Daniel Goulding

Start something from scratch before you plant. Daniel’s best preparation for church planting was launching a young adults ministry with no history and no legacy to live up to. It was a funded, lower-risk “practice run” where he learned to build a small team, cast vision, and scale. If you’re not planting yet, build something small and learn from it.

The weight of the lead seat can’t be simulated. Daniel used to think the difference between a teaching pastor and a senior pastor was mostly salary. Six months into planting, he called his former senior pastors to apologize. You can’t fully understand the weight until you carry it, so give your team grace, because they can’t fully see what you’re carrying, just as you couldn’t.

Know whose voice carries weight. Sheep bite, and criticism comes with anything significant. Daniel’s filter is to ask who is actually bought in. He’ll check a critic’s profile in Planning Center to see if they serve, give, or are in a crew. His spouse, his lead team, and his elders carry disproportionate weight, and a random critical email doesn’t. You can’t make everyone happy, so decide in advance who gets a vote.

You are always the chief fundraiser. Many planters assume fundraising ends at launch. Daniel says it never does. If vision moves at the pace of generosity, then helping people step into their God-given purpose through giving is part of the job. Get comfortable talking about money, and be intentional about investing one-on-one time with those who have the gift of generosity.

Clarify the why before you train the how. Daniel spent the early months teaching his team how to do ministry and not enough time on why this church exists and what makes it unique. Some people took a year to realize what the church believed on a significant issue, and it felt to them like the rules had changed. He hadn’t changed anything, he just hadn’t been clear enough up front. Say the quiet part out loud early.

Hit singles and doubles. Going from weeks of sermon prep to a message every six days is a brutal adjustment. A pastor friend gave Daniel a reframe: plenty of Hall of Famers hit a lot of singles and doubles. Some weeks you’ll hit a double, and occasionally you’ll surprise yourself with a home run. Keep moving the ball downfield.

Plan far out so you never start from a blank page. Daniel works on a message two weeks ahead, has series mapped through next summer, and has his assistant work backward from each series launch. He uses AI to turn a voice brain dump into a five-week sermon brief that sounds like him. Know how you’re wired and build a rhythm around it.

Walk the tightrope on cultural issues. Neutrality on everything doesn’t serve today’s congregation, but becoming a political commentator pushes the gospel to second place. Daniel’s approach is to trust the Spirit on which issues need his voice and which are distractions. He keeps Galatians 1:10 on his office wall to remember whose approval he’s chasing.

If you’re in the second chair, run hard. Daniel’s biggest regret from his earlier seat was holding back out of a fear to lead. He says the best thing you can do for yourself and the kingdom is to crush the role you’re in. Your voice matters, your leaders want to see you shine, and if you outgrow the role, they’ll find you a new one.