New Churches Podcast

Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham spend time with author, speaker, and consultant Brad Lomenick examining the impact of humble, hungry, and hustle-driven leadership within the church planting context. Here’s how you can level up your personal and professional development as you seek to become the planter and leader whom God has wired you to be.

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Leaders are often utility players who wear a lot of hats, meaning they probably have a number of areas where they can and do need to grow. — Noah Oldham

It’s so easy to let your identity get wrapped up in what you do instead of who you are in Christ. Leadership isn’t a destination we reach; it’s a posture we cultivate. — Vance Pitman

Psalm 33 says, “The plans of the Lord are from generation to generation,” meaning we’re simply stewarding something that belongs to Him and that it’s going to continue in the next generation. — Vance Pitman

I’m always looking for transparency, vulnerability, authenticity, honesty, and self-awareness when it comes to humility. I want now more than ever to follow that kind of leader today. In the old days, it was “fake it ‘til you make it,” but today’s young leaders will see right through that. — Brad Lomenick

When it comes to calling and assignment, you have to find what that God has wired you to do, as well as what you’re passionate about. When you find this talent, passion, and connection all undergirded by God’s story, that’s when you are in the sweet spot. — Brad Lomenick

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Host Ed Stetzer meets with Tony Merida and Adam Muhtaseb to discuss the complex yet essential relationship between church plants and their sending churches. Listen to learn more about establishing a sending culture within your own congregation, as well as how to partner with planters in a healthy way.

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When we’re all in to see the gospel change our society, there are no sidelines. — Adam Muhtaseb

When you create a sending culture—like the church in Antioch who sent people who sent people–your people will end up being a missionary force. — Adam Muhtaseb

Every church plant should have time set aside for Ephesians 4’s equipping the saints to do the work at the ministry. Our job is not to do ministry, but to equip the saints who do the work of the ministry. — Adam Muhtaseb

As a sending church, we want to help our planters theologically think through ecclesiology and contextualization. We want to care for their souls and make sure they’re ministering out of spiritual health—not merely out of gifting or hard work. — Tony Merida

The best kind of sending church sends from a context with a similar passion for church planting. So, church-planting churches become church-planting churches. — Ed Stetzer

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Hosts Ed Stetzer and Trevin Wax sit down to discuss the life and impact of Dr. Tim Keller. Known for his many roles as an author, pastor, apologist, and evangelist, he was also an esteemed urban missionary to New York City and beyond. Listen to learn more about Dr. Keller’s legacy in transforming the world of church planting as we know it.

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Tim loved church planting, and he loved church planters. — Ed Stetzer

Keller’s concern was that everybody had their own medicine they were in love with and that they were constantly belittling other people’s medicines for an ailing church and culture. — Trevin Wax

Tim was one of the first people to say that if you’re going to learn contextualization, you have to be an exegete of the culture and of the Scriptures so that you can bring the Scriptures into what you know.  — Trevin Wax

What I love about Tim’s work is that he didn’t just tell you what to do; he taught you how to think like a missionary. — Trevin Wax

Tim would say that you want to present Christianity in such a way that people who aren’t believers want it to be true. That comes out in his preaching and theological vision for ministry as well. — Trevin Wax

Tim Keller’s church planting was driven by evangelizing secular people. That’s the future, and that’s where we’ve got to learn. — Ed Stetzer

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Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham team back up with The Hub Urban Ministries’ Cassie Hammett to share how your church can take the next step in serving the most vulnerable populations in your city. Here’s how you can mobilize your people to live on mission while creating space for all who may come to believe in the name of Jesus.

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The city is where God has called us, and the church is the tool He established to engage the city with the gospel. —  Vance Pitman

The churches that have the biggest impact among vulnerable populations are the ones showing up with their pastors and leadership there, saying, “Come do this with me.” — Cassie Hammett

The ultimate goal of engagement among vulnerable populations would be that they find a spot to belong in your church body. — Cassie Hammett

For something to make any sort of impact in serving vulnerable populations sustainably, biblically, and holistically takes a really long time. — Cassie Hammett

You have to assess what we are and who we are. Think about it in two lanes: resources and relationships. What are the resources we have, and what are the relationships we are connected to? —  Vance Pitman

We want the gospel to be the answer for someone who’s gone through trauma. — Cassie Hammett

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Host Ed Stetzer meets with Tony Merida and Adam Muhtaseb to discuss the ins and outs of preaching within the church-planting context. Here’s how you can find your rhythm as a pastor, preacher, and planter.

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Cast vision or values at the beginning. Treat your beginning series as more of an onramp series for those who are not familiar with the Bible. Walk through it together. — Ed Stetzer

Church is a family; it’s not just an event. — Adam Muhtaseb

When we go to church, we assume lost people don’t want to hear the Bible, but we have found that when we preach verse by verse through the text, engage their questions, and preach Christ from the text, lost people keep coming. — Adam Muhtaseb

You have to mingle with unbelievers during the week, and that will impact how you address them in the course of the sermon.  — Tony Merida

When thinking about addressing unbelievers, one of the things we’re trying to do in Christ-centered preaching is show people the grand narrative. Most people coming in have no idea that the Bible is a unified book. — Adam Muhtaseb

A certain power comes through a sincere preacher when there’s an alignment between their life and their preaching. No one expects you to be sinless, of course, but it’s important that they see a real trustworthiness. — Tony Merida

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Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham meet with The Hub Urban Ministries’ Cassie Hammett to discuss how you can best assess the needs of the most vulnerable populations in your midst. From your church pews to the city streets, here’s how you can take trauma-informed care to the next level.

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Trauma-informed care is engaging others as people as you’re engaging them with the gospel. It’s understanding that people have all kinds of past histories that they bring into the discipleship process. —Noah Oldham

Anytime people gather on a Sunday for a service, that room is full of people who have a history of trauma. It’s not just vulnerable populations that experience trauma. —Cassie Hammett

A lot of vulnerability exists even outside of material poverty. It is incredibly helpful to have a wider lens for who might be experiencing vulnerability. If your lens is dialed in too tightly, it could keep you from seeing the people who most need to be seen in your community. —Cassie Hammett

 Jesus saw the multitudes and felt compassion. That word “see” there means “to see and understand, to identify with, and to perceive.” —Vance Pitman

When you approach vulnerable populations from an asset-based perspective, you’re asking, “What do they already have? What can they contribute? What do they have to say about what’s happening in the city?” —Cassie Hammett

To move the needle for the vulnerable requires far more people at the table than just that population. It requires trust at every level of your city. —Cassie Hammett

What keeps tragic from becoming traumatic is our relationships. We all have tragedies, but when we have a relationship network around us, it keeps those tragedies from becoming traumatic. —Vance Pitman

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What is the next generation looking for in discipleship relationships? Host Ed Stetzer chats with Shane Pruitt and Catherine Renfro on how we can effectively meet Gen Zs with the gospel of Jesus Christ and equip them to make disciples themselves.

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With Gen Z, there’s an appreciation for boldness and conviction. Even if they don’t agree with what you’re saying, if they think you believe what you’re saying, there is an ear there. — Shane Pruitt

College and high school students are over fluff and puff; they are looking for spirit and truth. — Shane Pruitt

One of the best things we can do is help them remember that their whole purpose is to know Jesus, but also to make Him known. — Catherine Renfro

It’s a game changer for students when we can help them see that God can not only use them to make an eternal difference in the lives of their friends, but that He will use them if they’re simply willing and available. — Catherine Renfro

Students want to live with a purpose for a purpose, and they want to have influence. — Catherine Renfro

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We talk about “mobilizing the church” but what do that really mean? Noah Oldham, Vance Pitman, and Matt Carter talk about unleashing the church to join in God’s mission.

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The church doesn’t do missions. The church is born for the mission. As pastors and leaders, our job is to unleash the church for joining in the mission of God. —Vance Pitman

Go find in the New Testament where a church did missions by itself. You won’t find it. There’s a there’s a power in coming together for the sake of mobilization. —Matt Carter

You have to think about starting small in two areas. First of all, at the micro level, helping them begin to see themselves as a missionary. Then at the macro level, organizing events where you can mobilize the church. —Vance Pitman

One of the most attractional things is a church that’s not just focusing on its own personal growth but on sending people. —Matt Carter

The size of the church doesn’t determine the significance of the church. The size of the mission determines the significance of the church. The mission is big so you don’t have to be a big church to take this step. —Vance Pitman

When I painted the picture clearly for the congregation and called them to it is when people were most likely to move. —Matt Carter

I’ve never seen a church too mobilized. The church is community on mission. —Vance Pitman

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As our society tips toward majority non-Christian, the need for clearer calls to the gospel becomes paramount. Ed Stetzer, Shane Pruitt and Catherine Renfro talk about how to give an effective gospel presentation.

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Sermons should be text driven and every text should be preached in the light of the gospel. And if the gospel is preached, then an opportunity to respond to the gospel should be given. —Shane Pruitt

In giving an invitation, people need to know why they need to put their trust in Jesus and that God’s not made it complicated for us to be saved. —Catherine Renfro

The cheat code for doing an invitation clearly and concisely is to be prepared. A lot of times communicators don’t prepare their invitations like they prepare the sermon. —Shane Pruitt

If there’s confusion on the stage, there will be mass confusion in the seats and the last thing we want anybody to do is to respond in confusion. —Shane Pruitt

At the end of the day, we want to make sure that those who respond to the gospel have an opportunity to talk with someone afterward. —Catherine Renfro

As the leader, the shepherd of the church, your goal is to to create and cultivate a culture of evangelism. You don’t want to go, “OK, this is the one weekend a year we’re actually going to be evangelistic.” —Shane Pruitt

If you proclaim the gospel, give an invitation and people respond but you don’t have a follow-up plan, we’re being bad stewards in that. —Shane Pruitt

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One way we build a sending culture in a church is preaching about “living sent.” Noah Oldham, Vance Pitman and Matt Carter talk about how to preach a theology of sending.

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The local church is not the ultimate goal; the ultimate goal is the kingdom of God being expanded and God birthing His local church. One of the ways we create that sending culture is through preaching. —Vance Pitman

We always had next steps. It’s one thing to get everybody fired up from the pulpit. It’s another thing to have something they can hang their hat on. —Matt Carter

We end every service telling our our church after we pray, “Go to love, serve and tell.” —Noah Oldham

Preaching is not the dispensing of information. Preaching is a call to transformation. There has to be an opportunity for people to respond. We have to apply “living sent” for our people to begin to take those steps. —Vance Pitman

There’s a pent-up desire in the body of Christ to engage in the mission of God, and I think it’s bottlenecked at the pastor because we’re not giving them the opportunity to do it. —Matt Carter

You’ve got to be passionate about it yourself or your people are never going to follow you. It’s got to be something you believe in, deep down in the core of your being. —Matt Carter

I would warn a pastor to be prepared. There will be opposition. There’s an enemy within and an enemy without. —Vance Pitman

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