We Are Send Network North American Mission Board

In this final episode of the We are Send Network podcast, hosts Noah Oldham, Dhati Lewis and Heiden Ratner share their favorite moments and final thoughts. For more content with practical answers to ministry and church planting questions, check out the New Churches Podcast at NewChurches.com.

After his first cancer diagnosis at 19, Richard Pope still felt God was calling him to plant a church. Years later, and after many obstacles, he planted Canvas Church in Salisbury, Maryland — right after receiving this third cancer diagnosis. But this time was different. The doctors said he had three to five years to live. In this episode, Richard shares his story of redemption, his battle with cancer and his passion to share Christ in what may be his final years.

Social unrest, world-wide pandemic and political angst. The last two years have forced leaders into a place of humility and endurance as we’ve navigated unpredictable seasons. Rob Wilton, the lead church planter and pastor of Vintage Church in Pittsburgh, shares how he has continued to practice and develop a necessary quality for all church planters: resilience.

God was doing something in the hearts of the people at Gracepoint Church in Berkeley, California—even in the midst of the pandemic. It seemed God was calling them to plant another church. So, when lead pastor Ed Kang sent out a Google forms sheet asking who would be interested in planting another church, he was surprised to see 1,154 people sign up. In this episode, pastor Ed shares about how one Google forms sheet led to 35 planting teams — 400 adults and 90 children — being sent out throughout the U.S. to plant churches.

There are many ways to remind your members of the gospel throughout a Sunday service and the week. In this episode, our hosts talk about how they infuse the gospel in all areas of the life of their church, even some unexpected places.

Everyone is busy, and church planters are no exception. With so many demands for your attention, how do you prioritize your time? What do you say ‘no’ to? In this episode, our hosts discuss where they direct their finite energy, their unique giftings and the way different seasons effect what they give their time to.