Ministry Burnout: What It Is And How To Avoid It

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!  Make sure to check out the NEW website!  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

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.  The book that Jared mentioned in the episode, The Gospel Driven Church by Jared Wilson, can be found and purchased here. Make sure to check out the NEW website!  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

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.  Pick up Dino's book, Sending Well, to learn more about how to implement great church planting coaching into your church or network! Make sure to check out the NEW website!  https://getinthetrenches.com/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

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/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

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/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

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/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

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/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

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/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

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/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

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/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

Spiritual warfare is real, and when you sign up to get in the trenches and make disciples of Jesus Christ, you are putting yourself right in the thick of it. In this week's episode Matt and Jared talk about how to handle spiritual warfare in church planting. How much of what goes wrong in church planting do we attribute to the devil? Is it possible to have an unhealthy overemphasis on spiritual warfare? What do you do to prepare yourself for spiritual warfare? We cover these questions and more in this episode! Make sure to check out the NEW website!  https://getinthetrenches.com/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

In this episode, Matt & Jared have a conversation with three of the residents in The Fellowships church planting network about what it's like being apart of a church planting network. The guys also talk about why we need to start more residencies and how you and your church can get started doing so!  Make sure to check out the NEW website!  https://getinthetrenches.com/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

 Church planting is exciting, especially when lots of people are getting baptized, you are growing, leaders are being developed, and disciples are maturing. But what do you do when those things aren’t happening?  Let’s be honest, every church plant goes through difficult seasons where it feels like you are regressing. So what do you do when people aren’t coming to faith in Christ and key leaders from your core team are leaving? That’s the subject of this week’s episode!  Make sure to check out the NEW website!  https://getinthetrenches.com/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

Brad is one of the best thinkers out there in the church planting world today. He is the Director for Bivocational Church Planting for the North American Mission Board. In this week’s episode, Matt & Jared talk to Brad about why covocational and bivocational church planting is the future of North American Missions.    Download ReThink Here: https://www.sendinstitute.org/rethink-9-paradigm-shifts-activating-church-e-book/  Download Covocational Church Planting Here: https://www.namb.net/send-network-blog/ebook-covocational-church-planting/?fbclid=IwAR1UtnGvaIfy-8CBrPWXddQTp6AlA0d4y5LtpbskCnY5_XM1qthd51zTI9k  For more excellent material from Brad head to his blog at http://missionalchurchnetwork.com/  Make sure to check out the NEW website!  https://getinthetrenches.com/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

Perhaps nothing gets debated more than church planting models. Is there one model that’s better than all the others? Are all church planting models biblical? Is there just ONE church planting model that’s biblical? That's what Matt & Jared are unpacking in this week's episode!  Make sure to check out the NEW website!  https://getinthetrenches.com/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

You only get so much time during the week with your core team or staff. Most church planters struggle to really maximize and get the most out of that time. So how can you be more efficient and run productive meetings that get the most out of the team you have? That's what Jared & Matt tackle in this week's episode!  Make sure to check out the NEW website!  https://getinthetrenches.com/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

This is part two of a two part episode! For The first 5 things that church planters say (that they shouldn't), check out last week's episode! There are all sorts of lies that pastors and church planters tell themselves that they shouldn't. This week, Matt and Jared cover five of the ten things that church planters say that they shouldn't!  "People just don't want the Gospel here. The soil is too hard" "I don't have any leaders in my church"  "If God were really blessing our church we would have grown more by now"  "We need to focus heavily on evangelism leading up to our launch"  "I'm not going to preach on controversial issues" Make sure to check out the NEW website!  https://getinthetrenches.com/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

There are all sorts of lies that pastors and church planters tell themselves that they shouldn't. In part 1, Matt and Jared cover five of the ten things that church planters say that they shouldn't!  "I don't need a mentor or coach because God has already given me a clear vision"  "People aren't coming back to our church because our worship is poor/ we don't have our own building / etc"  "Our church would grow if we could hire some more full time staff"  "When we reach 'X' number in attendance or 'X' number in our budget we will plant a church"  "My church is only going to reach the lost, it's not for believers."  Make sure to check out the NEW website!  https://getinthetrenches.com/  Also, sign up for our weekly e-mail so that you can be the first to get new episodes and blog posts! When you sign up, you will also unlock our FREE e-book "30 Of The Best Quotes For Church Planters", a curation of 30 of our favourite church plant quotes!  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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

Ministry burnout has become more and more common over the past several decades. In this week's episode Matt & Jared discuss the difference between burnout and just simply being tired, the signs of ministry burnout, how to avoid ministry burnout, and what to do if you or someone you know is in the midst of ministry burnout.  “When we lose all sense of motivation, perhaps because we’ve derived it for too long from the wrong things, we may be in a state of pastoral burnout. The wind that used to fill our sails has faded away. The love of Christ has become an empty idea. The promises of God and the edification of the church feel distant. The things that used to push us out of bed in the morning just don’t push us anymore.” - John Henderson HELP US spread the word about In The Trenches! Head over to iTunes and subscribe to our podcast and then leave us a written review! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-trenches/id1372585523 OR subscribe and leave a review on Google Play! https://play.google.com/music/m/Io2allwcg3pxknbdshk44uj4ruu?t=In_The_Trenches_Church_Planting_Podcast 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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network.

If women aren't being equipped to be sent out as a part of church planting teams then we are leaving half of our missions force behind! To kick off season 2 Matt & Jared talk about why we need to do a better job of equipping women for leadership on church planting teams and how to make it happen. HELP US spread the word about In The Trenches! Head over to iTunes and subscribe to our podcast and then leave us a written review! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-trenches/id1372585523 OR subscribe and leave a review on Google Play! https://play.google.com/music/m/Io2allwcg3pxknbdshk44uj4ruu?t=In_The_Trenches_Church_Planting_Podcast 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@fellowshiposhawa.com Head to http://www.thefellowships.ca to learn more about what Matt & Jared are up to in Canada with their church planting organization, the Fellowships Network. Episode Teaser How can you get women more involved in your ministry?  Talk about it!  Make the same training available to women as you do to men Delegate responsibility to women Increase visibility  APEST team church planting focus  Listen to the episode for details! 

5 things that can derail any ministry or church plant

This week, Matt & Jared talk about 5 things that can derail any church plant.

An incredible case study of how church planting and church revitalization can work in conjunction to plant healthy churches in cities across North America.

Matt & Jared discuss Christmas outreach ideas, “Do’s and Dont’s” for your Christmas Eve service, and more in this week’s episode!

Should we do away with the lead pastor title and plant churches with APEST teams?

The most productive thing a Christian can do with his or her time is pray. This is especially true for church planters who are in the trenches engaged in spiritual warfare.

The guys sit down with Kesavan Balasingham to spend time talking about how to spot and develop character in a church planter.

Joshua Harris shares how God delivered him from cocaine addiction and then called him to start a ministry dedicated to reaching men just like him

How can church planters & pastors cut down on the chaos and be more effective with their time?

In this episode, we talked to Curtis about specific ways he’s reaching his high rise complex through an incarnational approach and then shifted to discussing how to push through and persevere in very hard soil.

Matt & Jared talked with Colby about multiplying with limited resources, creating a culture where your entire congregation is on board with planting as many churches as possible, and how to encourage a church planter whose church doesn't make it.

How can you make evangelism as natural as breathing for your church?

This week Jared and Matt interviewed Scott Ridenour about his journey from planting a church to being called to hand off his church plant to the next pastor.

This week Matt and Jared talk about the pitfalls and challenges of putting together and developing a church planting core team.

The rigours of church planting can make what should be a joyful process burdensome. This week we talked to Darryl about how to avoid this by applying the Gospel to all of your life.

What place does marketing have if you are church planting to reach unchurched people? That's this week's topic!

Matt & Jared talk about preview services and a checklist of things to remember as you head towards launching weekly public worship gatherings

Matt & Jared talk about the value of having a mentor, the characteristics of a good mentor, and how to find a mentor if you don't have one.

Matt and Jared talk about what to do when you find yourself doing everything

This week the guys talk to Jeff Christopherson, author of Kingdom Matrix and Kingdom First and the President of Church Planting for the SBC's Send Network.

This week, Jared and Matt interviewed Micah Millican, the Senior Director of Planter Development at the North American Mission Board

This week we’re talking about that thing nobody ever wants to talk about: Church discipline!

Matt and Jared talk about their experiences doing outreach events and then discuss some strategies for putting on events that will produce lasting fruit.

In this week’s episode, Matt and Jared interview their their wives, Arrica and Jen, to discuss the role and perspective of being a church planter’s wife.

Matt & Jared interview church planting veteran Mac Lake, who now equips church planters across North America to develop leaders.

Every planter and pastor knows small groups are important, but few things can be more frustrating than getting our people to commit to them! In this episode we talked about some of the lessons we’ve learned when it comes to starting healthy & multiplying small groups

A big, God-sized vision and a clear and compelling mission statement can help get everyone in your church on the same page and get more people involved. Matt & Jared discuss what a great vision and mission statement looks like and how to craft them!

Peyton Jones, author of Church Zero and Reaching the Unreached, joins the show to talk about apostolic church planting and dependency on the Holy Spirit in missions and church planting

Matt & Jared interview Thi Mitsamphanh to discuss how churches in North America can effectively reach the growing number of immigrants and refugees

Matt & Jared talk about the greatest threat to every church planter: Placing your identity in ministry success

Matt & Jared talk to Seba about how to implement a discipleship culture in your church and then tackle some common questions and frustrations pastors have surrounding discipleship

In part 1 of this 2 part interview, Matt and Jared interview Seba Vasquez to talk about how to implement a discipleship pathway that will get more people in your church participating in discipleship.

What are some best practices for preaching in an unchurched context? Matt & Jared talk about the nuances of preaching to unchurched people, the sermon preparation process, expository vs topical sermons, and more!

In ministry, new believers will fall away, key leaders will leave, and attacks will come from within & without. In this episode, Matt & Jared talk practical ways you can prepare for & react to conflict, criticism, and disappointment.

Matt & Jared discuss how to cultivate good relationships between supporting churches and church plants.

Church planting IS evangelism. Matt & Jared discuss the central task of evangelism in church planting & give practical tools to effectively reach the lost.

Jared Huntley and Matt Hess discuss the cause & effect of loneliness in ministry & what can be done about it.