Pastors are called to walk alongside suffering saints, but what about when the pastor is the sufferer?

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, pastor Garrett Kell joins Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan to share about a season of family hardship—and what it looked like to receive care from his church community. He testifies to the beauty of Christ’s body and the faith-fortifying role of pain, encouraging shepherds to remember that they, too, are among Christ’s sheep.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every pastor affirms the importance of prayer and likely excels at it publicly, but consistency in private prayer is hard. And it isn't easy to foster a congregation-wide culture of prayer.

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan discuss practical tips for improving your prayer life—and the praying habits of your whole congregation. After all, a church that will be found faithful is a church that will be found praying.

Recommended resources:

• A Way to Pray by Matthew Henry
• 5 Things to Pray for Your Kids by Melissa Kruger
• 5 Things to Pray for Your Spouse: Prayers That Change and Strengthen Your Marriage by Michael and Melissa Kruger
• I'm Praying for You: 40 Days of Praying the Bible for Someone Who Is Suffering by Nancy Guthrie
• Prayers on the Psalms by David Calhoun (ed.)
• Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation by Don  Carson

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Leadership is an art, and many pastors get it wrong—sometimes with devastating results.

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Paul Tripp joins Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan to discuss how a pastor can lead well for the flourishing of the whole church. The conversation touches on the importance of fostering a healthy leadership community, the gift of limits, responding to criticism and praise, the difference-making role of gospel grace, and more.

Recommended resources:

• Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp
• Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church by Paul David Tripp
• Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Theology is vital for life. We know this as pastors, but do our members? Are we helping them to grow in thinking theologically?

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan discuss practical ways to promote deeper love for God’s truth. After all, how our people view him will make all the difference in their lives.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When Paul lists elder qualifications, he mentions Satan twice (1 Tim. 3:6–7). Why? The devil loves to stalk and destroy shepherds. And one of his main strategies is tempting us toward little compromises—which never remain little—in the realm of sexual purity.

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Garrett Kell joins Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan to discuss lessons he’s learned the hard way, how to foster transparency among leadership, practical tools for pursuing purity, and more.

Recommended resource: Pure in Heart: Sexual Sin and the Promises of God by Garrett Kell

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Assurance of salvation is a deeply precious gift, but many Christians struggle to experience it. Pastors have the unique privilege—and challenge—of being “soul doctors” in our people’s lives.

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan discuss how to apply the gospel to nominal Christians (who shouldn’t have assurance), struggling Christians (who should), and all Christ’s sheep who are meant to revel in marvelous news: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do your members prioritize the Lord’s Day? Are they maximizing their time at church? In a hyper-busy age, we can serve our people by preparing them to come on Sundays ready to grow, ready to serve, and ready to launch.

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Ligon Duncan and Matt Smethurst offer practical tips for helping your congregation get the most out of corporate worship.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Men and women aren't interchangeable, and God’s gendered design is a beautiful thing. How can pastors encourage and equip the godly women that the Lord entrusts to their care? It has been said, after all, that there’s no such thing as a healthy church in which the men flourish but the women don't.

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan discuss how pastors can better support the women in their churches, highlighting the vital role women play in the overall health of the congregation.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Doctrines are more like an interconnected web than an itemized list. So how do we determine which matters are debatable in a church—and which are not? Not all beliefs are equally important, after all. 

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan encourage pastors to think carefully about the respective “weight” Scripture assigns various doctrines—and the implications for unity grounded in truth and love.

Recommended resources:

• Westminster Confession of Faith
• The New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith 1833
• Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage by Gavin Ortlund

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever wondered why two churches can be so similar in their doctrinal beliefs but so different in their practices? How can we make sure our methodology is rooted in theology, not mere pragmatism?

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan are joined by Michael Lawrence to discuss the underrated importance of ministry philosophy in our churches.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.