About this episode

Mike Neglia interviews Brian Kelly about the realities and challenges of church planting, emphasizing a gardening metaphor for ministry.

What does success in church planting actually look like? In this special crossover episode between the Expositors Collective and Cultivate podcasts, Mike Neglia speaks with Brian Kelly about the realities of planting and pastoring a church. Brian brings over twenty years of experience in church planting and mission work across East Africa, New Zealand, and the United States, along with firsthand involvement in multiple church plants and sending many others into ministry. Together they discuss the weight that comes with planting a church, why the language of “planting” is a better metaphor than a startup model, and how pastors should think more like gardeners than entrepreneurs. Drawing on insights from The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry by Matthew Erickson, the conversation explores the slow, patient work of cultivating spiritual growth in a church community. They also talk about the importance of planting teams, the role of families in ministry, the perseverance required to stay the course, and how initiatives like Cultivate seek to train, mentor, and support new church planters. Whether you are planting a church, pastoring an existing congregation, or…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Neglia

Guest: Brian Kelly

Topics covered

• church planting
• pastoring
• spiritual growth
• teamwork
• perseverance
• gardening metaphor

Keywords

• church planting
• pastoring
• spiritual growth
• gardening
• teamwork
• perseverance
• ministry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cultivate

Books & works: The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry

Places: East Africa, New Zealand, United States, Temecula, California

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