In The Trenches Church Planting Podcast

Around the new year we always start thinking about new plans and new goals we want to implement in the new year. Church planters in particular are notorious for having busy schedules, setting big goals, and doing a poor job of creating healthy margin in our lives. So how can we do better? 

In this episode, Jared and Logan talk about annual planning, calendaring, and productivity for pastors and church planters. They cover everything from setting annual goals to building out calendar templates. We pray that this episode will help you plan well as you head into 2021! 

If this podcast is a blessing to you, we would be honored if you would subscribe on your favorite podcast streaming platform! We're on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and more!

Church planters aren’t immune to idolatry. In fact, there are unique temptations and idols that can become a snare to church planters that we must be wary of. Some of those idols are good things that we turn into ultimate things.

In this episode, Jared and Logan talk about some of the common idols that church planters turn toward and how we can guard ourselves from serving those idols.

If this podcast is a blessing to you, we would be honored if you would subscribe on your favorite podcast streaming platform! We're on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and more!

It seems like we hear another story about a pastor having a moral failure on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, sexual sin is not just rampant in our culture. It is all too prevalent in our churches. And church planters and pastors need to be on guard.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

In this week’s episode, Jared and Logan talk about the dangers of sexual sin, why pastors fall into it, how to flee from it, and what to do if you are caught up in it right now.

If you are currently struggling to overcome sexual sin and do not know who to talk to, please reach out to one of us - we would love to pray with you!

This is the first ever SOLO episode of In The Trenches! With Logan out this week, Jared is doing his first ever solo episode. This week, Jared talks about both the unique challenges and opportunities church plants have this Christmas season. He also gives 5 practical ways you can equip your church to be on mission this Christmas season in light of the limitations churches are facing with new restrictions and lockdowns.

If this podcast is a blessing to you, we would be honored if you would subscribe on your favorite podcast streaming platform! We're on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and more!

While Scripture teaches that the role of pastor is reserved for men, it’s also clear in Scripture that women play significant roles within the Body of Christ.

Unfortunately, many complementarian churches do not have clear pathways for women to be trained and equipped for ministry. As a result, half of the missions force of the church is not equipped and many gifted women aren’t invested into as they should be.

Other churches swing the pendulum in the opposite direction and blur the lines of gender roles, which is just as unhelpful.

In this episode, Jared and Logan talk about the reasons complementarian churches drop the ball on equipping women for ministry and how we can do better.

If this podcast is a blessing to you, we would be honored if you would subscribe on your favorite podcast streaming platform! We're on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and more!

Scripture tells us that false teachers and divisive people will arise from time to time even from within our churches (Acts 20:29-31, 2 Pet. 2:1-2). But dealing with these situations is easier said than done. How do you handle these situations when they arise and how can you be prepared for them when they inevitably come? 

That's what Jared and Logan talk about in this week's episode. They share from their own experience, talk about "Do's and don'ts" when it comes to dealing with divisive people, and discuss how Scripture counsels us to approach challenges like this. 

If this podcast is a blessing to you, we would be honored if you would subscribe on your favorite podcast streaming platform! We're on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and more! 

A healthy diet and regular exercise have a much bigger impact on ministry effectiveness than we realize. In fact, neglecting to watch what we eat and exercise regularly isn’t just unadvisable, it’s sinful. It hinders your ability to “do everything with excellence as unto the Lord”.

So how can you turn things around with your diet and your exercise? That’s what Jared and Logan discuss in this week’s episode.

Whenever someone starts sensing a call to ministry, usually the first thing they think about is going to seminary. But is that the right move? Is it the best way to get equipped?

In this episode, Jared and Logan talk about the right way to approach seminary when you are preparing to plant a church, be a missionary, or enter into vocational ministry. 

This week, Jared and Logan welcome Matt Hess back in the trenches! Matt was the co-host of In The Trenches with Jared for the first 4 seasons. Matt is currently a church planter in Toronto, Ontario and a Church Planting Catalyst with the North American Mission Board.

In this episode, the guys talked with Matt about the challenges of church planting in a region where restrictions on gathering have been heavy and how that has impacted what ministry looks like. They also talked about how COVID-19 has been a refining tool God is using to bring us back to the basics of church planting and discipleship.

Many churches want to help support church planting and missions domestically and internationally but have trouble finding good work to support as well as knowing how to be helpful. Every church wants to know that the investment they are making into the missionaries they support is a good investment! 

In this episode, Jared and Logan discuss how to identify worthy church planters and missionaries to support. Then they discuss ways in which partner churches can both help and hinder the work of church planters and missionaries. Not all "help" is good help! Jared and Logan share from their experience as church planters both domestically and internationally working with partner churches.

Church planters are notorious for trying to be the jack of all trades. They preach every week, plan outreach events, counsel church members in crisis, balance the budget, fundraise, schedule volunteers, and more.

While this can seem heroic, it’s actually doing more harm than good. One of the best things any church planter or pastor can do is learn how to build a strong team of leaders around them so that they aren’t doing everything alone!

Jared and Logan talk about how to do just that in this week’s episode of In the Trenches.

This week Jared and Logan interview Clint Clifton to talk about how to identify, raise up, and train potential church planters and leaders in your church. Specifically, the guys talk about how to start a church planting residency in your own church. And guess what? You can start doing it from day 1! 

Depression and anxiety are very real issues for many church planters and ministry leaders. And many who are in ministry suffer silently and never talk about it with someone else. In this episode, Jared and Logan discuss the reasons behind why pastors and ministry leaders are reluctant to get help for depression and anxiety. Then, they talk about the cause behind the growing number of ministry leaders who are depressed and what we can do about it.

Resources for depression - Books

What is it like planting churches internationally and how do you know if you are called to do so? in this episode, Jared and Logan share about their experiences church planting in Canada and Iceland, respectively. They discuss some of the unique challenges, thing that may surprise you, and the joys of planting churches cross culturally.

There's a lot of debate amongst Christians right now about how and when to resume in person worship gatherings. But if there's one thing that's become clear since the onset of COVID-19 in March, it's that being able to gather physically with other believers is both important and precious. 

In this episode, Jared and Logan argue that while there’s room for Christian freedom in the specific ways we lead our churches during this season, we can safely say that biblically we ought to make every effort to resume in person gatherings as soon and safely as is reasonably possible.

There are obviously extenuating circumstances for individuals with health-related issues and every church has a different context to consider. Nuance is necessary in this conversation. But our hope for this episode is that it will lead you to be reminded afresh of why it's worth it to prioritize and do whatever it takes to physically gather with other believers. 

You probably had plans to reach your community in 2020. And then COVID-19 happened. COVID-19 has in many cases exposed our over-dependence upon programs, events, and advertising to reach lost people.  But when all of that is stripped away, it puts us in position to completely depend upon God and on the power of the Gospel through simple evangelism and discipleship.

This week, Jared and Logan talk about how COVID-19 has taught them that the best way to reach people during the pandemic is to double down on discipleship and evangelism. In the episode, they talk about some unique ways to reach the lost in your community in a social distancing world. 

There are plenty of lessons to learn from COVID-19 for pastors and church planters. One of the most valuable lessons may be our need to slow down and be content with the ministry God has given us. In this episode, Jared introduces his new co-host, Logan Douglas. Then, Jared and Logan talk about how to truly make a big impact for the Kingdom of God and how COVID-19 has helped both of them learn to slow down and enjoy Jesus and ministry a whole lot more. 

This week, Matt & Jared talk about what their experiences have been like so far leading their respective church plants through the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic. They talk about what they've been doing in their churches as well as some ideas for other church plants to consider. 

We're back for season 4! After a couple months off, we're exited to be kicking off another season. Due to the demands on our schedule, we will be putting out new episodes on a monthly basis as opposed to a weekly basis for Season 4. We hope and pray that In The Trenches continues to be a blessing to you! 

In this week's episode, Matt and Jared talk about the difference between doing ministry "in the flesh", in our own strength, and doing ministry "in the Spirit", in God's strength. The differences are subtle but massive! 

Matt and Jared talk to Vance Pitman, about how a church planter can guard against working “for” God rather than allowing God to work through him. Vance reminds us that the primary task of any church planter is not to plant a church, but to know God.

They also talk about APEST roles on church planting teams and the power of incorporating more corporate prayer into Sunday morning gatherings and how to do it. You don't want to miss this episode! 

Vance is the pastor of Hope Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, a church he planted in 2001. He speaks across America and around the world to inspire people to join in God’s eternal, redemptive mission of making disciples and multiplying churches among every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.

One thing that church planters often struggle to do is get adequate rest during the week. But taking a Sabbath day off during your week is critical to your long term health and success as a church planter! Not to mention, it's also a command in Scripture! This week Matt and Jared talk about how to be consistent taking a Sabbath rest, how we're tempted to "cheat" on our rest days, and when its appropriate for a church planter to think about taking a sabbatical and how to put that process into motion. 

Church planters and pastors talk a lot about prayer, but does the way we structure our calendars and the way we conduct our worship services actually reflect that we believe prayer is as vital as we say it is? In this week's episode, Matt & Jared discuss this and talk about changes that we can make to move beyond giving lip service to the importance of prayer. They also discuss the power of prayer and why prayer is the single most important thing a church planter or pastor can do. 

This Thanksgiving week Matt & Jared talk about what they are thankful for, Jared's disdain for driving large trucks in the city, and how to know if you are called to plant a church. While "calling" is a much talked about topic in the church planting world, many people continue to jump into church planting without the essential elements of a strong call. In this episode Matt & Jared talk about what those essential elements are and the potential dangers of jumping into church planting and ministry without having a strong sense of calling.

Make your Thanksgiving holiday drive to grandma's house better by getting in the trenches with us!

This week is Part 2 of Jared and Matt's interview with Brian O'Day, the Executive Director of the Praetorian Project. The Praetorian Project is an effort to multiply the gospel through the establishment of new churches in military communities around the world. The churches are identified with their common name, Pillar Church. The goal is for military and civilians alike to find a church home at any Pillar Church they may encounter.

With 7 churches, from Japan to Southern California to Washington, DC, the Praetorian Project is multiplying. Come get in the trenches with us and Brian, a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps, this Veterans Day!

This week, Jared & Matt interviewed Brian O'Day, the Executive Director of the Praetorian Project. The Praetorian Project is an effort to multiply the gospel through the establishment of new churches in military communities around the world. The churches are identified with their common name, Pillar Church. The goal is for military and civilians alike to find a church home at any Pillar Church they may encounter. 

With 7 churches, from Japan to Southern California to Washington, DC, the Praetorian Project is multiplying. Come get in the trenches with us and Brian, a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps, this Veterans Day! 

Most church planters today understand that having a website is important, but when it comes to having a good website for your church plant, many church plants struggle. How do you know if your website is effective? What are the qualities of a good church website and what are some of the common mistakes that planters make when it comes to their church's website? Jared & Matt discuss this and more in this week's episode! 

It’s becoming increasingly common for church plants to explore merging with existing congregations that are in need of an infusion of new life.

This can bring a lot of fruit but it can also present a lot of unique challenges. How do you navigate a merger like this? What are the unique challenges of replanting an existing church ore revitalizing a dying church?

Jared and Matt explore all of this and more in this week’s episode. Come get in the trenches with us!

There are a lot of questions surrounding how church membership plays out in a new church plant. How important is church membership? How soon should you implement church membership in your church plant? How do you do church discipline in a church plant before church membership has been instituted? When should your church plant come out from under the authority of your sending church? 

Matt & Jared cover these questions and more in this week's episode! 

Make sure to head over to www.getinthetrenches.com where you can find a lot more content.

We’d love to hear feedback!

Feel free to ask us a question or just let us know what you think about the podcast. You can reach Matt at mhess@fellowshippickering.ca and you can reach Jared at jared@pillarchurchsbc.com

Worship Ministry is a very important part of any church, but it can be a big challenge for church plants. Some planters and pastors have a hard time finding a worship leader (or the right worship leader) while others have a hard time getting on the same page as their worship leader. This week, Matt & Jared talk about how to build a healthy worship ministry in your church plant. Whether you are in the planning stages of your church plant or whether you are several years in and frustrated at the lack of traction in your church's worship ministry, there are some helpful principles that you can apply within this episode to start moving in the right direction. 

Make sure to head over to www.getinthetrenches.com where you can find a lot more content.

We’d love to hear feedback!

Feel free to ask us a question or just let us know what you think about the podcast. You can reach Matt at mhess@fellowshippickering.ca and you can reach Jared at jared@pillarchurchsbc.com

Structuring a weekly schedule can be a big challenge for church planters. It's easy to begin to be ruled by the tyranny of the urgent, barely keeping your head above water and constantly juggling 15 things at once. This can potentially affect your family, your mental health, and your spiritual health. 

This week, Matt & Jared talk about ways to structure your weekly schedule so that you don't burn out. 

Make sure to head over to www.getinthetrenches.com where you can find a lot more content.

We’d love to hear feedback!

Feel free to ask us a question or just let us know what you think about the podcast. You can reach Matt at mhess@fellowshippickering.ca and you can reach Jared at jared@pillarchurchsbc.com

One of the most common laments we hear from church planters has to do with how to develop a children's ministry. 

• "Our children's ministry isn't growing!" 
• "I can't find a children's ministry leader!"
• "I can't find any children's ministry volunteers!"
• "My wife is sick and tired of doing children's ministry, but I don't have anyone else to help!"
• "We don't have any children coming to our church plant!"
• "I don't even know how to start a children's ministry!"

If you are a church planter, you've likely uttered at least one of those phrases before. So what do you do? 

Matt and Jared talk about the challenges of children's ministry and potential ways to overcome those challenges in this week's episode! 

Episode 3 is here! This week, Matt & Jared talk about a challenge that's more common than you'd think. Every follower of Jesus has highs and lows in their walk with Jesus, but that can be especially challenging when you are planting or pastoring a church. So what do you do when your affections for Jesus are waning? 

As Jared transitions away from his church plant in Canada to start a new church in Washington, DC, he and Matt decided to sit down to discuss things God has taught them as they've planted churches. Don't worry, In The Trenches fans. The podcast will continue going even though Jared & Matt will be in different cities! 

Make sure to check out www.disciplemakingstages.com for more info on Stages, which is discussed in this week's episode. 

If there's anything we need to get right when we plant churches, it's personal discipleship. And yet so many churches and church plants still struggle to develop disciple-makers and find a process that works for personal discipleship. Why? And what can be done about it? That's what Jared and Matt discuss on this week's episode of In The Trenches. 

Make sure to check out www.disciplemakingstages.com for more info on Stages, which is discussed in this week's episode. 

Aaron Taylor is the planter and teaching pastor of Living Hope Church in Columbus, Ohio. Aaron started Living Hope 18 months ago. Aaron's church planting story is one of patiently waiting on God to plant the right way rather than rushing into a plant in an unhealthy way. There's some valuable lessons for any church planter in this episode! 

Social Media can be a great tool for church planters, but it can also be a great snare. Matt and Jared talk about some safeguards you can implement in your life to make sure social media doesn't become a distraction or a snare for you and your ministry. Then, they discuss some of the positive things social media can do for you and your ministry. 

Fundraising can be an intimidating prospect for many planters. For some, the thought of having to fundraise is downright terrifying! But it doesn't have to be. In this episode, Matt and Jared talk all things fundraising. What does the Bible have to say about it? How do you do it? What are some mistakes to avoid and some tips for more effective fundraising? All that and more this week!

How do you plant a church with little to no money? As the religious landscape in North America continues to change, this is a question that needs to be answered.  There's no way we will come close to planting as many churches as we need in North America unless we become more effective at planting churches that don't require massive budgets to get off the ground. 

This week Jared make a big announcement which then turned into a spontaneous, unplanned episode topic. Matt and Jared talked about how to transition well from one ministry role to the next, specifically when you are transitioning away from the church that you planted. There are lots of factors that come into play. Who are you handing the church off to? How do you know when your church is ready? How do you know for sure when it's time to go? What steps need to be taken for a smooth transition so that your church is setup for success moving forward? 

The guys talk all of that and more in this week's episode! 

God doesn't keep score the way that we do. So often, we get fixated on the kinds of metrics that the world celebrates and church planting becomes like a project we are doing for God. In this episode, Matt and Jared talk about what REAL success in church planting looks like and how we need to start celebrating that more often rather than simply highlighting the church plants with exploding numerical growth. 

This week we interviewed Dino Senesi. Dino is the Coaching Director of the North American Mission Board’s Send Network (SBC). He has led congregations and encouraged leaders for over thirty years. He has served local churches in Louisiana, Ohio, and South Carolina, and his ten years of denominational leadership have provided hands-on experience with hundreds of churches and leaders. 

Matt and Jared talked with Dino about the importance of having a coach as a church planter and why so many planters don't have one. Then they talk through some of the common mistakes that happen in coaching relationships as well as some good practices for coaching relationships. 

We're living in a time in which the nations are coming to us in North America. There's a vast array of religious beliefs and worldviews all around us. How can we effectively engage people with the Gospel when so many have different objections and barriers to belief? That's what Matt and Jared are talking about on this week's episode. 

Make sure to check out the NEW website! 

https://getinthetrenches.com/ 

Matt is back after a 3 week hiatus and we're talking about one of our favourite subjects: Multiplication! This week we talked about how your church plant can start planting churches early on. We give you some specific steps you can take that will create an environment in your church where multiplication can happen. 

Make sure to check out the NEW website! 

https://getinthetrenches.com/ 

How do you handle running your own business while living on mission and helping to start churches? This week Jared sat down with Jermaine Wall, a church planting resident with the Fellowships Network, to talk about his experience running his own business while simultaneously labouring to help plant churches on the east end of Toronto, Ontario. 

Jermaine does an incredible job of engaging people with the Gospel out in the community and I think you’ll come away with some excellent practical examples of how you can engage people evangelistically “as you go” in the community. 

Make sure to check out the NEW website! 

https://getinthetrenches.com/ 

Because life is getting a bit crazy, Matt and I haven't had time to get together to record an episode for this week, so we're reposting one of our most popular episodes from early in season 1. Arrica and Jen love to remind us that the episode where we had them on is the most listened to, and we're happy to acknowledge that it's because, well, our wives make us look good! 

If you haven't heard this one, or even if it's been awhile since you've listened, then it may be a good idea to sit down and listen to it with your spouse. The insight that Jen and Arrica give from their vantage point as planter wives is incredible! 

Make sure to check out the NEW website! 

https://getinthetrenches.com/ 

What is it like to be a lay elder in a church plant from the very beginning? This week Jared sat down with Mike van't Slot, one of the elders at Fellowship Oshawa, the church that Jared planted outside of Toronto. Mike has been at Fellowship Oshawa from the very beginning and the story of how he found his way into a church is pretty incredible. 

In this episode Jared and Mike talk about what exactly a lay elder does in a church plant, including the most challenging aspects of lay eldership and the most rewarding aspects of lay eldership. If you want to find yourself some incredible elders, or if you are an elder or aspiring to be an elder, then listen to this episode! 

Make sure to check out the NEW website! 

https://getinthetrenches.com/ 

Easter is an important time of year for church plants. Many people in your community are more open to coming to Gospel conversations or visiting your church on Easter, even if they don't fully understand why we celebrate Easter. So how can you prepare to effectively reach people on Easter weekend? 

In this episode Matt and Jared talk about their experiences doing Easter outreach as church planters, some of which went well and some of which did not go well at all! They also discuss some potential outreach ideas you could implement this year and then cover some "Do's and Don'ts" for your Easter service. 

Make sure to check out the NEW website! 

https://getinthetrenches.com/ 

More pastors and church planters are struggling with depression and anxiety than ever before. Church planting magnifies every difficulty and struggle in the personal and family life of the planter. Is there a way to address this growing problem? Could the way we plant churches be contributing to it? In this episode, Matt & Jared share from personal experience and then they talk about ways we can deal with this growing problem, as well as what you can do right now if you are struggling with depression or anxiety. 

Make sure to check out the NEW website! 

https://getinthetrenches.com/