Practical(ly) Pastoring

A podcast by pastors for pastors who want to share ideas, become better shepherds and have a good time with friends.

Practical(ly) Pastoring is a religion podcast hosted by Practically Pastoring, with 211 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Practically Pastoring hosts Practical(ly) Pastoring, a religion show with 211 episodes published.

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  Practical(ly) Pastoring

  Cut Them or Coach Them

  Aug 17, 202655 min

  This week we’ve got two questions about worship leaders, but they represent two very different staffing problems. First, a lead pastor inherited a worship pastor who just doesn’t seem to fit. Eight months in, there are significant differences in philosophy of ministry and worship, almost every request seems to generate pushback, and now volunteers are starting to express their own frustrations. The pastor thinks it may be time to make a change, but this isn’t a simple competency issue. So when does bad chemistry become a legitimate staffing problem? How do you distinguish between personality differences, philosophical incompatibility, and actual insubordination? And if it really is time to move on, how do you do it in a way that is clear, kind, and healthy for the church? Then we flip the situation. A younger, part-time worship leader is talented, well-liked, and doing a great job on Sundays, but struggling with communication, meetings, planning, and leading outside of the platform. Is that a problem that needs correcting, or a young leader who simply needs someone to teach him how ministry employment actually works? Before churches complain about what a part-time employee isn’t doing, they also need to ask whether they’ve clearly communicated the expectations and whether they’re actually paying for enough hours to accomplish them. Ultimately, we’re talking about knowing when to cut someone loose and when to coach them up. Clear expectations, honest conversations, accountability, and a willingness to invest in people can make all the difference. Sometimes the person really is misaligned. Sometimes they just don’t know what nobody has bothered to teach them. Thanks to Church Merch for sponsoring the show. For shirts, mugs, banners, promotional products, and more, check out Church Merch through Promotions Guy. And thanks to Preach26 , happening October 6–8 in The Woodlands, Texas. Head to preach26.com, and use code PASTORPOD at checkout to get your name entered twice in all the conference giveaways, including a three-night getaway at Jackson Lake Lodge in Wyoming. And don’t forget the Practically Pastoring Facebook community. Join more than 1,400 pastors and ministry leaders, jump into the conversation, and post your ministry questions anonymously for a chance to have us work through them on a future episode.

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  Practical(ly) Pastoring

  New Pastor, New Pressures

  Aug 3, 20261h 2m

  In this episode of Practically Pastoring , Andrew, Tim, Delmar, and Jeff tackle two questions from pastors stepping into new levels of responsibility. First, the guys respond to a young pastor in his first week of leading a church after the previous pastor left abruptly. He is already preaching twice a week, facing opposition, and wondering whether sermon preparation can count as his personal devotional time. The conversation explores the relationship between studying Scripture for yourself and studying it for the congregation. The guys discuss why sermon preparation should nourish the pastor, why personal devotion should not become a rigid legalistic requirement, and how pastors can build sustainable rhythms of prayer, reading, journaling, and study. They also address the warning signs beneath the question. Opposition during the first week likely reveals unresolved grief, hurt, or conflict that predates the new pastor. Rather than preaching at critics or assuming every concern is persecution, the pastor needs outside relationships, honest self-examination, and the wisdom to learn what happened before he arrived. The guys also talk about the strain of preaching two distinct sermons every week and whether a church’s second gathering needs another full sermon. Suggestions include preaching through books of the Bible, developing additional teachers, using trusted sermon resources wisely, and creating intentional seasons and breaks for midweek or evening services. The conversation turns to a youth pastor preparing to become the senior pastor of a struggling church that has been without pastoral leadership for more than two years. The guys discuss listening before leading, honoring the older members who carried the church through difficult seasons, learning the congregation’s history, and building trust through ordinary pastoral presence. Meals, hospital visits, funerals, home visits, and consistent biblical preaching will often accomplish more during the first year than a polished vision presentation. They also explore how youth ministry prepares someone for senior leadership through preaching, volunteer development, conflict management, team building, and shepherding families. A new senior pastor may be a rookie in the position, but he is not necessarily a rookie pastor. The Practically Pastoring Facebook Community includes more than 1,400 pastors and ministry leaders asking real questions, sharing practical wisdom, and encouraging one another through the challenges of ministry. Many of the questions discussed on the podcast come directly from the community, and questions can be posted publicly or anonymously. Search Facebook for the Practically Pastoring Facebook Community , join the conversation, and invite another pastor or ministry leader who needs people in his corner. Do not do ministry alone. Church Merch provides high-quality shirts, mugs, banners, speakers, Apple products, promotional items, and more for churches and ministries. Their products are comfortable, durable, and backed by real customer service. Church Merch also supports gospel-centered ministry initiatives, including resources that help Christians create opportunities to pray with people in everyday life. Visit promotionsguy.com/churchmerch . Church Merch, merch for your church. Preach26 is a conference for pastors and ministry leaders happening October 6 through 8 in The Woodlands, Texas. The conference gives pastors an opportunity to connect with others navigating similar ministry challenges while learning from leaders including Dane Ortlund, Brian McCormack, Hakeem Bradley, and more. The purchase of a ticket also enters attendees into conference giveaways, including a three-night getaway for two at Jackson Lake Lodge in Wyoming. Visit www.preach26.com and use the promo code PastorPod at checkout to receive two entries in all conference giveaways, including the Wyoming weekend getaway.

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  Practical(ly) Pastoring

  Who’s Watching the Kids?

  Jul 27, 202658 min

  In this episode of Practically Pastoring , Andrew, Tim, Delmar, and Jeff tackle two children’s ministry questions that both require clarity, wisdom, and a willingness to have uncomfortable conversations. First, the guys discuss a 10 or 11-year-old boy who sometimes comes to church without his parents and regularly lingers after the service. His desire to get himself to church should be celebrated, but it also raises important questions about supervision, transportation, liability, and the church’s responsibility for an unaccompanied child. The conversation explores how churches can create a clear plan without making the child feel unwanted. The guys discuss contacting the parents, gathering emergency information, assigning a trusted adult or family, providing safe transportation, documenting unusual arrangements, and looking beneath the logistical issue to understand why the child may be reluctant to leave. The second half of the episode turns to a youth pastor whose church introduced a newly hired female children’s ministry leader as “Pastor.” He believes that conflicts with his complementarian convictions and with what he understood about the church during the hiring process. Rather than reopening the entire theological debate, the guys focus on the practical question: how should he move forward? They discuss the different ways churches and denominations define titles like pastor, elder, minister, and director. They also emphasize the need for a calm conversation with leadership, honest examination of personal convictions, and clarity about whether the disagreement involves terminology, church polity, theology, or a breakdown in the hiring process. The episode closes with a reminder that good intentions are not enough. Churches need clarity about who is responsible for children, what ministry titles mean, and how theological convictions are communicated and practiced. The Practically Pastoring Facebook Community now includes more than 1,400 pastors and ministry leaders asking real questions, offering practical wisdom, and reminding one another not to do ministry alone. Many of the questions discussed on the podcast come directly from the group, and questions may be posted publicly or anonymously. Search Facebook for the Practically Pastoring Facebook Community , join the conversation, and invite another pastor or ministry leader who needs people in his corner. Church Merch provides shirts, mugs, banners, promotional products, and more for churches and ministries. They offer high-quality products, quick turnaround, personal service, and a commitment to supporting gospel ministry. Visit promotionsguy.com/churchmerch . Church Merch, merch for your church. Preach26 is a conference for pastors and ministry leaders happening October 6 through 8 in The Woodlands, Texas. Attendees will connect with other ministry leaders and learn from speakers including Dane Ortlund, Brian McCormack, Hakeem Bradley, and more. The purchase of a ticket also enters attendees into conference giveaways, including a three-night getaway for two at Jackson Lake Lodge in Wyoming. Visit www.preach26.com and use the promo code PastorPod at checkout to receive two entries in all conference giveaways, including the Wyoming weekend getaway. In this episodeJoin the Practically Pastoring CommunitySponsor HighlightsChurch MerchPreach26

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  Practical(ly) Pastoring

  Blame The Vibes

  Jun 29, 202647 min

  In this episode of Practically Pastoring , Andrew, Tim, Delmar, and Jeff tackle two questions that seem unrelated at first, but both get at the heart of pastoral health and long-term sustainability in ministry. The first question comes from a pastor who took a new associate role in a new state and is finding that while family life is going well, church life feels flat, disconnected, and hard to love. The guys talk through what to do when nothing is technically wrong, but something still feels off, and whether six months is enough time to know if a ministry fit is bad or just still developing. The conversation explores the difficulty of evaluating “vibes” when there is no obvious scandal, conflict, or doctrinal problem, only a nagging sense that the church feels bland and community is hard to find. Along the way, the guys discuss transition lag, projecting expectations from previous ministry settings, the unique challenge of associate pastor roles, and why the fact that a pastor’s wife and kids are thriving should carry real weight in the evaluation. They also reflect on how friendships outside the church staff can become a lifeline in seasons when ministry itself feels isolating. In the second half of the episode, the focus shifts to vacation, time off, and whether churches actually create space for their pastors to rest. The guys compare different church approaches to vacation policies, sabbaticals, sabbatic Sundays, carryover days, and the difference between what is written on paper and what the culture of a church really encourages. The big takeaway is that healthy churches do not just offer time off, they create an atmosphere where pastors can actually use it without guilt or suspicion. This episode is a reminder that ministry health is rarely built on one dramatic decision. More often, it comes from honest evaluation, healthy rhythms, realistic expectations, and the willingness to address small issues before they become larger ones. If the church feels off, if the culture around rest feels strange, or if your soul is tired, those things are worth paying attention to before they harden into burnout. What we cover in this episode How to evaluate a ministry role when nothing is wrong but it still feels off Why six months may be too early for panic, but not too early for honest reflection How transition lag and past ministry experiences can shape the way a new church feels Why a healthy family situation should matter in decisions about staying or leaving The importance of finding community outside your immediate church staff Why vacation policies need to be clear, written, and actually usable How church culture can either support rest or quietly punish it What sabbaticals, sabbatic Sundays, and strategic time off can look like in real churches Why pastoral endurance requires more than just gritting your teeth and surviving Sponsors mentioned Church Merch Merch for your church, including shirts, mugs, speakers, banners, and more through Promotions Guy Preach26 A conference for pastors and ministry leaders, October 6 to 8 in The Woodlands, Texas, featuring speakers like Dane Ortlund, Brian McCormick, Hakeem Bradley, and more. Use promo code PastorPod at checkout.

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  Practical(ly) Pastoring

  Bylaws, Burnout, and Building Community

  Jun 2, 202638 minS0

  <p>In this episode of Practically Pastoring, Andrew, Tim, and Jeff tackle two ministry questions that hit both structure and soul. First, they dig into church constitutions and bylaws, especially what happens when a church’s governing documents were written for an earlier season and now create real bottlenecks for staffing, leadership, and growth. The conversation explores the difference between governance and management, why churches need to follow the bylaws they have before changing them, and how clear communication with the congregation can turn a frustrating process into a healthy teaching moment. </p><p>From there, the guys shift to a q...

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