Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations

Converge
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Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations is a podcast featuring the often-missed conversations about church planting. Join hosts Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee, experienced church planters who lead a national church planting movement. You'll experience authentic discussions about real issues that church planters face. Lee and Danny hit the in-between-the-lines issues and talk about the topics you don't hear about when it comes to church planting.

  1. 08/02/2022

    The end of an era

    It’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 thanks Lee for his impact and investment in Converge’s church planting movement. 05:10 Lee shares what the Lord has been laying on his heart when it comes to the connection between academia and pastoring. 06:49 Even though the podcast is ending, it will still be available online. Danny asks Lee the best way future listeners can contact him. 09:31 Danny asks Lee one last question.  12:19 Lee shares one last piece of advice for church planters. 12:47 Lee thanks Danny and listeners for the Unfiltered experience. And with that, he signs off the podcast for the last time!

    14 min

  2. 07/19/2022

    Why is church planting so hard?

    Starting 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 subject he and Danny deal with often. Why is church planting so hard? 1:07 Danny has a theory that because church planting is so personal, it makes it difficult.  2:23 Danny reflects on when he planted a church and was asked how he was personally doing, he would report how the church was doing. 2:45 Lee agrees with Danny that it’s easy for church planters to personalize every aspect of how a church is doing. 3:22 Lee speaks to how spiritual warfare is a part of the challenges a church planter will face. 4:14 Danny reiterates that spiritual warfare can get very personal not only for a church planter, but also for his family. 4:39 Another reason church planting can be so hard is that when a church is small, everything is magnified, and it doesn’t take a lot for the dynamic to shift quickly. 6:33 Unrealistic expectations can also play into the difficulty of planting a church. 7:04 Lee compares launching a church to launching a rocket and how gravitational pull plays into church planting. 8:03 Danny shares that money plus preaching doesn’t always equal success. 9:40 Lee wants to normalize the difficulties of planting a church. He encourages church planters to enjoy the journey. 10:18 Danny encourages church planters to focus on faithfulness. He explains what he means by that. 11:10 Lee agrees with Danny’s perspective and encourages church planters that even though it’s hard, it’s worth it. 11:35 Lee asks for more people to step up to be church planters, because they are needed!

    12 min

  3. 07/05/2022

    Is a church residency necessary for church planters?

    Residencies – 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 internship and a residency?  0:29 Danny introduces the episode topic of church residencies and internships when it comes to ministry. 1:00 Lee admits he’s passionate about the need for residencies and internships because of his background in his education and church experience.  1:20 Lee knows there are a lot of gaps when it comes to getting an education in ministry and executing ministry. He explains his view on this. 3:06 What is a residency? Lee explains what it is and what it isn’t. 4:09 Danny asks what’s the difference between an internship and a residency? 4:19 Lee shares his thoughts on how an internship in a church is different from a residency. 5:04 Danny wants to know what ministry residencies look like at Harvest Community Church, the church Lee pastors. 5:25 Lee gives a run down of what completed residencies at Harvest Community Church have looked like and what’s going on with their current residencies. 8:47 Danny wants to know if residencies are paid position, and if not, how does that work for the student? 9:11 Lee explains the preference both Converge and Harvest Community Church have when it comes to paid vs. unpaid church residencies.  10:14 Danny touches on the benefits of raising support for church planting residents. 10:39 Lee gives some tips on other non-monetary ways churches can invest in and support church planting residents. 11:46 Danny wants to know: what questions should church planters ask churches as they consider completing a residency? 12:01 Lee reveals the number one question church planters should ask. 12:30 Lee talks about the second question that needs to be asked when considering a residency and when a church planter should walk away. 13:36 Lee reflects on his time of practical learning before he planted a church. 14:10 Do you have questions about finding a residency, opening your church to hosting a resident, or anything else? Email Converge to ask and receive some follow up!

    15 min

  4. 06/21/2022

    Always Strive to Improve Your Preaching

    As 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 improvement; whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pastor.  Note: There are three books referenced in this podcast episode. They are: Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson, Communicating for Change by Andy Stanley, and Preaching Without Notes by Joseph M. Webb. 0:19 Lee introduces the question, “How do we improve our preaching?” 0:53 Danny shares that he is still learning and adapting how he preaches. 1:11 Lee asks Danny how he prepares to preach and how his process has changed over time. 1:33 Danny reflects on how he was taught to preach via manuscript in seminary. But he didn’t stick with that style when he planted a church. He pivoted to more of a memorization style of preaching. And over time, the way he prepared notes changed, especially after going multi-site. 4:03 Lee asks Danny if his manuscript is paper or electronic. 4:07 Danny isn’t a fan of digital manuscripts because technology can fail. But he adds that if you prepare with a manuscript correctly, you should be going over it at least ten times. So, you end up memorizing much of it, without having to consult the actual manuscript very much. 5:13 Lee asks Danny if he includes scripture passages in his manuscript. 5:18 Danny confirms all scripture he uses is written out in his manuscript, but he still physically uses a Bible during sermons and explains why. 5:46 Lee walks through his process in preparing for a sermon. He began with an outline, but as he planted, his process changed to a full manuscript. Preparing a manuscript helps Lee mentally, allowing the Holy Spirit to work as he preaches. 7:26 Danny asks Lee why he uses an outline when preaching, instead of the manuscript he’s already prepared. 7:37 Lee clarifies that even though he’s memorized his sermon manuscript, he doesn’t want to be tied to every word he’s prepared. 8:04 Lee describes the physical space he likes when preaching: no lectern, just a stool and an outline paperclipped inside his Bible. 8:42 Using a stool helps Lee preach a little more conversationally and less intensely. 9:00 Lee ponders how pastors learn what works for them, when it comes to preaching. Two things helped him. The first is getting sermon feedback from trusted people, by asking specific questions.  9:55 Danny emphasizes asking specific open-ended questions to get helpful feedback. 10:32 The second thing Lee does to learn what works, is to listen or watch his sermons to learn from it. 10:54 Danny advises to watch your sermons back on video to find distracting mannerisms.  12:00 Danny reminds pastors to stay sharp on their exegesis. Not only should pastors be focused on the delivery of a sermon, but also that the structure is accurate to the text. 13:10 Lee asks Danny what books have helped him develop his preaching. 13:26 Danny recommends the book Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson, as it teaches authorial intent. 14:12 Danny believes that preaching is the top discipleship tool. It teaches people how to read and apply the Bible. 14:51 Lee reflects that a seasoned pastor coached him to have the perspective that people should connect the dots of a sermon days after hearing...

    17 min

  5. 06/07/2022

    Church planting in New England

    0:24 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, and there are lots of college towns. 2:40 Because Wes stayed at the church he planted for 30 years, Lee asks what advice he would give a church planter when thinking long term ministry. 3:30 Having a long-term mindset was important to Wes so that he and his family could put down roots in one place to provide stability. 4:10 Wes shares that church planters need to be adaptable if they’re going to be successful. Churches change a lot over time when it comes to the non-essential or negotiable parts of a ministry. 5:30 Church planting can be rough at the start. But the betrayals or issues that might come a couple decades into a ministry are the ones that are hard to get through. 6:14 Danny asks Wes if he had a plan for multiplication right from the start of his church planting experience. 6:45 Wes reveals that it was a plan to plant churches and a training center from the beginning. 7:54 A great advantage of planting a church, rather than stepping into an existing church, is that church revitalization can be part of the church’s DNA from the start, according to Wes. 8:10 Wes walks through the timeline his church went through to find a church planter. 8:56 Wes recognized the need for long-term training centers for church planters, all they way back in the 90s, when church planting training was only for one week. 9:56 Danny asks Wes to talk about how The NETS Center of Church Planting has grown from the beginning. 9:59 Wes talks about the slow momentum and growth NETS has seen over the years and how a big breakthrough came 15 years into the program’s existence. 11:20 A campus became available, and Wes tells the story of how NETS acquired it. 12:43 Wes shares about the need for gospel preaching churches in New England, as a small percentage of the population attends an evangelical church. 13:13 NETS has big goals for sending out church planters and they’re getting closer to those goals. 13:36 Lee asks Wes what he’s looking for in a good candidate in a church planter that will be successful in New England. 13:51 Wes runs down what NETS is looking for in the lifestyle of potential church planters. 15:03 Wes covers what NETS is looking for theologically in candidates. And that they’re looking for leaders who are committed to spending the rest of their lives in New England. 16:27 Danny asks if someone who wants to be a part of NETS training can be from other areas of the country. 17:21 Wes confirms he recruits from seminaries in the south and anyone from anywhere in the US can check out NETS. 18:15 Danny wants to know the details of it looks like for someone to be part of NETS. 18:36 Being busy with a full schedule is part of the NETS experience.  19:24 Taking a real deep look at the marriages of those who come to NETS is part of the training. Many candidates have said it is very helpful for their marriage, even if parts of it are difficult. 20:36 Another aspect is spending a lot of time preparing sermons, to condition candidates more than what was expected in seminary. 20:56 Lee wants to know how long a...

    26 min

  6. 05/17/2022

    Takeaways from the Unleash conference

    Recently 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 this episode. 0:21 Lee summarizes what Unleash is all about. 1:21 Lee asks Danny what he thought the highlights of the conference were. 1:26 Danny admits he was hesitant to attend Unleash because he goes to so many conferences. But he confirms that it was a can’t miss event for two reasons. First, it felt like a family reunion, coming back together face-to-face. And secondly, he felt like he was pastored by the speakers. 2:50 Lee lists all the keynote speakers at Unleash. 3:00 Lee asks Danny which speaker’s message most connected with him. 3:05 Danny discusses Kevin Queen’s message about being yourself as a pastor. 3:40 Lee shares that Chad Moore and Ryan Leak connected to where he is in this season of ministry and life. 3:56 Lee notes that one of the main themes through all the keynote speakers was being yourself as a pastor. 4:44 Lee talks about a copycat culture as something church planters have been grappling with the past several years, due to widespread access to other churches. 5:17 Lee asks Danny what his takeaway was on this topic of being authentic to who God has created pastors to be. 5:20 Danny states he sees a lot of self-comparison within the church planters he coaches. It’s helpful to look to church planters farther in their journey, but it’s unhealthy to begin to mimic them, hoping for the same success. 6:47 Lee talks about how church planters need to become comfortable with recognizing the different roles and callings from God between pastors. 7:36 Danny recalls when he was a church planter there were times he would begin to feel the pull to imitate other church planters. 8:05 Lee states Unleash felt like a community of family coming back together. It was a time to catch up with one another, celebrate, and pray together in a meaningful way. 8:59 Danny appreciated the way Unleash was structured to include time to network with other attendees. 9:50 Danny asks Lee what’s next for Unleash. 10:00 Lee shares that Unleash will be held again the first week of February in 2023. 2022 was sold out. Tickets for 2023 aren’t on sale yet, but Lee urges listeners not to wait too long when they do become available for purchase.

    11 min

  7. 05/03/2022

    Where do I start if I think God’s calling me to plant a church?

    You 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, he and Danny want to address those who might be on the fence about planting a church.  0:55 Lee asks Danny what advice he would give to those thinking about church planting. 1:04 Working with guys in the deciding and discernment phase of thinking about church planting is one of Danny’s favorite parts of his job as a church planting director. 2:45 Danny explains that Converge’s process includes a pre-assessment phase. 3:12 A formal assessment, called Church Planting Assessment Center, is the next step in Converge’s process for potential church planters. Danny states there’s one in Nashville in June 2022. 4:18 Danny says Converge doesn’t act as a recruiter, but rather, helps point people in the right direction of which organization they should align with. 4:30 Lee asks Danny what key questions someone should ask when it comes to choosing an organization to plant a church with. 5:15 Danny advises to ask about an organization’s philosophy about planting. And chemistry also factors into a decision. 6:40 Danny addresses the situation of guys who might be hesitant to take a step of contacting Converge about church planting because they don’t know anything about the process of planting. 7:20 Lee advises to ask about an organization’s systematic processes of planting. 7:50 Danny shares to ask questions about how things work after a church launch.  8:40 Funding and coaching should be other areas to ask about when thinking about planting a church, according to Danny. 9:43 Lee talks about how particular he is about Converge’s coaching process. He advises potential church planters to dig a little deeper with questions about coaching. 10:28 Danny explains that Converge doesn’t have a one model, cookie cutter, specific process for coaching. The coaching model Converge uses is tailored to each planter. 11:22 Lee encourages any man who is considering planting a church, to reach out to Converge.

    12 min

  8. 04/19/2022

    Wrestling with your position of influence

    “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 devastated? You don’t have to listen to that podcast first, before gleaning some wisdom from this episode of Unfiltered. It’s not uncommon for church planters to wrestle with their influence. Let’s talk about it.  0:22 Lee introduces the conversation about the podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill that has grown in popularity in the past year. 1:17 Lee says the podcast has been a big conversation topic within the church and would like to process it from a listener’s side. 1:57 Lee asks Danny what stood out to him as he listened to The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. 2:15 Danny states that Mark Driscoll, the pastor at the center of the Mars Hill story, was influential from afar in his own life.  2:36 Danny talks about how his perspective of the story changed from the beginning to the middle. He found the story both disheartening and convicting.  3:25 Lee asks Danny to unpack that statement. 3:26 Danny explains that it was disheartening to hear what was happening behind the scenes at Mars Hill Church.  3:56 The convicting part of the story for Danny was seeing some tendencies of pride in himself and other leaders. 4:30 As Danny works with church planters, the very things he’s looking for are what made Mark Driscoll a successful church planter. But those characteristics can also be destructive, when left unchecked. 4:55 Danny asks Lee what he thought of the podcast. 5:09 Lee thinks it’s sobering that there’s always a dark side to church planters’ leadership styles. 5:30 Lee appreciated Christianity Today’s level of in-depth journalism when it came to hearing past employees’ side of the story. 5:54 Lee gives the reminder that as people in authority in church leadership, there’s a responsibility to steward the influence God has given. 6:56 Another reaction Lee had to the podcast were moments when he cringed over some of the behind-the-scenes behavior and wondered how much “dirty laundry” should be aired when taking a deep dive into a church’s story. 7:38 Danny finds it interesting that this podcast struck a chord not only with church leaders, but with church attenders. He has some concerns that people will have a fear of church leadership and will want to get rid of it entirely.  8:42 Acts 29 is a ministry that is discussed at length in The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. Danny talks about how the ministry has changed since Mark Driscoll left Mars Hill Church and it is not the same ministry it was in years past. 9:29 Danny concludes that after listening to the podcast, he walked away realizing everyone is messed up and it’s only through God that the church continues to grow and thrive. 9:50 For Lee, listening to the podcast brought his understanding of the dangers of celebrity for pastors to another level. 10:50 Lee encourages church planters to think about why they’re doing ministry in the first place. Remembering the importance of helping people follow Jesus can keep pride at bay. 11:17 Danny talks about the role culture and social media has in the fall of celebrity pastors. 12:07 Lee appreciates how the podcast attempted to point out the flaws of some of the wrong things church planters pursue when going into...

    14 min
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Unfiltered: Real Church Planting Conversations is a podcast featuring the often-missed conversations about church planting. Join hosts Lee Stephenson and Danny Parmelee, experienced church planters who lead a national church planting movement. You'll experience authentic discussions about real issues that church planters face. Lee and Danny hit the in-between-the-lines issues and talk about the topics you don't hear about when it comes to church planting.

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