The Shepherds Circle

Not Many Mighty | Pastor Jeff Abell: God Still Calls Ordinary People What does it look like to follow God's call when the path makes no sense? In this week's Not Many Mighty episode of The Shepherd's Circle , Stan sits down with Pastor Jeff Abell of Enigma Congregational Christian Church in Enigma, Georgia, to hear the remarkable story of how God transformed his life—and faithfully...

What does God's call to ministry really look like? In this episode of The Shepherd's Circle , Stan sits down with Lance Sudduth , senior pastor of Hurley Baptist Church in Mississippi, for an honest conversation about calling, perseverance, and the joy of investing in people. Lance shares how a teenager who barely grew up in church spent years running from God's call before finally...

Not Many Mighty | Pastor Jimmy Proulx: Holding On to the Call What keeps a pastor going when ministry gets hard? In this episode of Not Many Mighty , Stan sits down with Pastor Jimmy Proulx of Pleasant Hill Congregational Christian Church in Roberta, Georgia, to talk about the calling that has carried him through every season of ministry. Jimmy shares his testimony of coming to faith as a teenager...

How do pastors and church leaders guard the spiritual health and purity of the church in an increasingly challenging culture? On this episode of The Shepherds Circle , Stan is joined by Vic and Caleb for an honest conversation sparked by insights from Stan's current preaching series. Together, they explore the biblical responsibility of overseers to protect the flock, maintain the integrity o...

What should the primary goal of children’s ministry be? In this episode of The Shepherd’s Circle , Stan sits down with children’s ministry leader, author, and speaker Amber Pike of RenewANation to discuss why discipleship—not entertainment—must remain at the center of every kids ministry. Amber shares her journey from serving in children’s ministry at age 15 to now training church leaders and pare...

After a brief break for our Not Many Mighty series, Stan, Caleb, and Vic are back around the table for a candid conversation about one of the most revealing indicators of church health. How does your church feel about lost people? It's a simple question, but the answer may reveal more about a congregation than attendance numbers, budgets, buildings, or programs ever could. In this episode, th...

In this installment of Not Many Mighty , Stan sits down with longtime pastor, church planter, and Bible college president Dr. Bill Korver for a rich conversation about calling, perseverance, humble faithfulness, and the quiet fruit of a life spent serving Christ. From growing up in a blue-collar Christian home in Tulsa… to planting a church while working bi-vocational jobs… to eventually leading C...

In this episode of The Shepherd’s Circle , part of the Not Many Mighty series, Stan sits down with longtime Louisiana pastor Sam Burchard for a candid conversation about calling, ministry formation, and decades of faithful pastoral work. Rooted in 1 Corinthians 1, Not Many Mighty highlights the truth that God often calls the unlikely, the ordinary, and the overlooked to do His work—so that all glo...

In the debut episode of our Not Many Mighty segment, Stan sits down with longtime Louisiana pastor Sherman Soileau for an honest, encouraging conversation about ministry, perseverance, prayer, and the faithfulness of God across decades of shepherding people. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 1, Not Many Mighty highlights ordinary men whom God has used in extraordinary ways through humble, faithful servic...

Season 3, Episode 3 of The Shepherds Circle tackles a sobering but hopeful reality facing today’s church: pastoral burnout may be declining, but the need for healthy ministry relationships has never been greater. Drawing from new Barna research, Stan, Caleb, Vic, and Josh Hovel discuss the cultural shifts that followed COVID, why fewer pastors are considering leaving ministry, and how friendship,...

Is the era of the “cool church” coming to an end? In this week’s episode of The Shepherds Circle , we dive into a thought-provoking conversation sparked by insights from Karl Vaters—exploring the rise (and possible decline) of the attractional, mega-church model. Are bigger churches really reaching the unchurched… or just reshuffling believers? Are people still drawn to hype—or are they hungry for...

Season 3, Episode 1 — Shepherds Circle Podcast Welcome to Season 3 of The Shepherds Circle . We’re kicking things off fresh off the Shepherds Summit 2026 with a raw, honest, and deeply encouraging conversation among a room full of small church pastors and ministry leaders reflecting on what God did over the weekend—and what it means for life and ministry moving forward. Hosted by Stan Givens, Cale...

In the season finale, Stan, Vic and Josh chat about next weekend's Shepherds Summit and discuss what they love about the event. 

This week in the circle, Stan and Victor sit down with 6:14 Communications Director Josh Givens to talk about a topic many pastors are beginning to wrestle with: the growing role of A.I., social media, and the church’s digital presence . Josh shares why he believes every church—especially small churches—needs to think carefully about what he calls “the digital front door.” For many people today, a...

Jesus gave clear instructions to His disciples regarding who would plant the churches that Jesus would "build." The process is one-to-one and works effectively if we do not get too distracted or create too many plans around the plan Jesus gave us.  In today's episode, we want to remind our pastors and lay leaders that we are called to make disciples and help our disciples make disci...

This week in the circle, Stan and the guys talk false believers among the saints, what to do with them, and why a lot of people think they are saved based on cultural values rather than Scriptural truth.  Church can be messy — and no, we're not talking about the nursery or the pastor's office. This episode addresses the varieties of people we minister to within our churches and how God w...

This week in the circle, Stan sits down with Hurley Baptist Church Lead Pastor Lance Sudduth to discuss training up the next generation of leaders from within the walls of the local church, particularly small churches. The guys will chat about Lance's vision that is already stretching across Mississippi with over 100 men learning practical ministry skills.  Stay tuned to the end of the episod...

This week in the circle: Stan and the guys have some fun with a short discussion about the upcoming Shepherds Summit [March 26-28] and what topics you can expect to encounter there.  Here's a little of what you have to look forward to in session topics:  1) "A.I. and the Digital Front Door: How Pastors Can Use A.I. and Social Media Wisely [Without Selling Your Soul or Losing Your Sanity]...

This week in the circle: Stan and the guys discuss the need to keep church services active, aware, and alert in the current climate of our country — when potential protests can become seemingly large disruptions. Should you send your church members home in the midst of protests or should you tell protestors to leave your property? We'll tackle that and more in this very timely discussion.   A...

This week in the circle: Stan & the guys discuss a recent article from BARNA research that highlights the friendship gap in pastoral life:  Strong Marriages, Strained Friendships. Over 90 percent of pastors report strong marriages—but two in five feel lonely, and just one in three have a trusted confidant outside church. [BARNA]  Relational Health Lags Behind Other Areas. Despite high scores i...

This week in the circle, Stan and the guys discuss multiple aspects of what it meant for Pastor Victor Herman to go on "cruise control." 

Season 2, Episode 15: Planning Your Year After a brief December break, Stan and the guys are back around the table for a timely and practical conversation about planning the year ahead in ministry. In this episode, they talk through how to thoughtfully plan Bible book studies and sermon series, shape meaningful ministry themes, and prepare well for key moments like Easter, Christmas, and outreach...

This week in the circle, Stan and the guys discuss the things that make ministry heavy for pastors and share Scriptures and encouragement to help lighten the load. 

Stan and the guys tackle the importance of networking with other pastors for fellowship and support. 

This week in the circle, Stan and the guys chat with Northside Bible Church elder Josh Hovel about the marks of a healthy church member as they relate to receiving the Word of God.