New Churches Podcast

Episode 769 Host Ed Stetzer teams back up with long-time ministry leaders Christine and Kyle Hoover to share their wisdom gained through all their years of marriage and church planting. Tune in to discover the lessons they learned the hard way—from calendars and communication to rest and recreation—and how you can better invest in your marriage as a priority ministry, too. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Tips for establishing sustainable rhythms of rest Why you must establish boundaries within your time commitments What your cell phone usage says about your mental and emotional health The importance of owning your identity in Christ How your calendar communicates your priorities—for better or for worse Helpful Resources: Ed’s leadership podcast: The Stetzer Church Leaders Podcast 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): You could fill every minute of every day with new ideas for church planting; you have to intentionally make decisions for you and your spouse to be together. — Kyle Hoover A lot of church planters fit their family time in however and whenever they can, which communicates to the family that they’re secondary. — Kyle Hoover A lot of pastors, church planners, and their wives think they’re the exception to the rule of rest. Church planting is nonstop, but that’s exactly what runs you into the ground. — Christine Hoover Cultivating your relationship is a primary ministry God has given you; it’s not a place to just rest until you go out and do more ministry. — Christine Hoover It’s worth it to financially and timewise invest in your marriage so that you can endure in ministry while cultivating your marriage. — Christine Hoover  In almost all circumstances of leaving, the people who go with you are your family. Investing in those long-term relationships is better for your church plant as you invest in your family. — Ed Stetzer The post Habits of Healthy Church Planting Couples appeared first on New Churches.

Explore the significance of churches planting churches, the role of a larger church in supporting planters, and the strategic opportunities for different sized churches in church planting. Discover the importance of supporting and developing anchor churches and the value of teams in church planting. Don't miss out on this valuable kingdom advancement!

Episode 767 Host Ed Stetzer chats with ministry leaders Christine and Kyle Hoover about how church pastors and planters can better serve their wives while leading their congregations. Tune in to discover how understanding balance and boundaries, along with calling and communication, will allow your wife to flourish the way God designed her to. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How creativity can help you resolve conflict within your ministry and marriage Tips for establishing boundaries as a ministry spouse Why your feelings aren’t a burden to God or His church How intentionality and discernment can lead you toward your unique ministry calling The importance of establishing healthy rhythms from the earliest days of your church plant Helpful Resources: Ed’s leadership podcast: The Stetzer Church Leaders Podcast 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 best thing a husband can do is study his wife, have conversations with her about what she is passionate about and gifted for, and as soon as possible, help her find her spot in the church plant that incorporates those gifts. — Christine Hoover In the framework of intentionality, is the default approach to just hand off responsibilities to your wife? Or are you being intentional to turn every stone to find a different scenario that works better? — Kyle Hoover Treat your wife with the same kind of care and intentionality that you would if she were a lay or staff person, not assuming things based upon her being your wife.  — Kyle Hoover Church planning tends to attract people who are very driven and who are going to fill their time with work because they’re excited about starting something new. This entrepreneurial mindset can often lead to a marriage and a family out of balance. — Ed Stetzer My ability to engage others in the church is going to change over time because of the season of life that I’m in. It comes down to knowing my context, knowing myself, and knowing what the Lord has asked me to do. — Christine Hoover The post How to Help Your Wife Thrive appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 766 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham offer their insights into what it means for a church to truly be a house of prayer. Here’s how your congregation can more intentionally be in tune with the Lord in each new season of church planting, establishing healthy prayer rhythms as you go. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The impact of starting your church well and finding your footing early on Why your inclination toward self-reliance is more than likely stunting your growth How prayer can cultivate your mission field Tips for measuring success in the life of your church The example Jesus set in picking a launch team! 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): Prayer, along with the Word of God, should be the centerpiece of what we’re doing and what we’re about. — Vance Pitman Jesus said that when the lost world thinks about you as a people, they ought to say, “I don’t know everything about those people, but I know they talk to God over there.” — Vance Pitman We don’t pray before we work; prayer is the work, and then God works. Unfortunately, today, we often think prayer is what we do before we get to the real work. — Vance Pitman We’re not about success; we’re about kingdom fruit. — Noah Oldham The power’s not in our praying. The power is in the One we’re praying to, and when we seek Him, He begins to move in power. — Noah Oldham The post Prayer and Church Planting appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 765 Host Ed Stetzer teams back up with writer, professor, and missionary Trevin Wax to hone in on the ways theology impacts us as preachers, pastors, and planters. Tune in to discover how you’re already doing the work of a theologian… and why it’s time to lean into that calling upon your life. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why your personal definition of “theologian” may be ready for an update The influence of church history and tradition upon our teachings today The ways theology can impact your daily walk with Christ—and your people’s, too! Sustainable rhythms of study for vocational and covocational pastors alike How diversifying your reading can help you better connect with your congregation Helpful Resources: Fred Sanders’ article: Sent, But Perfectly, But Really Interested in learning more? Start the free Preaching Masterclass. Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches): If you’re a pastor tasked with opening and expounding on God’s Word for the people He has entrusted to your care, you’re theologizing. — Trevin Wax If you’re having to get up and preach, you shouldn’t want to preach yourself; you should want to preach God’s Word. It begins with the basic, fundamental level of interpreting God’s Word faithfully. — Trevin Wax The pastor as theologian is not that you arrive; it’s that you’re continuing to sharpen your skills. — Ed Stetzer Theology, at the end of the day, is not so we can fill our minds with knowledge. It’s so we can bow our knees in humility toward God and know Him better. — Trevin Wax You’re shaping your congregation whether you realize it or not. Don’t you want to shape them in the best most God-glorifying way possible? — Trevin Wax Who you are theologically shapes who your congregation is theologically. Make sure that who you are theologically is well-grounded, balanced, and biblical. — Ed Stetzer The post The Preacher as Theologian appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 764 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham spend some time with Strategic Renewal President Daniel Henderson to discuss the role of prayer in the pastor’s life and in the life of the church as a whole. Discover how you can grow your own appetite for prayer and lead your people to do the same. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The transformational nature of prayer within Scripture How the prayer life of the early church was cultivated Why corporate prayer is essential to your congregation’s spiritual growth Steps for incorporating sustainable prayer rhythms into your Sunday services How the culture of the church begins with you as the pastor! Helpful Resources: Strategic Renewal’s Pastoral Network: The 6:4 Fellowship Interested in learning more? Start the free Preaching Masterclass Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches): It has to be birthed in our own hearts that if we aren’t a praying church, we aren’t going to honor Christ, accomplish supernatural gospel advancement, or experience transformation. — Daniel Henderson We watch people pray and see the Spirit of God move in power, and we’re like, “Wow! What is this?” But then we read the Bible and realize that’s what New Testament Christianity looks like. — Vance Pitman There’s a difference between seeking revival from God and seeking God for revival. The only enduring motivation for prayer is that God is worthy to be sought, and that never changes. — Daniel Henderson There has to be a worship-based motivation in our prayer that keeps us in the fight. — Daniel Henderson When lost people attend a Christian church service, they actually expect us to talk to God and show them how they can do the same. When we relegate prayer to eloquent professionals on the stage, prayer becomes something unattainable for the average person. — Vance Pitman The post Creating a Culture of Prayer appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 763 Host Ed Stetzer teams back up with author, pastor, and leadership expert Eric Geiger to discuss the church’s responsibility to engage hard questions with applicable theological truth. Here’s how you can intentionally shepherd your people as they examine God’s Word and seek His heart for them in the process. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Ways to effectively navigate cultural shifts and philosophies How you can train your staff on pressing theological issues The gift that tension brings us in our most difficult pastoral moments Which topics to preach from the pulpit (or to save for your next discipleship class) Helpful advice for reaching the “unchurched” people in your pews 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 find ourselves in a time when we can’t assume our people have a basic understanding of the gospel or on what the Bible teaches. — Ed Stetzer I want our people to know I’m responsible before the Lord for them to be discipled, to have a Christocentric view of the world, and to be theologically conversant in understanding key doctrines of the Christian life. — Eric Geiger What the church can offer now in a world that is so confused is to actually connect with the questions the culture’s asking; this is both theological and practical. — Eric Geiger We’re not just screaming at the culture; we’re equipping our people to answer questions with both truth and grace. — Eric Geiger Be careful before jumping into more complex topics because you want to walk your people through it wisely, biblically, and also in pastorally appropriate ways. — Ed Stetzer Approach hard conversations with tenderness and compassion the way Jesus approaches us. Say the truth but also show it in a beautiful and gracious way. — Eric Geiger The post Building a Theological Vision appeared first on New Churches.

Episode 762 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham join with small group guru, leadership expert, and church planter Spence Shelton to dissect the issues faced within small groups, specifically pertaining to men’s involvement. Tune in to learn more about engaging the men in your church plant and creating spaces for authenticity within your discipleship models. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The ways gender-specific groups benefit men within our congregations How simplicity aids us in discipleship planning Steps you can take to guide your layleaders well How you can address your men’s anxiety about joining a small group The secret to providing childcare within your church plant! Helpful Resources: Interested in learning more? Start the free Preaching Masterclass Check out our Church Planting Primer. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Shareable Quotes (#NewChurches): The Scriptures clearly taught that Paul wanted to make sure there were older men training up younger men in the church, pulling them aside and training them to walk as godly men. The same is true with older women needing to train up younger women. — Spence Shelton If nothing else—just out of obedience to God’s Word—if you’re a man with no male influences helping you walk with the Lord, you have to turn, look at Scripture, and recognize the deficit you’re missing. — Spence Shelton Men need to be in spaces with other men dealing with God’s Word. — Spence Shelton What were the disciples but a small group of 12 men who Jesus did life with for three-and-a-half years, raising them up, multiplying them out, and pouring into them? — Vance Pitman We want everybody to be involved in intentionally gospel-centered relationships. So, depending on our people’s demographics in life, we provide different groups because discipleship is what matters for us; it’s the product, not the methodology, to get there. — Noah Oldham The post Small Groups for Men appeared first on New Churches.

Author, pastor, and leadership expert Eric Geiger joins host Ed Stetzer to discuss the inevitability of change in church planting. They explore adjusting approaches to change, lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, relating to layleaders through change, and the essential role of encouragement in leadership.

Episode 760 Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham spend some time with pastor, author, and discipleship consultant Spence Shelton to uncover the role community groups play in the life of the local church. Tune in to discover how you can cultivate more group-centric rhythms while furthering the gospel’s reach within your own community. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How NOT to start up a groups ministry in your new church plant The importance of meeting and empowering your people where they are Three qualities to look for in your small group leaders Why your plant needs a disciple-making mentality What you can do to avoid lay-leadership burnout! 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): Clarity creates confidence, so give leaders clarity on what their expectations are. That’s going to give them the confidence to carry it out. — Spence Shelton We plant because healthy churches plant churches and healthy groups plant groups. — Spence Shelton We want to keep reaching people with the gospel. So, whenever you want to make disciples and reach lost people, that’s when you plant community groups. — Spence Shelton We have to think multiplication at every level, and that’s not just multiplication of churches. It’s multiplication of disciples, which means multiplication of groups. — Vance Pitman It’s not driven just by a systematized approach; if we’re not careful, we can make this a math equation. This is the activity of God in making disciples and multiplying churches for the expansion of His kingdom. — Vance Pitman That’s what we’re after: making disciples. The Lord is the One who gives the growth. We are just here to seed and water, and as we see the Lord growing, we harvest. — Spence Shelton The post Starting Small Groups in a New Church appeared first on New Churches.