The Everyday Pastor

What can pastors today learn from the Puritans?

Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan welcome Dr. Joel Beeke to discuss the lasting wisdom of Puritan pastors and theologians. Drawing from decades of studying and teaching the Puritans, Joel explains why they placed such a high priority on prayer, personal holiness, and applying Scripture to the hearts and lives of their congregations.

Resources Mentioned:
Christ Our Mediator by Thomas Goodwin
The Heart of Christ in Heaven Towards Sinners on Earth by Thomas Goodwin
A Body of Divinity by Thomas Watson
The Heaven Taken by Storm by Thomas Watson
The Mischief of Sin by Thomas Watson
Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks
Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards
Charity and Its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards
A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God by Jonathan Edwards
Thriving in Lifelong Ministry by Joel Beeke
Pastors and Their Critics by Joel Beeke and Nick Thompson

If you're ready to go deeper, Southern Seminary's PhD program is where that begins. Visit sbts.edu/phd to learn more.

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How do you pastor people who consistently drain your time, create relational tension, or seem to make every issue their issue?

Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan talk candidly about the challenge of shepherding difficult sheep. They discuss church members who lack social awareness, monopolize pastoral attention, become fixated on a particular cause, struggle to get along with others, or expect their personal ministry passion to become the church’s priority.

If you're ready to go deeper, Southern Seminary's PhD program is where that begins. Visit sbts.edu/phd to learn more.

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Pastoral ministry can be deeply joyful, but it can also be profoundly discouraging. What happens when the church isn’t growing, conflict won’t resolve, your family is hurting, or one difficult relationship begins to overshadow everything else? 

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

Developing the Hide of a Rhinoceros by Peter Barnes

Letters of John Newton by John Newton

Slogging Along in the Paths of Righteousness by Dale Ralph Davis

The Clay Pot Conspiracy by Dave Harvey

If you're ready to go deeper, Southern Seminary's PhD program is where that begins. Visit sbts.edu/phd to learn more.

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How should a pastor decide what to preach next, and how far ahead should he plan?

Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan discuss the pastoral wisdom behind planning a preaching calendar, from choosing books of the Bible and balancing the Old and New Testaments to determining the length and pace of a sermon series. They explain why planning ahead doesn’t quench the Spirit, how expositional preaching protects pastors from their own hobby horses, and why the goal isn’t simply filling Sundays with sermons but faithfully feeding God’s people over time.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Prepare Your People For Sunday [The Everyday Pastor - Ep. 16]

When Pain Is Real and God Seems Silent by Ligon Duncan

The Treasury of David by C. H. Spurgeon

The Message of the Old Testament by Mark Dever

The Message of the New Testament by Mark Dever

If you're ready to go deeper, Southern Seminary's PhD program is where that begins. Visit sbts.edu/phd to learn more.

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What does it actually take to plant a healthy church? 

Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan discuss the joys, challenges, and realities of church planting. Drawing from Matt’s experience planting River City Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, they explore everything from assessing a call to church planting and gathering a core team to fundraising, developing leaders, and cultivating a healthy church culture.  

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Planting by Pastoring by Nathan Knight

Church Planting Thresholds by Clint Clifton

Why Plant Churches? by Tim Keller

New Churches Podcast  | ”Zero Year” | Season 1 | Episode 655

Church Planting Journals by IX Marks

If you're ready to go deeper, Southern Seminary's PhD program is where that begins. Visit sbts.edu/phd to learn more.

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