Latest Church planting resources Podcast Episodes
The end of an era
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - August 02, 2022 08:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsIt’s the end of an era for the Unfiltered podcast. We explain why and share what’s next. 00:32 Lee lets listeners know this surreal episode to say good-bye is the last for Unfiltered. 01:28 Lee explains a couple different reasons why Danny and Lee are hanging up the microphones. 03:19 Danny ...
Why is church planting so hard?
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - July 19, 2022 08:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsStarting anything new from the ground up can be difficult. Whether it’s a new business or a new church, nothing is 100% fail-proof. But why is church planting so difficult? Let’s pull back the curtain and have a real and candid conversation about it. 0:28 Lee introduces the topic, which is a su...
Is a church residency necessary for church planters?
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - July 05, 2022 08:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsResidencies – they’re not just for medical students. A residency in a church can be a very helpful season for a future church planter. But what should a residency look like? How can it benefit both a church and someone receiving an education in ministry? And what’s the difference between an inte...
Always Strive to Improve Your Preaching
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - June 21, 2022 08:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsAs a pastor, it can be easy to slip into a comfortable rhythm and habit of preaching. And while change isn’t always easy, you should always be looking to improve and develop the way you preach. As the years in ministry slip by, it’s necessary at times to assess if your preaching could use some i...
Church planting in New England
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - June 07, 2022 08:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratings0:24 Lee introduces episode guest, Wes Pastor. 0:40 Wes introduces himself and explains his connection to Converge 1:36 Lee asks Wes how he became a church planter in Vermont. 1:54 Wes shares that the reasons he planted in Vermont were because it’s an unreached area, it has a rich heritage, a...
Takeaways from the Unleash conference
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - May 17, 2022 08:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsRecently Converge held our annual Unleash conference. It was a time to gather nationally as a family to learn how to focus on growing every ministry and leader in churches. Highlights of the conference and the topic of ministering the way God made you to be as a church planter are covered in thi...
Where do I start if I think God’s calling me to plant a church?
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - May 03, 2022 08:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsYou think God might be calling you to plant a church. But you know nothing about church planting. How do you even begin that journey? This episode holds a lot of wisdom about where you start and what to keep in mind as you contemplate this possible future. 0:21 Lee explains that in this episode...
Wrestling with your position of influence
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - April 19, 2022 08:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratings“The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” is a podcast produced by Christianity Today and it has gone viral in popularity. What can we, as church planters and pastors, learn from listening to this story of a popular Seattle church exploding in growth, only to have it all fall apart to leave so many devas...
Are you ready for Easter Sunday?
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - April 05, 2022 08:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsEaster Sunday is arguably the most important Sunday of the year for a church. And there can be a lot of pressure on church planters with how they present an Easter service. As planters with experience, Lee and Danny discuss their thoughts on what pastors should and shouldn’t do on Easter Sunday....
Lessons learned seven years into planting a church
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - March 22, 2022 08:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsChris Highfill planted Grace River Church in St. Peters, MO, seven years ago. In that time, the church has grown, relocated a couple of times, and gone from portable to permanent. He shares his journey as a church planter. He talks about the lessons he’s learned as a church planter. And he discu...
Planting and Growing Churches in Togo, Africa
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - March 08, 2022 09:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsThe country of Togo, Africa, is known as the birthplace of voodoo and a place marked by slave trade. JJ Alderman, his wife, Melissa, and their three daughters live in Togo as Converge global workers, planting churches. JJ talks about what it looks like to plant churches in another country, and h...
Guest Paul Turner discusses church planting in Northeast Ohio
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - February 22, 2022 09:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsLee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee welcome guest, Paul Turner. Paul is the Coaching Director for Orchard NEO, an organization passionate about planting churches in Northeast Ohio and raising up church planters to spread the gospel throughout the area. 0:24 Lee introduces special guest, Paul Turn...
A church planter’s focus three months after launch
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - February 01, 2022 21:53 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsAn Unfiltered podcast listener has asked, “What should a church planter focus on three months after a church launch?” In this episode, Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee discuss a few things a church planter should focus on once after launch as they get into a ministry rhythm. 0:22 Lee shares th...
Put me in, coach
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - January 18, 2022 09:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsA high priority at Converge is to provide church planters with an excellent level of coaching. Having someone who has planted a church walk along side someone learning the ropes is a big factor in a successful church plant. Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee discuss coaching, the value of it, how...
Budgeting for multiplication
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - January 04, 2022 09:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsIf you have a vision as a pastor to make church multiplication a priority, it’s best to begin budgeting from the start of your church plant. Whether that’s to launch another church or become multi-campus, it’s a challenge to budget for it. Even though setting aside money in the budget to multipl...
The art of evaluation
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - December 21, 2021 09:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsEvaluation can be a powerful tool to keep your church’s ministry on track. But what should you and your staff or launch team be evaluating? Sunday services, special outreach events, worship, different areas of ministry, and staff performance are just a few. Join Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee...
The relationship between a lead pastor and a worship pastor
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - December 07, 2021 09:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsHow a lead pastor and the worship pastor work together has an effect on Sunday services. What should the relationship between these two roles look like? How do you work together to ensure attendees are having a meaningful Sunday worship experience? 0:20 Lee Stephenson introduces the episode to...
Sermon planning and a preaching calendar
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - November 16, 2021 09:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsIn this episode, Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee discuss planning out a preaching calendar. They share practical ways they plan their sermon topics and give insight into how they navigate their preaching calendar. 0:19 Lee introduces the topic of the episode – thinking through your preaching ...
Your leadership style will change over time
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - November 02, 2021 08:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsLee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee talk about how the leadership of a church planter will naturally change. Leadership at the beginning of planting looks very different than when the church is a few years old. 0:22 Lee introduces the topic of discussion: unique changes that take place as a leade...
Should Churches Hire Remote Staff?
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - October 19, 2021 08:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsEpisode 89 // Should Churches Hire Remote Staff? Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee discuss the pros and cons of church planters hiring remote people for certain tasks and projects. What might it look like to hire someone who never attends your church? 0:21 Lee asks Danny the rhetorical questio...
Planting in the Heartland district
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - October 05, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsLee 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 ...
Maximizing your launch to gain momentum
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - September 21, 2021 08:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsAs 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 pod...
30 days from launch
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - September 07, 2021 08:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsWhat 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 launch...
Let's get planning
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - August 17, 2021 08:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsWhen 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 intro...
Who do you love?
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - August 03, 2021 08:00 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsChurch 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 ...
Going from portable to permanent
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - July 20, 2021 08:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsA 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 Da...
Going multisite
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - July 06, 2021 08:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsBecoming 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 ...
Church Planters Book Club
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - June 15, 2021 08:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsIf 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 processe...
Special guest: Walter Angelica
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - June 01, 2021 08:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratings"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 Ci...
Special guest: Stanley Patton
Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations - May 18, 2021 08:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsPastor 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 Stan...
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