Strength for Today's Pastor

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This is the first of three podcast interviews with Pastor Al James, a long time member of the Poimen Ministries team and the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel in Prescott, Arizona (30 years). 

Foundational to all true pastoral ministry is the pastor's communion and union with God. Jesus pastored this way as the Good Shepherd (Pastor), and so should the senior or lead pastor of the church.  Discover new inspiration for your ministry in this episode. Very practical and timely.

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

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Episode number 100- a real milestone in the ministry of this podcast, but also of over 12 years of ministry as a team of pastors.

In this program, the roles are reversed as post production editor Jeff Jones interviews Poimen Ministries director Bill Holdridge. 

Listen in as Jeff asks Bill about:

• the origin of Poimen Ministries
• some of his personal habits and his life in Christ
• about the team of pastors
• about the why and how of choosing podcast interviewees

It's an interesting, and hopefully edifying discussion. Hope you can join us!

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Not lord it over others … Leadership by example … Humble … As a child … As the younger … Least … Last … No force … No selfish ambition … No reputation … Human … Obedient … Death on the Cross … Resurrection.

These are characteristics of Jesus Christ that all true believers can mimic and live out, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

They are also characteristics of the minister of Jesus Christ, if ministry is to be done Jesus-style.

Author, preacher, Bible teacher, and long-time pastor Gayle Erwin helps us with some of the nuts and bolts of following in the steps of our Great Pastor (The Jesus Style, The Father Style, The Spirit Style, Not Many Mighty, The Body Style, Handbook for Servants). 

• Pastoring with an others-centered style of leadership
• Learning how to understand the place of Humor, Anger, Authority, Freedom, Forgiveness, Worship, Fear, and Feelings in ministry
• Discover how Jesus dealt with manipulative people, and how to avoid these pitfalls
  • See why it's not really necessary to 'defend' Jesus, at least not in the ways we might think

It's a mini school of ministry to have a convo with Gayle Erwin. Hope you can join us for episode 99 of Strength for Today's Pastor.

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

For those of you who don’t know Gayle Erwin, Gayle is a long-time pastor, author, conference speaker, and as far as ministry is concerned, he is all about playing the one string he has on his guitar, which is the nature of Jesus. He’s all-in with regard to helping others understand who Jesus is and what that means as His servants.

Today we’re going to be focusing on aspects of Gayle’s book The Body Style.

How does the nature of Jesus connect with the developing of our churches, and the shape of the church?

Questions and discussion include:

• What influenced or motivated you to write The Body Style?
• What had you seen that caused you disillusionment concerning the Church?
• How did Jesus’ words, “I will build My Church” give you hope and freedom?
• Maybe you could comment briefly on the styles of organization churches use, and then focus mainly on the system Jesus used… very stimulating ideas!

Gayle Erwin has a lot to say, through a grid that will resonate with lovers of Jesus, with lovers of the grace of God, and with lovers of the truth. 

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Does anybody even practice what we call church discipline anymore?

And if a church does practice church discipline, why do they do it? How do they do it? What is its purpose?

Show host and Poimen Ministries Director Bill Holdridge draws from the scriptures, coupled with his experience in pastoral ministry, to make suggestions to pastors about the whys and how's of church disciple. For instance, Bill calls us these principles in mind:

1.  Church discipline is closely related to Christian discipleship.
2.  If the church discipline process requires separation from the body, the goal of the excommunication is restoration.
3.  Church discipline is actually an application of Divine chastening.

To be a Great Commission church, the church must exercise church discipline with its many forms and applications. To be a holy church, the church must practice church disciple. To develop mature believers, the church must trust Jesus to assist Him as He perfects His people. One tool He uses is church discipline. This podcast is aimed at helping pastors and churches do this better, with grace and truth applied at the same time.

BULLET POINT #1- Church discipline is closely related to Christian discipleship. 

Discipline and discipleship are part of the same idea. Discipleship could also be called preventative church discipline. When congregants are discipled, they are not candidates for church discipline. A person who is in the Word, in prayer, in fellowship, who exercises his/her spiritual gifts for others’ sake, who is involved in the Great Commission, who is accountable, etc. has made himself immune to the need for corrective church discipline.

BULLET POINT #2- Church discipline is actually an application of Divine chastening. (Hebrews 12:6-8)

BULLET POINT #3- Matthew 18:15-18 has to do with interpersonal conflicts. Against you is not found in Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus do not contain these words, but the Majority text does. (https://credohouse.org/blog/textual-problem-study-matthew-1815)

BULLET POINT #4- The number of people who are made aware of the discipline is determined by the number of people who know the ones being disciplined. 

BULLET POINT #5- If the church discipline process requires separation from the body, the goal of the excommunication is restoration. Restoration to God, first. Then to other believers, second. (Galatians 6:1)

BULLET POINT #6- Authority to exercise church disciple comes directly from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20)

BULLET POINT #7- Conditions must be clear for the disciplined person’s return into full fellowship.

BULLET POINT #8- The church governing documents (Bylaws) and board minutes must be consistent with the Bible’s teaching on church discipline, and internally consistent with BOD minutes or elder’s meeting minutes.

BULLET POINT #9- Effective church discipline requires a deep team of leaders that are all-in, and who understand how church discipline should be practiced, Biblically.

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

What is the purpose of the gift of tongues? What is its most common use? How is it exercised in a corporate setting "decently and in order'? 

What is the baptism with the Holy Spirit? What is the main evidence of being filled (baptized) with the Holy Spirit?

These questions have clear Biblical and practical answers, and Gayle Erwin will help us find out what those answers are.

Gayle Erwin is a longtime pastor, Bible teacher, conference speaker, and author. His books included The Jesus Style, The Father Style, The Spirit Style, and The Body Style. 

It's always a blessing to hear from Gayle ... his unique story telling ability, his years of experience, his sense of humor, and his love for Jesus and His grace all combine to make each encounter with him a rich experience. 

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Gayle Erwin is an international treasure, a man who has allowed the Lord to use his life for many years as an author, pastor, lecturer, professor, and conference speaker.

Gayle has (as he puts it) "one string on his guitar," and that string is Jesus and His nature.

This podcast is on that subject. How does the nature of Jesus effect the way we live as pastors, and how we shepherd the flocks the Lord has committed to our charge?

In Gayle's classic book The Jesus Style, Gayle goes into great detail to show that the nature of Jesus is understood from these descriptions embedded in the teachings of Scripture:

 1. Jesus came as a Servant (not to be served)

2. Jesus did not Lord It over others... 

3. Jesus came as an Example 

4. Jesus was Humble 

5. Jesus came as a Child 

6. Jesus came as the Younger 

7. Jesus was Last 

8. Jesus was Least 

9. Jesus used No Force 

10. Jesus possessed No Blind or Selfish Ambition 

11. Jesus made Himself of No Reputation 

12. Jesus was fully Human 

13. Jesus was wholly Obedient 

14. Jesus was obedient unto Death

Hopefully, this podcast will inspire pastors and leaders to undergo a new and fresh study of Jesus, that we might all make the Main One the main thing. 

In Gayle's own words, in the preface to the book, he writes: "This is the Jesus I want to talk about, the Jesus who called himself a servant. For reasons I cannot understand, I have not, in my research, found the qualities of servanthood, which seem so self-evident and basic to who Jesus is, treated in any but a surface and brief way. I only know that the realization of them and even minimal incorporation of them into life has power that I cannot describe; I can only invite you."

“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42–45)

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Spoiler Alert: this is much more than a dialogue on church polity. It has to do more with the way a pastor leads, the way he works with his fellow leaders.  This stuff is GOLDEN!

When Pastor David Guzik was pastoring in Simi Valley, CA, he delivered a message on the subject of church government. In that message, he acknowledged the three major forms of church government and then argued for the validity of a pastor led form of church government. The message was entitled "Church Government: Jesus Style and Moses Style." It's available in audio format here: https://enduringword.com/media/church-government-jesus-style-and-moses-style/. 

In this podcast,  David discusses with show host Bill Holdridge the subject of pastoral leadership some of the challenges and necessities of leading well. 

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Warren Wiersbe served the Lord Jesus well ... and his impact upon the body of Christ, and upon pastor-teachers, is incalculable.

Join host Bill Holdridge as he is joined by Pastors David Guzik (https://enduringword.com) and Jeff Jones as they share about the legacy of this faithful steward of God's Word. This interview took place very shortly after Wiersbe's entrance into heaven (Warren Wiersbe: 5/16/29-5/2/2019).

Jeff shares about his personal meeting with WW and a great takeaway that Warren dropped on him in answer to one of Jeff's questions. 

David shares about Warren's Biblical and ministry contribution to the kingdom of God. 

This podcast will confirm the pastor's calling, and motivate him to pursue the best that God has appointed him for.

Though Warren Wiersbe is in heaven, his writings and his life still speak.

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Pastors of churches of less than 200 people? Did you know that the church you pastor is a 'normal' sized church? Did you know that the normal sized  church is called that because it's the normative sized church, world-wide? Are you discouraged because your church hasn't become a medium, large, or mega sized church? 

Karl Vaters is a current voice, speaking wisely to pastors of small (aka "normal") churches. Since a very, very large percentage of churches fall into this category, it stands to reason that the pastors of such churches are normal pastors. It's not at all unusual to be a normal pastor of a normal sized church.

The challenge is to be the best kind of church that Jesus can make the church to be. And the best kind of pastor.

Karl Vaters has helped the cause of the kingdom of God greatly with his three books:  The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches and the Small Thinking that Divides Us, Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of Under 250, and 100 Days to a Healthier Church: A Step-By-Step Guide for Pastors and Leadership Teams.

Show host Bill Holdridge interviews Karl, with a helpful focus for pastors re: how to navigate the current Covid-19 crisis and beyond.

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!