“Rainy Day Conversation around Greatheart’s Table” are audio interviews that I have with men and women who have insight on topics of concern to the Greatheart’s Table community.

For this conversation I’ve invited two men with a great deal of pastoral experience (60+ years between them) to speak into the subject of sustaining pastors in ministry, to keep them from “sinning out, tapping out, or burning out” as one of the participants puts it. 

Mike Osborne has pastored several churches and is currently serving as the Dean of Students at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He also is serving as a field shepherd with Standing Stone Ministries, an outreach to struggling pastors. 

Paul Joiner, after having served with the campus ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), pastored a church outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Currently he is the Director of Pastoral Wellbeing with the PCA’s Geneva Benefits Group.

Though both men are ordained in the PCA, as am I, the topic is a broad one that touches pastors in every context. And though, obviously, this conversation only scratches the surface of this massive subject, there are nevertheless insights here that I know will be helpful to many. And hopefully, it will spark further conversation. 

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EPISODE NOTES

Notes and resources relevant to this episode:

For an explanation about what the goal of these conversations is, and where the name comes from, listen here.

Hartford Institute Study: “I’m Exhausted All the Time”

Deshon and Quinn study on competencies

Resources available for pastors:

Geneva Benefits https://genevabenefits.org/wellbeing-services/ 

Standing Stone https://standingstoneministry.org/ 

Leaders Collective https://leaderscollective.com/

The Rest Initiative https://therestinitiative.org/ 

Bent Tree https://bent-tree.org/ 

Books mentioned include

Marshall Shelley Ministering to Problem People in Your Church: What to Do with Well-Intentioned Dragons

J. I. Packer, Knowing God

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal

In addition, Mike Osborne has written a helpful book on ministry challenges which was not mentioned during the podcast:

Michael E. Osborne, Surviving Ministry: How to Weather the Storms of Church Leadership

When you buy a book from Bookshop.org using a link on this page, Greatheart’s Table receives a commission. Thank you for supporting this work!

Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.
Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / Lyrics
Outro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video

To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.