Revitalize and Replant

Experienced rural pastors Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and JimBo Stewart discuss encouraging rural pastors to focus on changing lives, prioritize love in churches, and become the most loving church in the world. They emphasize the impact rural pastors have in their communities and the importance of building relationships and trust with the people they serve.

In this episode, Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and JimBo Stewart discuss some ways pastors can build up their prayer life. Come in Christ’s Name. Delight in Him. Express Your Longings to Him. Read a Psalm. Sing to Him. Intercede for Others. Place Your Day Before Him. Petition Him for Other Special Needs. Meditate on His Word. Offer Thanks to Him. Resources related to this podcast: “An Intimate Hour with God” by Jim Eliff Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Experienced church leaders, Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss reasons to stay in an uncool church, highlighting the importance of community, humility, and unity. They emphasize focusing on God's truth over cultural trends and using unique gifts to serve the church body.

Experienced preachers Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss how preaching has evolved, emphasizing less reliance on sermon outlines, more focus on scripture, avoiding excessive personal anecdotes, and centering preaching on Jesus.

Music experts Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss why people don't sing in churches, covering topics like unfamiliar songs, unsuitable keys, lack of connection with the congregation, and the shift towards spectator events in worship services.

In this episode, Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss some of the trends surrounding how baptism and the Lord’s Supper are observed today. Here are some items discussed on this episode: How communion practices have changed over the years. The importance of “fencing the table” for communion. Some thoughts on spontaneous baptisms. Can you baptize someone without them becoming a member of your church? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mark welcomes Jonathan Smith, Director of Church Health and Growth for Texas Baptists. Here are some highlights: Empty seats in churches are not a bad thing, that means that there’s room for new people! With the resurrected Christ, there is always hope for every church! Put on display the church that you want to become. Some principles for increasing baptisms in your church: Preach on baptism twice a year. Only baptize one person per week, unless they are family members. Don’t baptize at the very beginning of the worship service. A significant portion of your congregation will miss the baptism if it’s at the very beginning of the service. A 3-week baptism plan: Week 1 – Announce that there will be a baptism next week and provide invitations for the baptism candidate to invite friends and families. Week 2 – Shoot a video of the baptism candidate answering two questions: 1) How did you come to faith in Christ? 2) How did this church help you come to faith in Christ? Show this video before the baptism. Week 3 – Show a video of the testimony and the baptism. Resources mentioned on this podcast: Texas Baptists PAVE process: txb.org/pave Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Experienced pastor Mark Clifton, ministry transition expert Mark Hallock, and family ministry specialist Dan Hurst share tips for smoother ministry transitions. They discuss recalling memories, managing grief, settling into a new place, prioritizing family time, exploring the community, and maintaining family worship during the transition period.

In this episode, Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss an article from Kris Eldridge on some traits of toxic leaders. They are works-filled vs. grace-filled. They are all about their reputation They use people. They surround themselves with “yes” people. Pushback or disagreement are highly frowned upon. They are full of pride. They don’t lead well through change. Their leadership style is autocratic. They are self-absorbed. The fruit of the Spirit seems to be absent in their life. Resources related to this podcast: “10 Traits of Toxic Church Leadership” by Kris Elridge Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss an article from Chuck Lawless about why pastors bear scars from churches they serve. Few pastors fully expect the anguish that church members can sometimes cause. The arrows often come from formerly close friends. Wounds affect not only the pastor, but also his family. Many pastors hurt alone. Some pastors view conflict as ministry failure. Pastoral grief at times stretches a pastor’s theology uncomfortably. Some pastors experience pain in more than one church. Too many pastors are blinded to their own role in the conflict. Some criticism of pastors is simply unfounded. Pastors sometimes refuse to admit they have scars. Resources related to this podcast: “10 REASONS PASTORS SOMETIMES BEAR SCARS OF CHURCH WOUNDS–AND A CHALLENGE TO ADDRESS THEM” by Chuck Lawless Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.