Greatheart's Table

Something that is rarely discussed, it seems to me, is when pastors should leave a church. Rarely discussed, of course, does not mean rarely thought about. I’m an advocate of long pastorates in single places. But not every place is suited for that. There may come a time when it’s time for a pastor to […]

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another Greatheart’s Table Conversation for Rainy Day People, which is actually a reprise of our original conversation first posted in September of 2024. In this conversation I speak with three women with a wealth of ministry experience to discuss the unique challenges and joys of serving as the spouse of a […]

This episode invites us to consider the leadership models we as pastors, but as those filling any role, really, adopt and promote. Authoritarian leadership styles seem to be sweeping the world by storm, and these are trends which pastors particularly must stand against. Why? Because if we are followers of Jesus, he, not the demands […]

This is the third of three episodes drawn from the content of the retreat I offer for parents of off-script kids, the adult children of Christian parents who have made life choices troubling to their parents. In the retreat I help parents unlearn the toxic teaching which has loaded great guilt upon them, and I […]

Those who know me know how skeptical I am about the use of statistics by pastors, and how much I mistrust a certain oft-quoted polling organization based in California.  But my concern is not statistics per se, but the fact that if we are not careful the pulpit, instead of being a place of truth, […]

As many know, on the first, second, and third Mondays of each month I reproduce here an audio version of my Substack newsletter, for those who prefer their content in audio form. But on the third and fifth Mondays I release audio only conversations with others who have insight into concerns relevant to pastors. This […]

I love good children’s books. This is so well known, that a 9 year old member of our church recently took great joy in giving me Volume 1 of a collection of Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie books. She was beaming, and so was I. Books like these ought to be read for the sheer […]

The content of this episode is excerpted from my retreat addressing what I call “off-script kids.” I explained this in a post a few weeks ago. The retreat is linked in the show notes. Parents of off-script kids carry many different emotions. But what they should not have to carry is the burden of guilt, […]

Ordinarily you only hear me on these episodes. But periodically I like to drop into the mix longer conversations with men and women who have insight into pastoral well-being or practice. Rainy Day People are, as suggested by Gordon Lightfoot’s song of that name, those who know what to say, and do so with care […]

Inasmuch as the title and conceit of this podcast and the newsletter on which it is based is drawn from the allegory Pilgrim’s Progress, I trust you will allow me occasional flights of fancy, such as is this one. Is it a dream? I’m not sure. I have been pondering, though, the repeated emphasis in […]