Coaching Christian Leaders

It's one thing to point out a problem.  But it's another thing to offer the solution. Pastor Dave Dent is a pastor that offers solutions.  Dave is the Associate Pastor of Adult Ministries at Mid Atlantic Community Church in Davidsonville Maryland.   His ministry focus is to shepherd people through life's difficulties, to connect people into discipleship relationships.  Today, in this interview, Dave shares the ministry of Celebrate Recovery and how Jesus, through the Beatitudes, provides solutions. Dave has been married to Catherine Kellogg Dent since November of 1997.  He has three daughters and one son.  Dave has a heart for recovery, but he also loves the process of discipleship. Dave Touched On Primarily, Dave shared the ministry of Celebrate Recovery.  Celebrate Recovery was instrumental in Dave's personal recovery from addiction.  Since then God has used Dave in the Celebrate Recovery ministry. Resources Insourcing: Bringing Discipleship Back to the Local Church by Randy Pope Spiritual Discipleship: Pr

It is extremely difficult to watch a family member or friend struggle with an alcohol or drug addiction.  You feel so helpless.  You are uncertain as to where to turn or what to say.  Pastors, too, struggle with counseling the addict.  Hopefully this month's guest will give us some insights into the life and struggles of an addict. Our guest for this episode is John Burghauser. John is a Pastoral Care Worker with Stauros Ministries. He ministers daily to men and women who struggle with addiction. Like those he helps, John once was an addict.  But Christ delivered him from this dependency.  Now he is living our 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 which says: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. And John does just that. He ministers to addicts from a place of understanding. John and been married t

Dan Fox is the senior pastor of a church just south of Baltimore, Maryland.  He has been married to his wife, Paula, for 23 years and they have four kids.  Dan is a gifted teacher of the Bible and a person in demand when it comes the subject of mental illness. Dan Touched On Dan shared the story of his son's battle with schizophrenia.  This very personal story will give you insight into living with mental illness and maybe challenge your personal theology on the subject.  His son's journey changed Dan's point of view on mental illness. Resources Dan spoke of one book and recommended another two.  Here they are: Surviving Schizophrenia: A Family Manual, by E. Fuller Torrey Side by Side: Walking With Others in Wisdom and Love, by Edward T. Welch Schizophrenia: A Blueprint for Recovery, by Milt Greek Dan also recommended the organization Christian Counseling & Education Foundation Contact Info You can email Pastor Dan Fox at pastordanfox@icloud.com What We Learned There are many things in this story that w

Glen Willet is the Worship and Discipleship Pastor at Westminster Baptist Church in Westminster Maryland.  He is an experienced church planter, a gifted musician, and a topnotch teacher of the Word.  Glen has been married to his wife, Barbara for 37 years. They have three sons and three grand kids. Glen Touched On God has used Glen to make a long-term impact through short-term missions.  Glen does this through the training of local national pastors and through a long-term commitment to one local community. Glen also shares how he has ministered to the homeless in the Baltimore and Westminster areas. Resources Glen recommended three books to help you develop a short-term mission program. Unfinished by Richard Stearns When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert Glocalization by Bob Roberts Jr. Contact Info Glen can be reached at GlenWillet@comcast.net What We Learned I had three takeaways from our conversation with Glen Willet. Missions can be in your backyard.  Glen's work with the homeless in Bal

Tom and Danielle Brendle are missionaries with New Tribes Mission.  God has used them in Tribal Church Planting and in Member Care.  They have four sons, Levi, Jacob, Luke, and Josiah. They currently serve in Florida. Tom & Danielle Touched On Tom and Danielle stressed the need for personal relationships between the church and its missionaries. They shared the need for mission oriented discipleship at the local church level. Tom and Danielle gave an overview of member care and encouraged the local church to participate in this care. Resources Mentioned They recommended Dave and Irene Lewis' website Paracletos.org Tom encouraged us to read the book Life With A Capital L by Matt Heard Contact Tom & Danielle Please email Tom and Danielle at Tom_Brendle@ntm.org What We Learned I had three takeaways from Tom and Danielle's interview. It is essential that churches build personal relationships with their missionaries.  Now that is easier said than done. And it will take time and intention to accomplish.  Of

Dr. Alban and his wife Joanne began their ministry in 1965 when they served as missionaries in Brazil. The Lord redirected their steps in 1975 and Dr. Alban took a pastorate in Tennessee.  Still having a passion for missions, he accepted a position with Berean Mission in 1979.  Since then, the Lord has used him to train and prepare new missionaries for the field. Dr. Alban served 16 years as Missions Department Chairman at Appalachian Bible College and in 2003, he became Professor of Global Studies at Liberty University. Dr. Alban Touched On Successes and struggles in ministry A key takeaway was that God did not call him to be someone else but to be the man He gifted him to be. The importance of the local church pastor in world missions Missions depend upon the pastor's leadership. Resources Mentioned The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected by Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis. Toxic Charity by Robert D. Lupton Contact Dr. Alban Please email Dr. Alban at dalban@liberty.edu Subscribe Please subscribe t

Does it hurt to pastor a church? Sometimes ministry ... hurts. Low pay, long hours, and the people!  In Episode 2, An Interview with Pastor Gary Buchman, Gary shared some of the pain of church work. One Medicine to Heal the Heartaches To overcome the heartaches of ministry, it is essential that you know why and for what God called you. So you need to define your mission and create a statement that communicates it. Stephanie Vozza of FastCompany Magazine wrote, "Whether it's a daily mantra or a quote to return to when times get tough, having a personal mission statement brings focus and purpose to your life."  You need to have your own mission statement. How Do You Do It? Dr. Steven Covey wrote, "Write down your roles as you now see them. Are you satisfied with the mirror image of your life?" So write down your every role, every position you have. Then create a mission statement for each one.  However, you do not need a statement for every role.  Rather, examine each role and ask these three questions: Does t

Pastor Gary Buchman is the pastor of Emmitsburg Community Bible Church, which is a church plant in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  Gary has also served as jail chaplain.  He has been married to his wife Debbie for 46 years.  They have five kids and 14 grandkids. Gary also has a heart for hurting pastors.  On this episode he shares his ministry to coach pastors in need. Gary Touched On He shared his strengths and weaknesses as a pastor. He told of the time that he and Debbie adopted their daughter. He shared the lowest point in his time as a pastor. He covered the ministry of pastor care. Resources Mentioned Who is this Man? The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus  by John Ortberg If God is Good; Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn. Contact Info Gary can be reached at pastorgarybuchman@gmail.com

Tim Webster is the Senior Pastor of Fredericktowne Baptist Church in Walkersville Maryland.  Previously he was the Senior Pastor of at Uniontown Bible Church.  He is married to his best friend, Alice.  Between the two of them, they have 8 kids! Tim shares with us some of the highs and lows of ministry.  He focused part of his story on a recent battle with depression. Tim Touched on How he and Alice were childhood sweethearts but lost contact and married others.  Years later they both lost their respective spouses to the same form of cancer.  Alice and Tim then reunited, fell in love, and married. He focused part of his story on a recent battle with depression. Finally, he shared the project - Church Cares. Resources Mentioned Tim is a published author.  His book is Christ-Centered Pastors. Tim recommended the book Deep & Wide by Andy Stanley. Contact If you have any questions for Tim you can email him at timwebster214@gmail.com

Welcome to Real Pastors.  At Real Pastors, we interview local church pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders. The purpose is to hear their stories and learn from their experiences. Episodes will be released once per month on the third Monday.