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.

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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.

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.

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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.

Host Tony Merida meets with Jeff Medders, the Director of Theology and Content at SEND Network, to discuss the significance of the resurrection in our daily lives as believers, as well its power in the weekly rhythms of our churches. Tune in to discover how emphasizing the resurrection empowers us to live boldly on mission for the gospel.

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Jesus has risen from the dead, and therefore everything changes. No matter your context, the risen Christ is the lean-in factor of Christianity. — Jeff Medders

The crucifixion and resurrection go together, but oftentimes, at least in my observation and experience, there’s been a deemphasis on the resurrection. — Tony Merida

If you don’t believe in the resurrection, you’re not a Christian. So, let’s advocate for more resurrection. I want people to walk out of our churches going, “This guy believes Jesus is alive.” It changes everything. — Jeff Medders

Whatever labor you’re doing for the cause of the kingdom is not in vain. Nothing done in Jesus’ name is in vain because the tomb is empty. This fuses my everyday ministry with purpose and meaning and keeps me from despair as I preach the resurrection. — Tony Merida

The entire New Testament only came to be because Jesus rose again from the dead. The entire ecosystem of Christianity is a resurrection atmosphere. — Jeff Medders

The resurrection is not just a truth we die on, but it’s a truth we live on. — Tony Merida

The post Preaching the Resurrection appeared first on New Churches.

Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham share insight into one of the most difficult aspects of planting a church in North America today: establishing sustainable patterns of rest. Here’s what you can add and subtract to your life in ministry in order to live in the rest Christ has prepared for you.

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We have limits, and God made us spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional beings. If we don’t care for ourselves in those areas and establish a balance between work and rest, we’re going to make some major mistakes. — Vance Pitman

We tend to have in our minds that Jesus demands we work hard, be diligent, and exhaust ourselves. There is an element of truth in that, but at the same time, there’s a balancing tension of spiritual obedience. — Vance Pitman

It is not unspiritual to pull away from the demands of ministry to rest. As a matter of fact, it’s unspiritual not to in ministry. — Vance Pitman

The primary calling of my life is not ministry; it’s intimacy. Ministry is what He does out of the overflow of intimacy. If you look at the life of Jesus in the Gospels, Jesus is constantly interrupted and never in a hurry. — Vance Pitman

Muscle only grows when you rest it and fuel it. Church planting is the same way. You have to rest to see the growth happen. — Noah Oldham

The philosophy of much of North American church planting is the superstar, lone-ranger, high-capacity planter, but the philosophy of the New Testament is teamwork. — Vance Pitman

The post Creating Rhythms of Rest appeared first on New Churches.

Host Ed Stetzer meets with church planters Adam Muhtaseb and Richard Pope to discuss their best practices when it comes to facing hardship while leading a new church plant. Here’s why rest, repentance, and reliance on God and His people are essential for planters as they seek to lead others to Christ’s truth amidst life’s greatest difficulties.

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Successful church planting is a series of successfully resolved crises because there’s always a crisis and something that’s falling apart. — Ed Stetzer

Embrace strategic failure, knowing that God is still working when you can’t crush it this week. Once I recognized and got to a place of peace with that, it enabled me to rest and sabbath a little bit more. — Adam Muhtaseb

Suffering gives us a weird opportunity to show grace, love, kindness, and mercy. When you show and allow people into your suffering, keeping the gospel forefront, it’s a teaching moment for your church. — Richard Pope

God can do more in six days than you can do in seven, and He wants you to do six. — Adam Muhtaseb

Obedience and faithfulness to the Lord is always more fruitful than doing things our way. — Richard Pope

The post Church Planting in the Face of Personal Challenges appeared first on New Churches.

Hosts Vance Pitman and Noah Oldham kick off the new year by discussing the significance of casting a church-wide vision as leaders within your congregation. Discover how biblical leadership surpasses the ordinary markers of goal setting and why you’re called to simply take the next step forward in faithfulness as you wait expectantly upon the Lord.

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Being a visionary leader in pastoring, preaching, writing, and leading means casting vision in every realm where God has placed you. — Noah Oldham

Visionary leadership is allowing people to see God’s activity in the world and then showing them how they can get in on it. — Vance Pitman

When you show believers the activity of God in the world, you show them that God is big and that He is moving in the world. There is something in the heart of every believer that longs to leverage their life. — Vance Pitman

There’s a different paradigm of how God speaks to His people in the New Testament, and the principle is hearing God together. The New Testament knows nothing of a Christianity without community. — Vance Pitman

You don’t give to a church; you give through a church as an opportunity to join in God’s activity of expanding His kingdom. — Vance Pitman

Don’t let deadlines drive the agenda. Let intimacy with the Father drive the agenda. — Vance Pitman

The post Vision Casting for a New Year appeared first on New Churches.

What does it look like to connect with your community? Noah Oldham and Vance Pitman talk with Mark Lee about best practices for engaging your community as a new church planter.

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When we begin to be viewed as partners in our communities and cities, we create relational bridges that allow the gospel to walk from our lives into the lives of those we’ve been called to serve. —Vance Pitman

The way we connected with the community was that I just wanted to connect with my street, to just be the pastor of my street. Sometimes we can make it too complicated: Who do I need to reach out to? Where do I need to go? I just started where I lived. —Mark Lee

The greatest church planting class I took in seminary was actually on foreign missions. It taught me about these principles of being a missionary. And one of those principles was finding a person of peace. —Noah Oldham

Find ways you can build relationships with the people in your life. For me, a lot of it had to do with what my kids were doing. The first 13 families I led to Christ, I led to Christ coaching Little League baseball and NFL flag football. —Vance Pitman

Once we have followers, disciples and a core team, how do we mentor them to reach out to the city too? For my core team, I provided a framework: prayers, conversations, table fellowships and invitations. —Mark Lee

When we started, we created what we called the Personal Touch Tip Sheet. It was 40 examples of how you could connect with someone. Like, for example, when somebody moves in on your street, bake some cookies or bread, make a meal, and take it to your neighbor. —Vance Pitman

Keep being faithful and trust the Lord to build His Church. —Noah Oldham

The post Best of 2023: Connecting with Your Community as a New Church Planter appeared first on New Churches.

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

The post Best of 2023: Giving an Effective Gospel Presentation appeared first on New Churches.

Hosts Noah Oldham and Vance Pitman sit down with Pastor Matt Carter to discuss the significance of creating a culture of sending through preaching. Here’s what it means to “live sent” and to empower your people to do the same.

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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

The post Best of 2023: Preaching a Theology of Sending appeared first on New Churches.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect your church differently than others? Host Ed Stetzer talks with Warren Bird about fascinating new research.

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Movie theaters and schools where, disproportionately, church plants meet, were shut down. It really had an impact on church planting. When schools started meeting again, many didn’t let anybody in from the outside, to create a bubble. — Ed Stetzer

I was surprised at how few things dipped during the pandemic. I was brought to tears when I tallied the survey responses and I saw how many hundreds of churches launched during the pandemic. — Warren Bird

New churches put a heavier emphasis on evangelism than discipleship, but discipleship increased. — Ed Stetzer

We found that, both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic, evangelism was stronger than the discipleship component, but during the pandemic, the discipleship meter was almost as high as the evangelistic meter. — Warren Bird

I think it probably was the greatest time of church shifting and switching in our lifetime. I want new churches to be evangelized into existence. — Ed Stetzer

While people are willing to gather in most places now, the volunteering piece—that second step of engagement—has been really slow. It did not surge back with the people coming back. — Warren Bird

Can you imagine three years ago saying, “Hey, everyone, scan the QR code on your screen”? But now the grandmas are holding up their phones and scanning the QR code. It is fascinating how this has been accelerated technologically. — Ed Stetzer

The post Best of 2023: Did the Pandemic Change Church Planting? appeared first on New Churches.