New Churches Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 809

3 Practices to Endure in Ministry

Tony Merida & Matt Carter

Host Tony Merida teams back up with Matt Carter, Send Network’s Vice President of Mobilization, to discuss the rhythms and patterns that have helped them thrive in ministry, as well as in their personal health and families. Tune in to discover why your earliest days in ministry are so significant and how you can reclaim your days for the sake of God-honoring endurance.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • What it means to be faithful to Jesus Christ until the end
  • Why the full armor of God is necessary for each new day
  • How eschatology impacts your day-to-day living
  • What your heart may be telling you about your overall health as a planter
  • What you should prioritize as your first business of the day!

Helpful Resources:

  • Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here.
  • Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer.

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

I think we forget that we have an enemy who is studying us and has an intentional, thoughtful scheme on how to take us out. This is not some weird, nebulous enemy. – Matt Carter

Part of endurance is surrounding yourself with men who have proximity to you. Pray for folks that you can give permission to speak into your life and who will help you grow in Christ along the way. – Matt Carter

Unfortunately, eschatology has made people fanatical rather than faithful. But the goal is to remember that we’re going to see Jesus Christ and that it impacts the present moment. – Tony Merida

Your people are going to want access to you, so you’ve got to set the culture with your family, your staff, and your church that your time management is a priority from day one. – Matt Carter

Instead of going straight into critique mode or problem-solving mode, start looking for evidences of grace first. Consider how you can see God working. – Tony Merida

Somehow, we’ve envisioned a personal holiness that’s separate from our relationships with our wives, but part of what it means to live a godly life is to cultivate a healthy, thriving marriage. – Tony Merida

Published on February 29, 2024

About the Podcast

New Churches Podcast

The New Churches podcast offers practical answers to your real ministry questions. We aren’t going to provide lofty pie-in-the-sky theories. Instead, we are going to help you in your real ministry context, with your real thoughts, questions, and issues.

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Meet the Authors

Tony Merida

Vice President, Planter Development Send Network

Tony Merida is the founding pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, N.C, and is the Vice President of Planter Development for Send Network. He also serves as a Board member for The Gospel Coalition. Tony has written several books including, The Christ-Centered ExpositorLove Your Church, and multiple volumes in the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series. He’s happily married to Kimberly, and they have five children.

More Resources from Tony

Matt Carter

Vice President, Mobilization Send Network

Matt Carter is vice president of mobilization for Send Network, the largest church planting network in North America. He was also founding pastor of The Austin Stone Church. During his tenure at The Stone, the church sent over 300 full-time missionaries to unreached people groups around the world. Matt holds an MDiv from Southwestern Seminary and a Doctorate in Expositional Preaching from Southeastern Seminary. He and his wife Jennifer have three children.

More Resources from Matt