Church Planter Podcast

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton and Andrea Jones sit down with Tiffany Stein—pastor, church planter’s wife, and author of Mourning God: Grieving Loss, Wrestling with God, and Finding Your Way Back to Life.Tiffany shares her powerful story of faith, loss, and leadership after the death of her infant son, David, who lived for 53 days. As a pastor in a highly visible church context, her grief unfolded publicly, forcing her to wrestle not only with devastating loss, but with the haunting silence of God that followed.This conversation goes beyond theology and into the raw, emotional terrain church planters and ministry leaders often face but rarely discuss. Tiffany unpacks:What it means to “mourn the God you thought you knew”Why emotional doubt can be more destabilizing than intellectual doubtThe danger of quick-fix theology and Christian clichésWhy the Church desperately needs a robust theology of lamentHow leaders can grieve authentically while still shepherding othersThe humbling discipline of receiving care instead of always giving itFor church planters leading through infertility, loss, burnout, unanswered prayer, or spiritual silence, this episode offers permission to be human and a pathway back to hope.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:Mourning GodReliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this rich and forward-looking episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones sits down with two seasoned practitioners of multiplication: Larry Walkemeyer and John Teter, co-authors of The Making of a Multiplier: Four Seasons to Maximize Your Kingdom Legacy.Between them, Larry and John bring decades of church planting, denominational leadership, mentoring, and movement-building experience. From planting 30+ churches out of Light & Life Fellowship in Long Beach to launching businesses like 5000 Pies in Compton as a discipleship engine, these leaders don’t just talk multiplication, they live it.In this conversation, they unpack:Why so many leaders fail to finish well, and how to avoid itThe four-season framework of leadership development (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter)Why Barnabas is the ultimate model of a multiplierThe overlooked power of investing in others instead of chasing platformHow multiplication legacy can outlive visible ministryLarry shares from his own “winter” season of influence without authority, while John reflects on how nearly resigning from ministry at 25 led him into a lifetime study of finishing well.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones and Pete Mitchell explore a foundational idea behind Discipology: before you make disciples, you must first become one. But that doesn’t simply mean being saved, it means allowing the character of Jesus to shape your life. Peyton explains how the New Testament qualifications for leaders ultimately describe a life that reflects Christ’s character. From there, he introduces the Shalom Star, a practical tool designed to help believers evaluate whether their lives are growing in healthy, Christ-like balance across six key areas: spiritual life, honor (responsibilities), affections, learning, others, and mental health. Together, Pete and Peyton discuss why imbalance in a leader’s life can undermine their witness, how discipleship shapes character through proximity to Jesus, and why personal transformation must come before effective disciple-making.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:TakeShalom.comDiscipologyBook.comReliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones sits down with pastor, author, and leadership coach Joey Cook to explore a creative and rapidly growing approach to disciple making—right on the golf course.Joey shares his journey of faith, from growing up in a small Ozark Mountains church to discovering the deeper relational love of God that now fuels his ministry and leadership. That personal transformation has shaped his passion to help people experience the love of the Father and extend it to others. The conversation centers around a unique disciple-making movement happening inside golf communities around the world. Through a partnership with PGA professionals and the Bible Caddy podcast, Joey and others are helping launch “feature groups” at country clubs—spaces where golfers gather, build friendships, study Scripture, and talk honestly about life and faith.What began as a simple idea has quickly multiplied to more than 160 groups globally, connecting believers and non-believers alike through shared passions and authentic conversations about the gospel.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:Connect with Bible Caddie by emailing groups@biblecaddie.comDiscipologyBook.comReliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

The topic was supposed to be “Discipling the Next Generation”…and we got there, just not how you’d expect.In this episode, Peyton and Pete unpack an often-overlooked ingredient behind disciple-making movements: mentorship.Peyton shares what it’s been like to have a legend like Ralph Moore personally investing into his church plant and why having a mentor can change the trajectory of your ministry (and your life). From stories of writing letters to paying for coaching that reshaped his future, Peyton makes the case that too many church planters are pouring out without ever letting someone pour into them.They also tackle:Why Gen X leaders struggle to ask for helpThe difference between wanting mentorship and committing to itWhy skin in the game mattersThe cost (and value) of being discipledWhy you should always have someone ahead of you — and someone behind youIf you’re planting, leading, or simply feeling like you’re figuring it out alone…this episode is a reminder: You weren’t meant to. And if we’re serious about discipling the next generation, it starts by modeling what it looks like to be discipled ourselves.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:DiscipologyBook.comReliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this powerful conversation, Peyton sits down with his longtime mentor and friend, Larry Walkemeyer, to unpack why disciple-making must come before church multiplication, and why so many movements stall when they skip that step.Drawing from themes in Discipology and Larry’s forthcoming book The Making of a Multiplier, this episode explores the deep connection between time, teaching, and tactics — the three rhythms of Jesus’ disciple-making strategy that ultimately led to explosive Kingdom impact.Larry shares:Why the priesthood of all believers is the theological foundation of mobilizationHow relational disciple-making fuels true multiplicationA powerful personal vision that reshaped his ministry philosophyWhy you can’t teach multiplication into existence The difference between a “lake mentality” and a “river mentality” churchYou’ll also hear stories of everyday believers who became disciple-makers simply because someone walked closely with them long enough for the fire to catch.If you’re passionate about church planting, leadership development, or seeing movements multiply, this episode will challenge you to slow down, go deep, and mobilize before you multiply.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:DiscipologyBook.comReliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

What do Van Halen, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and a boring radio station have in common?For Kris Langham, they were all part of the journey that led him to faith.In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones and Pete Mitchell sit down with Kris Langham, founder of Through the Word, to unpack his remarkable salvation story and the vision behind one of the most accessible Bible engagement tools in the world.Kris shares how a simple audio Bible teaching format grew into Through the Word, a free app with a 10-minute audio guide for every chapter of the Bible (now approaching 1 million users).But this conversation goes deeper than technology.Together, the guys explore:Why most Christians feel anxiety when they hear “go make disciples”The critical difference between discipleship and disciple-makingHow we often reproduce the way we were discipled, for better or worseWhy disciple-making moves at the speed of relationshipHow introverts might actually make the best disciple-makersHow the new Discipology Plan inside the Through the Word app helps everyday believers follow Jesus and take someone with themResources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:DiscipologyBook.comReliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones pulls back the curtain on the long, surprising, and deeply personal journey behind Discipology.What began as a question while writing Church Plantology turned into a multi-year exploration of how Jesus actually formed disciples who multiplied. Peyton shares how studying Jesus chronologically—not thematically—reshaped his understanding of disciple making, exposed a leadership pipeline problem in the church, and led to the development of the now-central Time, Teaching, and Tactics frameworkAlong the way, Peyton talks candidly about the challenges of trailblazing a paradigm where little prior research existed, the spiritual weight of the project, and how a season of prayer and unexpected clarity shaped key tools like the Shalom framework. Pete Mitchell guides the conversation with humor and insight, helping surface why Discipology isn’t just another discipleship book, but a reproducible system aimed at mobilizing everyday believers.If you’ve ever wondered why disciple making feels harder than it should, or how Jesus actually trained people to do it, this episode offers both the origin story and the heart behind Discipology.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:DiscipologyBook.comReliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode, Peyton Jones is joined by Elliot Sands, president of Faith First, for a thoughtful and candid conversation about politics, unity, and disciple-making in today’s divided world. From his upbringing as a missionary kid in Nigeria to his work helping Christians navigate cultural and political fractures, Elliot brings a grounded, pastoral perspective to one of the most volatile challenges facing the Church right now.If you’re a church planter trying to lead faithfully without alienating half your congregation — or wondering how to shepherd people through cultural chaos without losing gospel clarity — this episode will give you language, framework, and hope.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:LiveFaithFirst.orgReliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

What if the real problem in the Church isn’t multiplication… but mobilization?In this episode, Peyton Jones and Pete Mitchell go deep into Peyton’s new book Discipology: The Art and Science of Making Disciples—and why Jesus’ original training model might be the missing engine behind today’s stalled movements.Fresh off a trip to Wales (and a bucket-list encounter with punk icon Johnny Rotten), Peyton breaks down the Time, Teaching, and Tactics framework—how Jesus spent three years forming the Twelve, and why most modern discipleship models stop short of real disciple-making.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.