Gardener Image: Decentering the Pastor

What if your role as a pastor is not to produce growth, but to cultivate the conditions where growth might happen?

In this episode of the Expositors Collective Podcast, Mike Neglia talks with Matt Erickson about his journey in preaching and how a season of personal and cultural upheaval led him to rethink pastoral ministry. Drawing from his book The Pastor as Gardener, Matt offers a vision of ministry that is both deeply biblical and quietly liberating.

Instead of carrying the weight of outcomes, pastors are invited to think more like gardeners than CEOs. Preparing the soil, planting faithfully, watering consistently, and trusting God to bring the growth.

Along the way, this conversation gets very practical. Matt reflects on his early experiences in preaching, how his preparation habits have matured, and how a collaborative preaching team can strengthen both the preacher and the church. He also explores how metaphors shape ministry expectations, why seasons matter more than we often admit, and how preaching can move beyond information transfer into genuine spiritual formation.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to make things “work” in ministry, this episode offers a needed reset.

🌱 In This Conversation, You’ll Hear About:

Why “preaching in the moment” can sometimes reveal a lack of preparation

Matt’s growth from unstructured sermons to intentional, week-ahead preparation

How a team-based preaching model can lead to deeper study and more cohesive series

The story behind The Pastor as Gardener and the crises that shaped it

The freeing truth of 1 Corinthians 3 - you are not responsible for the growth

Why the gardener metaphor helps decentralise the pastor’s role without diminishing responsibility

How different seasons of ministry affect expectations, energy, and fruitfulness

The strengths and limits of the shepherd metaphor in modern ministry contexts

Jesus as “the gardener” in John 20 and how that image reframes pastoral identity

The importance of the preacher’s hidden, subterranean life

How to intentionally shape sermons for spiritual formation, not just information

Practical ways to incorporate prayer, silence, and reflection into preaching

🌿 Key Insight

You can prepare, plant, and water with care…but you cannot make anything grow.

📚 Books & Resources Mentioned

By Matt Erickson

The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802884145/the-pastor-as-gardener/

Field Notes for Pastors (podcast)  https://mwerickson.com/podcast/ 

On Leadership & Spiritual Formation

The Making of a Leader – J. Robert Clinton : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Leader-Second-Recognizing-Development/dp/1612910750 

The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith – Janet O. Hagberg & Robert A. Guelich : https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/311089.The_Critical_Journey

🔎 About Matthew Erickson

Matt is a pastor, writer, speaker, and disciple of Jesus. Since 2010, Matt has served as the Senior Pastor at Eastbrook Church, an urban, multiracial church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $120 per person!

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What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.
Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.