Trench Talk

As a pastor, do you sometimes feel overwhelmed and ill-equipped to help some of your people? Given the brokenness, struggles, and sins of people living in a fallen world, how does a pastor who finds himself in over his head help the broken? How might you go about seeking help for others when you must search outside of yourself? How involved should a pastor be if he refers a member to counseling from someone else?Listen as Brian Croft and Jim Savastio discuss these questions and more.

What issues should influence the rhythm of our preaching? Holidays? Church calendar? Cultural traditions? Significant world events? Significant events in the life of the congregation? When should a pastor deviate from his planned preaching schedule? Listen as Brian and Jim address these issues and more in this podcast.

Biblically speaking, what should a church plant or church revitalization look like? What deficits might emerge in a church plant and a church revitalization respectively? How might pastors navigate such deficits? How might pastors prioritize and persevere in church plants and church revitalizations? What distinct advantages exist in church planting and church revitalization respectively? What kind of commitments are necessary for pastors in church planting and church revitalization? Listen as Brian and Jim address these issues and more in this podcast.

How might a pastor shepherd well one who is leaving the church? What biblical truths should influence how we handle a member leaving our church? What church documents might dictate how we deal with a member leaving our church? How does a pastor and church address sin issues when they are an influencing element in a member leaving the church? How might a pastor and church handle feelings of rejection when a member leaves the church? How should a pastor and church interact with a member who is leaving the church? How should the reality that a church is a family influence how a member leaves the church? Listen as Brian and Jim discuss these issues and more in this podcast.

What are the circumstances under which it is right to resign your church? Should hostility and adversaries prompt us to resign our churches? Is an attempt by the church to “fire” you as pastor sufficient reason to leave a church? How do internal pressures influence the decision stay or go? Should outside counsel play a role in the decision to stay or go? If so, how? Should a pastor tell his church when he is considering resignation? Listen as Brian and Jim discuss these questions and more in this podcast.

Child sexual abuse in evangelical churches is shockingly more common than many think. Sexual predators often view the church as a “safe” environment for finding, grooming, and abusing their victims. What steps might a pastor and church take to establish a culture of prevention and recognition of sexual abuse? What responsibilities do pastors have in the investigation of accusations of sexual abuse? How should pastors prepare themselves to minister well to sexual abuse victims?  Do pastors and churches need a written policy for dealing with sexual abuse? How does the hope of the gospel speak to victims of sexual abuse? Listen as Brian and Jim interview Rachel Denhollander concerning these issues and more.

Child sexual abuse in evangelical churches is shockingly more common than many think. Sexual predators often view the church as a “safe” environment for finding, grooming, and abusing their victims. What steps might a pastor and church take to establish a culture of prevention and recognition of sexual abuse? What responsibilities do pastors have in the investigation of accusations of sexual abuse? How should pastors prepare themselves to minister well to sexual abuse victims?  Do pastors and churches need a written policy for dealing with sexual abuse? How does the hope of the gospel speak to victims of sexual abuse? Listen as Brian and Jim interview Rachel Denhollander concerning these issues and more.

What is unique about the pastor’s schedule? What scriptural mandates influence how we steward our time? What priorities influence the way a pastor schedules his time? How do unforeseen circumstances influence a pastor’s schedule? How might a pastor schedule his time to reflect his limitations? Listen as Brian and Jim discuss the complexities of the pastor’s schedule.

Church finances are too often the source of scandal. How does Scripture address the pastor’s responsibilities in relation to stewarding the finances of the church? What priorities should dictate financial expenditures? What safeguards should the pastor insist upon to guard against the abuse of finances? What level of financial disclosure is appropriate when handling church finances? Listen as Brian and Jim address these and other issues associated with faithful stewardship of church finances.

In receiving members from another church, to what biblical principles should the receiving pastor and church adhere? Given that many leave their former church upset or hurt, does the receiving pastor and church have a responsibility to help them resolve such issues? What courtesies does a receiving church owe the former pastor and church? Listen as Brian and Jim address these and other critical issues related to rightly receiving members into our flocks.