Summary: We just released a Journal on church planting and church mergers. Because neither Mark nor Jonathan wrote an article for it, we devoted this episode of Pastors’ Talk to the topic.<br><br>Also: this will be our last Pastors’ Talk until September, though we’ll be recording them all summer, so send us your ideas if you have them!<br><br>SHOW NOTES:<br><br>— Have you (Mark) ever been a church planter? (2:30)<br><br>— Why are the topics of planting and mergers worth thinking through? (4:10)<br><br>— Is there a different skill set for the church planter and someone leading a church merger? (8:00)<br><br>— What’s some bad advice you often hear for church planters? (9:20)<br><br>— Do some of the problems stem from a dependence on agencies as opposed to churches? What are agencies useful for? What should they not do that they tend to do? (11:00)<br><br>— What common wisdom do you have to offer those involved in church mergers? (13:10)<br><br>— When does the “church plant” become a church? (19:00)<br><br>— Who should leave a church to go with a plant? (20:00)<br><br>— Do you have elders first, and then members? Or the other way around? (22:20)
