Hope Renewed

Studies indicate that upward of 85% of Protestant churches in the US have less than 200 members. This means many (if not most) pastors are serving in small context ministries, which bring unique challenges and stresses. An Author and Conference Leader, Pastor Chris Vitarelli has served in small (or “ordinary”) church contexts for over 20 years and has a passion to serve those who also minister in this context. We talk with him about his experiences, specific challenges of being in small church ministry, the vision for the Small Church BIG Deal Conference and book, his insights into staying healthy in small church ministry, what we all can learn from small church ministry and why there are BIG advantages to serving in a small church.

Links to Chris’s resources:

· The book: Small Church BIG Deal

· The Conference: Small Church BIG Deal

· Chris’s Author Page

Conflict hurts!

According to our guest Dr. Daniel Borg, conflict “divides people, destroys careers, devastates friendships, and distracts churches from their God-given mission. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus called His followers to unity, forgiveness, and reconciliation.” Sit with us as we talk with fellow PIR Regional Director Dan Borg, who has studied, taught and lived out conflict management.

In this episode we discuss:

· Why is church conflict so prevalent? Is it inevitable? Can it be avoided?

· What’s a helpful perspective to have about conflict in the church?

· Why do pastors struggle with managing conflict? Why do so many seem to get conflict “wrong”?

· What happens to the church and to the pastor when conflict goes unaddressed and/or unmanaged?

· What is a healthy role for a pastor to take in church conflict?

· What should a pastor do when they realize they have been/are managing conflict poorly?

· What should a pastor do when they are overwhelmed by conflict and want to give up?

· How do you deal with difficult people and those who create/thrive on conflict?

· How do you know when to get outside help?

Resources mentioned in this podcast:

v Watch the Managing Conflict Videos

v Check out Dan’s Book When Christians Clash

v Contact  Dr. Daniel Borg [email protected]

v Sean mentions Edwin Friedman’s book A Failure of Nerve

Who is PIR? We had a unique opportunity recently to sit down as a staff and share together. Included in this episode are introductions of the people in the ministry, motivations underlying our sense of call to serve PIR, how we feel our individual experiences have equipped us to serve others, some "success stories" of where God has used PIR, our perspectives of the current state of ministry challenges for pastors and what keeps us up at night as well as brings us hope, and what we would like pastors to hear from us. Get to know the people who serve you in PIR!

Sharon Garlough Brown, award-winning author of the Sensible Shoes series, talks about her own experience as an author, a pastor, and spiritual director. We discuss the unique format of her spiritually formative fiction and why one of her characters struggles to find her identity in Christ as a pastor.  Pastors will be challenged to ask the question, “who am I if I’m not a pastor?” Find out more about her books at sharongarloughbrown.com and her ministry at abidingway.life.

Many times, the routines and rigors of ministry can tempt a pastor to give up. How much more during these demanding times when it seems like every decision is second guessed and every action is highly scrutinized. Before you give in to a sense of defeat, sit with Tom and Sean as they explore the hope Christ offers to those who are ready to toss in the towel.

In part two of our interview with spiritual director, Joshua Banner, we talk about the importance of rest for pastors. We also talk about how to find a spiritual director and why it’s important to choose a director carefully. If you'd like to learn more about Spiritual Direction or access Josh's resources, visit his webpage The Invitation.

In this two-part interview with spiritual director, Joshua Banner, we explore the nature of spiritual direction and how it can help pastors find new hope in Christ. In part one, Josh explains what spiritual direction is and challenges us to think seriously about how aware we are of God’s presence.

Where does a pastor find hope and healing when life and ministry bring disappointment, discouragement and even displacement? In the arms of God’s grace as expressed in the Body of believers. Join us as we continue our conversation with Dr. Jim Amandus, the first Pastor In Residence. Jim shares how the local church can be a place of hope and healing for pastors and their spouses.

What does a pastor look like after a season of renewal and restoration? In this episode of Hope Renewed we talk with Dr. Jim Amandus, the first pastor to walk through the Pastor In Residence process. As a PIR, Jim and his wife were welcomed into a Refuge Church, given opportunity to both engage in ministry and find healing and restoration, and discern God’s next steps for them. His story is one of both struggle and hope, and a testimony to God’s redemptive work in and through His church.

Ministry abounds with expectations, but what can hide on the dark side of unmet or unrealistic ones can leave a pastor empty and losing heart. Discouragement lies along the path to compassion fatigue and burnout. While disappointment is normal and inevitable, a pastor needs to stand guard against discouragement. In this episode of Hope Renewed we explore where discouragement comes from, and what helps us to stand strong in the battle of hope.