In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones talks with Eric Geiger, pastor of Mariners Church and author of The Rooted Leader, about what church planters can learn from the life and leadership of Nehemiah.

Eric shares how teaching through Nehemiah shaped both ministry leaders and marketplace leaders, helping them see that faith is not disconnected from their Monday-through-Friday work. Together, Peyton and Eric unpack why Nehemiah resonates so deeply with leaders who carry both a burden for their city and a belief that God can do immeasurably more than they can ask or imagine.

The conversation explores credibility, conviction, perseverance, capacity, and the kind of rooted leadership that can withstand the real pressures of ministry. Eric also reflects on why church planters often resemble Nehemiah: they carry vision, rally people, coordinate teams, face opposition, and keep building even when the work feels overwhelming.

They also discuss the Rooted Network, discipleship, sending well, and why church planting partnerships are healthiest when they are relational, not merely transactional.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

The Rooted Leader

EricGeiger.com

Rooted Network

NewBreedTraining,com

Thanks for listening to the Church Planter Podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people no one else is reaching.

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In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones sits down with Todd Wilson, co-founder and former CEO of Exponential, to talk about church growth, church planting, multiplication, and Todd’s new book, How Did We Get Here?

Todd shares the story behind Exponential, the influence of Bob Buford and Leadership Network, and how the modern church planting and multiplication movements were shaped by leaders working behind the scenes to “pour gas” on what God was already doing.

The conversation also turns toward one of the biggest questions facing the church today: What if our current operating system is not built for multiplication? Todd explains why the American church does not just have a church planting problem, but a disciple-making and mobilization problem. If churches want to see gospel saturation, they cannot rely only on programs, platforms, or Sunday-centered ministry. They need to mobilize everyday disciple-making missionaries.

Peyton and Todd also discuss the rise of consumer-driven church models, why programs do not reproduce but disciples can, and why the next generation may need permission to build new playbooks instead of simply inheriting the old ones.

If you are a church planter, pastor, or leader trying to understand where the church has been and what needs to change for the future, this episode will help you look back clearly so you can move forward faithfully.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

How Did We Get Here? — church-growth.org

Multipliers — multipliers.org

NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the Church Planter Podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones and Pete Mitchell talk about the shift from the multiplication movement to what Peyton calls the mobilization movement.

After opening with Texas fireworks, riding lawnmowers, bookstores, and unexpected mission opportunities in everyday life, Peyton unpacks why church planting and multiplication are not carrying the same energy they did a decade ago. Instead of asking how to do church better, he argues that the next movement is asking a different question: How do we mobilize everyday believers to make disciples where they already live, work, and play?

Peyton connects this shift to the post-COVID church, the limits of Sunday-centered ministry, and the need to recover disciple-making as the engine of mission. He explains why mobilization starts outside the walls of the church, why God is already at work in the lives of people around us, and why leaders need to help believers see their hobbies, relationships, and ordinary spaces as mission fields.

The conversation also moves toward prayer, dependence, and the reminder that church planters cannot manufacture movement on their own. If we want to see people reached, churches planted, and disciples multiplied, we have to trust that God is already working—and then mobilize people to join him.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Simplify Church

NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the Church Planter Podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, guest host Joshua Brown sits down with Sean and Patrick from Passion for Planting to talk about church planting, residency, disciple-making, and mobilization.

The conversation centers on a major shift in church planting: moving away from a consumer-driven operating system and toward churches that mobilize everyday missionaries where they live, work, study, and play. Instead of starting with programs, events, and worship services, Sean and Patrick explain why church planters need to start by becoming disciples who make disciples.

They also unpack what Passion for Planting has learned after decades of helping churches plant churches, why their residency is putting a deeper emphasis on relational disciple-making, and how future planters can move from aspirational plans to actual disciple-making practice before they ever launch.

Joshua, Sean, and Patrick also discuss what a virtual residency looks like, why planters do not have to uproot their families to be trained well, and how churches can become “one decision away” from reproduction.

If you are discerning a call to church planting, developing future leaders, or trying to build a church that makes disciples instead of consumers, this episode will help you think clearly about your next step.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Passion for Planting

NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the Church Planter Podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Pete Mitchell is joined by Ed Stetzer and Corey Alderin for a conversation on artificial intelligence, church planting, and how pastors can use new tools without losing what matters most.

Ed shares why AI can help smaller churches and church planters multiply their message, especially when they do not have the same staff, budget, or media team as larger churches. Corey, founder and CEO of Sermon Shots, explains how AI can help churches repurpose sermon content for social media while still keeping humans in the loop.

Together, they talk about the opportunities and dangers of AI in ministry, why content creation requires wisdom and caution, and how church leaders can think carefully about what should and should not be handed over to technology.

The conversation also explores how AI may level the playing field for smaller churches, how it can help leaders work more effectively, and why the church has a unique opportunity to lead the conversation on what it means to be human in an increasingly technological age.

If you are a church planter, pastor, or ministry leader trying to understand how AI fits into the future of ministry, this episode will help you think practically, carefully, and missionally.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Sermon Shots

NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the Church Planter Podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones and Pete Mitchell return to the “church planter diary” format with a real-time update from The Abbey.

Peyton shares what happened on a Sunday when almost everything looked like it was working against them: most of the core team was gone, the room was smaller than usual, a disruptive visitor came in, and Peyton had very little left in the tank after a difficult week.

But instead of becoming a throwaway Sunday, it became one of the most powerful gatherings The Abbey has experienced so far.

Peyton unpacks how the church leaned into open testimony, interactive teaching, Psalm 131, prayer, and honest participation from the whole room. The conversation highlights why church planting can’t be reduced to attendance numbers, polished services, or perfect conditions. Sometimes the most meaningful moments happen when leaders are weak, the room is small, and the Holy Spirit is given space to work.

If you are a church planter who has ever felt discouraged by a low-attendance Sunday, an unexpected disruption, or your own exhaustion, this episode is a reminder that Jesus can still meet his people powerfully in the middle of it.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Simplify Church: simplifychurch.com

NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the Church Planter Podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones is joined by Andrea Jones and Pamela Nelson for a conversation on ministry burnout, emotional health, and the inner life of a leader.

Pamela brings her experience as a pastor, biblical counselor, coach, and spiritual director to help church planters recognize the warning signs they often ignore: anxiety, numbness, overwork, isolation, unprocessed grief, and the pressure to keep performing when their soul is running on empty.

Together, they talk about why emotional health is not optional for leaders, how identity can become tangled up in ministry success, and why pastors need safe people, honest confession, rhythms of rest, and space to bring hidden beliefs into the light.

The conversation also gets personal as Peyton reflects on his own experience with exhaustion, anxiety, and the cost of pushing too hard for too long. If you are planting, leading, or carrying the weight of ministry, this episode is an invitation to slow down, pay attention to your soul, and let God restore what has been depleted.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Pamela Nelson: pamelanelson.org

NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the Church Planter Podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones and Pete Mitchell introduce a new “church planter diary” style conversation where they discuss personal updates in the field of disciplemaking.

Peyton gives an update on The Abbey, the church plant he is leading in Carlsbad, and shares what God has been doing through house gatherings, a new meeting space, team leadership, Sunday discussion groups, communion, micro-testimonies, and everyday disciple-making in the neighborhood.

The conversation unpacks what it looks like to plant a church that is not just built around a Sunday service, but around people being formed, equipped, and released into mission where they already live. Peyton also talks about using Discipology in the church to pair people off, strengthen disciple-making, and help believers step into their own “micro mission.”

If you are a church planter trying to build from the ground up, rethink Sunday gatherings, train leaders, and mobilize everyday believers, this episode gives you a real-time look at the messy, practical, and encouraging work of planting from the trenches.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Simplify Church: simplifychurch.com

NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the Church Planter Podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.