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. 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 Go faster with worship lyrics  Turn off the fading of text Use all caps for worship lyrics and no grammar Limit text on each slide (two lines for worship, one point for sermon) Print out sermon notes for screens and go over them before the service Use big fonts Don’t leave up irrelevant slides

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 doHave an automated follow-up processSpecifically reach out on any places of interest Invite them to come backInspire 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 EnglishAvoid a church name that is widely knownAvoid a church name that is known locallyPick a name where you can find consistent social media handles + URL that ends in .comBe conscious of picking a geographical or local landmark nameKnow 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 processEngage people right awayPreach to believers knowing there are non-believers present, and assume the believers weren't there last weekPractical out-loud beforehandOne point per slideAim 2-3 stories/illustrationsCreate 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 processCreate a consistent sermon writing scheduleBlook calendar your sermon prepUse digital commentariesGet one week aheadCreate 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 week3-4 announcements at mostKeep it under 3 minutesSend them prior to SundayGo over them in run-throughBe clear on common phrasesKeep them relevant to the majority of peopleAnnounce things no more than 3 weeks out SUBMIT A MINISTRY QUESTION To submit a question for a future episode, head to dylandodson.com/podcast. Recommended Resource CSB Pew Bible