Practical Church

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast brought to you in partnership with Mission Support.

Mission Support

This episode was brought to you by Mission Support. Stay focused on your mission and let Mission Support help you with everything you didn't go to seminary for! Get support from experts with decades of experience working with churches who know your unique needs and challenges. Click here to talk with a guide today & love being a pastor again!

HERE ARE THE 6 WAYS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE

• Consistent time with Jesus

• Have specific times you'll meet with people

• Prioritize your mornings

• Stick to the same sermon prep schedule every week

• Belong to a tribe

• Always remember the privilege it is to be a pastor

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7 Tips to Avoid Distractions While Preaching This episode of the Practical Church podcast provides pastors and preachers with seven effective strategies to minimize distractions while delivering sermons. From managing smart devices to handling personal stories and self-deprecating humor, the podcast offers practical advice for creating a more engaging and less distracting preaching experience. Additionally, the episode addresses the challenge of maintaining order with disruptive children during services and discusses the importance of structured small group discussions for church community health. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of community in building new habits and improving personal growth. 00:00 Welcome to Practical Church: Enhancing Your Preaching Skills 00:27 Sponsor Spotlight: Mission Support 01:10 7 Tips to Minimize Distractions While Preaching 01:40 Smart Watch Management for Preachers 03:44 Managing Your Phone During Sermons 05:13 Dealing with Electronic Device Glare 08:57 Gestures and Movements: Keeping Audience Focus 10:24 Handling Water During Your Sermon 12:29 Navigating Self-Deprecating Humor in Sermons 16:21 Sharing Personal Stories Effectively 19:00 Boosting Small Group Engagement 21:47 Personal Growth Tip: Building Habits in Community 24:02 Addressing Disruptive Kids During Services 29:24 Closing Thoughts and Resources

In this episode of the Practical Church Podcast, Dylan shares his journey of taking a break from the podcast and its return through a partnership with Mission Support, focusing on content while backend tasks are managed by Mission Support. The primary focus of the episode is on exploring seven ways to increase giving within the church community.

Here are the 7 ways discussed on this episode:

• Mention it every week (especially if you don't pass a plate)

• Quarterly giving statements

• Make it a value at your church

• Connect stories to generosity

• Talk about it with no qualifications

• First time giving follow up email

• Be honest when you have needs / if things are tight

Dylan also shares a personal observation on the benefits of proposing meeting locations closer to oneself to save time and offers a personal growth tip on transforming frustration into hope through actionable planning. Additionally, a listener's question regarding the use of church management apps and the challenge of engaging congregation members with new software is addressed.

00:00 Welcome Back to the Practical Church Podcast!

00:28 The Journey of the Practical Church Podcast

00:53 Partnership with Mission Support: A New Chapter

01:25 What's Next for the Practical Church Community

02:07 Diving Into Today's Episode: Increasing Church Giving

02:47 7 Effective Strategies to Boost Church Giving

24:37 Personal Growth Tips: From Frustration to Hope

27:31 Q&A: Navigating Church Management Software

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Missionsupport.com/practical

Practical Church Facebook Group

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

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Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

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HERE ARE THE 4 WAYS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE

• Auditorium (pipe and drape - rope off chairs - put less chairs out

• Lobby (pipe and drape - stanchions - use closest rooms if portable for kids space - signs to direct people)

• Kids (it can be too big! - Room dividers - pipe and drape - smaller rooms - more kids together

• Parking lot - Cones - Signs

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 8 WAYS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE

• Umbrellas when it rains (even if you don't get every person)

• Parker(s) in the parking lot

• Make your connect area obvious

• Coffee area should be accessible and not crowded

• Clean your facility

• Acknowledge new guests every Sunday

• Introduce yourself to people who are new

• Have clear signage

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 6 TIPS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE

• Do not apologize

• Invite questions

• Expect resistance & give people time to come around

• Bring your leaders in first

• Include it in your preaching

• Live with low-level frustration

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 7 WAYS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE

• Prioritize a physical option

• Have a digital option

• Reference it every Sunday - and be clear what to do with it

• Give (and mention) a gift people actually want

• Limit number of things to fill out

• Designed well + easy to write on

• Have it readily available + pens

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 6 WAYS I RECOMMEND IN THIS EPISODE

• Get people serving

• Assume many people haven't been to a single week of your sermon series

• Invite people to something (Christmas / Easter…baptism, and event…)

• Challenge people, but don't guilt them (do they know you want them to come more??)

• Engage people online (remind them you exist)

• Ensure your leaders prioritize the gathering

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 7 RECOMMENDATIONS I MAKE IN THIS EPISODE

• Fountain ink pen

• Standing desk + walking pad

• 3 ring leather sermon notebook (half sheets of paper) $70

• Pulpit with cup holder halfway down

• Todoist

• Calendly

• Logos

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 5 WAYS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• Don't put your main scriptures on the screen

• Don't give people the option to sit so far apart from each other

• Don't ask people too many options (serving, groups, etc.) - get them in and then give options later

• Restrict your available time to meet with people (same amount of available time - just more focused)

• Ask people to step into bigger roles (they won't ask themselves