Pastor Matters

In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon are joined by Sean Cordell (Pastor of Treasuring Christ Church in Raleigh, NC) to discuss pastoring in an urban context. What are some of the unique challenges pastors face in urban contexts? What can we learn from Scripture about serving in cities? What are some myths about pastoring in an urban context? Join us this week as we tackle...

In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon discuss the importance of theological education. Who should consider attending seminary? How can pastors help members who aspire for church leadership? How do local churches and seminaries work together? Do pastors need a Ph. D.? Join us this week as we tackle these questions (and many more)!

In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon are joined by Quentin Self (Senior Pastor of Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church) to discuss pastors and preaching after a rough week. What can pastors learn about themselves and God after experiencing rough weeks in ministry? How is sermon prep affected during rough weeks? How can pastors better prepare when rough weeks come? Join us this we...

In this week’s episode, Ronjour and Brandon sit down with Dr. Zach Nelson (Executive Director of the Pillar Network) to discuss cooperating within a church network. What does healthy cooperation look like? How does being a part of a church network keep pastors connected and engaged to one another? What is one of the biggest challenges in evaluating church planters? Join us this week as we tackle t...

In this week’s episode, Ronjour and Brandon discuss sermon design and delivery with Dr. Julius Kim (President of The Gospel Coalition). What makes preaching so glorious? What are some common mistakes made in the sermon preparation process? Why is it important for pastors to consider brain function and its impact on sermon design and delivery? How can pastors get better at sermon delivery? Join us...

In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon discuss burnout, transparency, and self-care with Evan Marbury. Do pastors have a transparency issue when it comes to burnout? Who can pastors turn to when they are struggling? How can pastors care for their families during difficult seasons? Join us this week as we tackle these questions (and many more)!

In this week’s episode, Ronjour and Brandon discuss leadership with Dr. Juan Sanchez (Pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church). How should we define biblical leadership? If you’re a pastor or staff member working in a toxic environment, should you leave? Should pastors read books on leadership? Join us this week as we tackle these questions (and many more)!

In this week’s episode, Ronjour and Brandon are joined by one of our regular content contributors, Dr. Neal Thornton, to discuss the life of a pastor. What does a typical day look like for pastors? How does prayer fit within the life of a pastor? What are some temptations pastors can face in ministry? How do pastors know if they are “successful” in ministry? Join us this week as we tackle these qu...

In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon sit down with Dr. Scott Pace (Dean of the College of Southeastern) to discuss pastors and preaching through Colossians. Why did Paul write Colossians? Why should pastors consider preaching through Colossians? What are some worldviews that challenge our confession of the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ today? Join us this week as we...

In this week’s episode, Ronjour and Brandon are joined by Jonathan Akin (VP for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University) to discuss pastors and shepherding college students. How can pastors prepare their students before they leave for college? How has college ministry changed over the years? How can the local church be an oasis for college students? Join us this week as...

In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon discuss pastors and the importance of taking a sabbatical. What is a sabbatical? How long should a sabbatical be? Should churches require pastors to take sabbaticals? What are the dos/don’ts when it comes to taking a sabbatical? Join us this week as we answer these questions (and many more)!

In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon sit down with Cody Evans to discuss pastoring and replanting churches. What’s the difference between revitalizing and replanting? What are the challenges to replanting a church? How do replanters go about changing the culture of a declining church? Join us this week as we tackle these questions (and many more)!

Notes or no notes? In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon discuss pastors and preaching without notes. Should pastors still make a manuscript when preaching without notes? What are the pitfalls to preaching with notes? What are the pitfalls to preaching without notes? Does preaching with notes hinder the Spirit? Join us this week as we tackle these questions (and many more)!

In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon sit down with Matt Smethurst to discuss his latest book, Deacons. What are deacons? How do deacons strengthen the church? Do deacons need training? Can women serve as deacons? Join us this week as we tackle these questions (and many more)!

In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon are joined by Bobby Jamieson (Associate Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church) to discuss his latest book, The Path to Being a Pastor: A Guide for the Aspiring. How can guys who aspire for the pastorate best utilize their time? How can pastors encourage guys in their churches who aspire for pastoral ministry? How can aspiring pastors pr...

In this week’s episode of Pastor Matters, the guys are back to discuss pastors and interviews. What questions should aspiring pastors be prepared to answer while being interviewed by churches? What questions should pastor candidates be prepared to ask churches? Join us this week as we tackle these questions (and many more)!

In our first episode of the season, Ronjour sits down with Dr. Matthew Kim (George F. Bennett Professor of Preaching and Practical Theology at Gordon-Conwell) to discuss his most recent book, Preaching to People in Pain. How can pastors preach on the topic of pain and suffering? What are some pitfalls when it comes to preaching sermons on pain? How can pastors encourage their people during seasons...

In this episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon discuss pastors and evangelism with Dr. Chuck Lawless (Dean of Doctoral Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary). How can pastors ignite a passion in their people for evangelism and missions? What role does prayer have in evangelism? How can pastors gauge where their church is at evangelistically? Join us this week as we answer th...

In this episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour sits down with Dr. Ross Inman (Associate Professor of Philosophy at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) to discuss spiritual deconstruction. What is deconstruction? How should pastors respond to members who find themselves in the “deconstructing” process? What are some examples of deconstruction in the Scriptures? Join us this week as we answer the...

In this episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon discuss pastoring in a rural context with Nathaniel Williams (Senior Pastor of Cedar Rock First Baptist Church). What are the greatest challenges to pastoring in a rural context? In what ways do people outside of rural contexts misunderstand rural life and ministry? How can pastors in rural contexts overcome feelings of isolation and lonelines...

In this episode, Ronjour and Brandon are joined by Dr. Daniel Akin (President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) to discuss pastors and fatherhood. How can pastors balance their pastoral responsibilities with their responsibilities at home? How does being a father shape the way you pastor? How can fathers raise their kids to think and live missionally? Join us this week as we tackle the...

In this episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon discuss the prayer life of a pastor. Why is it so difficult to create consistent patterns of prayer? What does the Bible say about prayer? What role does prayer have in preaching and fulfilling the Great Commission? Join us this week as we answer these questions (and many more)!

In this episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon continue their discussion on pastors and suicide. This week, the guys will be discussing how to shepherd those who have lost a loved one to suicide. How can pastors help those who have lost a loved one navigate the difficult questions associated with suicide? What are good resources for helping members process grief and loss? How can pastors s...

In this episode of Pastor Matters, Ronjour and Brandon begin a two-part conversation on pastors and suicide. This week, the guys will be discussing how to preach and preside over a funeral for someone who has taken their life. What passages should pastors consider preaching during the funeral message? How should pastors navigate the graveside service? What are some things pastors should say to tho...

In this special episode of Pastor Matters, Brandon sits down with Mark Young (Student Pastor at Swift Creek Baptist Church) to discuss preaching and student ministry. How can student pastors get the parents of their students more involved? Why is expository preaching so important in student ministry? What are some reasons students typically leave the church after high school? Join us this week as...