Podcast
Everything I Did Wrong as a Church Planter: A Million Part Series
Hosted by Logan Wolf · EN
After nearly fourteen years in church planting ministry in Utah, my journey has been anything but predictable. From launching a mobile church and navigating a challenging church merger to leading a multi-site ministry and transitioning into a network of house churches, I've experienced it all—and learned countless lessons along the way. If I could do it all again, I’d do almost everything differently. This podcast shares my story and the stories of other planters from across the country. Together, we aim to equip the next generation of church planters to avoid unnecessary frustrations, heartaches, and missteps—saving valuable time, energy, and resources as they pursue their calling.
14episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Learning from Mistakes: Author Jim Griffith on Common Church Planting Pitfalls
Jun 1700:52:04Tap to summarizeEver feel like you've made every mistake possible? You're not alone. Logan Wolf welcomes Jim Griffith, co-author of The 10 Most Common Mistakes Made by New Church Starts,* to discuss the critical pitfalls church planters often face and practical ways to overcome them. From neglecting personal and spiritual care to premature leadership decisions, Jim offers candid insights backed by decades of hands-on experience and coaching.With humor and humility, Jim shares how common oversights like neglecting the Great Commandment, underestimating opposition, and becoming overly attached to preconceived visions can derail even the most passionate planters.Key Takeaways from This Episode:❤️ Great Commandment Leads to Great Commission – Prioritize spiritual self-care and genuine relationship-building to sustain long-term ministry.⚔️ Take Opposition Seriously – Expect resistance, not just spiritually, but relationally, from within the wider community and fellow ministries.🌎 Know Your Mission Field – Deep familiarity and genuine affinity with your community trump borrowed visions and formulaic strategies.👥 Timing in Leadership – Avoid formalizing leadership too soon; let your leaders prove themselves in the context of your new church.🤝 Intentional Networking – Church planting is relational, not transactional; prioritize consistent community presence over quick fixes.Next Steps:📌 Practical Advice:Join your local Chamber of Commerce and offer chaplaincy services.Identify key community spots as "office hours" for building relationships.Clearly differentiate between inspirational stories and actionable training.🔗 Connect and Reflect:Regularly evaluate and align your vision with your mission field reality.Foster intentional relationships within your family and community, ensuring your ministry thrives beyond initial enthusiasm.Send your church planting experiences, stories, anecdotes, and questions to desk@crosspointutah.com. Connect with me further here.*This is an affiliate links with proceeds going to support our ministry here in Utah.
Transcribe →Avoiding the Comparison Trap: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Church Planter Jayson Samuels on Comparison, Context, and Community
May 22, 202500:47:40Tap to summarizeWhat happens when you plant a thriving church yet still feel like you're falling short? Logan Wolf is joined by Jayson Samuels, who shares his experience planting a campus in partnership with North Point Community Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Jason opens up about successes and struggles, including how comparing his church plant to larger congregations created an ongoing sense of inadequacy, despite significant growth and financial sustainability. He emphasizes the importance of contextualizing ministry approaches rather than importing models wholesale, sharing practical insights about blending video preaching with live teaching and tailoring ministry methods to local culture.Key Takeaways from This Episode:📈 Escaping the Comparison Game – Even remarkable successes can feel inadequate when constantly compared to other ministries.🌍 Importance of Contextualization – Adapting ministry models to local contexts is crucial for meaningful community engagement.🎥 Balancing Technology and Community – Video preaching has its place, but local live teaching is essential for true connection.🏅 Celebrate Defined Wins – Clearly defining and celebrating milestones can prevent burnout and maintain perspective.🙏 Deepened Compassion through Ministry – Church planting profoundly impacts personal spiritual growth, fostering patience and deeper understanding and empathy.💡 Fundraising as Ministry – Viewing fundraising as spiritual work reframes it as a significant opportunity for kingdom impact.Resources & Next Steps:📚 Recommended Books*:Seven Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy StanleySpirituality of Fundraising by Henri NouwenThe God Ask by Steve Shadrach🔧 Tools for Ministry:State of the Church by Barna for research and insightsThe Bless App for community outreachGeneris for fundraising guidance📌 Connect and Reflect:Establish clear goals and define success in your local context.Prioritize meaningful connections over numerical growth.Send your church planting experiences, stories, anecdotes, and questions to desk@crosspointutah.com. Connect with me further here.*These are affiliate links with proceeds going to support our ministry here in Utah.
Transcribe →I Made Disciples but Not Disciple-Makers (with Murray, Utah Church Planter Dave Nelson)
Apr 17, 202501:04:40Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I'm joined by Dave Nelson, a church planter from Murray, Utah. Dave shares how a heart for Jesus shaped his disciple-making journey—along with the sobering realization that he wasn’t raising up disciple-makers.At minute [10:10] Dave talks about his time a Kensington Community Church. You can learn more about these brothers and sisters here.At minute [25:57] Dave references church planter Bill Young and The Rock Church here in Utah. You can learn more about these brothers and sisters here.At minute [33:45] Dave mentions this podcast featuring David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock.At minute [41:40] Dave briefly mentions Kansas City Underground and Salt City Underground.The book I couldn't think of at minute [51:42] was Crazy Busy* by Kevin DeYoung. Right after that I mention 168 Hours* by Laura Vanderkam.At minute [1:02:21] Dave talks about Peter Scazzero's Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.*Send your church planting experiences, stories, anecdotes, and questions to desk@crosspointutah.com. Connect with me further here.*This is an affiliate link with proceeds going to support our ministry here in Utah.
Transcribe →I Started without a Sending Church or Agency (with Reno, Nevada Church Planter Eric Tastet)
Mar 12, 202501:11:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I'm joined by Reno, Nevada church planter Eric Tastet. As he looks back on his church planting experience, and contrasts it with a revitalization project he did subsequently in Ohio, he talks about some of his early struggles and how he wishes he had had a sending church or agency, rather than just striking out alone.At minute [3:50] I mention Thom Rainer's book Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church.*At minute [45:59] I reference Building Your Church from the Ground Up* by Mike Mutchler.At minute [1:04:25] Eric recommends a few books: The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure* by Greg Lukianoff, Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know* by Malcolm Gladwell, and 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos* by Jordan B. Peterson.And at minute [1:11:35] Eric mentions his own podcast, The Tax Free Crypto Podcast.Send your church planting experiences, stories, anecdotes, and questions to desk@crosspointutah.com. Connect with me further here.*This is an affiliate link with proceeds going to support our ministry here in Utah.
Transcribe →I Let Myself Be Overburdened by Short Term Mission Teams
Feb 24, 202500:50:40Tap to summarizeI'm solo this week, reflecting on the many short term mission teams we hosted in the first five years of our church plant. While we had fun with all of them, I share how I needlessly let myself be overburdened by them and how I'd better utlize such teams now.At minute [3:12] I mention the trip I took to Honduras. That was with an organization called Hungry for Life.At minute [9:32] I talk about taking teams to tour Temple Square.At minute [25:21] I reference Steve Sjogren's book Community of Kindness.* His other book I couldn't think of in the moment is Conspiracy of Kindness.*At minute [27:47] I talk about the volunteer rate of Provo. This is an article from 2010 highlighting Utah as the state with the highest volunteer rate and Provo as the mid-size city with the highest volunteer rate. This is a more recent one from 2023.At minute [34:09] I share a couple books we had mission teams read before visiting, Understanding Your Mormon Neighbor* by Ross Anderson and Mormonism Explained* by Andrew Jackson.At minute [35:25] I talk about wishing I had better equipped teams with simple Gospel tools. I've made short videos explaining such tools here.And at minute [46:07] I recommend two more books, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness* by Timothy Keller and Essentialism* by Greg McKeown.Send your church planting experiences, stories, anecdotes, and questions to desk@crosspointutah.com. Connect with me further here.*This is an affiliate link with proceeds going to support our ministry here in Utah.
Transcribe →I Didn't Delegate (with Suffolk, Virginia Church Planter David Sexton)
Feb 3, 202500:57:44Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I'm joined by Suffolk, Virginia church planter David Sexton. As his church plant anticipates its seventeenth anniversary this year, he shares how it was becoming increasingly shallow as a result of his failure to delegate—something he's only just recently learned to do.At minute [8:12] David references the Neppls, church planters they've sent out of their own church plant.At minute [24:19] he talks about an EF-3 tornado that hit Suffolk on April 28, 2008. I found this retrospective marking the fifteenth anniversary.At minute [30:11] David recommends a couple of Nelson Searcy's books, Launch and Fusion.*At minute [30:46] he recommends a couple of Larry Osborne's books, Sticky Church and Sticky Teams.*At minute [31:00] he references a two more books: 101 Ways to Reach Your Community by Steve Sjogren and Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century by Aubrey Malphurs.*And at minute [41:20] David begins talking about their Dream Teams, a pattern he based on Church of the Highlands.Send your church planting experiences, stories, anecdotes, and questions to desk@crosspointutah.com. Connect with me further here.*This is an affiliate link with proceeds going to support our ministry here in Utah.
Transcribe →I Focused on Denominational Politics (with Las Vegas, Nevada Church Planter Josh Teis)
Dec 12, 202400:48:00Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I'm joined by Las Vegas, Nevada church planter Josh Teis. We discuss several of his early church planting mistakes, including focusing too much time and energy on denominational politics.At minute [6:55] Josh talks about his father, Dave Teis, who is also a church planter in Las Vegas.At minute [14:59] Josh talks about the Send Network. You can learn more about them here.At minute [15:57] Josh talks about recently teaching through Colossians. You can listen to that sermon series here.Send your church planting experiences, stories, anecdotes, and questions to desk@crosspointutah.com. Connect with me further here.
Transcribe →I Wasn't Content with What God Had Planned for Me (with Former Santaquin, Utah Church Planter Christopher Murray)
Oct 30, 202400:53:03Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I'm joined again by former Santaquin, Utah church planter Christopher Murray. We discuss the danger of pride and his own struggle with being content with what God is doing in the present.At minute [7:15] Chris quotes our mutal friend Doug Lane. You can listen to my previous conversation with Doug here.At minute [36:10] Chris mentions his being on the radio recently. You can catch him on Key Radio from time to time. Listen online here.At minute [47:25] Chris recommends Tim Challies' Sexual Detox.*At minute [48:22] he also recommends Relational Revolution* by John C. White.At minute [49:25] I mention Steve Gallagher's At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry.*The music at the close of the episode? That's Chris, aka CDZ the Messenger. Check out his music here.Send your church planting experiences, stories, anecdotes, and questions to desk@crosspointutah.com. Connect with me further here. *This is an affiliate link with proceeds going to support our ministry here in Utah.
Transcribe →I Assumed My Past Success Would Translate into Future Success (with Denver, Colorado Church Planter Dave Elshaug)
Oct 15, 202401:02:46Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I'm joined by Denver, Colorado church planter Dave Elshaug. We discuss his past ministry successes—and the grave error of assuming they would translate into success as a church planter.At minute [17:04] Dave recommends Ralph Moore's Starting a New Church* (and how his own copy is now in the hands of Derek Murphy, a great brother here in Utah at Salt City Underground Church.)At minute [20:41] Dave also recommends John Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.*At minute [46:26] he talks about his experience at K2 The Church, a wonderful body of believers also here in Utah.Send your church planting experiences, stories, anecdotes, and questions to desk@crosspointutah.com. Connect with me further here. *This is an affiliate link with proceeds going to support our ministry here in Utah.
Transcribe →I Didn’t Consider the Importance of Where We Planted
Oct 1, 202400:51:44Tap to summarizeReturning after a few months' absence, I'm on my own in this episode, discussing the location of our new church plant and my failure to consider factors beyond just the price of a meeting place. I couldn't find the exact list I reference at minute [04:46], but here a similar one.At minute [05:49] I mention visiting with Pastor Tommy Swindol of The Donelson Fellowship in Nashville, TN and church planter Ed Goode of Bridge Church in Champaign, IL on drive across the country. If you're nearby, you need to connect with these brothers!At minute [06:24] I talk about going to the Ark Encounter. You can learn more here.At minute [07:17] I recommend Brian Moran's book The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months. You can get a copy here.*At minute [09:26] I answer the burning question, Where did you get your outfit? You can get the same blue light glasses here,* but you'd have to compete in this event to get the t-shirt.At minute [10:16] I mention River Community Church in South Jordan, UT where I filled in some this summer. You can watch my message from Acts 20:17-31 here and my message from Acts 21:1-14, an exploration of New Testament prophecy, here.At minute [23:04] I talk about real estate websites and their descriptions of the various neighborhoods. Here is an example. Here is another one.At minute [29:23] I reference several churches that have met in downtown Provo at various times, including First Baptist Church, The Rock Church, and, currently, Mosiac Church. These are some great brothers and sisters!At minute [31:56] I begin discussing an article titled "Ten Mistakes Church Planters Make" by Robert J. Vajko. You can read it here. You can learn more about Bob Logan, whose presentation is sited in the article, here.At minute [45:12] I talk about using World Population Review to find growth statisitics for counties and states. Check it out here.At minute [45:57] I talk about PIPSY—Poor, International, Prisoner, Sick, and, thanks to the suggestion of my friend Kevin Banberger, Youth—as outlined in Chris Galanos's book From Megachurch to Multiplication: A Church's Journey Toward Movement. You can get a copy here.* Also, be sure to watch our Q&A with Chris here.At minute [49:15] I share a couple of books I'm reading. The first is Covocational Church Planting: Aligning Your Marketplace Calling & The Mission of God by Brad Brisco. This was given to me by Michael Cooper of ValleyLight Church in West Valley City, UT. You can get a copy here.* The second is Philip Yancey's The Jesus I Never Knew. You can get a copy here.*Send your church planting experiences, stories, anecdotes, and questions to desk@crosspointutah.com. Connect with me further here. *This is an affiliate link with proceeds going to support our ministry here in Utah.
Transcribe →