Homepage / Pivot Podcast /#60: How to Start a New Ministry
Do you have an idea for a new ministry but aren’t sure exactly where to start or how to get it off the ground?
In this episode of the Pivot Podcast, hosts Alicia Granholm and Dwight Zscheile tackle the pitfalls to avoid when starting a new ministry, the most common hangups people have when starting a new ministry, and get advice for starting a new ministry with guest, Michael Binder.
Dr. Michael Binder is an assistant professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. His teaching focuses on starting new congregations, leading change, and practicing Christian witness and evangelism amidst secular cultures.
Binder was a founding pastor of Mill City Church in northeast Minneapolis. He was the director of preaching for Bethel University from 2006-2013 and worked as a young adult pastor for Woodridge Church before that.
He has worked as a consultant with hundreds of congregations and denominations in the U.S. and Canada. Binder is a graduate of Carleton College, Bethel University (M.Div., 2008), and Luther Seminary (Ph.D., Congregational Mission and Leadership, 2017).
Dwight Zscheile is professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary. His latest books are The Starter’s Way (with Ed Olsworth-Peter) and Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue).
Dr. Alicia Granholm is senior director of Faith+Lead at Luther Seminary and a leadership and church consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She helps pastors and leaders engage culture to make a lasting impact. For nearly two decades, she has trained, equipped, and empowered followers of Jesus to engage their local communities by contextualizing the Gospel and its application. Alicia compassionately crosses cultural boundaries having lived, studied, traveled, and served in 25 countries on six continents. Alicia has a Doctor of Strategic Leadership, Global Consulting (Regent University), M.Div. (Bethel Seminary), and M.A. in Teaching (University of St. Thomas).
Join us on Pivot Podcast, where we journey beyond church-as-usual to discover how God is reshaping ministry for today’s world.
Each week, we dive into conversations with innovative leaders and practitioners who are navigating four game-changing pivots: shifting from quick fixes to deep listening, from membership to discipleship, from rigid models to creative ministry ecosystems, and from clergy-centered leadership to unleashing everyone’s gifts.
Whether you’re a member of the clergy seeking fresh inspiration or a volunteer stepping into new leadership territory, Pivot Podcast equips you with the insights and practical wisdom to follow Jesus into a faithful future.
Through their work with diverse cohorts of preachers, they’ve discovered that the most compelling sermons aren’t necessarily the most polished – they’re the ones where preachers have learned to listen deeply to both God and their congregations. Learn practical tools for gathering meaningful feedback, understand why vulnerability matters more than ever in preaching, and discover how shifting from evaluation to understanding can deepen your sermon’s impact. Plus, hear why reimagining God’s agency in preaching might be the key to unlocking more powerful proclamation.
Dr. Michael Binder is an assistant professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. His teaching focuses on starting new congregations, leading change, and practicing Christian witness and evangelism amidst secular cultures.
Binder was a founding pastor of Mill City Church in northeast Minneapolis. He was the director of preaching for Bethel University from 2006-2013 and worked as a young adult pastor for Woodridge Church before that.
He has worked as a consultant with hundreds of congregations and denominations in the U.S. and Canada. Binder is a graduate of Carleton College, Bethel University (M.Div., 2008), and Luther Seminary (Ph.D., Congregational Mission and Leadership, 2017).
Dwight Zscheile is professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary. His latest books are The Starter’s Way (with Ed Olsworth-Peter) and Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue).
Dr. Alicia Granholm is senior director of Faith+Lead at Luther Seminary and a leadership and church consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She helps pastors and leaders engage culture to make a lasting impact. For nearly two decades, she has trained, equipped, and empowered followers of Jesus to engage their local communities by contextualizing the Gospel and its application. Alicia compassionately crosses cultural boundaries having lived, studied, traveled, and served in 25 countries on six continents. Alicia has a Doctor of Strategic Leadership, Global Consulting (Regent University), M.Div. (Bethel Seminary), and M.A. in Teaching (University of St. Thomas).
