with pastor, author, and long-time ministry partner J.D. Greear to discuss the basics of the Christian faith in an age of deconstruction, as gleaned through the New Testament book of Romans. Tune in to discover the power of the gospel alive in the Word—and in the lives of God’s people—still today. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Romans’ framework for relevant essentials of the Christian faith today How to address questions of the 21st century, just as Paul did for the early church Ways to dissect Christian culture from the essence of true Christianity What social media takes from our in-person relational opportunities How understanding the basics of the faith equips us to live on mission Helpful Resources: J.D.’s New Book: Essential Christianity 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): Deconstruction understood from one angle is not altogether a bad thing if you’re trying to separate some of the artificial constructs built into Christianity. — J.D. Greear Paul wants the gospel to saturate every aspect of the Roman church’s being so that it’s not just a book about personal salvation, but also a book about community and mission. — Tony Merida There is still this ancient power in the gospel that is not found through clever illustrations and cultural trendiness. Romans is just putting on display the raw power of the gospel. — J.D. Greear Social media is not a great place for deep dialogue, especially about emotional concepts. Making disciples is a life-on-life thing, not an instant messenger thing. — J.D. Greear What people don’t realize is that for every one conversation I tell you about, there were nine that crashed and burned and were just awkward. But you have to be out there with your radar on saying, “God, what are you doing around me? And where am I supposed to put Your Word into the places, questions, and needs I see?” — J.D. Greear The post Essential Christianity appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 777 Host Ed Stetzer joins his with long-time friend, colleague, professor, and ethics expert Scott Rae to discuss how pastors and planters can better address the week-long needs of their congregations. Tune in to discover the unique vantagepoints of bivocational pastors and how we can empower our people at the intersections of their work and ministry. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why our contributions in the workplace are so much more than a means to an end Ways to intentionally engage the challenges of your people throughout the week How to train your congregation to sense what God is doing amidst their daily lives The significance of connecting your Sunday sermons to your people’s work and personal time The impact of representing your people in all walks of life from the pulpit—from the businessman to the retiree to the stay-at-home mom 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 more familiar I am with what the people I’m serving are doing during the week, the better equipped I’ll be in making my applications to them. — Scott Rae I’d love to see our preachers apply the fruit of the Spirit to the workplace. Think about it: who would you rather hire? Somebody characterized by the fruit of the Spirit or by the deeds of the flesh? It’s not a tough call. — Scott Rae Scripture’s example is not merely a one-way conversation with the pastor’s teaching, but a mutual understanding of the Galatians all holding one another up and bearing one another’s burdens. — Ed Stetzer It is in the discussions, relationships, and small groups where people are growing spiritually. We want our people to dwell together in the Word of God, not just hear it preached. — Ed Stetzer Dignify the work that God has called you to do. Work was ordained in Genesis 1-2—not in chapter 3—because our work is not our penalty. Yeah, it’s fallen, but God cursed the ground, not our work. — Scott Rae The post Connecting Sunday and Monday appeared first on New Churches.

Pastor and author J.D. Greear discusses the impact of gospel-centered preaching. Topics include addressing the heart in preaching, finding adoration in Sunday service, reading the Old Testament in a New Testament context, relaying all pulpit messaging back to Christ, and the motivational shift through Christ-exalting worship.

Episode 775 Host Ed Stetzer meets with author, ethics expert, and his own colleague Dr. Scott Rae to chat about the ethical implications of ChatGPT and its impact on preachers, planters, and pastors today. Tune in to discover why AI can’t replace the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s people. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How sermon prep relates to physical fitness Why discipline and accountability are non-negotiables in this modern preaching age The dangers of keeping pace—or failing to do so!—in the realm of technology How AI differs from the vetted resources we know and trust The role of the Holy Spirit in each and every step of your preaching process Helpful Resources: Ed’s sermon at Talbot Chapel: Grace Alone Kenny Jahng’s ChurchLeaders Episode: What Church Leaders Need to Know about AI Mihretu Guta’s ChurchLeaders Episode: How the Church Should Respond to the Ethical Dangers of AI Yvonne Carlson’s ChurchLeaders Episode: How to Use AI Effectively in Your Ministry 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 have no difficulty with bivocational church planters utilizing someone else’s sermon outline, though it’s a question of attribution and more. Whereas AI is a plagiarism machine that gathers and brings together other people’s thoughts. — Ed Stetzer I’m troubled to think that the temptation to use AI for more and more and more will eventually become irresistible, to the point that it’s writing a first draft and you’re becoming an editor rather than someone generating it from scratch. — Scott Rae You can have ChatGPT write you a script, but you’re basically just a voice actor reading a script. Pastors can be good at articulating things, but that’s not the same as wrestling with the text for what God has for the people He has called you to lead and serve. — Ed Stetzer The pastor should have the experience we’ve all had of beating our heads against the wall until the light comes on and you realize what the text is saying and how it connects to your people. It’s that “Aha!” moment that I’m afraid ChatGPT may rob you of. — Scott Rae Most of us overprepare for our sermons and have way more content that we can actually cover in the time allotted to us. The Spirit’s work in sermon preparation is just as much as the delivery itself. I don’t want to use tools that short circuit the activity of the Spirit, but enhance it. — Scott Rae I want to wrestle with what I’ve prepared, what I think God wants me to deliver to my audience, what is consistent with the author’s intent, and what is the appropriate application to the text. — Scott Rae The post AI and the Ethics of Preaching appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 774 Hosts Noah Oldham and Vance Pitman sit down with Send Network’s Vice President for Planter Development Tony Merida to discuss why we are called to gather as the body of Christ. From topics like Christ’s incarnation to the COVID-19 pandemic, listen in to discover how your presence impacts the life and culture of the local church. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The pros and cons of online streaming How God’s presence is encountered through physically gathering Ways to combat the entertainment-driven consumer mentality of the modern age Why gathering is more than just a Western interpretation of Scripture How to “read the room” on your family conversations within the body of Christ 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): We not only have a new Father, but a whole new family through adoption into the gospel. I not only get to call God “Abba Father,” but I get to call those who look and have radically different backgrounds than me my brothers and sisters. — Tony Merida The senior pastor and worship pastor are not leading worship; they’re the lead worshipers. So, don’t sit in a green room. Be engaged in every moment of worship because you want your people to see that gathering together matters. — Vance Pitman Jesus didn’t just Zoom from heaven and tell us what to do, but He incarnated Himself and lived among us. The Word became flesh. We are embodied beings, and our faith is best lived out in embodied ways. — Tony Merida Church is not an event you attend or watch; it’s a family to which you belong. So many of the “one anothers” in the New Testament cannot be lived out apart from fellowship, community, and gathering together. — Vance Pitman Don’t get so locked in on Planning Center that you don’t leave room for the Holy Spirit of God to move and redirect your time of gathering. — Vance Pitman The post Renewing the Importance of the Gathered Church appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 773 Host Ed Stetzer joins with rural pastor and planter Will Basham to discuss God’s faithfulness over a decade of ministry at New Heights Church. Listen as they dive into the fundamental details of purchasing a church building, along with creative ways to engage your community and congregation in each season along the way. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Tips for financial discernment and wisdom Church planters’ testimonies of the Lord going before them How growth can be viewed as a discipleship opportunity The importance of clear communication in giving Ways for your people to be the church, from “cafetoriums” to pizza shops, on a school campus or at the park! 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 love to ask people to give. It’s a blessing to offer an opportunity to be blessed. ­— Ed Stetzer The key is to have a strategy and a facility that match your community. — Ed Stetzer In designing your church, you’re sending a message about the kind of church you want to be. You’re sending a message to the people of faith that this is a place for them. — Ed Stetzer It’s so easy to get distracted on the building as a church planter, especially a church planter leading in unconventional places. I spent so many years saying, “The church is not a building; the church is the people until we get a building.” — Will Basham Planting is a constant effort. You can’t let off the gas pedal of mission because you got a building. It’s taught me that more than anything else, I have to keep the mission in front of our people. — Will Basham The post Considerations for Buying a Building for Your Church appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 772 In this episode, hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham talk with pastor, planter, and professor Tony Merida on the significance of an accountability that reaches past moral convictions. Tune in to discover all you have to gain from your sending church and network as you discredit false doctrines and get to the non-negotiables of your gospel-driven mission. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Tips for establishing theological convictions within your next new members’ course How shared stances build mutual trust between co-laborers of the gospel The role of the sending church vs. sending network in addressing theological concern Two paths for preparing and raising planters within your own congregation Why you may need to return to “the ministry of the phone call” 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): At the end of the day, Jesus will hold me accountable to what I teach and expects His church to be faithful to sound doctrine. Moral accountability is so important, but theological accountability is something we should be talking about, too. — Tony Merida If you go back to the New Testament missiology, the apostles’ letters not only corrected missional and practical issues but dealt with theological issues that needed to be addressed. — Vance Pitman Consider all the great confessions of the faith that have been passed down to us. These core doctrines can be read in a very academic, dry way or in a worshipful way that really builds your faith. — Tony Merida We’re not talking about a relationship of cops and robbers or being the theological police; we’re talking about brother-to-brother encouragement and pouring theological investment into each other’s lives. — Vance Pitman In Colossians 1, Paul doesn’t start by talking about problems and heresy. He starts by giving a real picture of Christ, then talking about the problem. If people understand who the real Christ is, they begin understanding the real gospel. — Tony Merida John the Baptist lost his head over what he believed about marriage, so let’s not goof around as if everybody’s going to love us. We have to be bold while dealing with controversial issues in a way that’s gentle, winsome, and warm, but also in a spirit of boldness. — Tony Merida The post Theological Accountability appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 771 Host Ed Stetzer sits down with rural pastor and planter Will Basham to discuss his heart for reaching the lost in rural America. Regardless of our own backdrop, this church-planting mission remains the same for us, too, as we go and make disciples. Here’s how God is reaching the lost in Milton, West Virginia, and how you can join in on His mission. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How the Imago Dei should impact our pursuit of the lost and searching The difficulties and blessings found in rural church planting What planters in the urban context can learn from rural America How to address worshipping through giving in your church context What the gospel teaches about the polarization of today’s social climate 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): Anywhere there are people created in the image of God is an important place for ministry. — Will Basham When we devalue an area culturally, people in that cultural context—those in the inner city, as well as in rural America—know that they’re undervalued by the culture. — Ed Stetzer It’s about teaching faithfulness in a lot of little areas. It’s not about trying to shake people down for money but teaching our people about sacrificing and worshiping through giving. — Will Basham When we forget the gospel or try to mingle it with political or social issues instead of keeping it above them, we become misguided and just part of the noise. — Will Basham Our church is trying to teach people that in a sea of faces, they’re not forgotten. — Will Basham God is at work in the rural context and calls people there. Maybe you are called to go there or to partner with others who are answering the call to reach these spaces as well. — Ed Stetzer The post Rural Church Planting appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 770 What exactly are the benefits of engaging with social media? Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham team back up with pastor and planter Josh Howerton to share insight into social media’s role in ministry. Here’s how your online presence can assist you in sharing God’s truth and shepherding His people as you seek to plant new churches. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The three spiritual giftings of church leaders How online platforms can hurt or help you as you live on mission The significance of connecting with your congregation in the online sphere Why you should take your time with developing and strategizing your online content Tips for establishing online limits and accountability 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): Social media can be a field full of landmines. — Noah Oldham Shepherding and Bible teaching isn’t just 40 minutes once a week. Our people are spending dozens of hours online, and we’re leaving our sheep to the wolves when we decide to not engage. — Josh Howerton I engage online because I want to have the conversation where my people are. I don’t want my pulpit to get hijacked by the current cultural issue, but I do need to help my people with those concepts. — Josh Howerton A reason to think about why these issues matter, as well as why we need to speak about them, is because it’s not political; it’s about being the immune system of our culture. — Vance Pitman You want to have a ministry that edifies the wise, corrects the foolish, and—though this is something with a bit of an edge to it—drives away the evil. — Josh Howerton Attracting a mob is like getting attacked by snowballs. When it’s done, you realize it actually didn’t hurt you that much. But you have to be wise and thoughtful from every angle. — Josh Howerton The post Leading Well in Social Media appeared first on New Churches.