Strength for Today's Pastor

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! This is the first of three podcast interviews with Pastor Al James, a long time member of the Poimen Ministries team and the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel in Prescott, Arizona (30 years).  Foundational to all true pastoral ministry is the pastor's communion and union with God. Jesus pastored this way as the Good Shepherd (Pastor), and so should the...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Episode number 100- a real milestone in the ministry of this podcast, but also of over 12 years of ministry as a team of pastors. In this program, the roles are reversed as post production editor Jeff Jones interviews Poimen Ministries director Bill Holdridge.  Listen in as Jeff asks Bill about: the origin of Poimen Ministries some of his personal habits and...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Not lord it over others … Leadership by example … Humble … As a child … As the younger … Least … Last … No force … No selfish ambition … No reputation … Human … Obedient … Death on the Cross … Resurrection. These are characteristics of Jesus Christ that all true believers can mimic and live out, by the power of the Holy Spirit. They are also characteristics...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! For those of you who don’t know Gayle Erwin, Gayle is a long-time pastor, author, conference speaker, and as far as ministry is concerned, he is all about playing the one string he has on his guitar, which is the nature of Jesus. He’s all-in with regard to helping others understand who Jesus is and what that means as His servants. Today we’re going to be foc...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Does anybody even practice what we call church discipline anymore? And if a church does practice church discipline, why do they do it? How do they do it? What is its purpose? Show host and Poimen Ministries Director Bill Holdridge draws from the scriptures, coupled with his experience in pastoral ministry, to make suggestions to pastors about the whys and ho...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! What is the purpose of the gift of tongues? What is its most common use? How is it exercised in a corporate setting "decently and in order'?  What is the baptism with the Holy Spirit? What is the main evidence of being filled (baptized) with the Holy Spirit? These questions have clear Biblical and practical answers, and Gayle Erwin will help us fin...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Gayle Erwin is an international treasure, a man who has allowed the Lord to use his life for many years as an author, pastor, lecturer, professor, and conference speaker. Gayle has (as he puts it) "one string on his guitar," and that string is Jesus and His nature. This podcast is on that subject. How does the nature of Jesus effect the way we live...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Spoiler Alert: this is much more than a dialogue on church polity. It has to do more with the way a pastor leads, the way he works with his fellow leaders.  This stuff is GOLDEN! When Pastor David Guzik was pastoring in Simi Valley, CA, he delivered a message on the subject of church government. In that message, he acknowledged the three major forms of churc...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Warren Wiersbe served the Lord Jesus well ... and his impact upon the body of Christ, and upon pastor-teachers, is incalculable. Join host Bill Holdridge as he is joined by Pastors David Guzik ( https://enduringword.com ) and Jeff Jones as they share about the legacy of this faithful steward of God's Word. This interview took place very shortly after Wi...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Pastors of churches of less than 200 people? Did you know that the church you pastor is a 'normal' sized church? Did you know that the normal sized  church is called that because it's the normative sized church, world-wide? Are you discouraged because your church hasn't become a medium, large, or mega sized church?  Karl Vaters is a curre...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! In an Eastern Utah community which is 70% LDS, the Lord has visited Ashley Valley Calvary Chapel with a harvest of souls ... with the effect that a large percentage of their church body is made up of those converted to Christ out of Mormonism.  It's a compelling story, and its lessons are transferable to any church and any pastor anywhere in the world....

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! John Gundacker  is the senior/lead pastor of Calvary Chapel in Pahrump, NV, and has been for 20 years. Pahrump is a little more than an hour from Las Vegas, obviously a huge city. The church John was trained in was in Las Vegas. So when his family moved to tiny Pahrump to start a church, expectations had to change. In the process, John has learned contentmen...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Steve Sager is a seasoned and balanced pastor with a long history and varied history with Calvary Chapels — in many places and for different seasons. During much of his pastoral ministry, Steve has been bi-vocational. He was with the first Calvary Chapel ministry in Napa, CA which produced a shocking number of pastors who went out from there to plant other c...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Gayle Erwin is well known in many Christian circles, around the world (he's in the 3,000,000 category of frequent flier miles).   As he likes to say, he has only one string on his guitar ... and that string is the nature of Jesus Christ.  Author of The Jesus Style , The Father Style , The Spirit Style , The Body Style , Handbook for Servants , That Remi...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Matt Valencia has a huge heart for God’s Kingdom, and a sincere love for the greater Body of Christ.  Recently, Matt was asked to lead a discussion on the topic of this podcast. This interview dives into the meat of that discussion, and why it matters. Matt Valencia is the Lead Pastor of the Regeneration Church of Scotts Valley, CA and is also the founding p...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Daryl Zachman is one of a number of pastoral friends that I gained while living in Idaho. This podcast was recorded in Boise, because Daryl invited Poimen Ministries to come and do a church assessment, as well as share at a ministry conference hosted at their church. Daryl and his wife Cindy were directed by the Holy Spirit to launch out to Boise in 1994. So...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! In this podcast episode, Pastor John Milhouse of Calvary Chapel Moreno Valley, CA talks about his current church transition process. John has been in ministry as a senior pastor for more than 38 years. He speaks with careful wisdom, and with the voice of experience and grace. In addition, John comments on a message he delivered at the recent Calvary Chapel D...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Bryan Newberry is like a leadership guru. Plus, he's a discipleship guy as well. The combination of those two traits has been beneficial to many pastors and future pastors during his very long ministry. Bryan was the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel San Diego, where he served for 32 years with his wife Cheryl. Currently, Bryan serves as the (new) senio...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra once said, "You can observe a lot just by watching." When speaking with Pastor Bryan Newberry, one can learn a lot just by listening. Bryan is a great resource for pastors and church leaders. His thing is discipleship , and that's what he does. He mentors and disciples believers, and in his role with Poimen Mini...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Pastor Tim Brown of Calvary Chapel in Fremont, CA has written extensively to his congregation and to the greater body of Christ ... particularly during this COVID-19 season.  In one of his recent blogs, Tim made a strong, logical, and Biblical case for civil disobedience, as it has been exercised since apostolic days in the church. In his writing, he makes a...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! In this podcast episode we’ll be talking with a brother in Christ, who is a blogger and a committed follower of Jesus, on something that is strengthening me, and I think will strengthen many pastors … and also their congregations. It’s a word from the Lord about how we should then live, in the light of our current global and local situations. His pseudonym i...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! In episode 84 of Strength for Today's Pastor we’re going to hear from Pastor Sandy Adams of Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain, Georgia. A couple of weeks ago, show host Bill Holdridge had the privilege of attending the Calvary Chapel Deep South Pastor’s Conference at the church Sandy has pastored for almost 40 years.  Sandy preached a message on Monday nigh...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Here is a conversation with Cliff Stabler, a mentor and friend of show host Bill Holdridge for 40 years. Cliff introduced Bill to an amazing men's discipleship experience called "Barnabas," and to book Authentic Christianity by Ray Stedman. But most importantly, Cliff further introduced Bill to the life of the New Covenant.  Cliff is a longtim...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Paul Berry assumed the senior pastor role at Calvary Chapel Santa Maria, CA in 1992. When he started, there were 50-60 people in attendance, but there was a e mere skeleton of a leadership team. Therefore in the very first months of his pastorate, Paul dug in and began raising up men who would serve the Lord, His church, and their families in the way Christ...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Today we’ll be talking with Ed Taylor of Calvary Aurora, Colorado on the subject of leadership … Biblical leadership in the role of senior/lead pastor. I’m sure most, if not all of our listeners know of Ed Taylor … he’s the senior/lead pastor of Calvary Church in Aurora, CO. He was saved at Calvary Chapel Downey, grew in the Word and in ministry there for 8...