The biblical qualifications for ministry require that pastors be self-controlled, sober-minded, not a drunkard, etc. Jared and Ronnie have an insightful conversation in this episode about the various roots of some pastors’ lack of self-control, the importance of regulating one’s emotions, and how the pursuit of peace, stability, and gentleness is actually a pursuit of spiritual maturity and the fruit of sanctification.

The cliche ministry danger of “sacrificing one’s family on the altar of the church” is cliche for a reason. In this episode of the podcast, Jared and Ronnie explain the biblical qualification of being a “one-woman man” (as well as managing the household well and having “faithful” children) and how it speaks to an even larger faithfulness to the gospel in the life of a pastor.

The evangelical landscape is littered with the corpses of fallen ministries, and Jared and Ronnie have had more than a few friends among them. Listen in as they discuss what it means to be “above reproach” (as well as “respectable” and having a “good reputation with outsiders”), what it takes to pursue personal holiness, and what it is for pastors to be known and loved by Jesus (and others).

What happens when you put two veteran pastors and friends in a room and ask them to have a candid conversation about ministry? In this all-new podcast series, The Heart of Pastoring, Jared C. Wilson and Ronnie Martin reflect on the biblical qualifications for pastors in gracious, thoughtful, and — very often — humorous ways. In this prefatory episode to the first season, our two hosts introduce themselves, tell a bit of their stories and their deep ministry experience, and lay the groundwork for where they’re going with the rest of the series.