Pastors Talk - A podcast by 9Marks

These days, small groups are quite common. But are they enough for community and accountability? What’s the best way to do small groups such that they don’t interfere with the regular Sunday gathering?Mark and Jonathan discuss these questions and more in the latest episode of Pastors’ Talk.SHOW NOTES:– Does Acts 2 describe small groups? (0:45)– Is there a biblical precedent for small groups? (1:25)– Is it new that churches build in their pastoring through small groups? (3:40)– How much guidance should you give small groups? (6:40)– What should small groups do? (10:40)– Who should lead a small group? (12:00)– Should non-members be in small groups? (13:30)– Should small groups take the Lord’s Supper? (14:45)– What do you say to the member who doesn’t really come to the Sunday gathering, but is very committed to their small group? (15:45)

Being “called” to ministry isn’t entirely personal, internal, and subjective. It involves both the individual and a church, an internal desire and external confirmation.In this Pastors’ Talk episode, Jonathan asked Mark about common misconceptions of pastoral calling, how pastors can cultivate an environment where callings get tested, and the role of the church throughout.SHOW NOTES:– What does it mean that calling is both internal and external? (:30)– Why would you slow a guy down who says, “I know I’m called to ministry”? (2:20)– What do you say to someone who responds to your hesitation with, “But pastor, the Lord is leading me?” (5:00)– What are some common errors churches make in discerning one’s sense of calling? (8:50)– What’s a proper biblical understanding of calling in Scripture? How does it relate to vocation? (10:50)– Who confirms a pastor? When you leave your church, are you still a pastor? (15:20)– How does a man’s wife play into his calling as a pastor/elder? (16:40)– How can a pastor cultivate a healthy environment to test young men and their calling to ministry? (19:05)– Any general advice for those experiencing the call to ministry? (20:10)– Is there a special calling for overseas missions? (23:50)

Does your congregation look like the people who live around it? If not, does it matter? How important is it that a church reflects its surrounding community?For the latest Pastors’ Talk, Jonathan Leeman sat down with Mark Dever to chat about these questions and more.SHOW NOTES:– How hard should a pastor and a church work to reach different kinds of people? Changing music? Changing the way we preach or what we wear? (1:30)– What about who’s up front? Who gets hired? For example, should white churches seek to hire non-white pastors in order to reach non-whites? (6:00)– What counsel do you have for the pastor who leads a church that doesn’t look like its surrounding community? (10:15)– In being deliberate about these things, isn’t there a risk of “inauthenticity”? (12:15)– What’s the importance of a culture of discipling and evangelism, where members are consistently learning to love people across differences? (14:10)– How should pastors be careful about the ways they speak publicly on these matters? (17:25)

Authority is God’s good and dangerous gift. Therefore, it’s of the utmost importance for pastors and church leaders to exercise their authority well, and in doing so image God.SHOW NOTES:– Why is authority such an under-talked about topic? (:45)– Has authority been especially villainized in our current culture? (2:10)– Are evangelicals any different in their views of the authority? (6:10)– What is authority? (9:05)– Why do you think a passage like 2 Samuel 23:3–4 is so important as we think about authority? What can they teach pastors today? (11:00)– How does a pastor wield his authority well? (14:30)– What’s the difference between authority and authoritarianism? (15:00)– How can a pastor be pro-authority while also being anti-authoritarian? (17:05)– Why is the abuse of authority so heinous? What does it look like for someone to abuse their authority, or to use it too aggressively? (19:45)– How do you pastor those Christians who have only know the abuse of authority? (23:30)

How do we know what makes a good pastor? Do we learn this exclusively from the Bible? From the latest business books? Jonathan chats with Mark about what a pastor is, and what it means to take a pastoral approach to Christian ministry.

Discover the art of leaving a church with grace as hosts share insights on good and bad reasons for making the transition. Learn about the importance of the gospel in choosing new congregations and the complexities of ambiguous churches. They discuss proactive steps like prayer and honest conversations with pastors before making a move. Plus, hear how to ensure responsible departures without causing division or discomfort. Finally, find out how to teach others in the community to leave well for positive reasons.

We just released a Journal with close to 20 articles on Pastoring Singles. Because the Journal was Mark’s idea, Jonathan sat down with him to ask questions on the topic. SHOW NOTES:– Why a Journal on singles? (0:40)– What are the biggest challenges and benefits of pastoring singles (1:30)– How do you simultaneously affirm marriage while not undermining God’s distinct purposes for singles? (3:20)– When do you encourage someone to remain single? How do you encourage them to make the most of their singleness? (8:10)– How can singles be integrated into a congregation? (12:15)– What about single elders/pastors? (14:00)– For the single who feels left out, what should a church do? (15:55)– What do you do when you inherit a church with a robust singles program? (18:10)– Why “your sex life is your identity” is a satanic lie. (20:45)

We live in politically contentious times. Jonathan Leeman sat down with Mark Dever to chat about how to pastor people faithfully amidst political disagreement.SHOW NOTES:– March us through how you pastored through the most contentious election in recent memory. (0:40)– How preaching builds unity amidst political disagreement. (6:00)– On the importance of upholding Christian liberty amidst personal, political disagreement (7:45)– How can we discern “straight-line” issues from “jagged-line” issues? How do we know when to stay silent in order not to improperly bind consciences? (13:00)– Can we sin by not addressing injustice when we should? (17:30)– Do you address politically contentious members directly? (22:00)– Lightning round of questions on the topic. (22:45)

If you’re a pastor, you’re used to being criticized—both fairly and unfairly. In this episode of Pastors’ Talk, Jonathan sits down with Mark to chat about receiving criticism well, the dangers of avoiding criticism altogether, and how to build into a church structures that cultivate a culture of giving and receiving godly criticism.SHOW NOTES:– What do you do when you’re criticized after church when you just preached your guts out? (1:15)– How do you prepare yourself to hear what you know you need to hear, even if it’s something that your flesh will grate against? (4:40)– Why not defending yourself amidst criticism is sometimes a good idea. (5:50)– True or false: the more you fear God and the less you fear man, the better you will hear criticism. (9:40)– What about the wisdom in using others—wife, other elders, etc.—to process current criticisms? (11:15)– Do you have any words for the pastors who have cloistered themselves so that they never hear criticism? (12:35)– What structures have you put in place to cultivate a culture of healthy criticism and encouragement? (14:40)– Any encouragement for pastor who’s beaten up from consistent criticism? (16:00)

If a preacher is doing his job well, then he's not only explaining what a text means, but also applying that meaning to the lives of his hearers. In this episode of Pastors' Talk, Jonathan Leeman sits down with Mark Dever to talk about the difficult task of sermon application.