200churches Podcast: Ministry Encouragement For Pastors Of Small Churches

Happy Saturday! This is a Bonus Episode that I recorded with David Bush.The very first Coaching For Pastors Cohort will launch soon, and this episode is somewhat of an introduction to it. I wanted to share it with you and invite our 200churches Pastors to consider being a part of this very first ever cohort group of pastors. If you want to hear me talk about it more after this episode, listen to Episode 87 of the Coaching For Pastors Podcast. Enjoy this weekend Bonus Episode!

Alex Regets is a 30-year-old Presbyterian pastor from Manteno, IL. He pastors Community Presbyterian Church, a great church in the heart of America's heartland.Alex is also the founder of the HomeTown Pastor Podcast, and HomeTownPastor.com, where you can find great resources and a truckload of encouragement as a small church pastor.As a young pastor, Alex is really showing the way for his generation - loving and caring for God's people in a smaller congregation, where the Gospel is shared and lives are transformed.You are going to enjoy this episode!

Our special guest on episode 385 is Bob McNabb, from SpiritualMultiplication.org and LaunchGlobal.org, and the author of Spiritual Multiplication in the Real World - Why some disciple-makers reproduce when others fail.Bob has been involved in disciple-making ministries for 40 years, both in the U.S. and overseas, and has done extensive research on why some are effectiveness when others are not. Here's what straight outta his bio page:"He has done extensive research into contextual and behavioral factors that influence effectiveness in disciple-making."Can you guess the secret sauce Bob discovered that produces the greatest amount of effectiveness in disciple making? It's right in this episode! Enjoy!

This will go down as one of Jeff's absolute favorite episodes! Not because Jonny wasn't on the call, but because TJ was. Here is TJ's bio from his website, KidsOutdoorZone.com: TJ is the founder of KOZ or Kid's Outdoor Zone! TJ is an award-winning outdoor travel and adventure writer, radio show host and past President of the Texas Outdoor Writers Association. He published a Texas lifestyle magazine with his wife Sandra for more than 25 years from their former home in Austin, Texas.If you ask TJ his passions he would tell you. Jesus Christ, his family including dear friends, the ministry of KOZ, writing, coffee, hiking and the cool air of the mountains. He is involved daily working with KOZ leaders, creating materials, fundraising and mentoring.TJ & Sandra have three adult children, two amazing grand-daughters and one grandson! They now live on a small hobby farm in Smithville, Texas and loving the country lifestyle!This is one inspirational, encouraging episode! Thanks TJ! Check out hi

Melanie is an International Worker and Missionary with her husband and children in a foreign country that will remain unnamed. Jeff gave her permission to speak freely to pastors and clue them in on what it's like for a young missionary family to come off the field for a year and visit churches.What do they need from pastors? From church members? How does this home assignment year affect their personal lives and their children? How can churches help and truly minister to the needs of a missions couple or missionary family? Melanie breaks all this down in this episode! It's a timeless evergreen 200churches classic! Enjoy!And... Jeff and Jonny are in rare form in the introduction and conclusion - please excuse them...

Pastor Bryan and Tammy came to Red Lodge Alliance Church in the year 2000. They raised their boys in Red Lodge and have become a constant presence of love and faith in the community. Pastor Bryan, in his quiet and unassuming way, shares his story of consistency and faithfulness as pastor of this church that welcomes outsiders who've moved in as well as long established Red Lodge residents.As the pastor of a 200church, Bryan has been a participant listener to our podcast. It didn't take long for Jeff to realize that Bryan possesses those very qualities that bring strength to local church leadership and provides an environment of love and acceptance to its members.Thanks for introducing us to you and your ministry Bryan - and we honor you with this episode for your love and service to the people of Red Lodge and to your church family at Red Lodge Alliance Chapel! May God bless you and Tammy and your family for your faithfulness!

Dan Reiland wrote a unique kind of book last year - a devotional book specifically for leaders! He has never written one like it, and it is to nurture the hearts of leaders in 2022, when they might be beaten down some by the past few years. Jeff and Jonny spoke with him for Jeff's "Coaching For Pastors" podcast, but they intended to air it on the 200churches Podcast as well - and this is that episode! Here's the link to Dan's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Alone-Isnt-Enough-Strengthen/dp/1664261478/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2KEL5XZCT9PZC&keywords=leadership+alone+isnt+enough&qid=1651086964&s=books&sprefix=leadership+alone%2Cstripbooks%2C62&sr=1-1Dan is the founder of https://www.danreiland.com and the Executive Pastor at https://www.12stone.com. 

Jeff kicked off the Coaching For Pastors Podcast as a daily podcast for pastors - two months ago on March 7. Since then, there have been Monday-Friday episodes that are all under 10 minutes per episode, and a Saturday "Weekend Edition" episode that is long form and includes a conversation with a guest who has expertise to bring to the ministry conversation. Today, on Episode 380 - I include one of the weekday episodes, and one of the Weekend Edition episodes - two FULL episodes - all on Episode 380 of the 200churches Podcast! I want you to experience the Coaching For Pastors Podcast and what you are missing if you are not subscribed to it.You can subscribe to "Coaching For Pastors" wherever you listen to your podcasts.

What a fantastic conversation this is with Cherith Nordling, theologian, professor, mentor, author, and lover of Jesus and his Church. This is her 3rd appearance on our podcast, having joined us for episodes 231 & 264 in 2017/2018.  She is on a teaching team for the upcoming Hebrews Class at the OpenTableConference.com where her bio says this:Cherith is a theologian, writer, and mentor in Christian formation with a Ph. D. from the University of St. Andrews. Most recently she served as Associate Professor of Theology at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. She also taught for five years at Calvin College and Seminary while serving as Co-Director of Christian Formation with her husband, Robert. She has taught as adjunct professor at numerous other institutions and continues as a seasonal lecturer for Regent College, Vancouver, BC and for the YWAM Masters Program in Christian Formation.Open your heart, your imagination, and your love for God... and enjoy!

Jeff and Jonny talk about making ministry changes in a church, but first asking the question - "Is it worth it?" Is the cost you will have to pay to make the change, worth the benefit that will result, and how do you determine that?Jonny remembered literally all the way back to Episode 02 - Handling Sacred Cows In Your Church, and decided this episode is the part 2 update on sacred cows in the church!Maybe you have some changes you want to make in your ministry, and you are trying to decide if the cost is worth the benefit - and perhaps this episode will help you process through that. It's been a long time since the guys created an episode without another guest - and this was FUN!

Today Jeff talks to pastors about two fundamentals that transform us - meditating on God's Word, and meditating on a question... listen to learn the question! :-)Enjoy!

Mark Messmore is the lead pastor of Mount Olivet Christian Church in Williamstown KY. Mark talks with Jeff and Jonny about his adventures in ministry - like writing a book on preaching titled Simple Preaching Prep - A guide to finish your first sermon and flourish beyond, and also dueling with the challenges of ministry and personal life.Mark shares openly from a very vulnerable place, in a way that connects others to him through weakness and not strength. This episode is going to encourage everyone who has ever struggled through the challenges of leading a church while at the same time fighting their own personal battles.

Jeremy Norton is the lead pastor at Mountainview Church in White Horse, the Yukon Territory, Canada. Check out what Jeremy is doing in the video on THIS PAGE. It is really encouraging that he and his church are reaching out to the northern areas of Canada to evangelize and disciple all people.Jeremy has been a "friend of the podcast" for many years, and appeared also on episodes 233 and 329. We know you'll enjoy Jeremy's story! Also, Jeremy's book, Northern Roads - A Journey of Life and Leadership Serving on the 60th Parallel is available where all books are sold!

Jeff and Jonny talk with Dr. Doug Bursch about his latest book titled Posting Peace - Why Social Media Divides Us and What We Can Do About It. Doug has extensively researched, written, and considered the impact of social media on our culture and churches. He suggests a redemptive approach toward social media by Christians. Since the most important conversations are happening online, he does not want to be absent from them, but he wants to interject love, peace, and reconciliation while engaging in those very conversations.Doug is direct and clear in his dialogue with the guys, and they think you will find this episode extremely thought provoking and instructive. This will be one of those very helpful and encouraging episodes dealing with the very struggles of our day as pastors. Enjoy!And, pick up Doug's book, Posting Peace, here! 

Craig T. Owens is a Michigan pastor and author of Shepherd Leadership - The Metrics That Really Matter.  Craig talks about how pastors can measure church and ministry health in our post-pandemic reality. Craig led his church through a lot of change over the past two years and eventually into a new facility. We discuss Craig's book and the metrics that point to a healthy ministry. Enjoy!

Bob Tiede has been working with CRU (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) for almost 50 years! He is an exceptional leader who, for the last 9 years, has been the content creator for the website LeadingWithQuestions.com. At Bob's site, you can download his four books for FREE! They give you all kinds of great leadership fodder to help you as a leader lead with questions instead of simply telling people what to do.When you tell people what to do, your ideas are the only ones in play, but when you lead with questions you quickly mine the entire collaborative brain of the group - for the BEST ideas.You're going to love this very helpful, very practical, and extremely actionable episode - enjoy!

Jon Ritner, from Ecclesia, a church in Hollywood CA, joins Jonny to talk about the impact of our post-Christian culture on how we approach ministry in 2022 America. Jon's book, Positively Irritating: Embracing a Post-Christian World to Form a More Faithful and Innovative Church, came out in 2020 and is exactly about what the subtitle says!Jonny and Jon talk at length about that, and pastoral burnout from the last two years. But, they open up with a great story - while they pastor in churches 2,000 miles apart, they were both impacted personally by the same person, and have never known each other. It's a great story! Jeff is absent except for the intro, so make sure to listen to his segment, or he'll feel bad! But he also shares some keys to truly appreciating this episode.

Brian Russell has been a seminary prof at Asbury Seminary for more than 20 years, where he has been training men and women for ministry. He had his Master's, then PhD,  was a seminary professor, but it was even after that when he finally learned contemplative practices that have changed his life, maybe even saved his life. His new book is Centering Prayer - Sitting quietly in God's presence can change your life. He talks with us about his book, and how sitting silent before God has transformed his heart and life... enjoy!

Charles Stone is not a neuroscientist or neurologist! Stone is a pastor who has done extensive research into neuroscience and leadership especially related to ministry. He is working on his PhD and has been in pastoral ministry for 40 years. He talks with us about the half dozen or so books he's written now about our brains, neuroscience research, and ministry. You can find Charles HERE! Enjoy Episode 370!

Jonny and Jeff talk with Dr. Jeannine Brown from Bethel Seminary in Minnesota about her soon to be released commentary on Philippians. Jeannine talks about the things that surprised her, inspired her, and challenged her. She shares a personal story about how the Apostle Paul in Philippians was her companion through a difficult time in her life, just when she was writing the book. This is one of many episodes in our Seminary Series - episodes with Seminary profs - FREE education! Enjoy!Pick up Jeannine's Commentary on Philippians here!