About The Episode
Today, David Hibiske sits down with Jeff Bennett, Executive Director of Multiply Project and Ascent Leader Church Planter Cohort coach, to unpack lessons learned from years of church planting and leader development. Jeff shares his personal journey from planting LifeBridge Church to transitioning into coaching and equipping planters nationwide. He offers wisdom on focusing less on “the what” and more on “the who,” developing leaders from within, and shifting from readiness to potential when identifying future church planters. This is a rich conversation on self-awareness, humility, and creating multiplying churches through intentional leader development.
Welcome to Episode 044 of The Unfair Advantage Podcast with David Hibiske.
Insights From Jeff
- Focus on the Who, Not Just the What
Jeff reflects on how his early years as a planter were marked by doing too much himself. “Programs don’t multiply—people do,” he says. Shifting focus from tasks to developing others unlocks the latent energy within a church and creates sustainable growth. - Development Beats Delegation
Delegating gets a task done. Developing unleashes a calling. Jeff challenges leaders to move beyond handing out responsibilities and instead walk alongside people, coaching and equipping them as they grow in their leadership. - Identify Potential, Not Readiness
Many pastors look for fully ready church planters in their congregations—but Jeff reminds us to look for potential instead. The next great planter is probably sitting in your church right now; they just need someone to see what could be, not just what is. - Create Space for the Right Conversations
Jeff outlines three essential leader-development conversations:
- Discovery conversations – helping people discern what God might want to do in their lives.
- ICNU conversations – calling out the leadership qualities you see in others (“I see in you…”).
- Coaching conversations – ongoing, relational investment that transforms ability into calling.
- Multiply by Investing in Leaders and the Lost
Jeff encourages planters to spend time with two key groups: leaders and the lost. It’s a rhythm that fuels both spiritual growth and church multiplication. - Less Theory, More Traction
Through Multiply Project, Jeff and his team help churches move beyond multiplication theory into real, measurable activity—identifying and equipping planters from within their own congregations.
Episode Links
Do ministry together! Three gatherings, nine planters, one cohesive journey. Check out the Ascent Leader Church Planter Cohorts. Get more information today at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/
Who Is Jeff Bennett?
Jeff Bennett is the Executive Director of Multiply Project, helping church leaders identify, develop and send church planters from within their own church. Jeff also oversees the Flatirons Church Planting Network for Flatirons Church in Colorado. With more than 20 years of church planting experience, Jeff has served as Lead Planter, Executive Pastor and most recently served a decade as Vice President of Church Multiplication for Stadia Church Planting. He has a passion for bringing people together to accomplish big goals and has demonstrated a remarkable ability to build strong relationships with key leaders, foster collaboration, and drive results. Jeff lives outside Atlanta with his wife Lisa. They have two adult daughters, Madison and Macy. If he’s not talking with someone about how to plant more churches, he’s probably watching the Mets and rooting for them to win at least one more World Series in his lifetime.
Sponsors
Thanks to our sponsor: Generis.
A generous church is a healthy, growing church. So, if you’re ready to advance your mission, visit Generis.com/getstarted today!
Our goal with the Ascent Leader and our church planting cohorts is to help church planters win early and finish strong. We want to resource you so that you can avoid common pitfalls and simple mistakes. Being involved in a community of leaders like our church planting cohorts is one of the best ways to wrestle through these questions. We’re here to help you, if we can be of assistance to you please feel free to reach out.
Contact our team: ops@theascentleader.org
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