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
Jun 30, 2020 • 25min
Episode 100: The Unique Joys of Shepherding
Show Notes:(3:25) Major milestones in members lives.(5:45) The unique cycle of a long pastorate.(7:20) Front row seat to the power of conversion.(9:00) The two weights in preaching.(10:45) Seeing those trained for and sent out for ministry.(12:00) Changed by the Word.(14:45) Seeing the congregation love one another well.(17:00) Pastoral Mentors and friends.(19:00) Friendships with older members.(20:15) Joy of studying the Word for “work”.
Jun 23, 2020 • 24min
Pastoral Obligations to Non-Members
Find us on iTunesSupport the ministry through a financial donation.(2:00) Biblical Framework for Church Membership.(5:42) Sheep of the fold vs. sheep outside the fold.(7:15) Will a pastor give an account for non-members?(9:15) How do you talk to non-members about their status within the church?(14:30) The application of Hebrews 13 to non-members.(21:55) Final word.
Jun 16, 2020 • 36min
Pastoring through contentious times
Show Notes:Find us on iTunesContact us(2:15) Scriptural Basis(10:00) Concerns about contentious discourse within a local church(12:00) Sharing your opinion on these matters within the local church(16:45) Mediating contentious views(21:00) Faithfully addressing contention publicly(29:15) How to navigate when the contention spills into your own backyard(33:30) What are pastors called to do?
Jun 9, 2020 • 28min
Why Plant a Church?
Find us on iTunesSupport the ministry of Practical Shepherding(2:30) The fulfillment of the Great Commission(5:30) Reactive church planting(7:25) Proactive church planting(11:15) Encouraging your members to support planting(16:00) Determining the spiritual need in a geographical location(22:00) Practical steps to identifying locations for planting(25:25) Why not to plant a church
Jun 2, 2020 • 32min
The Pastor's Bookshelf
(1:30) Biblical foundation for reading well.(4:15) Categories of reading: devotional, theological, commentaries, and ecclesiology.(5:45) Books on Pastoral Ministry(9:36) Books on Preaching(11:15) Devotional Books(14:20) Pastoral Biographies(17:32) Systematic Theologies(22:20) Ecclesiology(25:48) Should a pastor buy a commentary set or single volumes?
May 26, 2020 • 34min
Encouraging a church to embrace a plurality of Elders
Support the Ministry through a financial donation(2:00) Historical and Biblical support for plurality of Elders.(4:30) Practical benefit of plurality of Elders(7:40) Which comes first raising up Elders or moving to the process of having an Elder-led polity?(14:05) How do you identify Elders within your congregation?(17:00) How do you intentionally raise up men to be Elders?(20:35) How not to raise up Elders(30:00) What 3 qualities does Brian look for in an Elder?
May 19, 2020 • 24min
Ministry transitions in the midst of a pandemic
Show Notes:Find us on iTunes(2:30) Intitial Thoughts on how to handle the business of the church(4:00) What do you know vs. what are you supposed to do?(7:00) Is making a transition a wise decision?(10:15) Can you begin to shepherd and establish a relationship with a new church in the midst of a pandemic?(13:00) Should a church proceed with calling a pastor in the midst of a pandemic?(15:45) Should you leave a church in the midst of a pandemic?(17:45) Is the financial situation of the new church an important aspect to know?(20:00) Pastors Salary Podcast from 2017.(20:30) Final words of encouragement
May 14, 2020 • 42min
Pastoral Perplexities in the pandemic
Show Notes:Contact us(2:10) Biblical Foundation for this conversation.(6:20) Be careful to not speak of things we cannot speak on with certainty(7:45) How do we shepherd members in their social media usage?(12:25) How do we do marriage counseling?(19:00) How do we proceed with widow care?(23:00) How do you conduct a funeral in this time?(25:15) How do yo proceed with Summer plans?(26:55) What about the Lord’s Supper?(27:30) What about church discipline?(30:00) What do you do if you are in a ministry transition?(34:00) How do you keep your schedule consitent when nothing seems consistent?
May 5, 2020 • 29min
Practical Steps to Reopen your Church
How do we prepare to gather again? What do we need to be thinking about before we reopen? Should your church allow your members to hug, shake hands, etc.? Do you continue children’s or nursery ministry? Do you gather if less than 50% of your church is not attending?Brian Croft and Jim Savastio answer these, and many more on this episode of Trench Talk.
Apr 28, 2020 • 21min
Dealing with sin in your church
How should a pastor address underlying sin within the congregation? What biblical passages inform us on this topic? Should sin be confronted from the pulpit? What are practical steps pastors can take to correct but also provide hope?
