We speak to Alistair Begg about pastors, suffering, humility and surviving long term in ministry.Alistair Begg is in Australia speaking at the Church Missionary Society conference in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Alistair has served the people of Cleveland Ohio for 42 years at Parkside Church and has a global impact through the influential Truth for Life Ministry. We go backstage with Alistair to discuss:His teaching on 1 Peter, focusing on suffering, perseverance, trials, humility and standing firm in God’s grace.Reflections on 40+ years of pastoral ministry and lessons learned along the way.Insights into global mission and the long-term commitment of missionaries.His upcoming transition after more than four decades of leadership.The impact of Australia on his ministry in the US, including his close friendship with former Moore College Principal John Woodhouse.Insights into preparing for life after pastoral leadership as he approaches his final months as senior pastor.The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

How should we guide our congregations in thinking ethically about engagement in Bitcoin? What is Bitcoin? How do we as Christian leaders assess the morality of bitcoin? Proponents say that it’s design fosters transparency and fairness and promotes economic justice.Critics highlight its speculative risks and potential for illegal use. Jeffri Chiam is on the team at St Mary’s Cathedral in Kuala Lumpur.  In 2024 he completed a final year research project into Bitcoin. The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Most of us evangelical pastors, theological colleges, indeed the whole of evangelicalism - we have a blind spot when it comes to Roman Catholicism in our theology, missiology and practice.  Where do we as Evangelicals make mistakes in our engagement with the Roman Catholic world? What can we change?  What should we change?How do we best see our Roman Catholic friends come to a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ? Leonardo De Chirico has been at the forefront of theological education of evangelicals in this space internationally for over a decade. Leonardo is a church planter, pastor in Rome, and Director of the Reformanda Initiative. Rachel Ciano is the Dean of Academic Development at Mary Andrew's College, Sydney. The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

It is difficult times in the Church of England.Having previously publicly betrayed his ordination and consecration vows - the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby - has now resigned over his handling of a safeguarding matter, following the release of the Makin report.The Church of England is tearing itself apart over sexuality.There are more apostate bishops than faithful bishops in the English House of Bishops.And there is now a massive group within the Church of England called The Alliance,  representing 42% of the denomination’s attendance,  basically pleading to the house of bishops to repent.William Taylor has served since 1998 as the senior pastor of St Helen’s London. Taylor is paralleling the difficult times faced by Evangelicals today to those faced by the Apostle Paul at the time of writing the pastorals. The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Church Leaders have welcomed the report of the trial of cashless gambling which recommends that ‘account based gambling’ be introduced in New South Wales by 2028. There are bigger problems with gambling in Sydney and New South Wales than pretty much anywhere in the world (outside Las Vegas). But the Clubs and Hotels industry is running a narrative attempting to discredit the trial, calling it a three million dollar waste of money. Senior Minister of Sydney’s Wesley Mission Stu Cameron was the church representative on the inquiry panel and says while the outcome is welcome, it’s now up to the government, ‘the devil will be in the details’ and we need to keep the pressure on.Gamble Aware Helpline (within Australia) 1800 858 858The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Tim Silberman, a lecturer in cross-cultural mission at Sydney Missionary and Bible College, discusses the concerning decline of global mission focus in Australian evangelical churches. He reveals findings from his study on church engagement that show decreasing missionary participation and local church attendance. Silberman emphasizes the need for churches to foster strong relationships with overseas partners to revitalize their mission work. He also advocates for a balanced approach that combines local and global mission efforts, enhancing overall outreach.

In this conversation, Peter Mayrick from Partners in Ministry shares his passion for intentional discipleship in the church. He discusses how to cultivate deeper relationships that help individuals trust and follow Jesus. Burnout among leaders is tackled, emphasizing self-care and spiritual growth over attendance numbers. Peter also highlights the importance of effective communication and intentional conversations in fostering a supportive church culture. Through genuine commitment, he believes authentic discipleship can flourish, enhancing ministry effectiveness.

Planning Christmas Preaching.What we are nervous about? What we want to get right? What has worked best? What hasn’t? And how do we leverage the cultural moment? Nigel Fortescue is senior pastor of Christ Church St Ives on Sydney’s North Shore. Pete Stedman leads the ministry at Norwest Anglican Church in the North West of Sydney. The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

How do we proactively serve Jesus in retirement? How might we motivate our older church members to prioritise the work of the gospel? Mike Raiter said on The Pastor’s Heart a little while back that retirement needs rethinking to avoid the sin of the sluggard. Mike Raiter said downing tools at 65 and spending 20 or 30 years resting is a 19th century concept and is not Christian. But what is the alternative? Ying Yee is lead English Pastor of Chinese Christian Church Milsons Point in Sydney. Carmel Vincent serves as training and events coordinator at the Ministry Training Strategy. And Ian Carmichael was CEO of Sydney’s Matthias Media. The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

I want to be a big hearted encourager like Barnabas. I want to be a reliable assistant like Timothy. I want to be passionate preacher like Apollos.When you think about the qualifications for Christian ministry in 1Timothy 3, the significance of personality is pretty much ignored.What is the relationship between character and personality?  Some one is all about structure and someone elose is much more ‘loosy-goosy/flexible.’When there’s conflict in church or in a ministry teams - it’s often put down to personality difference or sometimes even disorder.What does the bible say about all this?Tim Omrod serves with the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES) at Griffith University on the Gold Coast and has just finished a study of the co-workers of Paul.The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.