Pastors Talk - A podcast by 9Marks

It’s tempting for a new pastor to show up with a laundry list of problems that need to be fixed. But that approach almost never works, and many have left churches worse off due to their hastiness in implementing change. To help pastors with this, Jonathan sat down with Mark to chat about how quickly a pastor should try to make changes in a church. SHOW NOTES: – You’ve said before that young pastor...

Does the senior pastor—or the teaching pastor, or the lead pastor, or whatever title your church gives to the man who preaches most often—have more authority than other pastors, either in the pay of the church or not? Does he have a kind of different authority? If you’ve served in a church with a plurality of elders, then you’ve felt tension over these questions. In order to help, Mark sat down wi...

It’s a question countless pastors ask every single day: How can I grow my church? In his new book WORD-CENTERED CHURCH, Jonathan Leeman offers a biblical answer to that question. In summary, God intends to grow his church through the proclamation of his Word—and once proclaimed, God intends for that Word to reverberate out from the pulpit and into the whole church’s life and ministry. WORD-CENTERE...

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? (...

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...

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 pr...

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) – Wh...

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.

Jonathan chats with Mark about good and bad reasons to leave a church, and offers principles for leaving well once the decision has been made.

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...

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 pers...

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...

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.

A mere ten years ago, social media didn’t exist. Now it’s everywhere. Jonathan Leeman sits down with Mark Dever to chat about the difficulties of pastoring in the age of social media. SHOW NOTES: – What are some of the dangers you see intrinsic to social media? (2:45) – How social media can tempt Christians to add to the gospel (4:30). – The necessity of humility in our opinions and our discourse...

In the inaugural episode of our new podcast Pastors’ Talk, Jonathan Leeman sits down with Mark Dever to talk about seeing the gospel grow in your city, not just your church. SHOW NOTES: – What do you do when the revival you’ve been praying for breaks out . . . at the church down the street? (1:08) – Is it always carnal to desire your own church to grow? (3:02) – What are some of the signs of a wro...