Episode 637: One of the biggest problems a pastor faces is developing leadership. Host Clint Clifton talks with Noah Oldham, pastor of August Gate Church in St. Louis, about how you can find the future leaders for your church planting work right in your own congregation.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover: 

• Noah Oldham’s “cheat” for approaching people in whom he sees pastoral potential


• How our free Church Planting Primer can help you get everyday Christians involved in starting new churches


• Why August Gate Church practices foot washing as they bring in new members


• How Clint’s church uses a preaching lab to surface planter candidates


• How prospecting for planter candidates is like “shooting hoops”


• What Noah Oldham means by “four H leaders”

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Very few churches who have cracked the nut of how to make members into missionaries. I want our churches, to be known for cultivating pastoral leaders from inside of our work. @ClintJClifton

One of the things I look for is people who care about the whole church flourishing. @NoahOldham

If you took all the fruitful church planters I’ve worked with, you couldn’t find a common denominator. It’s not as easy as noticing a quality or a characteristic, one quality or characteristic. @ClintJClifton

We have to decide as a church at August Gate, what kind of church do we want to plant? But also, what kind of church do we want to be? @NoahOldham

It all comes down to ecclesiology. We have to think about our ecclesiology and if we don’t have that settled, we’re never going to do this very well. @NoahOldham

When you look at the lists in 1 Timothy and Titus, you see these lists for older men and older women and younger women. It’s like, “Where’s the list for the younger men? What’s the list of eldership?”  @NoahOldham

Every young man should aspire to be an elder. If we do that, we’ll never have a hard time finding pastors. @NoahOldham

The only difference in an elder and a regular Christian is that they’re actually doing the things we’ve all been commanded to do. @ClintJClifton

It’s like shooting basketball hoops. I’m going to take a lot of shots and probably not make all that many, but the more I shoot, the more I make.  @ClintJClifton

I’ve found a lot of guys who live out the rich young ruler. They ask what they have to do to be a leader and walk away sad because they realize, “Ah, it’s just going to require more than I’m willing to give.” @NoahOldham

When I was planting, I felt like I was making all these huge sacrifices, but the truth is, God gave me a very dear family. Those who step away from planting because they think they’re going to miss out on something are forsaking the opportunity at something much, much greater.  @ClintJClifton

You have to be wildly optimistic about pastoral potential in others, take people when they’re not ready and imagine what God could do with them the same way  He did with you. @ClintJClifton

Helpful Resources:

• Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer


• Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass?


• Alexander Strauch’s book Biblical Eldership 

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