Church Membership
Episode 59: Pastors and Equipping Members
In this week’s episode of Pastor Matter, Ronjour and Brandon discuss the importance of equipping members in a local church.
Pastoral Ministry
Andrew Hébert
Bold or Broken?
On October 19, 1856, Charles Spurgeon was preaching to an overflow crowd of several thousand people at the Surrey Garden Music Hall in London when he experienced perhaps the greatest tragedy of his life. As thousands crowded into the building with thousands more waiting outside, someone shouted that there was a fire and the balconies were collapsing.
P2
Episode 57: Pastors and Urban Ministry (with Sean Cordell)
In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon are joined by Sean Cordell (Pastor of Treasuring Christ Church in Raleigh, NC) to discuss pastoring in an urban context.
Mentorship
Episode 56: Pastors and Theological Education
In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon discuss the importance of theological education.
Cody Evans
What Can Pastors Learn From Nick Saban?
Pastoring is a lot like coaching. I am not sure if you have noticed the similarities or heard others talk about them, but I know for sure that pastoring is a lot like coaching. In coaching, you must help people come together around a common mission, you must help people find their role in that mission, and you must continually help them see the bigger picture of that mission.
Pastor Matters
Episode 55: Pastors and Preaching After a Rough Week (with Quentin Self)
In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon are joined by Quentin Self (Senior Pastor of Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church) to discuss pastors and preaching after a rough week.
Joy
Guarding Your Joy in Ministry
According to the Barna Group, 38% of pastors in the United States have considered walking away from ministry in the past year.[1] Maybe this number should surprise me, but it does not. I have heard firsthand about the sadness, grief, and disappointment from friends in ministry. To a certain degree, I have even experienced these emotions myself. But as I reflected on my conversations with other pastors and my own experiences, I began to see that it is not just the difficulties driving pastors to quit—difficulty is a part of ministry. Instead, it is how the difficulties and frustrations steal our joy that causes us to throw in the towel.
Juan Sanchez
Episode 51: Pastors and Leadership (with Juan Sanchez)
In this week’s episode, Ronjour and Brandon discuss leadership with Dr. Juan Sanchez (Pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church).
Disabilities
Pastoral Ministry and Persons with Disabilities
“Shepherd the flock of God among you,” says Peter to pastors (1 Pet. 5:2). Similarly, Paul exhorts those in ministry to “Equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:12). If we pastors want to be faithful in shepherding the flock and equipping the saints, we must know our people...including those not like us.
ministry
Episode 50: Pastors and Life in Ministry (with Neal Thornton)
In this week’s episode, Ronjour and Brandon are joined by one of our regular contributors, Dr. Neal Thornton, to discuss the life of a pastor.
Marriage
For Pastors: A Unique Seat in the Audience of Your Life
Every Sunday, you stand on a stage to share God’s message to people who are engaged, indifferent, or not physically present. You walk through the audience shaking hands, listening with concern, and loving those who may not love you back. You hear heart-wrenching stories of loss, life-changing sin, and gossip from angry people who have forgotten the mission and vision of the gospel. You may not complain, but sometimes you wonder if what you do makes a difference.
Discipleship
The Long Road of Discipleship
Our world has developed an obsession with speed and efficiency, and at times, it seems as if everything in life has been affected in one way or another. Major League Baseball instituted an assortment of rules aimed at speeding up games. Fast-food restaurant chains compete to get customers their food as quickly as possible. Businesses regularly push workers to maximize efficiency by completing the same amount of work in less time.
College Ministry
Episode 48: Pastors and Shepherding College Students (with Jonathan Akin)
In this week’s episode, Ronjour and Brandon are joined by Jonathan Akin (VP for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University) to discuss pastors and shepherding college students.
Conflict
Heart-Orienting Truths for Navigating Conflict
It is inevitable. At some point, probably soon, you will encounter some form of conflict in ministry. Maybe it will come in the form of a disagreement among your elders, pastors, or deacons. Conflict may arise from a misunderstanding between you and your spouse. It could be that there are a few sandpaper-people in your life, and when they come around, discord follows behind them. It is not a matter of if, but when. Conflict will come.
P2
Episode 47: Pastors and Sabbaticals
In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon discuss pastors and the importance of taking a sabbatical.
Church Replants
Episode 46: Pastors and Replanting Churches (with Cody Evans)
In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon sit down with Cody Evans to discuss replanting churches.
Neal Thornton
Tips for the Trial Sermon: Preaching in View of a Call
A few months back, our church called a student pastor to join our pastoral team. Like many churches, ours formed a search committee to seek after God’s man for this particular role. After months of diligent searching, they unanimously landed on a recent graduate from Southeastern Seminary. He came highly recommended by his past professors as well as pastors at his then-current place of ministry.
Hope
Pastoral Lessons from John Bunyan and The Pilgrim’s Progress
Pastors are always on the lookout for the next book to help us be more effective and faithful in ministry. Some books help us shore up weaknesses, others teach us how to effectively carry out the everyday tasks of pastoral ministry, and then, there are those that inspire us to persevere through the challenges of shepherding God’s people.
Compassion
The Temptation of Lesser Opportunities
For a brief time, I had the fanciful idea that a life in the political arena might somehow be in the cards of my future. In college, I worked for several politicians and led the college’s conservative political organization.While I enjoyed my work, it was certainly not the calling I know the Lord had placed in my heart as a teenager. One election cycle was enough for me. Political work is certainly important work and like so many other professions, we need believers in this profession to be light in the darkness.
interview
Episode 42: Pastors and “the Interview”
In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon are back to discuss pastors and interviews.What questions should aspiring pastors be prepared to answer while being interviewed by churches? What questions should pastor candidates be prepared to ask churches? Join us this week as we tackle these questions (and many more)!
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