Strength for Today's Pastor

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Cliff Stabler become a mentor of mine when I was a young church planting pastor serving on the Monterey Peninsula in California. Cliff befriended me, and over time became a huge influence in my life. On a personal note, I am part of a four pastor fellowship and mutual strengthening group which includes Cliff. It's amazing, really. Cliff's calling i...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! This program was originally aired in May of 2019. Since that time, it has become clear to me that there is a generation of pastors who "do not know Joseph," so to speak.  In this case, our Joseph is Dan Finfock of Intensive Care Ministries (icmbible.com). Dan is a world traveling (53 countries and counting) fanatic concerning the IBS method of Obse...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Pastor Jay McCarl is a longtime senior pastor. He also recently retired from a 30 year ministry as a Law Enforcement Chaplain. Jay has seen it all, and shares with us super effective, Jesus-like ways to provide real help to people in great need due to tragedy or loss. The wisdom Jay possesses is God-given, and comes right from God's Word, empowered and...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Divided leadership leads to a compromised and ineffective church. All pastors know this to be true. So how can we surround ourselves with men who aren't "yes men," who can weigh in solidly in the decision making processes of church leadership, and at the same time have men that are loyal and unified with one another. Pastor Paul LeBoutillier b...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Welcome to episode 107 of Strength for Today’s Pastor. Today we have as our guest Pastor Bob Kopeny of Calvary Chapel East Anaheim, CA.  We’re going to talking about the ingredients of a healthy local church.  Stay tuned, because I promise you … after listening to this podcast interview, you’re going to feel like you’ve just been to your own personal pastor’...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Tim Brown has been in pastoral ministry since 1973, and a senior pastor since 1985. He is widely regarded as a very wise man, full of sage advice and interesting insights on matters of theology and church life. In episode 019, Tim shares his thoughts on the subject of the pastoral ministry's greatest challenge. His conclusions may surprise you. But they...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! When we (Poimen Ministries) enter into a coaching relationship with a senior/lead pastor, the purpose is to help the pastor discover many of the things he already knows. And then to help him discover how to move forward in his calling and vision. In this podcast, host Bill Holdridge interviews Pastor Terry McNabb. Terry underwent a coaching process during th...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Pastoral coaching has been a relatively new development in the past several years. Pastors, hungry to to their best and eager to find their ministry sweet spot, are more open than ever to have a seasoned 'coach' who can help them rediscover their passion, clarify their vision, and regain some of their strength. It's even better when the coach...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! This episode has been published and can be heard everywhere your podcast is available. In this episode of SFTP, show host Bill Holdridge speaks with Poimen Ministries servants Phil and Susie Evans, as they tell their story of faith, victories, successes and changes.   This is great encouragement for any pastor, young or old, as Phil and Susie recollect upon...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! The Christian life, when lived by the Holy Spirit, is not boring. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance. Neither is the ministry of the pastor—and of his wife—boring, dull, or predictable.  In this episode of SFTP, John and Laura Cowan sit down with show host Bill Holdridge and tell their story. It's an exciting one, to be sure, and it...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! In Podcast 102 we interviewed Pastor Lance Ralston on the subject of Christians in the U.S., living in an increasingly totalitarian state. In Podcast 108, Lance shared with us about the place of suffering in the life of faith. Lance is talking about these things because he desires to equip the fellowship he pastors (CC Oxnard, CA) in preparation for the incr...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Every church needs to do some healthy, Holy Spirit directed personal inventory. Pastors and leaders need to ask themselves the questions, “Why are we here in this community?” And, “What should we be, and what should we do to make us essential in our community (and beyond)?” On that subject, today we have with us Pastor Jeff Birmingham of River Rocks Church i...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Podcast number 109 of Strength for Today’s Pastor is a conversation with Chris and Heather Reif of Calvary Frontlines in Ft. Smith, Arkansas.  Chris has been the pastor of Calvary Frontlines since October of 2017. Today, we’re going to hear a bit of their story—an unusual story about how they both served in the U.S. Army ... Chris as a Green Beret ... how th...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! For anyone paying attention, it is obvious that something is going on that is unprecedented in the United States (and also worldwide). "Wokeness," "Cancel Culture," "Critical Race Theory," and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic have been part of massive government overreach and intrusion into all of our lives. In Podcast 102 we in...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! It’s always fun (and edifying) to talk with Bryan Newberry. Challenge and inspiration are common each time.  For those who do not know Bryan, he is the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel San Diego, CA (1985) … and stepped aside from that role in 2018, handing the senior pastorate over to Phil Metzger. 32 years as their senior pastor. Bryan is part of the team...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Welcome to podcast number 105. Once again, today we have Bible teacher, author, and speaker Gayle Erwin with us, and our topic is Not Many Mighty , a discussion about the ways of God and the choices God makes in calling and using human beings. Gayle Erwin has beautifully addressed what this looks like in his book Not Many Mighty . God's Word says, “For...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Pastor David Rosales has been serving Christ's bride for many years, with almost 50 years of ministry behind him. Yet, because he has remained faithful to the foundations of ministry, and to the Word of God, his ministry is as fresh as ever. Listen in as show host Bill Holdridge asks David about some of those key elements of a Biblical pastoral ministry...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Ken Graves tells it like it is. When one speaks with Ken Graves, he/she enters into the no fear zone, as it relates to the truth. But as is true with Jesus, grace is sweetly mixed with truth, and the result is an encouraged heart. In podcast #104, Ken tells the story of the fellowship he pastors in Bangor, Maine—and their battles with the powers that be in t...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Mark Gomez has pastored three churches in his years of pastoral ministry, totaling more than 35 years as a senior/lead pastor or church planter. Mark came to Christ as a result of an intellectual conflict with one of his high school teachers... it's an interesting story.  He has lived in Utah for 25+ years, which is where he served in his last pastorate...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Sometimes it's surprising ... if not always surprising ... to see who God wants to use. Identifying those whom God has called, and brought into our churches, is a very, very large part of the fruit that comes out of any ministry. So why don't pastors spend more time developing leaders? Are there ways to overcome our negligence, or apprehensions, or...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Literally nothing that lasts happens without leadership—good leadership—by men and women who are both biblical and Spirit led. Organizations and churches depend upon it. Yet sadly, there oftentimes seems to be a dearth of willing leaders within our churches ... at least not as many as there should be. Pastor Bob Claycamp is a seasoned pastor (40+ years) who...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Again, Bill Holdridge picks the brain of Pastor Phil Evans on the subject of church assessments.  Phil came out of a business background and into the pastorate about 40 years ago, and uses the organizational mind that God has given him, a great sense of humor, and a calm spirit to help many pastors. He's become sort of an assessment guru with Poimen Min...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! A fresh set of eyes. Face it, we get used to our surroundings—and as pastors, we can become unaware of things we would have noticed X number of years ago.  We can sometimes use a fresh set of eyes . In this podcast, Poimen Ministries Director Bill Holdridge talks with Pastor Phil Evans. Phil is excellent at doing church assessments, and has helped many senio...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! This is the third of three podcast interviews with Pastor Al James on the subject of excellence in ministry. If you want to do ministry right, listen to this series. Al is a long time member of the Poimen Ministries team and the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel in Prescott, Arizona (30 years).How can the senior or lead pastor connect with the people in his...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! This is the second of three podcast interviews with Pastor Al James on the subject of excellence in ministry. Al is a long time member of the Poimen Ministries team and the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel in Prescott, Arizona (30 years).A fresh set of eyes. That's what we often need as we try to evaluate what we pastors do, week in and week out.   Wha...