The Everyday Pastor

Would your sermons make sense if Jesus didn’t die and rise again? If the answer is yes, your sermons may well be instructive, insightful, and inspiring, but they aren't yet Christian.

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Bryan Chapell—a “Jedi master” on the topic of Christ-centered preaching—brings decades of experience to this conversation with Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan on why (and how) to make Jesus Christ the hero of every sermon.

Recommended resources:

• Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon
• Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Sermons: Models of Redemptive Preaching
• Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice

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Liturgy is all the rage—or it’s not considered at all. In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan discuss the importance of a deliberate order of service, or liturgy, for Sunday worship. God summons us into his presence by his Word, and we respond by his grace. But what does this mean practically for what you do—and don’t—include in your Sunday services?

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What should churches do when they gather on Sunday? The answer isn’t as obvious as it may seem. In this episode, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan share how they prepare for Sunday worship in light of their pastoral role. And they discuss the “counterintuitively freeing” effect of rightly understanding the regulative principle of worship.

MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: 

• Greg Beale, We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry

Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together

In Christian ministry, it’s difficult to think of a greater occupational hazard than pride. But of course, pride can manifest itself in both “loud” and “quiet” ways. How, then, can pastors avoid the perils of pride? This episode of The Everyday Pastor focuses on practical tips for cultivating humility in the service of Jesus Christ.

Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together

Pastoral ministry is hard, and there’s often plenty to be discouraged about. But amid the hardships, it’s easy to lose sight of the joys. In this inaugural episode of The Everyday Pastor, young pastor Matt Smethurst sits down with Ligon Duncan, who has pastored for two decades. Together they reflect on some specific things they love about serving the church, helping pastors in any season to find fresh joy in the work of ministry.

MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• Ligon Duncan: A Tribute to My Mother
• Mark Dever, 2016 T4G: Endurance Needed: Strength For a Slow Reformation and the Dangerous Allure of Speed (“The joy of the elder’s chair”)
• Bobby Jamieson, The Path to Being a Pastor

Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together

The Everyday Pastor is a new podcast from TGC on the nuts and bolts of ministry. Hosted by Ligon Duncan, with nearly 20 years of pastoral experience, and Matt Smethurst, who planted a church three years ago, it seeks to model how ministers of different generations, levels of experience, and even denominations can apply God’s never-changing Word in a fast-changing world.

It’s not an easy time to be a pastor, but it’s an exciting one—because the Lord is on his throne and his Word is enough to help us navigate the trenches of ministry with fortitude and joy. So join Matt and Lig (and special guests along the way) as they seek to help you think wisely about nitty-gritty issues of everyday ministry.

Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together