September 8, 2025 • 11 mins
Summary
In this episode of Echoes Through Eternity, Dr. Jeff discusses the essential systems and struggles involved in church planting. He emphasizes the importance of building a serving system, establishing a prayer system, and navigating the inevitable struggles that arise during the first hundred days of planting a church. Through personal stories and practical advice, he highlights the significance of faithfulness, community, and the need for systems that support growth and discipleship.
Takeaways
People want to contribute, give them on-ramps to serve.
Rotate responsibilities to prevent burnout.
Utilize spiritual gifts inventories for volunteer placements.
Prayer must be more than talk; create structures for intercession.
Struggles are guaranteed in church planting; expect opposition.
Relational struggles are common; handle conflict with grace.
Personal struggles can be magnified for church planters; seek support.
Celebrate small wins to encourage the team.
Systems are love in action; they help connect people.
Ordinary faithfulness leads to extraordinary fruit.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/echoes-through-eternity-with-dr-jeffery-skinner--5523198/support.
Echoes Through Eternity Guiding church planters and pastors to plant seeds of prayer, holiness, and courage that outlast a lifetime. contact drjefferydskinner@protonmail.com
In this episode of Echoes Through Eternity, Dr. Jeff discusses the essential systems and struggles involved in church planting. He emphasizes the importance of building a serving system, establishing a prayer system, and navigating the inevitable struggles that arise during the first hundred days of planting a church. Through personal stories and practical advice, he highlights the significance of faithfulness, community, and the need for systems that support growth and discipleship.
Takeaways
People want to contribute, give them on-ramps to serve.
Rotate responsibilities to prevent burnout.
Utilize spiritual gifts inventories for volunteer placements.
Prayer must be more than talk; create structures for intercession.
Struggles are guaranteed in church planting; expect opposition.
Relational struggles are common; handle conflict with grace.
Personal struggles can be magnified for church planters; seek support.
Celebrate small wins to encourage the team.
Systems are love in action; they help connect people.
Ordinary faithfulness leads to extraordinary fruit.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/echoes-through-eternity-with-dr-jeffery-skinner--5523198/support.
Echoes Through Eternity Guiding church planters and pastors to plant seeds of prayer, holiness, and courage that outlast a lifetime. contact drjefferydskinner@protonmail.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Marcus Abrelius said, what we do in life echoes through eternity.
What is your life echoing through eternity? Welcome to Echoes
through Eternity with doctor Jeffrey Skinner. Our mission is to inspire, engage,
and encourage leaders from across the globe to plant missional
churches and be servant leaders. So join us and hear
(00:22):
the stories of servant leaders reverberating lives as God echoes
them through eternity. Brought to you by Missional Church Planting
and Leadership Development and Dynamic Church Planning International.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Welcome into Echoes through Eternity. What is God echoing through
your life today? This is part four of the first
one hundred days of church Planning continued. This is actually
going to pick up in the middle of part three.
Please forgive the abrupt entry. We will begin with the
(00:56):
serving system. The serving system people won't contribute. Give them
on ramps to serve, even if it's as simple as
setting up chairs or bringing snacks. Rotate responsibilities so no
one burns out. Don't use the same people over and
over again week after week. One of the biggest mistakes
planters make is they don't ask anybody they're afraid to
(01:18):
ask for volunteers. They feel guilty if they ask someone.
This is a recipe for burnout. You cannot do everything yourself.
Remember I told you that church planting is not a
solo endeavor. Even ton to even the lawn ranger had
time too it. Sometimes it's easier and quicker, but it
robs people of the joy of serving. A healthy serving
(01:40):
system turns consumers into contributors. Now when I say an
on roump, but I don't mean you get up and
just announce, Hey, we need volunteers for the children's department.
Use their spiritual gifts inventory. Use these surveys to determine
where people's gifts and grace his life and imparently them
in those ministries. There. If you get someone who hates
(02:03):
children serving in the children's department, the likelihood of them
remaining in that role for any significant length of time
is very, very unlikely. So just to utilize these types
of things. Don't just make announcements that you need people,
but you use these types of tools to measure where
people's gifting is and impair them with a volunteer place
(02:27):
that that's they're gifting. Like, for example, someone that's a
gift of service. That is great for someone who's going
to volunteer for setting up chairs. That's that's just one
example there, all right. The prayer system. Prayers must be
more than talk. One of the most difficult parts of
a church plant is you have to import your prayer.
So this has got to be one of the first
(02:49):
systems you set up. And oftentimes this will be people
that are external to the church. Until you get your
core committed, until you begin to invite launch team members
and again meeting on a regular basis in your small groups.
The prayers are willing to come from outside the church.
Prayer must be more than talk. Create structures for intercession
(03:09):
prayer teams, weekly fasting rhythms, prayer walls where requests are
written and celebrated. I know a planetary designed one small
group as the intercession group. They didn't handle logistics, they
handled prayer. When that plant launched, people testify to a
sense of God's presence that was unmistakable. Prayer works, and again,
this is not begging God to be present among us.
(03:32):
God is present everywhere. The question is do we recognize
His presence? So our prayer again is aligning our will
with God. Aligning our vision with God's vision and helping
us to be aware enough of our relationship with God
that we can recognize His presence when it's there, because
often God shows up in the whispers. Without systems, people
(03:54):
drift Without With healthy systems, people thrive. Part three, Struggles
along the way. If we're ship is a heartbeat, and
systems are the skeleton, the struggles are the refining fire,
and in the first hundred days, struggles are guaranteed spiritual struggles.
The moment you said yes to planting, you stepped into
spiritual warfare. Inspect opposition, doors will close, technology will fail,
(04:16):
leaders will fill attack. You may even feel the whisper
you're not cut out for this, But don't forget. Greater
is he than he who is. Greater is he than you?
Back up, Greater is he who is in you than
he who is in the world. John Ford. Spiritual opposition
is not a sign you're in the wrong place. If
(04:37):
proof you're in the right place. One planter told me
the week before They're launched, the trader with all the
equipment was stolen. Thousands of dollars were gone. He felt crushed,
but the team gathered in prayed that Sunday, They borrowed chairs,
used a bluetooth speaker and launched anyway, and three people
came to Christ that morning. The enemy tried to silence them.
God used it as a microphone. I remember when I
(04:59):
will in Atlanta. I was a medial the church planter there.
His launch day was scheduled for the same Sunday that
they closed all the churches for COVID. Can you imagine
their disappointment, But six months later they were thriving relational struggles.
(05:20):
In the early days, every relationship feels like high stakes.
One conflict feels like it threatens everything. Team members may
understand your intentions, some may leave, some may even criticize publicly.
Remember this, Jesus' on team wasn't without conflict. James and
John morned positions of power. Peter denied him, Jesus betrayed him.
(05:42):
If Jesus faced relational struggles and his team, we should
not be surprised when they happened in ours. But she
is grace. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and
slow to become angry, and quick to forgive. Sometimes the
way you handle conflict will teach more than your sermons.
Personal struggles the hardest struggles may be internal doubt, loneliness, fatigue,
(06:07):
the voice that says this isn't working. Planters often carry
silent battles. I tell people, if pastors are lonely and isolated,
the church planters battle in that area, and struggle in
that area is magnified at least twice, if not three
or four times. And yet these struggles are formative. They
(06:28):
drive us back to Christ. They remind us we are
not saviors. We are servants. Make space for rest, guard
sabbath fine mentors, seek counseling if needed. Caring for your
soul is not selfish, it is stewardship. Part four. Stories
from the film. Let me share some stories that illustrate
these treues. One planter told me about their watch service.
(06:48):
Fifty cheers were set up and only fifteen people came.
He went home defeated, but that night two of those
fifteen surrendered to Christ. He later told me I was
measuring the wrong thing. I wanted a crowd god winning disciples.
Another planter admitted that passion alone wasn't enough. They had energy, excitement,
and charisma, but no follow up system. Guests came, but
(07:11):
no one connected with them afterwards. Within months, momentum died.
He said, I thought people would just dick. I learned
the hard way that systems are loved action. I've also
known planters who almost quit him the first year until
they saw one child give their heart to Christ. That
single story was enough to remind them every ounce of
cost is worth one soul. These stories remind us that
(07:34):
planting is not about quick success. It is about faithfulness.
Part five Practical steps for days seventy through one hundred.
As you moved towards the close of your first one
hundred days, here's some practical steps to nurture your growth.
Solidify weekly worship. Consistency matters more than variety at this point.
(07:54):
Pick a rhythm and stick with it. Maybe it's once
a month in the begame, maybe once every six weeks,
maybe every other. Pick a rhythm and stick with it.
People grow where they can trust the gathering will be there.
Launch simple systems. Don't over complicate things, even if they're
basic spreadsheets. Begin now, don't wait until chaos. Four suits youth,
(08:15):
debrie Finestly. After every service, sit down with your team
and ask what went well? Where we say this guy's presence,
what needs to change? Care for your team. Praise in public,
correct in private, write notes, share meals. Celebrate small wins
and small victories are super important these first one hundred days.
(08:35):
People are looking for evidence that this is going to
succeed because there's a lot of doubt in those early days.
There's doubt in you as a leader because you're just
getting to know the team. There's doubt in the process
because many of them had never been a part of
a church plant before. Many of them are immature in
their faith or brand new believers, so they haven't yet
learned the trust in God. Quick wins are great, and
(08:57):
make sure you celebrate those small wins. Maybe you have
a service and you have twelve people at that first service.
Celebrate that you had twelve people. Celebrate every little beaty thing.
Celebrate so much that it becomes a joke within a
church that the pastors celebrate that we had an extra
bugging church today. I'm serious. Celebrate small winds. I can't
(09:17):
stress that enough. Thank them. Often people are going to
wear out encouragement and fuel. Prepare for multiplication. Don't wait
until after your launch to begin multiplying. Create duplicate people everywhere.
If you've got a team If you got three teams
for setting up chairs, create backup to those three teams.
If you've got a person who's dedicated for sound, created
(09:39):
backup for that sound implicates your people prepare for multiplication.
One day, you're going to launch a second church. When
you do, these will be people that you can tithe
to the new church. We'll talk about that at a
different time, but yes, you should always be planning to
plant a second church. We're not planting churches to a
(10:00):
huge crials or make the next megachurch. We're planting churches
to multiply the Kingdom of God. Look now for who
can leave prayer or hosted group, or share a testimony.
Resist the temptation to do everything yourself. These steps don't
feel glamorous. They feel ordinary. But in the Kingdom of God,
ordinary faithfulness leads to extraordinary fruit. Part six of takeaway.
(10:22):
Nurturing growth is not about spectacular moments, is about steady faithfulness.
When worship is sidered on presence, non performance, disciples are
formed when systems are built to serve, not control. Mission
flourishes when struggles are embraced, not avoided, deepens. This season
is greaty, not glamorous. It demands perseverance over perfection, substance
(10:43):
over style, faithfulness over flesh. But it is here in
these hidden, ordinary days that the DNA of a church
is set, and that DNA will echo through eternity. If
you're in this season, don't despise the day of small things.
Don't measure by numbers alone. I don't fear imperfection. Don't
run from struggle. Measure instead by faithfulness. I asked, Am
(11:05):
I sowing in prayer? Am I shepherding with love? Am
I trusting God with fruit? Let's pray, Lord, thank you
for worship that forms us and it entertains us. Thank
you for systems God that steady us. Thank you for
struggles that refine us, or give us perseverance to keep
sowing and nurturing even when it feels small. Remind us
(11:27):
that you give the growth, and may what we plant
in these days echo through eternity. In Jesus's name, I
pray Amen,
Marcus Abrelius said, what we do in life echoes through eternity.
What is your life echoing through eternity? Welcome to Echoes
through Eternity with doctor Jeffrey Skinner. Our mission is to inspire, engage,
and encourage leaders from across the globe to plant missional
churches and be servant leaders. So join us and hear
(00:22):
the stories of servant leaders reverberating lives as God echoes
them through eternity. Brought to you by Missional Church Planting
and Leadership Development and Dynamic Church Planning International.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Welcome into Echoes through Eternity. What is God echoing through
your life today? This is part four of the first
one hundred days of church Planning continued. This is actually
going to pick up in the middle of part three.
Please forgive the abrupt entry. We will begin with the
(00:56):
serving system. The serving system people won't contribute. Give them
on ramps to serve, even if it's as simple as
setting up chairs or bringing snacks. Rotate responsibilities so no
one burns out. Don't use the same people over and
over again week after week. One of the biggest mistakes
planters make is they don't ask anybody they're afraid to
(01:18):
ask for volunteers. They feel guilty if they ask someone.
This is a recipe for burnout. You cannot do everything yourself.
Remember I told you that church planting is not a
solo endeavor. Even ton to even the lawn ranger had
time too it. Sometimes it's easier and quicker, but it
robs people of the joy of serving. A healthy serving
(01:40):
system turns consumers into contributors. Now when I say an
on roump, but I don't mean you get up and
just announce, Hey, we need volunteers for the children's department.
Use their spiritual gifts inventory. Use these surveys to determine
where people's gifts and grace his life and imparently them
in those ministries. There. If you get someone who hates
(02:03):
children serving in the children's department, the likelihood of them
remaining in that role for any significant length of time
is very, very unlikely. So just to utilize these types
of things. Don't just make announcements that you need people,
but you use these types of tools to measure where
people's gifting is and impair them with a volunteer place
(02:27):
that that's they're gifting. Like, for example, someone that's a
gift of service. That is great for someone who's going
to volunteer for setting up chairs. That's that's just one
example there, all right. The prayer system. Prayers must be
more than talk. One of the most difficult parts of
a church plant is you have to import your prayer.
So this has got to be one of the first
(02:49):
systems you set up. And oftentimes this will be people
that are external to the church. Until you get your
core committed, until you begin to invite launch team members
and again meeting on a regular basis in your small groups.
The prayers are willing to come from outside the church.
Prayer must be more than talk. Create structures for intercession
(03:09):
prayer teams, weekly fasting rhythms, prayer walls where requests are
written and celebrated. I know a planetary designed one small
group as the intercession group. They didn't handle logistics, they
handled prayer. When that plant launched, people testify to a
sense of God's presence that was unmistakable. Prayer works, and again,
this is not begging God to be present among us.
(03:32):
God is present everywhere. The question is do we recognize
His presence? So our prayer again is aligning our will
with God. Aligning our vision with God's vision and helping
us to be aware enough of our relationship with God
that we can recognize His presence when it's there, because
often God shows up in the whispers. Without systems, people
(03:54):
drift Without With healthy systems, people thrive. Part three, Struggles
along the way. If we're ship is a heartbeat, and
systems are the skeleton, the struggles are the refining fire,
and in the first hundred days, struggles are guaranteed spiritual struggles.
The moment you said yes to planting, you stepped into
spiritual warfare. Inspect opposition, doors will close, technology will fail,
(04:16):
leaders will fill attack. You may even feel the whisper
you're not cut out for this, But don't forget. Greater
is he than he who is. Greater is he than you?
Back up, Greater is he who is in you than
he who is in the world. John Ford. Spiritual opposition
is not a sign you're in the wrong place. If
(04:37):
proof you're in the right place. One planter told me
the week before They're launched, the trader with all the
equipment was stolen. Thousands of dollars were gone. He felt crushed,
but the team gathered in prayed that Sunday, They borrowed chairs,
used a bluetooth speaker and launched anyway, and three people
came to Christ that morning. The enemy tried to silence them.
God used it as a microphone. I remember when I
(04:59):
will in Atlanta. I was a medial the church planter there.
His launch day was scheduled for the same Sunday that
they closed all the churches for COVID. Can you imagine
their disappointment, But six months later they were thriving relational struggles.
(05:20):
In the early days, every relationship feels like high stakes.
One conflict feels like it threatens everything. Team members may
understand your intentions, some may leave, some may even criticize publicly.
Remember this, Jesus' on team wasn't without conflict. James and
John morned positions of power. Peter denied him, Jesus betrayed him.
(05:42):
If Jesus faced relational struggles and his team, we should
not be surprised when they happened in ours. But she
is grace. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and
slow to become angry, and quick to forgive. Sometimes the
way you handle conflict will teach more than your sermons.
Personal struggles the hardest struggles may be internal doubt, loneliness, fatigue,
(06:07):
the voice that says this isn't working. Planters often carry
silent battles. I tell people, if pastors are lonely and isolated,
the church planters battle in that area, and struggle in
that area is magnified at least twice, if not three
or four times. And yet these struggles are formative. They
(06:28):
drive us back to Christ. They remind us we are
not saviors. We are servants. Make space for rest, guard
sabbath fine mentors, seek counseling if needed. Caring for your
soul is not selfish, it is stewardship. Part four. Stories
from the film. Let me share some stories that illustrate
these treues. One planter told me about their watch service.
(06:48):
Fifty cheers were set up and only fifteen people came.
He went home defeated, but that night two of those
fifteen surrendered to Christ. He later told me I was
measuring the wrong thing. I wanted a crowd god winning disciples.
Another planter admitted that passion alone wasn't enough. They had energy, excitement,
and charisma, but no follow up system. Guests came, but
(07:11):
no one connected with them afterwards. Within months, momentum died.
He said, I thought people would just dick. I learned
the hard way that systems are loved action. I've also
known planters who almost quit him the first year until
they saw one child give their heart to Christ. That
single story was enough to remind them every ounce of
cost is worth one soul. These stories remind us that
(07:34):
planting is not about quick success. It is about faithfulness.
Part five Practical steps for days seventy through one hundred.
As you moved towards the close of your first one
hundred days, here's some practical steps to nurture your growth.
Solidify weekly worship. Consistency matters more than variety at this point.
(07:54):
Pick a rhythm and stick with it. Maybe it's once
a month in the begame, maybe once every six weeks,
maybe every other. Pick a rhythm and stick with it.
People grow where they can trust the gathering will be there.
Launch simple systems. Don't over complicate things, even if they're
basic spreadsheets. Begin now, don't wait until chaos. Four suits youth,
(08:15):
debrie Finestly. After every service, sit down with your team
and ask what went well? Where we say this guy's presence,
what needs to change? Care for your team. Praise in public,
correct in private, write notes, share meals. Celebrate small wins
and small victories are super important these first one hundred days.
(08:35):
People are looking for evidence that this is going to
succeed because there's a lot of doubt in those early days.
There's doubt in you as a leader because you're just
getting to know the team. There's doubt in the process
because many of them had never been a part of
a church plant before. Many of them are immature in
their faith or brand new believers, so they haven't yet
learned the trust in God. Quick wins are great, and
(08:57):
make sure you celebrate those small wins. Maybe you have
a service and you have twelve people at that first service.
Celebrate that you had twelve people. Celebrate every little beaty thing.
Celebrate so much that it becomes a joke within a
church that the pastors celebrate that we had an extra
bugging church today. I'm serious. Celebrate small winds. I can't
(09:17):
stress that enough. Thank them. Often people are going to
wear out encouragement and fuel. Prepare for multiplication. Don't wait
until after your launch to begin multiplying. Create duplicate people everywhere.
If you've got a team If you got three teams
for setting up chairs, create backup to those three teams.
If you've got a person who's dedicated for sound, created
(09:39):
backup for that sound implicates your people prepare for multiplication.
One day, you're going to launch a second church. When
you do, these will be people that you can tithe
to the new church. We'll talk about that at a
different time, but yes, you should always be planning to
plant a second church. We're not planting churches to a
(10:00):
huge crials or make the next megachurch. We're planting churches
to multiply the Kingdom of God. Look now for who
can leave prayer or hosted group, or share a testimony.
Resist the temptation to do everything yourself. These steps don't
feel glamorous. They feel ordinary. But in the Kingdom of God,
ordinary faithfulness leads to extraordinary fruit. Part six of takeaway.
(10:22):
Nurturing growth is not about spectacular moments, is about steady faithfulness.
When worship is sidered on presence, non performance, disciples are
formed when systems are built to serve, not control. Mission
flourishes when struggles are embraced, not avoided, deepens. This season
is greaty, not glamorous. It demands perseverance over perfection, substance
(10:43):
over style, faithfulness over flesh. But it is here in
these hidden, ordinary days that the DNA of a church
is set, and that DNA will echo through eternity. If
you're in this season, don't despise the day of small things.
Don't measure by numbers alone. I don't fear imperfection. Don't
run from struggle. Measure instead by faithfulness. I asked, Am
(11:05):
I sowing in prayer? Am I shepherding with love? Am
I trusting God with fruit? Let's pray, Lord, thank you
for worship that forms us and it entertains us. Thank
you for systems God that steady us. Thank you for
struggles that refine us, or give us perseverance to keep
sowing and nurturing even when it feels small. Remind us
(11:27):
that you give the growth, and may what we plant
in these days echo through eternity. In Jesus's name, I
pray Amen,
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