The Messy Reformation

Episode 264: I've Never Fixed Anyone — Shaun Furniss (Part 2)


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If you walk into a pastoral care situation knowing exactly how to fix it, you will make it worse. That's where Part 2 begins—with Jason and Shaun naming the pride that destroys pastoral ministry the same way it destroyed King Saul. From there, the conversation turns to some of the most honest and practical territory the Messy Reformation has covered: what to do with the overwhelm you can't show the congregant, why your elders are co-shepherds and not a board, and what Ole Hallesby's book on prayer has to say to every pastor who has ever felt crushed by the weight of ministry.

The practical advice here is unglamorous and proven. Church doesn't end after the doxology. Get to know your district—not "so-and-so's sister" but her name. Pick two or three people each Sunday and have a real conversation in the narthex. Calvin said it well, and Jason paraphrases it from memory: the care of souls is so overwhelming it can never be done by one man—this is why God gave us a body of elders. The co-pastoring model at Trinity CRC makes this concrete: people want to be fed by the same hand that holds theirs at the bedside, not a specialist they barely recognize.

The episode closes with Hallesby's insight that all prayer flows from helplessness—and that prayerlessness is usually a sign you think you've got things under control. Helplessness, rightly understood, doesn't produce fear. It produces courage. And from there, the final from Shaun: "I've never fixed anyone. I've never healed anyone. I've never saved anyone. But by God's grace, I've had a front row seat to what he has done in many people's lives. And that compels us all the more to worship him."

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 — The Holy Spirit is the true counselor (rewind from Part 1)
  • 0:35 — If you step in knowing how to fix it, you will make it worse
  • 1:03 — King Saul: pride goes before the fall in all of pastoral ministry
  • 1:28 — As fathers and husbands: reliance on God in every moment
  • 1:45 — Parenting is like being a blind man in a dark cave
  • 3:00 — Valley of the shadows (Psalm 23): don't convey overwhelm to your congregant
  • 3:58 — Where to take pastoral overwhelm: the body of elders
  • 5:14 — Elders as the board you report to vs. the shepherds you link arms with
  • 5:43 — Being a non-anxious presence
  • 6:33 — Why pastors struggle to open up to their elders
  • 8:12 — Practical advice: get to know your districts
  • 8:58 — Church doesn't end after the doxology
  • 10:53 — CCEF and resources for pastoral counseling
  • 12:03 — The co-pastoring model at Trinity CRC: why it works
  • 14:28 — People want to be fed by the same hand that holds theirs at the bedside
  • 16:45 — The temptation to specialize: comes from the business world, not the Bible
  • 18:31 — All discipleship flows from some form of relationship
  • 19:17 — Pointing to Christ, not to yourself: the savior complex in pastoral ministry
  • 20:43 — Twice-a-week suicide notes: the season that broke Jason
  • 21:31 — Lord, this is your church. I'm going to bed.
  • 22:57 — Baptismal promises and the gut-wrenching reality: they were His before they were mine
  • 24:14 — Pastoral ministry is one of the most humbling things
  • 25:03 — One of the most beautiful and sanctifying callings
  • 25:34 — Calvin Seminary internship in the Dominican Republic
  • 26:26 — Ole Hallesby's Prayer: all prayer flows from helplessness
  • 28:20 — God won't give you more than He can handle (the correct version)
  • 30:07 — Final word invitation
  • 31:26 — I've never fixed anyone — but I've had a front row seat
  • Join and support us on Substack: https://themessyreformation.com/

    Intro music by Matt Krotzer

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