As pastors appear to be walking away from churches at an alarming rate these days, many others still in the pulpit continue to look for answers to handling a variety of difficult questions and issues.
To help them navigate those challenges, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has launched a new podcast: The Heart of Pastoring with Jared Wilson and Ronnie Martin.
Wilson is an author, speaker, professor of pastoral ministry at Midwestern Seminary and staff pastor for preaching and director for pastoral training at Liberty Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri. Martin is lead pastor of Substance Church in Ashland, Ohio, and is co-host of The Art of Pastoring podcast.
‘Dangerous vocation’
“[Being a pastor is] such a challenging vocation — and it’s a dangerous vocation because we’re just men,” Martin said. “We understand the temptations that are there, we understand the humanness involved in everything that we do, and so hopefully the Lord uses these really inner-woven stories that come together, that combine together as we’re doing this podcast. And hopefully He’s going to use it for some good.”
Wilson noted, “We’re going to talk about character and talk about authenticity. … We’re going to talk about the daily life of pastoring.”
Tackling tough questions
Martin and Wilson seek to speak to the challenges pastors navigate today by “taking an honest look at the increasing challenges, without shying away from the gritty hope that the gospel offers in these trying times,” according to an email from Midwestern Seminary about the podcast. Among other questions the duo will address, include the following:
— How do pastors face this brave new world of political polarization, racial tensions and social media fragmentation experienced by church members?
— How does a pastor address the growing needs of their congregations while keeping their heart guarded against the threat of hopelessness and despair?
— What are the most important things for pastors to spend their time doing in order to remain faithful amidst the temptations of the age?
For more information, go to the For the Church website here.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was compiled by The Baptist Paper with content originally posted by Midwestern Seminary at For the Church website.
