Leading people through change can feel like teaching your toddler to eat with a spoon or explaining to a southerner why we make hot-dish instead of casserole. It can be frustrating, repetitive, and not always received well. But does it have to be this way? How can we lead well through change? How can we avoid some of the traps and pitfalls? How can we encourage and care for people along the way? These are just some of the questions that will get answered in our conversation with Steve on navigating change in the rural church. 

Nearly 40 percent of pastors have seriously considered leaving their jobs in the last couple years. More and more pastors are experiencing anxiety and burnout as they try to navigate today's challenges. Our guest, Ned Eerdmans, joins us to talk about some of the things that cause anxiety and burnout for pastors, how to take steps towards healing, and things we can do to avoid it altogether. 

Article listing major causes of burnout: https://www.subsplash.com/blog/pastor-burnout

Barna poll data: https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-well-being/

Dr. Martin Giese: https://www.nae.org/thriving-rural-church/

Help! I need some elders. We've all been there. Finding the right elders to serve in your church can be challenging. In this episode we discuss how to form elder teams, who is qualified to serve, and how should we equip people to shepherd well as elders. 

On this episode we tackle the question, how should we be defining success in ministry, and what metrics or measurables do we find to be helpful in evaluating success? 

In this episode we have the opportunity to interview Pastor Micheal Simmerman from Owatonna, Minnesota. We discuss the blessings and challenges of rural ministry, how to avoid burnout, and what faithful ministry looks like for rural pastors. 

1:45 - Micheal Simmerman Introduction

4:30 - What kind of rural is Owatonna? Uniqueness of rural ministry. 

17:10 - What do you love about your church?

26:50 - What are the challenges of leading in a rural church? 

34:55 - What is one thing that God has led your church towards or through that has strengthened your church? 

43:00 - Where are you on the scale from burnout to healthy and on mission? How do you combat or avoid burnout? 

51:20 - What does faithful ministry look like for rural church pastors? 

57:30 - Why are you doing this podcast? 

Welcome to Ope! I'm A Pastor. Our podcast about ministering in the rural church. In this episode we discuss why we are doing this podcast, what rural means to us, and some of the blessings and challenges of rural ministry.