Episodes

  • PC 081: 6 ministry tasks you are probably overcomplicating
    Jul 1 2026

    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 SIX TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

    • Guest follow up

    • Volunteer recruitment

    • Church announcements

    • Sermon prep

    • Staff communication

    • Responding to criticism

    Get more church tips and advice

    Click here to join the Practical Church Facebook group

    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • PC 080: 7 ministry decisions that saved me time and stress
    Jun 17 2026

    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 SEVEN TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

    • Calendly meeting locations

    • Don't want to know serving call outs

    • Having a semi-fixed calendar

    • Staying ahead on sermon prep

    • Use repeatable templates

    • Taking a sabbath

    • Caring less about my specific church

    Get more church tips and advice

    Click here to join the Practical Church Facebook group

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • PC 079: 6 things I've had to unlearn in ministy
    Jun 3 2026

    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 SIX TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

    • A culture of excellence

    • You need to satisfactorily explain every decision

    • People are already serving or giving as much as they can

    • Preaching is the most important thing for growing a church

    • The importance of a nice space

    • People will live missionally without guidance/leadership

    Get more church tips and advice

    Click here to join the Practical Church Facebook group

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • PC 078: 7 tips for writing effective sermons
    May 20 2026

    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 SEVEN TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

    • Work on intro last

    • Aim for X amount of stories/illustrations

    • Give practical ways to live out the text - not just theory

    • People will listen more if you make them laugh

    • Response = engagement

    • The beginning of your sermon has an outsized influence in how much people will connect with it

    • Remember: people are hurting and need hope

    Get more church tips and advice

    Click here to join the Practical Church Facebook group

    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • PC 077: 7 non-sustainable things you should still do
    May 6 2026

    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 SEVEN THINGS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

    • Give out your phone number

    • Follow up with new guests from your phone number

    • Offer to get coffee/lunch with every new person (how we do it at New City…)

    • Worry about changing relationships with people at your church if/when that time comes (call last week - said his relationship with me a big reason why he loves New City = might change later, but not right now!)

    • Personally ask people to come to stuff / serve at stuff (don't just assume they will)

    • Answer all your emails (kind of a joke, but also questions people email can take longer, answer them!0

    • Don't focus everything on how to scale

    Get more church tips and advice

    Click here to join the Practical Church Facebook group

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • PC 075: 6 tips for building consistent volunteer teams
    Apr 8 2026

    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 SIX TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

    • Serve in kids only once a month
    • Reduce serving options
    • Set a goal for % of people serving vs attendance
    • Be clear on serving "hierachy" if people serve in more than one area
    • Encourage block-out dates + let people decline
    • Don't say no/be afraid of having people serve

    Get more church tips and advice

    Click here to join the Practical Church Facebook group

    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • PC 074: 6 tips for longevity in ministry
    Mar 25 2026

    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 SIX TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

    • Personal daily devotional time

    • Being ok with non-working hours ministry time

    • Enjoy your family (date nights, time with kids, vacations)

    • Consistent weekly working schedule

    • Communicate your non-busyness

    • Work hard while your working so you can rest when you're not

    Get more church tips and advice

    Click here to join the Practical Church Facebook group

    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
  • PC 073: 6 tips for leading a church under 150 people well
    Mar 11 2026

    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 SIX TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

    • Don't act like a mega church

    • Do the best you can do with what you have and be ok with that

    • Don't worry about scaling everything

    • Do your best, don't aim for excellence

    • Create a consistent schedule

    • Don't be shy about your desire to reach more people

    Get more church tips and advice

    Click here to join the Practical Church Facebook group

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins