Coaching For Pastors - Daily Coaching, Encouragement, and Support for Pastors

My daughter had just graduated from college with a BS in Nursing Degree. I believed it was time for me to return - for an M.Div. Was I crazy? Or, was this something I should do? Was it a worthy investment of my time, energy, and finances? What I finally decided would completely change my life! Support the show For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of...

My back was against the wall. It was the worst day of my life. We got the call no parent wants to get - our son had been in a terrible automobile accident and was on life support. In this episode I talk about what I learned about prayer in the most painful crucible of my life. Support the show For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches...

Rob Tarnoviski is the Lead Pastor at Bethel Church Philadelphia Mills in beautiful Northeast Philadelphia. He has been pastor there since Easter Sunday of 1996 - 26 years! Rob's heart beats for the mission of Jesus - to seek and save the lost. This is a Masterclass of inspiration to lead your church to share the same Gospel passion that Rob has, and the same Gospel mission that Jesus had!  Je...

It seems like everyone is working on their mindset these days. There are podcasts and online courses devoted to a winning mindset, TED talks on mindset, Life Coaches that coach specifically on mindset, and even webinars and live conferences on mindset. BUT, how well do we nurture and steward our daily brain nutrition? What do we read, listen to, or watch? Where we do we go or hang out? Who do we s...

You remember the song lyrics, "Don't stop... believin'..."? Well, today the message is "Don't stop dreamin'!" When we've lost the will to dream, we've lost quite a bit of our energy for life and ministry.  Remember when you actually believed you could accomplish something great for God? Was it a grand fairy tale? Is it over? Have you stopped dreami...

It may be or may not be true - but is your family spending too much time at home on screens? Are you getting drawn right in to the giant sucking vortex of technology in your home? It's our culture, it's in the water, it's the world we live in. But we still have to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom... and spend time with each other! Check out this episode and just be honest with yoursel...

Our staff meetings were fine, just fine. We all get along... mostly. I have a fantastic staff team who love each other, love the LORD, love our people and community, are self-motivated, committed to excellence, and easy to work with. Our staff meetings were fine. Mostly. Except when we wasted time in sideways conversation. Or didn't have clarity after a twenty minute discussion. Or when we le...

Jeff talks today about two fundamentals that, when practiced, can have a transformational impact on yes, even pastors! One is Scripture meditation, and the other is meditating on a question... listen to find out what it is! Enjoy! Support the show For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast !

On this weekend's edition of the podcast Scott Dalen from Underwood Lutheran Church in Southwest IA joins Mark Messmore from Mount Olivet Christian Church in Williamstown KY to talk with Jeff about their ministries, the highs and the lows, and the most important lessons from both. Scott is " your friendly Internet pastor ", so check him out on YouTube ! Mark can be found at MarkMess...

Friday is health and fitness day on the Coaching For Pastors Podcast - and today I am talking about a very fundamental principle of health - movement. Rick Warren once said we need to get up off our blessed assurance. I would never say that because it is too controversial :-) but I would say we do need to get up off our butts and out into the world to get some MOVEMENT! I don't know how many...

While we are in a presidential campaign off year - maybe now is the time to talk to our church leadership about 2023 and 2024. What principles and values will guide our church through what will certainly be another politically charged, polarized campaign season in the United States? We are now in the political "eye of the storm", and while we are all calm (most of us!) and in our right m...

With the zany pace of life these days, my wife and I have found it super helpful to sit down weekly for the express purpose of talking - communicating - actually discussing a number of areas of our lives, marriage, family, and ministry - so that we are not blindsided by events, appointments, project deadlines, and generally, people! In this episode I suggest a weekly spouse summit - and explain wh...

At any given point in our lives and ministries there can be areas where we are just stuck - but sometimes - we face times when it seems like we are stuck in a number of areas. This can cause us some personal and/or leadership paralysis! And, as my daughter says, "that's yucky, right?!" Yes, it's yucky. In today's episode I give you a clear, step by step plan to get unstuck...

In the western world, pride is such an accepted sin in our Christian culture, is barely shows up on our radar! Yet, the Bible condemns it in the strongest terms. Jeff talks about pride in his own life and challenges all of us pastors to embrace humility in our common Kingdom work together. Welcome, it's Monday and our topic is the pastor's spiritual life!  Support the show For more great...

John Finkelde, from GrowAHealthyChurch.com joins Jeff to help coach pastors on the challenges that most pastors are facing, new metrics for measuring health in your church, the rest that you really need as a pastor, the friendships you need, and the blessing of a prayer ministry for the pastor, plus so much more! Check out THE HUB at GrowAHealthyChurch.com , which is a complete online ministry res...

Hey Pastor, in ministry you will not last long if you do not develop life-giving relationships. You need friends around you who can build into you, encourage you, affirm you, remind you that you're loved, and let you know you indeed are NOT crazy!  Friends like this are not optional as a pastor, they are a necessity. Jeff talks about the importance of these relationships and gives you some ad...

In today's uncertain world, where people are on your side one day, but then after one sermon or social media post they aren't, Jeff coaches pastors to put their hope in the only God who is able to be there for them when all the chips are down, and they have no one else. Jeff shares a water bottle story that threw him for a loop for a couple hours... Support the show For more great conten...

After telling you in a past episode about the positive things Jeff did as a parent, in episode 40 he is unrelentingly honest about his parental faults and failures. Being a parent, and a pastor, is not easy. We face unique pressures in our calling, and in the public eye. But Jeff wanted to be sure he did not come across as the exemplar of success.  While he and his wife raised four children who ar...

Are you honest about who you are? Are you fully aware and open about your strengths and weaknesses? If you haven't told your church about them, don't worry, they already know! But it's only when you're honest and open about your wiring and how God made you that you can be an effective leader others will want to follow. Jeff shares some of the weaknesses that he has to manage in...

Why do we allow sin to have such control over us. Jesus has defeated it. It walks through our life as a dead zombie, neutralized and impotent, it cannot defeat us. Jesus has already won and handed to us victory over sin. While we still suffer, experience temptation, and at times yield to it, we need not let it claim victory in our lives! We must claim the truth of God's Word just as Jesus did...

When one of the worst things that you could ever imagine, actually happens to you - what do you do?! When it happens and you're a father, pastor, and seminary professor - how do you handle it?! When it threatens your job, your career, and everything you've worked for - how do you respond?! And when you want to take responsibility for your actions and your future - what are your next step...

Jeff challenges pastors in the area of health and fitness and asks a series of questions to help them see what might be possible for them. As he said on Episode 35, stop living the life you already know how to live, in the area of health and fitness. Go for it! Change it up! Find another way! Answer these questions for your own life, and don't be afraid, the episode is only 8 minutes long......

Pastor, do you have tunnel vision when it comes to your church, and the other churches in your community/region? Today's episode is about perspective and hope, and Jeff talks with your about what it could be like in your community if pastors and churches got together in a John 17 spirit of unity. What impact could the ONE church in your community have on the lost? If they stopped comparing an...

What would it look like to stop living the life you already know how to live... with your family? How could you 5X your involvement in your marriage, your parenting, your extended family? What would have to change? What is the vision for your family's future? Jeff challenges you to not repeat what hasn't worked in your family, and to think outside the box! Support the show For more great...

Jeff coaches you on how to lead by asking questions, and shares some helpful resources to access to learn more on this topic. When we simply direct others, they only get our opinion, but when we include others in the sausage making by asking them what they think, we get to mine the wisdom of the entire room. You can absolutely 5X or 10X your success as a leader by asking more questions of those yo...