Practical(ly) Pastoring

A podcast by pastors for pastors who want to share ideas, become better shepherds and have a good time with friends.

Practical(ly) Pastoring is a religion podcast hosted by Practically Pastoring, with 214 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Practically Pastoring hosts Practical(ly) Pastoring, a religion show with 214 episodes published.

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  Practical(ly) Pastoring

  Decibels & Drama

  Oct 1, 202649 min

  How involved should you stay in the life of a church you no longer pastor? And while we are solving church problems, how loud is too loud on Sunday morning? This week it is just Andrew, Tim, and Jeff tackling two questions from the Practically Pastoring Facebook Community. First, a former pastor keeps getting pulled back into conflict at a church he left years ago. People he still loves and trusts are calling with stories of staff turnover, questionable leadership, financial concerns, and people getting hurt. How do you care for former church members without becoming their “shadow pastor” or the unofficial court of appeals for their current leadership? That question hits especially close to home for Andrew, who admits he is dealing with a similar situation and also admits something else: he really wants to know the church drama. The guys discuss pastoral boundaries, Jeff’s denominational principle of “courteous finality,” the difference between friendship and pastoral authority, when listening becomes participating, what to do with your ministry “Spidey sense,” and why sometimes the most faithful response is simply directing people back toward the appropriate leaders and channels. Then things get louder. A church member says worship is “unbearably loud,” even though the sanctuary typically runs in the low-to-mid 80-decibel range. The guys talk about realistic sound levels, measuring throughout the room instead of only at the booth, stage volume, speaker placement, harsh frequencies, hearing and sensory issues, quieter seating areas, and even whether providing earplugs is a thoughtful accommodation or an admission that things have gotten out of hand. The common thread: people want to be heard. Taking someone seriously does not always mean agreeing with their conclusion. Join more than 1,500 pastors and ministry leaders in the Practically Pastoring Facebook Community to ask questions, share ideas, and connect with people who understand ministry life. Don’t do ministry alone. SPONSOR Thanks to our friends at Church Merch for supporting Practically Pastoring and the Practically Pastoring Conference. For shirts, banners, mugs, tumblers, promotional products, and apparently custom-branded earplugs, visit promotionsguy.com/churchmerch . Church Merch, merch for your church.

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  Practical(ly) Pastoring

  Getting & Doing the Job

  Sep 22, 20261h 7m

  How do you actually get your first ministry job? And once somebody finally hires you, what are you supposed to do all week? This week, Andrew, Tim, Delmar, Jeff, and returning guest Frank Gil tackle two questions from opposite sides of the same ministry journey. First, a 29-year-old recent graduate with a degree in ministerial leadership is struggling to find a full-time ministry position. The guys talk about how slow church hiring can be, why a handful of applications may not be enough, when to broaden your geographic search, whether you might be applying one level too high, and why bivocational or smaller ministry roles should not be viewed as failures. Frank talks about networking without becoming transactional, Tim shares what he actually looks for when hiring inexperienced staff, and the guys discuss résumés, references, theological alignment, ministry experience, and the importance of having your calling affirmed by people who know you well. Then they turn to a brand-new solo pastor at a small church who has almost complete control over his weekly schedule and is asking the question seminary never answered: what do pastors actually do all week? The conversation gets very practical: building a weekly rhythm, protecting sermon prep, scheduling visits, creating external systems for ADHD, managing office hours, staying reachable without becoming available 24/7, building boundaries as a single pastor, and learning to leave margin for the unexpected. The big takeaway: before you get the job, ministry can feel idealized. After you get the job, much of ministry feels ordinary. Faithfulness looks like serving, studying, visiting, planning, returning calls, building relationships, and knowing when to go home. Join more than 1,500 pastors and ministry leaders in the Practically Pastoring Facebook Community to ask questions, share ideas, and connect with other people who understand ministry life. Don’t do ministry alone. SPONSOR Thanks to our friends at Church Merch for supporting Practically Pastoring. For shirts, mugs, banners, promotional products, tumblers, and more, visit promotionsguy.com/churchmerch . Church Merch, merch for your church.

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  Practical(ly) Pastoring

  Newbie & The Vet

  Sep 20, 20261h 2m

  What happens after the funeral, when the meals stop coming, the calls slow down, and everyone else’s life seems to return to normal? Andrew, Tim, Delmar, and Jeff respond to a pastor 32 years into ministry who still wrestles with caring well for grieving families in the months after a loss. The guys talk about building a “second wave” of pastoral care, remembering death anniversaries and difficult holidays, involving elders and church members, creating simple follow-up systems, and making sure grieving people are not responsible for reminding the church that they are still grieving. Jeff also shares about his church’s Blue Christmas service, designed specifically for people carrying loss into the holiday season. Then the conversation moves to the opposite end of the ministry spectrum: a 25-year-old Bible college student who loves preaching, teaching, and especially counseling, but has zero desire to become the stereotypical “visionary leader.” Does that mean pastoral ministry is the wrong fit? The guys discuss the difference between shepherding and CEO-style leadership, why pastors still have to lead even if leadership is not their favorite part of ministry, and the many different ways pastoral gifting can take shape. Andrew shares why leadership is not the part of senior pastoring he naturally enjoys, while the guys encourage young ministry leaders to discern their calling in the local church rather than from a leadership textbook. Whether you are just beginning ministry or have been serving for more than three decades, there will always be areas where you need other people, better systems, more wisdom, and humility. Join more than 1,500 pastors and ministry leaders in the Practically Pastoring Facebook Community . Ask questions, post anonymously, and connect with people who understand ministry life. Don’t do ministry alone. SPONSOR Thanks to our friends at Church Merch for supporting Practically Pastoring. For shirts, mugs, banners, promotional products, and more, visit promotionsguy.com/churchmerch . Church Merch, merch for your church.

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  Practical(ly) Pastoring

  Preachin & Meetin Rhythms

  Sep 1, 20261h 9m

  How often should church staff actually meet, and how do you survive preaching every single week without burning yourself out? Andrew, Tim, Delmar, and Jeff start with a question from the Practically Pastoring Facebook group about staff meetings in a church with both full-time and part-time ministry staff. The guys compare their very different church contexts and talk about weekly versus monthly meetings, who really needs to be in the room, paying part-time staff for meeting time, using Zoom when schedules are difficult, and why a meeting should accomplish more than simply proving that your church has meetings. The goal is not more meetings. It is better communication, stronger relationships, shared culture, fewer ministry silos, and fewer surprises. Sometimes that requires everyone around a table. Sometimes it requires a 40-minute Zoom call, a group chat, or simply knowing which conversations belong in an email instead. Then the conversation turns to a pastor six months into weekly preaching who already feels exhausted by the constant cycle of studying, writing, praying, and preparing. The guys talk about developing preaching muscles, resisting perfectionism, preaching through books of the Bible, caring for yourself physically as well as spiritually, and refusing to compare your preparation time to pastors who have been preaching for decades. The big idea: hit singles. You do not need to preach the greatest sermon of your life every Sunday. Explain the text faithfully, apply it clearly, trust God with the results, and come back next week. The guys also discuss building additional voices in the pulpit, why 40-ish Sundays a year is a healthy target for many lead pastors, and how developing other preachers benefits both the pastor and the church. Join more than 1,400 pastors and ministry leaders in the Practically Pastoring Facebook Community. Ask questions, post anonymously, share what you are learning, and find other pastors who understand ministry life. Don’t do ministry alone. SPONSORS Church Merch Shirts, mugs, banners, promotional products, and more for your church. Visit promotionsguy.com/churchmerch. Church Merch, merch for your church. Preach26 October 6-8 in The Woodlands, Texas. Connect with other pastors and hear from leaders including Dane Ortlund, Brian McCormack, Hakeem Bradley, and more. Visit preach26.com and use promo code PastorPod at checkout to receive TWO entries in all conference giveaways, including the three-night Jackson Lake Lodge getaway in Wyoming.

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  Practical(ly) Pastoring

  Cut Them or Coach Them

  Aug 17, 202655 min

  This week we’ve got two questions about worship leaders, but they represent two very different staffing problems. First, a lead pastor inherited a worship pastor who just doesn’t seem to fit. Eight months in, there are significant differences in philosophy of ministry and worship, almost every request seems to generate pushback, and now volunteers are starting to express their own frustrations. The pastor thinks it may be time to make a change, but this isn’t a simple competency issue. So when does bad chemistry become a legitimate staffing problem? How do you distinguish between personality differences, philosophical incompatibility, and actual insubordination? And if it really is time to move on, how do you do it in a way that is clear, kind, and healthy for the church? Then we flip the situation. A younger, part-time worship leader is talented, well-liked, and doing a great job on Sundays, but struggling with communication, meetings, planning, and leading outside of the platform. Is that a problem that needs correcting, or a young leader who simply needs someone to teach him how ministry employment actually works? Before churches complain about what a part-time employee isn’t doing, they also need to ask whether they’ve clearly communicated the expectations and whether they’re actually paying for enough hours to accomplish them. Ultimately, we’re talking about knowing when to cut someone loose and when to coach them up. Clear expectations, honest conversations, accountability, and a willingness to invest in people can make all the difference. Sometimes the person really is misaligned. Sometimes they just don’t know what nobody has bothered to teach them. Thanks to Church Merch for sponsoring the show. For shirts, mugs, banners, promotional products, and more, check out Church Merch through Promotions Guy. And thanks to Preach26 , happening October 6–8 in The Woodlands, Texas. Head to preach26.com, and use code PASTORPOD at checkout to get your name entered twice in all the conference giveaways, including a three-night getaway at Jackson Lake Lodge in Wyoming. And don’t forget the Practically Pastoring Facebook community. Join more than 1,400 pastors and ministry leaders, jump into the conversation, and post your ministry questions anonymously for a chance to have us work through them on a future episode.

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