Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations

Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee talk with the Director of Church Planting for Converge Heartland, Steve Krier, to discuss the challenges of planting in rural areas and what life is like in the district.

0:23 Lee introduces podcast guest, Steve.

0:40 Steve discusses where he’s from and where he serves as a pastor.

1:01 Steve shares a “fun fact” about North Dakota.

1:12 Lee asks Steve his reason for planting a church in the Fargo area.

1:25 A lot of people in the Fargo area know about Jesus, but have no relationship with him, according to Steve. Drinking is also a big problem in the area, so Steve ministers to bring hope to people.

2:11 Danny asks if life in the city of Fargo is really what it’s like as depicted in the movie “Fargo.”

2:25 Steve quickly speaks about what the movie did and didn’t get correct about the Fargo area and how residents have embraced the press from the movie, even if it’s not accurate.

3:07 Steve informs Lee and Danny about the landscape and climate of North Dakota.

3:48 Lee asks Steve about starting Ignite Church in a movie theater and what it’s like starting a portable church.

4:10 Steve discusses how schools weren’t an option for use as a church plant, and how God answered his prayers by providing a movie theater to rent at a great price.

5:10 Steve talks about the challenges of using a movie theater for church services.

5:46 On the flip side, Steve talks about the benefits of having church in a movie theater.

6:08 Frigid winter temps are a challenge when planting a portable church in North Dakota.

7:11 Danny asks about Ignite Church’s storage situation for moving equipment back and forth.

7:20 Steve points out that every church planter has their own unique challenges, no matter the location.

7:59 Lee asks about Converge’s Heartland district.

8:14 Steve lays out how the Heartland district looks, geographically.

8:38 Lee wants to know what characteristics Steve is looking for in people who desire to plant a church in Converge Heartland.

8:57 Danny asks Steve to also talk about how someone from outside Converge Heartland can successfully plant within the district.

9:17 Steve speaks to the grit and resolve those who plant in Converge Heartland must have, due to slow growth, sparse population, and being viewed as an “outsider.”

11:34 Steve explains the independence residents in the Heartland district have and how it affects not only their views of outsiders, but also their approach to Jesus.

12:03 Lee is curious how Steve coaches church planters who want to come to the Heartland.

12:41 The importance of a church planter finding a local connection to a “person of peace,” in order to be successful.

14:04 Lee asks for the population of North Dakota and how it’s dispersed among Fargo.

14:18 Less than three quarters of a million people live in North Dakota.

15:03 One third of North Dakota’s population is in one city.

15:37 Lee asks what it’s like for church planters to plant in a very rural, unpopulated area. Should these church planters be bi-vocational?

15:58 Having a skill that is transferable to a trade is helpful for rural church planters.

16:23 Another fun fact about the size of Fargo!

16:58 Danny talks about how having a trade as a church planter can help with credibility and relationship building.

17:18 Becoming involved in a community is one of the best things a rural church planter can do.

18:16 Danny mentions the tension that can be felt with having a permanent church vs. a nontraditional meeting space.

18:47 Having a permanent place, now that Ignite Church has purchased the building they’ve been using for years, has brought credibility.

18:57 Steve talks about the importance of showing communities the church is going to stick around and has a stake in the community.

19:46 Lee asks Steve how listeners can pray for the Heartland area.

20:04 The people who live within Converge Heartland need hope because of long winters, drugs, and alcoholism.

21:00 Steve puts out the call to those who feel they might want to help with ministry in the Heartland, as resources and people are needed to reach people for Christ.

21:24 Steve shares his contact information.

21:48 Lee thanks Steve for being a podcast guest.

As church planters prepare in the last few weeks before launch, what should the church’s grand opening day look like? Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee share their thoughts of what worked and what didn’t work during their experiences.

0:22 This topic is an extension of a previous Unfiltered podcast titled “30 days to launch.” 

0:59 Danny discusses the importance of a church planter being in a healthy frame of mind, getting enough sleep and eating well in the stressful days leading up to launch.

2:19 Lee asks Danny to walk us through what his grand opening day was like, with details.

2:46 Danny talks about launching on a Saturday night and what it looked like to be renting space from an existing church.

3:54 Danny shares how his excitement of launch day caused him to do some unnecessary tasks.

4:12 A warning from Danny to church planters to make the grand opening fun and exciting for their launch team and advice on how to handle it when something goes wrong.

6:01 Danny asks Lee to share about launching two different churches and the difference between their grand openings.

6:13 Launching a church in a movie theater and the fun things Lee incorporated into that grand opening.

6:55 Lee discusses the success of having all volunteers wearing matching t-shirts.

7:25 How helpful a visual can be for visitors to see that there’s a group of people committed to the church can be a powerful thing.

8:06 Lee’s last minute call to have two services for his church’s grand opening.

8:49 Lee advocates that it’s okay to finish a grand opening service early.

9:24 Invite people to join the journey of a growing a new church together.

9:39 Lee reveals a great giveaway his church did that helped with marketing.

10:30 The one thing that Lee’s church did that was unnecessary for the grand opening.

10:46 Lee shares what he did differently and what he did again for his second church planting launch.

11:56 Danny stresses the importance of capturing the grand opening through video and photos.

12:42 The importance of having something to create a “pause” after the service, to keep attendees around instead of leaving immediately.

12:51 The essential training needed for the launch team to engage with attendees after the service.

13:28 Preparing your volunteers and leaders how to handle and respond to sticky situations when things go wrong.

14:28 Lee reminisces about what they did when the air conditioning went out in Orlando in September.

15:02 A reminder from Lee that trouble will occur when you’re trying to bring Jesus to a dark world.

15:25 What happened to all those fans?

15:28 The rental building has a reoccurring problem!

15:55 Lee hopes there have been some helpful tips discussed for church planters that are in preparation mode for their grand opening.

What should happen within the last 30 days before a church officially launches? There are a few bases a church planter needs to cover in the last push before a grand opening.

0:22 Lee Stephenson introduces the episode topic and asks Danny Parmelee about his experience of the month before launching a church he planted.

0:49 Danny talks about the importance of inviting anyone and everyone to a launch service.

2:25 Danny asks Lee about his experience in the last few days before a launch, and if there were any differences between both churches Lee launched.

2:36 Invite everyone you can to your launch service. You may be surprised who shows up.

3:36 Lee remembers the worry that no one would come to the grand opening, despite all the inviting he did.

4:19 The importance of being out front, greeting people before the service of a launch.

4:59 Lee speaks of the importance of the first impression visitors receive.

6:49 Observing volunteers who serve so potential problems aren’t missed.

7:59 Lee shares one of his opinions on sermon prep that pastors may disagree with.

8:48 The challenge some pastors may face when it comes to interacting with attendees as the congregation size grows.

9:55 Danny discusses church planters preparing their own expectations leading up to the launch, as well as being intentional in enjoying the home stretch of pre-launch.

11:09 Lee advises to plan something fun for a launch team before the grand opening.

11:36 The importance of full service run throughs in the last month of pre-launch.

12:45 An eye-opening exercise to do with the launch team when it comes to expectations of attendance numbers for launch day.

15:21 Danny humorously recalls an exercise for attendance number expectations for a campus launch.

16:04 Church planters should be intentional to make the last month before launch about the team coming together. 

16:40 Advice from Danny on what a church planter should say on launch day.

17:06 What should vision casting for new church attendees look like?

17:40 The importance of giving attenders the ability to connect with pastors as a person.

When planting a church, a strategic plan is a wise first approach to solidify and implement the church's vision. In this episode, let's talk about the different approaches church planters can use to help build a successful strategic plan with their team that will last. 

0:23 Lee Stepheson introduces the episode topic and asks Danny Parmelee if he used strategic planning during his church planting time. 

1:17 Danny shares how through this process, he learned that planning was another passion of his. 

2:08 Lee asks Danny what the most valuable part about strategic planning is through a formalized process? 

2:50 Danny says going through a formalized process helps the church planter not just think of ideas, but it is "having that clarity of saying, OK, here's where we're at, here's where we want to go, how are we going to do it?"

4:06  Lee talks about his first experience with the StratOp process and how he has been certified to help other churches.

6:34 There are two strategic planning processes Lee shares he is familiar with: the StratOp and the Auxano process. He suggests Auxano for newer churches. 

8:32 When do you do strategic planning when planting a church? 

9:48 Lee thinks since everything is so young in the prelaunch phase of a church, it's best to wait at least a year or two before getting a professional consultant to do any strategic planning with your team. 

11:33 Danny Parmelee confesses that when he was a part of the church planting process, he naively tried to do the planning independently. He shares the importance of buy-in from the people meant to be a part of that phase. 

14:39 Lee suggests you start planning for seven years and work your way back. It is going to take baby steps. 

16:31 Danny asks Lee how committed a pastor and team should be to sticking with the plan. 

17:37  Lee encourages the listeners to stick to the plan as best as possible and suggests that a good consultant will work alongside someone for an entire year. 

Church planters want their people to love their church, but they need to make sure their people fall more in love with Jesus. So how can they manage this tension?

0:17 Lee Stephenson introduces the episode topic and asks Danny Parmelee to share his experiences.

1:33 Danny admits that this was a weekly battle for him as a church planter and talks about his key indicator.

2:56 Lee says not celebrating the success of other pastors and churches in your community is a sign you’re starting a downward spiral.

3:18 Lee says he was intentional about creating friendships and relationships with other pastors in the community.

4:10 If you are looking at multisiting or church planting and people don’t want to go, maybe they’ve lost sight of the mission Jesus has called them to be a part of.

5:15 If you’re not willing to send people, it may mean that you love your organization more than the idea of sending and missions.

6:00 Danny talks about the discipline it takes to raise up and send out your best leaders.

7:13 Lee says that most churches in America have an incomplete discipleship process because they don’t include sending.

7:57 Lee encourages pastors to be intentional. "You want people to fall in love with your church. Just be careful not to get it out of balance. It’s a tension to be managed."

8:25 Danny thinks planters sometimes, especially early on, begin to cast too much organizational vision. If we can cast more personal vision — this is what it looks like when you love Jesus and walk with him — we know that the result will be those other things.

A key milestone for a church plant is the day it goes from a portable to a permanent location. But there are pitfalls to watch out for when considering signing a long-term lease or buying a building. What are they, and how can you avoid them?

0:40 Lee Stephenson introduces the topic and asks Danny Parmelee when he thinks a church planter is ready to sign a long-term lease or buy property.

1:47 Danny says church planters should plan to get a building from day one but not make it their goal.

3:27 It’s important to get counsel when you think you’re ready, but not from your launch team that is sick of setting up chairs.

4:01 Getting a building is not going to solve problems with leadership or attrition of people. "It’s actually just going to change and give you a new set of problems."

4:37 Often, pastors don’t calculate the actual cost of owning property.

5:35 Lee’s biggest recommendation to pastors is unless they have a lot of experience in real estate to find an expert in that area.

6:50 Danny says church planters should have a savings plan/emergency fund built into their budget from Day One.

7:52 Danny says as you’re networking in the community, talk with real estate agents and let them know that someday you hope to get in a building. "If you ever see something that you think might work for us, let us know."

9:38 Lee talks about how he prayed for a building for his church plant in Arizona, and God answered his prayer.

11:00 Danny discusses why a commercial real estate attorney is worth the cost.

12:41 Danny talks about how the Converge Cornerstone Fund helped his church buy its first building.

13:14 Danny shares about his church doing a capital campaign to purchase its second building.

15:07 Danny says there are advantages to having the freedom to use a building without having to buy it.

16:24 Lee’s final advice: Trust the Lord that he’ll open the right doors at the right time, and he’ll also shut the doors that need to be shut, so don’t force something that’s not there.

Becoming a multisite church is a great way to impact more communities with the good news of Jesus. Is your church ready to go multisite?

0:19 Lee Stephenson introduces listeners to the episode topic.

1:44 Danny Parmelee talks about how he was initially anti-multisite and how he came to see it differently.

2:33 Danny discusses how his church ended up choosing to do multisiting and church planting at the same time.

4:25 Danny says the key indicator when deciding to go multisite is if you will be able to reach more people for Christ by doing it.

5:08 Danny says his church was committed to a one-message model — the same speaker during the weekend at all locations.

6:23 Danny talks about the logistical challenges of having three locations.

7:08 Lee asks Danny if he had someone to drive him to the locations or if he drove himself.

8:27 Lee asks Danny what he would do differently now.

9:47 Lee shares two questions to consider when thinking about multisiting.

10:38 When people say they’re taking the best of both worlds of planting and multisiting, they actually often take the worst of both and put them together.

11:37 When considering church planting or multisiting, it’s important to think through the process of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

12:28 Lee talks about the hybrid model of church planting and multisiting that his church in Central Florida uses.

15:01 Danny points out that the unreached people you’re trying to reach are not impressed that you’re multisite. Don’t do it because you want to look good when you show up at a conference or within your network or denomination. Ask, "How are we going to reach more people for Christ? What’s the most effective way?"

16:00 Lee finishes by encouraging people to play to their gifts. "If you’re not an apostolic leader, multisite may not be the way to go. But if you’re an apostolic leader, it’s OK to embrace that and lead accordingly."

If you’re looking for some book recommendations, Converge church planting leaders Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee have got you covered.

0:18 Lee and Danny talk about their reading habits and how they’ve changed during the pandemic.

2:14 Danny and Lee discuss their preferred learning processes.

3:31 Lee shares his first book recommendation: Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.

5:14 Danny’s first recommendation is The Start-Up J Curve by Howard Love.

7:32 Lee’s second book recommendation is Atomic Habits by James Clear.

8:52 The second book on Danny’s list is The Motive by Patrick Lencioni.

9:58 Lee talks about a surprising choice for him: Caffeine by Michael Pollan.

11:42 Danny’s last recommendation is The Vision Driven Leader by Michael Hyatt.

12:35 Lee encourages listeners to share their top three books from the past year. You can contact Lee and Danny at [email protected].

"We are in three cities. We speak two languages. And we try to be one church. It’s complex."

Church planter Walter Angelica discusses the journey that led him from Argentina to Jacksonville, Florida, and beyond.

0:18 Lee Stephenson introduces special guest Walter Angelica, pastor of Iglesia Ciudad, a church plant with three congregations in Florida.

0:50 Walter talks about moving to Jacksonville, Florida, from Argentina to do his seminary work and how he responded to God’s call to plant a church in Jacksonville.

1:55 Walter discusses planting a Latino church in a city that doesn’t have many Latino families.

2:32 Walter explains if there is a difference between the terms "Hispanic" and "Latino."

4:41 Walter talks about the challenges of growing from one to three congregations.

6:36 "We are in three cities. We speak two languages. And we try to be one church. It’s complex."

8:34 Walter says church planting is not a normal part of Latino church culture. He’s noticed in the Latino community that many church plants are created through splits.

9:18 "We planted the church within the same vision and value trying to embrace unity among diversity. It has been a challenge, but it has been a beautiful challenge."

10:48 Walter has realized that each congregation has its own culture. "The things that work in Jacksonville don’t work in Orange Park, and the thing that works in Orange Park is not necessarily working here in Orlando."

11:43 Walter believes in the traditional form of church — meeting in person. "When the people of God are in the presence of God, the power of God manifests. So we’re doing everything we possibly can to get back as a church."

Pastor Stanley Patton of Victory Church shares lessons from leading a multicultural, multigenerational church plant on Florida’s Space Coast during a pandemic.

0:18 Lee Stephenson introduces special guest Stanley Patton, pastor of Victory Church, a church plant in Melbourne, Florida.

0:53 Stanley gives a brief history of his church and talks about why he decided to plant in Melbourne.

1:33 Lee asks Stanley if he thinks Florida is part of the Bible Belt.

2:40 Stanley shares lessons he’s learned from leading a multicultural, multigenerational church during the pandemic.

5:04 Stanley talks about how COVID-19 has impacted his church’s Victory Kids Sports ministry.

6:54 Stanley shares how Victory Kids Sports created a virtual experience for its sports programming.

8:50 Stanley talks about how his church has been able to not only survive but thrive financially during the pandemic.

10:21 Stanley says as a pastor or leader, it’s OK not to have all the answers. "It doesn’t mean that I have apathy in that moment. It doesn’t mean that I don’t care. It’s just the fact that I don’t have clarity."

12:23 Stanley reminds us that seasons of difficulty are not new. "I just believe that that the God I serve, he loves me enough that he’s not going to leave me in my mess and leave me in mediocrity. He’s going to help us rise out of this meteorically in a new season."