A great sermon doesn’t begin with a microphone—it begins with a voice that has been forged in obscurity.  

In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Pastor Ryan Marr of Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg invites listeners behind the scenes of that often hidden process, tracing the slow, sometimes painful work of *finding your own teaching voice*. Far from offering quick tips or performance tricks, Marr insists that true preaching is where life and doctrine collide, producing a message that not only informs but transforms both preacher and hearer.

Drawing from the pastoral epistles and years in the pulpit, Marr describes the journey of discovering how God has uniquely wired you to communicate, then submitting that voice to scrutiny, feedback, and refinement. He urges teachers to ask unsettling questions—“Am I right on this topic? How can I grow?”—while relentlessly sharpening their words so that the **headline is always the story of Jesus**, not the personality of the preacher.

But the heart of his message is not technique; it’s dependence. Marr argues that the most compelling preaching comes when a flawed, still-learning teacher chooses to **listen to God’s voice**, relying on the Holy Spirit more than eloquence. Along the way, he speaks candidly about fear, conflict, and the vulnerability of saying hard things from the pulpit, and he makes a surprising claim: what people remember most is not a perfect outline, but a preacher who **genuinely enjoys God**.

For anyone on the long road of learning to teach the Bible—whether you’re nervously preparing your first sermon or refining your fiftieth—this episode offers a bracing, hopeful reminder: your voice is worth developing, not because it’s impressive, but because, in God’s hands, it can help others see Jesus more clearly.

For information about our upcoming training events visit ⁠ExpositorsCollective.com⁠ 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

What can Irish Presbyterianism teach the wider church about preaching? In this wide-ranging conversation, Mike Neglia sits down with his friend Rev Richie Cronin to discuss the craft, character, and calling of faithful ministry. Drawing from his experience in Irish Presbyterian circles, Richie reflects on the influences that shaped him, the books and mentors that formed him, and the lessons he has learned from years in the pulpit.

Along the way, the conversation explores everything from sermon preparation and delivery to feedback, vocal habits, reading, pastoral longevity, and the dangers of performing rather than simply preaching. Richie offers practical wisdom on avoiding the “preacher voice,” building better sermon transitions, developing as a communicator, and stewarding the opportunities that come with different seasons of ministry. He also reflects on the influence of Tim Keller, the strengths and weaknesses of experiential Calvinism, the role of law and gospel in preaching, and why many pastors would benefit from preaching shorter sermons.

The discussion touches on broader questions as well, including biblical leadership, complementarian convictions, artificial intelligence, and what people actually need from their pastors in an age of endless distractions and competing voices. Throughout the conversation, Richie consistently returns to a simple conviction: the church needs Christ, His Word, and faithful shepherds who are willing to keep showing up, keep studying, and keep preaching.

Recorded for the Expositors Collective Podcast, this episode offers practical encouragement for preachers, pastors, ministry leaders, and anyone seeking to grow in the lifelong task of communicating God's Word faithfully.

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Artificial intelligence can generate outlines, summaries, illustrations, and sermon-like content in seconds. But should preachers use it? And if so, how?

In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Mike Neglia hosts a live panel discussion with Bob Franquiz, Pilgrim Benham, Ryan Marr, and Alan Stoddard on AI, ChatGPT, pastoral integrity, and the future of sermon preparation.

Rather than simply asking whether AI can save time, the panel presses into deeper questions. What happens to the preacher when the work of sermon preparation is delegated to a machine? Can technology glorify God, or can it train us to depend less on prayer, study, Scripture, and the Holy Spirit? Where might AI serve as a limited tool, and where does it become a dangerous substitute?

Pilgrim Benham reflects on the moral weight of technology and warns against treating tools as spiritually neutral. Ryan Marr offers a thoughtful, contrarian perspective on the formative effects of AI in the life of the preacher. Bob Franquiz speaks to the limits of ChatGPT, reminding listeners that AI can generate words quickly, but it cannot pastor people, carry a burden, or replace the preacher’s communion with God in the text. Mike Neglia also suggests a narrow and cautious way AI might be used after a sermon draft is mostly complete, as a tool for clarification rather than creation.

The central concern of this conversation is not fear of technology, but faithfulness in ministry. Preachers are called to study, pray, think, shepherd, and proclaim. AI may assist with certain tasks, but it cannot replace the spiritual and pastoral work of preaching.

This conversation was recorded at an Expositors Collective preacher training event in St Petersburg, Florida.

As a sidebar, the panel also ends with discussion on mentoring relationships, spotting future leaders, "overpreparing" early in ministry, the value of reading while you are young, and the difficult question every preacher faces: how do you know when a sermon is actually done?

Featured guests

Bob Franquiz is the Founding and Senior Pastor of Calvary Fellowship in Miramar, Florida. He is the author of seven books, including Pull: Making Your Church Magnetic and Begin: First Steps for the Journey of Faith. Before entering pastoral ministry, Bob played guitar for the Christian hardcore band Strongarm, often regarded as one of the most influential Christian metal bands of its era. Prior to planting Calvary Fellowship, he served as an assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. Bob holds a Ph.D. in Bible Exposition from Liberty University and a master’s degree in theological studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife, Carey, have been married since 1997 and have three children: Mia, Alexander, and Olivia.

Pilgrim Benham has planted churches and pastored since 2002. He is the Dean of Students at Calvary Chapel Bible College, an instructor, and serves on the pastoral team at WestChurch in Bradenton, Florida. Pilgrim loves equipping the saints and also does sermon coaching when not enjoying Florida’s beaches.

Ryan Marr is the Lead Pastor of Calvary Chapel St Petersburg, where he has served in pastoral ministry since 2004. He holds an M.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from Western Seminary, and brings years of experience in preaching, leadership, and local church ministry.

Dr Alan Stoddard is the lead pastor of Imagine Church in Granbury, Texas, and is part of the Expositors Collective leadership team.

AI and the Preacher's Calling - Dr Paul Hoffman : https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Fsx7d2iGUXh2oUcQOnyYG?si=9157ccf1a9144cac 

The Perils and Possibilities of ChatGPT - Nick Cady and Mike Neglia: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2oTViQSw1a641dsMqfyMOO?si=6f3cc77c796d4174

Connect:

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

The Bible makes sense in its deepest and richest capacity only when we read it through Jesus shaped goggles. When we see all of it through the lens of its Main Character – it should cause us to preach explicitly Christian sermons.

Mike Neglia (with some help from Pilgrim Benham) explains, shows and tells how to preach Gospel centered sermons that proclaim the gospel from every passage at our in-person training event in St Petersburg, Florida. 

After graduating Bible college in Siegen, Germany in the summer of 2002, Mike flew to London, then hitchhiked across the UK and over to Ireland and finished up in the city of Cork. He helped out with Calvary Chapel Cork for a few weeks of summer outreaches and intended on leaving, but the pastor asked him to stay on “for a little bit longer.” He stayed in Cork as a full-time missionary youth outreach coordinator/assistant for more than two years. In 2005 the pastor felt called by the Lord to go elsewhere (New Zealand) and asked if Mike and Rachel would consider staying on and taking over the church. His first Sunday morning was October 18, 2005, preaching to a congregation of four people. 

Recommended Episodes:

Is it a stretch to say that everything in the Bible points to Jesus? –

https://anchor.fm/theologyforthepeople/episodes/Christ-Centered-Hermeneutics—Part-1-Is-it-a-stretch-to-say-that-everything-in-the-Bible-points-to-Jesus—-with-Mike-Neglia-e17q0sd

Responding to Objections to Christ-Centered Hermeneutics: https://anchor.fm/theologyforthepeople/episodes/Christ-Centered-Hermeneutics—Part-2-Responding-to-Objections-to-Christ-Centered-Hermeneutics—with-Mike-Neglia-e18563k

From Punk to Pastor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCRutGpHvT8 

The Preacher as Historian Linguist and Mystic: https://www.expositorscollective.com/podcast/2019/2/26/episode-36-the-preacher-as-historian-linguist-and-mystic

Connect:

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

When a sermon feels alive on Sunday, it usually did not begin on Saturday night. In this practical and energising session, Bob Franquiz walks through the hidden work of faithful sermon preparation, showing how expository preaching is shaped by disciplined rhythms, careful attention to the text, clear structure, meaningful application, and a pastor’s love for the people in front of him. Bob explains why preparation begins with knowing your own best study rhythm, why the biblical text must speak before commentaries or other preachers do, and how an overarching theme turns a Bible study into a sermon. He also shows how strong sermon points can carry application, how illustrations and humour help truth connect, and why the preacher’s own personality is not a distraction from the message, but one of the ways truth is delivered. Along the way, he offers practical guidance on word studies, commentary use, building a theological library, preaching to a mixed congregation, listening to prayer requests, and letting early preparation create clarity and passion in the pulpit. This message was recorded live at an Expositors Collective training event in Florida.

Listen to an earlier interview with Bob about his doctoral work here: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/episode/3pTRNOfm9AGXfThCoTjMjv?si=0b43b55069bc4143⁠

For information about our upcoming training events visit ⁠ExpositorsCollective.com⁠ 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Danny Keating chats with Mike about how our last in-person training event went, how he is implementing some of its curriculum into his own church in Waterford, Ireland, and they almost miss their flight!

The life of the preacher matters, and in this searching message Dr Alan Stoddard calls Bible teachers back to integrity, honesty, holiness, and the fear of God.

Originally delivered at an Expositors Collective training event in St Petersburg, Florida in 2025, this episode addresses one of the most urgent questions facing pastors and ministry leaders today: what kind of person should stand before God’s people and handle God’s Word?

Alan speaks candidly about a church culture that has been painfully shaken by moral failure, abuse scandals, celebrity pastor collapses, plagiarism, hidden compromise, and failures of accountability. But this is not a message of cynicism or despair. It is a call to recover the fear of God, to live above reproach, and to remember that effective expository teaching flows from a life, not merely a process.

Drawing from 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, and the values of the Expositors Collective, Alan argues that preaching happens through the personality of the preacher, and that personality must be shaped by a real relationship with God. The preacher must not only explain Scripture accurately, but be formed by Scripture deeply.

In this message, Alan highlights eight traits that should mark those who handle the Word of God: grace-filled, honest, secure, hard-working, bold, zealous, teachable, and sympathetic. He speaks directly about sermon plagiarism, the temptation to rely on artificial shortcuts, the need to write our own sermons, the courage to preach difficult texts, and the importance of proclaiming the gospel boldly without chasing celebrity, eloquence, or applause.

For pastors, Bible teachers, small group leaders, and anyone entrusted with the ministry of the Word, this episode is a timely reminder: preach grace, but live as someone changed by grace; teach holiness, but do not become harsh or judgmental; proclaim the Word, but stand under it first.

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Preach Small: Faithfulness, Creation, and Church Planting

In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Mike speaks with Seth Lewis, pastor of Carrigtwohill Baptist Church in County Cork, Ireland, about the quiet and often hidden work of faithful ministry.

Seth reflects on preaching during the first year of a church plant, the temptation to measure ministry by visible size or immediate results, and the importance of aiming our ambitions towards the things that matter to God. Drawing from his book Dream Small: The Secret Power of the Ordinary Christian Life, Seth encourages preachers and church leaders to pay attention to the small acts of faithfulness that often go unseen, but are deeply significant in the kingdom of God.

The conversation also explores Seth’s second book, The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God, and how the created world can help preachers read Scripture with fresh attention. Seth discusses the way Jesus used ordinary things - seeds, birds, fields, bread, water, and weather - to reveal profound truths about God, and how modern preachers can learn to see the world as a rich source of theological reflection and sermon illustration.

Whether you are preaching in a new church plant, serving in an ordinary and unnoticed place, or seeking to grow in your personal study and public proclamation of God’s Word, this conversation is an invitation to embrace the small, attend to creation, and preach with patient faithfulness.

Seth Lewis is pastor of Carrigtwohill Baptist Church in County Cork, Ireland. He and his wife Jessica have three children, a turtle, and a small garden. Seth is the author of Dream Small: The Secret Power of the Ordinary Christian Life and The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God. He also writes weekly at sethlewis.ie.

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $140 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers. 

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.

Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

Connect

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

In this episode, Jonny Pollock joins Mike Neglia to reflect on preaching and pastoral ministry in small and rural church contexts. Jonny is the pastor of Calvary Church Loughrea, a church plant in a small town in County Galway, Ireland, which began in 2017 when he and his family relocated there to begin the work.

After an initial season of prayer and Bible study, the church began gathering for Sunday worship in 2018. Since then, the focus has remained simple and intentional: sharing the Gospel through the Word of God, while also sharing life together as a community shaped by God’s grace.

Drawing from that context, Jonny shares lessons from early preaching, the challenges of communicating with people who have little or no church background, and the importance of staying grounded in the care of souls rather than platform or visibility.

The conversation explores how to make biblical teaching accessible without diluting its depth, why new believers often ask the most insightful questions, and how intentional convictions shape the culture of a church. Throughout, Jonny and Mike return to a central conviction: we are not here to impress people, but to faithfully care for souls.

Jonny is also the author of How to Pray and How to Read the Bible, short and practical resources designed to help new believers engage with the foundations of the Christian life. He writes regularly on church planting, leadership, and mission in post-Christian contexts.

Learn more from Jonny:

Substack: jonnypollockwrites.substack.com

X: @jonnypollock 

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $140 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers. 

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.
Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

Connect
Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

What does success in church planting actually look like?

In this special crossover episode between the Expositors Collective and Cultivate podcasts, Mike Neglia speaks with Brian Kelly about the realities of planting and pastoring a church. Brian brings over twenty years of experience in church planting and mission work across East Africa, New Zealand, and the United States, along with firsthand involvement in multiple church plants and sending many others into ministry.

Together they discuss the weight that comes with planting a church, why the language of “planting” is a better metaphor than a startup model, and how pastors should think more like gardeners than entrepreneurs. Drawing on insights from The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry by Matthew Erickson, the conversation explores the slow, patient work of cultivating spiritual growth in a church community.

They also talk about the importance of planting teams, the role of families in ministry, the perseverance required to stay the course, and how initiatives like Cultivate seek to train, mentor, and support new church planters.

Whether you are planting a church, pastoring an existing congregation, or preparing for future ministry, this conversation offers wisdom, realism, and encouragement about what faithful ministry really looks like.

Find out more about Cultivate here: https://cultivatechurchplanting.com/

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $140 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers. 

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.
Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

ConnectJoin our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective