Trench Talk

Practical Shepherding
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Sep 16, 2025 • 35min

Ep. 301: Dealing with disagreements among elders

Contact us. We’d love to serve youGive financially to support the work of helping pastors thriveWrite a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Resources(02:01) Biblical Foundation for Unity (08:39) Essential Areas of Agreement for Elders Membership and leadership selection First-tier doctrinal issues (deity of Christ, salvation) Issues affecting church unity(16:31)Handling Disagreements directly while avoiding gossip and slander(28:00) Practical Practices for Healthy Eldership (33:05) Final words and prayer
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Sep 2, 2025 • 36min

Ep. 300: Church building programs, the good and bad

Contact us. We’d love to serve youGive financially to support the work of helping pastors thriveFind out more information about the Advancing the Church Conference. Write a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Resources(00:00) Introduction and welcome (01:13) Discussion about Jim's recent theater production (05:00) Setting up the discussion: Church building programs (06:35) Biblical perspective from Luke 14 on counting the cost (09:07) Jim's church history and initial building phases (14:06) Financial considerations for building (17:56) Discussion on church growth and potential solutions (25:00) Financial wisdom in building programs (28:51) Strategies for churches with space constraints (35:00) Closing thoughts on church planting and building
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Aug 26, 2025 • 34min

Ep. 299: The church and foster care

(02:12) Scripture foundation and setting up the topic from Psalm 68 (07:16) Bryce's background in ministry and entrepreneurship(10:00) Discussion on foster care (12:20) Shocking statistic: 80% of foster youth age out in a difficult situation (18:01) How pastors can help and get involved with foster care (25:00) Connection between foster care and human trafficking (27:51) Introduction to Bryce's podcast "Fracture to Flourish" Key Statistics: 20,000 youth age out of foster care annually80% of those who age out are incarcerated, dead, or addicted within 3 yearsLess than 1% of aged-out foster youth go to college60-70% of trafficking victims had contact with foster care systemRecommended Resources: Podcast: "Fracture to Flourish"Organizations: Orphan Care Alliance, Foster the City, Forever HomesContact: Bryce@accessventures.org
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Aug 19, 2025 • 47min

Ep. 298: Gospel work in the urban poor

Contact us. We’d love to serve youGive financially to support the work of helping pastors thriveRegister for the Advancing the Church Conference. Write a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Resources(03:17) Theological and Cultural Struggles (13:06) Costs of Theological Convictions (16:56) Planting Urban Hope Community Church (23:27) Gospel-Centered Ministry Approach (33:02) Grocery Store and Building Acquisition (41:08) Future Vision (43:04) Closing Prayer Requests
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Aug 12, 2025 • 42min

Ep. 297: Life and Ministry with Alton Hardy

(02:29) Background on how Brian and Kyle met Pastor Alton(04:10) Pastor Alton discusses his vision for church planting (07:24) Sharing his initial prayer and vision for the church (12:43) Challenges of the first five years of ministry (16:34) Current church growth and encouragement (24:12) Leadership Initiative details (29:42) Training approach for young men in the Leadership Initiative (37:41) Detoxing from victim mentality and understanding God's sovereignty Main Topics: Visit websites: www.urbanhopecc.com www.manifoldvision.org
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Aug 5, 2025 • 34min

Ep. 296 The importance of hobbies

Contact us. We’d love to serve youGive financially to support the work of helping pastors thriveRegister for the Advancing the Church Conference. Write a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Resources(03:01) Theological Foundations of Hobbies(07:32) Jim's Acting Experience(12:42) Importance of Enjoying Hobbies(18:12) Examples of Personal Hobbies(22:50) Pastoral Challenges with Hobbies(26:11) Practical Advice for Finding Hobbies(32:18) Final word and prayer
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Jul 29, 2025 • 36min

Ep. 295: Pastors knowing and being known by their people

Contact us. We’d love to serve youGive financially to support the work of helping pastors thriveRegister for the Advancing the Church Conference. Write a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Resources(03:42) Biblical Foundation and setting up the topic(10:00) Tips for getting to know church members(15:26) Book recommendation: David Brooks' "How to Know a Person"(18:58) Being autobiographical in ministry(24:36) Sharing personal details discretely and progressively(29:44) Addressing pastors' hesitations about sharing personal information(35:19) Final word and prayer
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Jul 15, 2025 • 40min

Ep. 294: Pastor Pivots in a Changing Church Culture

Contact us. We’d love to serve youGive financially to support the work of helping pastors thriveRegister for the Advancing the Church Conference. Write a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Resources(03:51) Biblical Framework and setting up the topic (08:57) Biographical Background (13:47) Challenges for Modern Pastors (22:58) Time Management and Ministry Responsibilities(30:43) Adapting to Changing Church Cultures (36:20) Generational Differences in Ministry (38:17) Final words and Prayer
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Jul 8, 2025 • 39min

Ep. 293: Younger Pastors Hurt by Older Pastors

Contact us. We’d love to serve youGive financially to support the work of helping pastors thriveFind out more information about the Advancing the Church Conference. Write a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Resources(01:30) Biblical Framework and setting up the Topic (10:02) Personal Ministry Experiences (15:11) Preparing for Ministry Challenges (22:27) Dealing with Pastoral Betrayal (28:26) Healing and Moving Forward (34:58) Advice for Senior Pastors (35:45) Final words and prayer
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Jun 24, 2025 • 31min

Ep. 292: Pastoral Blindspots

Contact us. We’d love to serve youGive financially to support the work of helping pastors thriveFind out more information about the Advancing the Church Conference. Request a stay at the Shepherd’s HouseWrite a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Resources(01:19) Defining a blindspot(02:45) Setting up the conversation and biblical foundation (08:55) Blindspot #1: I’m a really good preacher(12:45) Blindspot #2: I relate to people well(15:37) Blindspot #3: I am a clear communicator(18:25) Ways to discover pastoral blindspots(18:50) Prayer(20:19) Self-discovery(22:50) listen to feedback from varying voices(27:39) Final word and prayer

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