Practical Church

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 4 WAYS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE

• Auditorium (pipe and drape - rope off chairs - put less chairs out

• Lobby (pipe and drape - stanchions - use closest rooms if portable for kids space - signs to direct people)

• Kids (it can be too big! - Room dividers - pipe and drape - smaller rooms - more kids together

• Parking lot - Cones - Signs

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 8 WAYS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE

• Umbrellas when it rains (even if you don’t get every person)

• Parker(s) in the parking lot

• Make your connect area obvious

• Coffee area should be accessible and not crowded

• Clean your facility

• Acknowledge new guests every Sunday

• Introduce yourself to people who are new

• Have clear signage

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 6 TIPS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE

• Do not apologize

• Invite questions

• Expect resistance & give people time to come around

• Bring your leaders in first

• Include it in your preaching

• Live with low-level frustration

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 7 WAYS I SHARE IN THIS EPISODE

• Prioritize a physical option

• Have a digital option

• Reference it every Sunday - and be clear what to do with it

• Give (and mention) a gift people actually want 

• Limit number of things to fill out

• Designed well + easy to write on

• Have it readily available + pens

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 6 WAYS I RECOMMEND IN THIS EPISODE

• Get people serving

• Assume many people haven’t been to a single week of your sermon series

• Invite people to something (Christmas / Easter…baptism, and event…)

• Challenge people, but don’t guilt them (do they know you want them to come more??)

• Engage people online (remind them you exist)

• Ensure your leaders prioritize the gathering

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 7 RECOMMENDATIONS I MAKE IN THIS EPISODE

• Fountain ink pen

• Standing desk + walking pad

• 3 ring leather sermon notebook (half sheets of paper) $70

• Pulpit with cup holder halfway down

• Todoist

• Calendly

• Logos

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 5 WAYS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• Don’t put your main scriptures on the screen

• Don’t give people the option to sit so far apart from each other

• Don’t ask people too many options (serving, groups, etc.) - get them in and then give options later

• Restrict your available time to meet with people (same amount of available time - just more focused)

• Ask people to step into bigger roles (they won’t ask themselves

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE 6 WAYS TO CREATE MORE ENERGY ON A SUNDAY MORNING

• Music playing 

• Close your auditorium doors until 10 minutes before service starts 

• Play under announcements/end of service/speaking transitions

• Have a clear end of service 

• Lead from stage - regardless of number of people 

• The vibe starts with you and your leaders

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE MY 5 2024 CHURCH PREDICTIONS

• Churches that understand they have a “new” church will do better than those who don’t

• In person Sunday attendance is still a vital metric to track and lead people towards

• Churches that raise (or keep) a high bar for their leaders will be more effective than those who make excuses

• Livestream/online engagement will be the biggest missed opportunity to reach new people

• Jesus focused churches will (continue) to be the most New Testament-reflective churches

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Get my Best Minute newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 7 TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• Personal stories are always best 

• Story stories (fictional or non) are second best 

• Don’t be the hero

• Self-deprecation is useful if there is trust

• Use them to illustrate points - more likely to remember!

• Practice them out loud (practice the punch line 

• No one cares how much you know until you tell a story 

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

THE BEST MINUTE NEWSLETTER

This episode was brought to you by The Best Minute newsletter.

Build better habits, become more productive, and grow in your life and leadership. All in under 60 seconds per week. Click here to get The Best Minute.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

HERE ARE THE 7 WAYS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• Recognize there are new people every week 
• Always give a brief recap/context in the beginning of your sermon 
• Make it clear exactly what you want a new person to do
• Have an automated follow-up process
• Specifically reach out on any places of interest 
• Invite them to come back
• Inspire your serve teams to be intentional

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Replicate

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE PRACTICAL CHURCH NEWSLETTER

If you're looking for more practical insights to grow in ministry and some free resources, subscribe to the Practical Church newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

AWESOME MARRIAGE

This episode was brought to you by Awesome Marriage.

Check out Sustaining Your Marriage In Ministry today and use the code PC10 for 10% off. 

Go to awesomemarriage.com for all your church’s marriage needs. You can email Christina at christina@awesomemarriage.com to learn more about how Awesome Marriage can help you.

HERE ARE THE 6 CONSIDERATIONS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• Same URL/social media handles

• Create/schedule a consistent rhythm 

• Put your sermon only on your website

• Short vertical videos are king 

• You don’t have to be on every platform - post where you’ll be consistent

• Have the right expectations 

• Don’t use social as a bulletin board

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Todoist

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE PRACTICAL CHURCH NEWSLETTER

If you're looking for more practical insights to grow in ministry and some free resources, subscribe to the Practical Church newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

AMBASSADORS MINISTRIES

This episode was brought to you by Ambassadors Ministries.

Ambassadors Ministries help local churches and ministries employ staff as "missionaries" to their own congregations and communities through fundraising, coaching, and administrative backing all at no cost to the organization. Click here to grow your team!

HERE ARE THE 6 CONSIDERATIONS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• Quarterly giving statements

• Mention giving every week 

• Tie generosity to stories 

• Don’t apologize for preaching about it

• Make it a membership expectation

• Be generous yourself

• Make it easy to give

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Christ-Centered Preaching

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE PRACTICAL CHURCH NEWSLETTER

If you're looking for more practical insights to grow in ministry and some free resources, subscribe to the Practical Church newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

AMBASSADORS MINISTRIES

This episode was brought to you by Ambassadors Ministries.

Ambassadors Ministries help local churches and ministries employ staff as "missionaries" to their own congregations and communities through fundraising, coaching, and administrative backing all at no cost to the organization. Click here to grow your team!

HERE ARE THE 6 CONSIDERATIONS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• Name it something in English
• Avoid a church name that is widely known
• Avoid a church name that is known locally
• Pick a name where you can find consistent social media handles + URL that ends in .com
• Be conscious of picking a geographical or local landmark name
• Know this: in the beginning people will ask why your church is named what it is, after a while no one will care

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Subsplash

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast.

THE PRACTICAL CHURCH NEWSLETTER

If you're looking for more practical insights to grow in ministry and some free resources, subscribe to the Practical Church newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

AMBASSADORS MINISTRIES

This episode was brought to you by Ambassadors Ministries.

Ambassadors Ministries help local churches and ministries employ staff as "missionaries" to their own congregations and communities through fundraising, coaching, and administrative backing all at no cost to the organization. Click here to grow your team!

HERE ARE THE 6 TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• A reliable sermon writing process
• Engage people right away
• Preach to believers knowing there are non-believers present, and assume the believers weren't there last week
• Practical out-loud beforehand
• One point per slide
• Aim 2-3 stories/illustrations
• Create tension

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

The Coaching Habit

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. In this episode, I share 8 tips for better church announcements.

THE PRACTICAL CHURCH NEWSLETTER

If you're looking for more practical insights to grow in ministry and some free resources, subscribe to the Practical Church newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

AMBASSADORS MINISTRIES

This episode was brought to you by Ambassadors Ministries.

Ambassadors Ministries help local churches and ministries employ staff as "missionaries" to their own congregations and communities through fundraising, coaching, and administrative backing all at no cost to the organization. Click here to grow your team!

HERE ARE THE 6 TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• My sermon writing process
• Create a consistent sermon writing schedule
• Blook calendar your sermon prep
• Use digital commentaries
• Get one week ahead
• Create artifical deadlines

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Planning Center

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. In this episode, I share 8 tips for better church announcements.

THE PRACTICAL CHURCH NEWSLETTER

If you're looking for more practical insights to grow in ministry and some free resources, subscribe to the Practical Church newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

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 6 TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• Check your email less

• Take email off your phone

• Schedule when you will check it

• Inbox 0 (dylandodson.com/blog/email)

• Make it a rule to respond to all emails within a timeframe

• Don’t use email as a task manager

• Remember: emails come from people, and to ignore emails means you are ignoring people

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Calendly

Welcome to the Practical Church podcast. In this episode, I share 8 tips for better church announcements.

THE PRACTICAL CHURCH NEWSLETTER

If you're looking for more practical insights to grow in ministry and some free resources, subscribe to the Practical Church newsletter.

And to connect with me online, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

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 8 TIPS I DISCUSS IN THIS EPISODE

• Welcome new people every week
• 3-4 announcements at most
• Keep it under 3 minutes
• Send them prior to Sunday
• Go over them in run-through
• Be clear on common phrases
• Keep them relevant to the majority of people
• Announce things no more than 3 weeks out

SUBMIT A MINISTRY QUESTION

To submit a question for a future episode, head to dylandodson.com/podcast.

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CSB Pew Bible