Trench Talk
Practical Shepherding
Practical Shepherding is a Gospel-driven resource center for pastors and church leaders to equip them in the practical matters of pastoral ministry. In this podcast, pastor Brian Croft sits down with other pastors to discuss the gritty details of pastoral ministry. Our goal is to examine the life and work of a pastor and give helpful guidance for our brothers laboring with us. This is a podcast by pastors for pastors. We are in the trenches of ministry with you, and we want to equip you to continue in this task.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 11, 2021 • 34min
Ep. 135: Developing Pastoral Fellowships
Show Notes:Leave us a Reviewpracticalshepherding.com10ofthose publishingVisit the contact Page(04:25) New Testament examples of Pastoral Fellowship(7:55) The 4 Requirements for partnership(13:20) Differences can be beneficial(17:10) Benefits from Pastoral Fellowships(23:22) The Format of the Fellowship(28:00) The content of the FellowshipResources on Pastoral Fellowship
May 4, 2021 • 27min
Ep. 134: Should Pastors Have Friends In The Church?
Leave us a Reviewpracticalshepherding.comVisit the contact Page(01:36) The biblical reality of being members of the body(5:59) Peculiar difficulties pastors face with friendship in the church(11:01) The best place for pastors to look for friendships in the church(16:15) When friendship is sought with an agenda(20:45) Tips to pursue friendships in the church
Apr 27, 2021 • 28min
Preaching in Weakness
Show Notes:Leave us a Reviewpracticalshepherding.comVisit the contact Page(01:04) Jim’s story of weakness(05:45) How God works in weakness(09:17) Embracing weakness in Ministry (16:43) You only get one body(20:01) Seeking support in weakness(24:08) Setting up support for your times of weakness
Apr 20, 2021 • 32min
Legal Protections for Churches
Leave us a Review wherever you listen to podcastsVisit the contact Page(02:09) Biblical Framework(09:45) Preparing to safeguard your church(13:35) Thoughts on NDA's(17:30) Insurance coverage(19:45) The usefulness of legal counsel(25:00) Policies to Protect(30:33) Final word
Apr 13, 2021 • 28min
A Church's Understanding of a Pastor's Role
Show Notes:Donate Page(1:36) Managing Expectations as a Pastor(4:45) Handling texts that talk about Pastors(7:00) Explaining what a pastor is to children(8:20) Where to start(13:30) Resetting existing expectations(17:30) The importance of expectations being biblical(22:00) Going above expectations to provide care for the flock(26:10) Biblical understanding of roles serves the church
Apr 6, 2021 • 30min
Guilt Amidst Pastoral Rest
Show Notes:Resources Contact Us(2:41) Biblical Foundation of Actual Guilt and False Guilt(7:20) The Idol of work and the fear of Laziness(9:13) The Place of Guilt in not Resting(11:18) Self-awareness in acknowledging guilt and not resting(17:15) Mental and practical considerations to confronting guilt and pursuing rest(21:55) Confronting a misinformed conscience and misplaced guilt(23:42) Being misled about rest and work by other examples(24:30) Practical pursuits to develop systems for restArticles on Sabbaticals and RestThe Pastor’s Soul by Brian Croft and Jim Savastio
Mar 30, 2021 • 26min
Celebrating Healthy Sheep
Show Notes:Resources Contact Us(1:35) Biblical background for Sheep who are a blessing(5:44) Balancing blessings and burdens in Pastoral Ministry(9:45) Sheep are individuals and you should enjoy that(11:25) Characteristics of sheep who are a blessing(16:20) Identifying beloved sheep(18:45) Practical ways to celebrate these members(23:38) Don’t avoid the discouraging ones
Mar 23, 2021 • 36min
Pastors Pursuing Writing and Advanced Degrees
Show Notes:Contact usVisit the “Donut” page(3:22) Scripture’s Silence in the specifics, but speaks to wisdom, training, and gifting (7:48) Jim and Brian’s formal theological training(12:25) Assessing the call and gifting to [more] writing or training(16:16) The motivation to [more] writing or formal training(23:30) Discerning the differences in degrees and how they will help(27:00) The importance of faithful ministry
Mar 9, 2021 • 29min
Measuring True Spiritual Fruitfulness in your Ministry
Show Notes:Find helpful resources on this and moreSupport the ministry through a tax-deductible donation(2:11) Biblical Foundation of spiritual fruit(7:10) COVID, the least important time to evaluate based on numerical growth(9:08) Spiritual Growth and how to see it (14:45) Measurables: peace, empathy, fear of God, fighting sin, etc. (18:25) How is the Lord at work in your church, Jim?(22:40) Ways Brian has seen the Lord work in the Church. (25:25) Pastor, be encouraged.
Mar 2, 2021 • 28min
Business Models and the Sufficiency of Scripture
Show Notes:Visit Practicalshepherding.com(1:40) Biblical Foundation of Ministry(6:29) Exercising oversight in the church(8:05) Sufficiency of Scripture(9:45) Reporting and Priority of Finances (13:32) Orderly administration within local churches(16:15) Presenting well through a creative website, a clean building, and welcoming greeters(19:48) Pursue excellence, but trust the word of God to build the church(22:55) Advocating for biblical leadershipOversee God’s People
