What is the distinction between a staff elder and a lay elder? What is the benefit of having lay elders? How can staff pastors/elders protect and encourage lay elders? What ought a church do since they cannot financial support a lay elder?

Jim and Brian discuss these and more on this episode of Trenchtalk

How can a pastor move to plurality before pastor qualified men are identified? What texts might he preach to help his congregation see the biblical nature of pastors? What ought he do when the congregation is unsure about moving forward? What do you do when you and the congregation have identified another pastor qualified man?

Jim and Brian discuss these and more in this episode of Trenchtalk, the podcast of Practical Shepherding.

Brian and Jim describe the particular aspects of ministry grind, unpacking the meaningful yet difficult balance of sermon prep and shepherding the flock. Listen as they discuss questions like: what did your sermon prep look like through out your ministry? What were some aspects of ministry that took alot out of you? and much more!

Listen as Brian and Jim tackle this topic on the newest episode of Trenchtalk

Can a pastor be trapped in ministry? What assessment should be done before a pastor pursues another ministry? Won’t all churches bring particular hardships and/or difficulty?

Jim and Brian tackle all these questions and more on this episode of Trenchtalk

What makes ministry so uniquely hard? How might a pastor try to minimize the difficulty? Is it God’s design to have ministers endure hardship? What practical advice would Brian and Jim give in this area?

Listen as Brian and Jim address these questions and much more on this episode of Trenchtalk

How can pastors develop a short memory when it comes to delivering a bad sermon? What does preparation have to do with preaching bad sermons? What do you do when you thought you preached a bad sermon, but a member of your church said it was incredible?

Brian and Jim discuss these questions and more on this episode of Trenchtalk.

How can a pastor fight to be present with his family after facing ministry challenges? What practical steps can a pastor take to “leaving work at work”?

Brian and Jim discuss these questions and many more on this episode of Trenchtalk

How do you care well for unhealthy church members while not neglecting those who are healthy? What are practical steps in doing this well? How can pastors guard against discouragement in this area? Is the goal in Shepherding effectiveness or faithfulness?

Brian and Jim discuss these questions and more on this episode of Trenchtalk.

Mondays are sometimes unexplainably difficult, why is that? What does the work done on Sunday have to do with the exhaustion that shows up on Monday? How can pastors fight these feelings and persevere through through difficult Mondays?

Brian and Jim discuss these and much more on this episode of Trenchtalk

What aspects of pastoral ministry and church life were lost during the COVID-19 pandemic? How might a pastor re-train himself and his congregation to reclaim important aspects that were lost?

Brian and Jim discuss these and more on this episode of Trenchtalk

When a man/young man comes and tells you he aspires to the office of pastor what do you do next? How does a pastor identify and train men for pastoral ministry? What qualities and characteristics should you look for when assessing their call and fitness for pastoral ministry?

Jim and Brian discuss all these questions and more on this episode of TrenchTalk

What is the difference between a vacation and a sabbatical? How can a pastor try to unplug during his sabbatical? How important is rest during a pastoral sabbatical? Is the place you take a sabbatical important?

Listen as Brian and Jim discuss these questions and much more on this episode of Trench Talk.

How can pastors cultivate patience in their ministries? Are we as fallen humans naturally patient? What does the Bible have to say about patience as it pertains to pastoral ministry? Is impatience in ministry always or ever compromise?

Listen as Brian and Jim discuss these questions and much more on this episode of Trench Talk.

Should pastors expect affliction and difficulty in ministry? What ought they do when the temptation to quit presses in? How can they test if it is temptation or a genuine need to leave ministry or the church?

Listen as Brian and Jim discuss these questions and much more on this episode of Trench Talk.

Should pastors consider the children in their congregation when preaching? Does the bible give commands to instruct children? What are intentional ways to simplify your sermons for children?

Listen as Brian and Jim discuss these questions and much more on this episode of Trench Talk.Listen as Brian and Jim discuss these questions and much more on this episode of Trench Talk.

Should it be a priority for a church to be multi-generational? What if the church isn’t, how might they pursue this? How can pastors get a good gauge on this aspect of church health?

Listen as Brian and Jim discuss these questions and much more on this episode of Trench Talk.

How should pastors communicate in their end of year member’s meeting? When financial givings exceeds expectations, how and who decides what to do with the surplus? What about with a deficit? When dealing with finances how ought pastors walk wisely in discussing or leading in these things?

Listen as Brian and Jim discuss these questions and much more on this episode of Trench Talk.

The Church in the 21st century is riddled with member autonomy and authoritarianism from the pulpit. What does Scripture provide as a model for leadership that guards against both? What are practical ways pastors can Lead without Lording? What parameters can be set up to guard against lording over the flock?

Listen as Brian and Jim discuss these questions and much more on this episode of Trench Talk.

When you have labored in ministry for a long time without a sabbatical the reflections and experiences of your first will be raw. Listen as Brian asks Jim how his sabbatical was, how the Lord met with him, and how he is feeling physically, mentally, and spiritually now that he is back.

Listen to Jim discuss his feelings before taking his first sabbatical.

In this special 2-part series Brian talks with pastor Ronnie Martin about life and ministry. Enjoy this discussion as they talk about Ronnie’s conversion and call to ministry, and how he got from music ministry in a large church in SoCal to planting a church in the Midwest.