New Churches Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 815

How to Make Your Core Team Thrive

Ed Stetzer & Dean Fulks

Host Ed Stetzer chats with lead pastor Dean Fulks to share his experiences from serving as a church planter to later pastoring a sending church. Tune in to discover the key characteristics to look for in your core team members, as well as the ways to set your people up for success through the twists and turns of starting your new church well.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • How to pursue a culture of multiplication from the start of your church plant
  • What the DNA of your church says about you
  • Ways to navigate the emotional tolls of sending out your best people
  • The qualifications of a thriving core team member
  • How to answer prospective members’ biggest questions about God and their place in His church

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.

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Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

There are all kinds of ways to think about a core team for a new church plant. – Ed Stetzer

The number one characteristic that defines the success or failure of a church plant is the spiritual and emotional health of the leaders, the pastor, his wife, and their family. – Dean Fulks

If you have a great leader–certainly not a perfect leader with a perfect marriage–but a great leader who loves Jesus and has a good marriage, you can send as many people as possible.  – Dean Fulks

The folks who go are the folks you don’t want to leave. They’re the most missional and generous and want to reach their communities. They’re the most stoked about the mission and vision. – Dean Fulks

Look at Paul’s work in the New Testament and see the value he placed on women as part of planting teams and groups. – Dean Fulks

The key to handling relational conflict well is a depth of relational equity. – Dean Fulks

Published on March 21, 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

Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., is a professor and dean at Wheaton College where he also serves as Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center.  He is the incoming Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates; and he has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He is Regional Director for Lausanne North America, is the Editor-in-Chief of Outreach Magazine, and regularly writes for news outlets such as USA Today and CNN. His national radio show, Ed Stetzer Live, airs Saturdays on Moody Radio and affiliates. He serves at his local church, Mariners Church, as a Scholar in Residence and Teaching Pastor.

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Dean Fulks

Dean Fulks has been the lead pastor at Lifepoint since its beginning in 2004. He is the coordinator for SEND Columbus, an initiative to plant churches throughout Columbus, Ohio. Dean is married to Angie and they have three children — Sydney, Dillon, and Sylvia. He has a Master’s of Divinity from Mid-America Theological Seminary (Memphis, TN) with a minor in Memphis barbecue.

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