Shows
The Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 98: What Fred Learned from His Church Merger On this episode, Fred and Matt discuss the church merger that Fred led in 2021, with Ellendale Baptist Church and Agape Church coming together as one. 2025-04-2655 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 97: Churches Partnering Together, with Dr. Danny Sinquefield Fred and Matt interview Dr. Danny Sinquefield on the value and blessing of churches partnering together. Danny is the pastor emeritus of Faith Baptist Church in Bartlett, TN, after having pastored there for over 27 years. He now serves as the Harvest Field Team Leader for Region 1 of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, helping to encourage pastors and coordinate cooperative ministry all over West Tennessee. 2025-03-2733 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 96: Humor in Sermons Fred and Matt work through the use of humor in preaching - its benefits and potential pitfalls. 2025-02-2736 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 95: Pastoral Humility Fred and Matt discuss the importance of humility in the life and heart of the pastor. They work through some of the root causes of the problem, a biblical perspective on it, and some practical help for defeating this insidious temptation. 2025-01-2848 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 94: 10 Pastoral Habits for 2025 For their December 2024 episode, Fred and Matt talk through 10 habits for pastors to incorporate into their ministries in 2025. Merry Christmas! 2024-12-2448 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 93: Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, with Dr. Jon Akin Fred and Matt interview Dr. Jon Akin, Vice President for Church Relations & Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Jon has a PhD in Old Testament and has written several books on preaching in a Christ-centered way.Links to his books (some discussed in the episode) are below:1. "Preaching Christ from Proverbs": https://www.amazon.com/Preaching-Christ-Proverbs-Jonathan-Akin/dp/0692360158?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.98chky2lBln-P9gZ_r2T25SSu_N7IgFMHLC3H-96GyXHP2IucYcI3sZXSg-v6w5A.XJMPiCUoyb3ifKGHdMbAES7OewcjGHApD6Wpi9cmUE4&dib_tag=AUTHOR2024-11-2655 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 92: Interview with Raleigh Sadler, founder of Let My People Go At a Mid-South Baptist Association pastors meeting in Memphis, Fred and Matt recently had the opportunity to interview Raleigh Sadler, founder and director of Let My People Go (lmpg.org). LMPG helps churches engage in the fight against human trafficking. Please check out their website!The free e-book that Raleigh references during the episode can be found here: https://www.lmpg.org/handbookHere's the Amazon link to Raleigh's first book, "Vulnerable: Rethinking Human Trafficking": https://www.amazon.com/Vulnerable-Rethinking-Trafficking-Raleigh-Sadler/dp/1535917970/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NRZIRGN2X2IY&dib=eyJ2...2024-10-2250 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 91: Sabbaticals Fred and Matt return from their podcast hiatus to (fittingly!) talk about - sabbaticals! Fred just took a sabbatical after 10 years of serving at Ellendale Baptist Church. Podcast episodes will now come on a monthly basis, but each individual episode should be longer. Thanks for listening! 2024-09-241h 19The Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 90 [Repost from Ep. 34]: Hermeneutical Method, with Reginald Taylor [REPOST FROM EPISODE 34.]Fred and Matt interview Pastor Reginald Taylor of The Rock Church in Memphis. Reginald is writing a PhD dissertation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on the doctrinal preaching of Adrian Rogers. In this first of a two-part series, Reginald discusses hermeneutical method.Here is the link for Dr. Tom Schreiner's book mentioned in this episode:https://www.amazon.com/Interpreting-Pauline-Epistles-Thomas-Schreiner/dp/080103812X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=interpreting+the+pauline+epistles+by+thomas+r.+schreiner&qid=1686631775&sprefix=interpreting+the+pauline+e%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-12024-07-0934 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 89: Preaching from New Testament Prophecy (Revelation) Fred and Matt COMPLETE their PITM series on preaching through different genres of Scripture. In this final episode in the series, they dive into New Testament Prophecy - the book of Revelation. Please listen and share! 2024-07-0231 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 88 [Repost from Ep. 32]: International Ministry in Your Community, with Gerson Garros [REPOST FROM EPISODE 32 DUE TO SUMMER SCHEDULES.] Fred and Matt invite Dr. Gerson Garros, Associate Pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee, onto the podcast to discuss his vision and experience leading international ministries in the city of Memphis. 2024-06-2535 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 87: Short-term Mission Trips Fred and Matt discuss short-term mission trips, which have been important and influential in their spiritual growth and their ministries. They talk through blessings, goals, and pitfalls to avoid in these types of mission endeavors. 2024-06-1835 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 86 [Repost from Ep. 27]: Creating a Discipleship Culture [REPOST FROM EPISODE 27 due to summer traveling.]Fred and Matt discuss the importance of effective sermon illustrations, as well as methods for collecting, tagging, and utilizing them. 2024-06-1131 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 85: Faith in the Public Square, with Steve Reynolds Fred and Matt have one more discussion with Steve Reynolds, President Emeritus of Baptist Memorial Healthcare in the Mid-South. Baptist Healthcare is an explicitly Christian organization with many non-Christian employees, customers, and organizational partners. On this episode, Steve shares wisdom from his experience of living out his faith in this environment. 2024-06-0431 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 84: Christian Leadership, with Steve Reynolds (Part 2) Fred and Matt continue their discussion with Steve Reynolds, President Emeritus and Senior Consultant for Baptist Memorial Healthcare in the Mid-South (23 hospitals in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi). Steve was President and CEO of Baptist Memorial Healthcare for 20 years. This is Part 2 of a two-part discussion on Christian leadership. Thanks for listening! 2024-05-2845 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 83: Christian Leadership, with Steve Reynolds (Part 1) Fred and Matt sit down with Steve Reynolds, President Emeritus and Senior Consultant for Baptist Memorial Healthcare in the Mid-South (23 hospitals in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi). Steve was President and CEO of Baptist Memorial Healthcare for 20 years. This is Part 1 of a two-part discussion on Christian leadership. Thanks for listening! 2024-05-2142 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 82: Preaching from the Epistles Fred and Matt continue their series on preaching through different biblical genres. This week they discuss preaching through the Epistles of the New Testament. 2024-05-1433 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 81: Creative Preaching - With Dr. Brian Carmichael Fred and Matt discuss creative preaching with Dr. Brian Carmichael, pastor of Holy Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis. Dr. Carmichael also serves as the Black Church Specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention and as a Dean at Union University's MCUTS campus in Memphis. Dr. Carmichael wrote a PhD dissertation on creative preaching, and he shares his insights in this episode. Thanks for listening! 2024-05-0738 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 80: Following a Legend, Part 2 - With Dr. Brian Carmichael For a second episode, Fred and Matt are joined by their friend, Dr. Brian Carmichael, pastor of Holy Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis. Dr. Carmichael also serves as the Black Church Specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention and as a Dean at Union University's MCUTS campus in Memphis. At Holy Temple, Dr. Carmichael followed his own father, who had been the founding pastor. This is part 2 of his story. Thanks for listening! 2024-04-3023 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 79: Following a Legend, Part 1 - With Dr. Brian Carmichael Fred and Matt are joined by their friend, Dr. Brian Carmichael, pastor of Holy Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis. Dr. Carmichael also serves as the Black Church Specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention and as a Dean at Union University's MCUTS campus in Memphis. At Holy Temple, Dr. Carmichael followed his own father, who had been the founding pastor. He tells his story over this and next week's episode. Thanks for listening! 2024-04-2325 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 78: Preaching from New Testament History (Acts) Fred and Matt are continuing their series on preaching through different genres of Scripture. This week's episode is on preaching through the book of Acts, the New Testament historical book that shows the work of the Holy Spirit in birthing the Church. 2024-04-1633 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 77: Prayer Mini-series, Part 2 - Leading Your Church in Prayer Fred and Matt continue their mini-series on prayer. This episode expands to discuss how pastors - both in and out of the pulpit - can lead their churches to pray. 2024-04-0935 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 76: Prayer Mini-series, Part 1 - The Personal Prayer Life of the Pastor Fred and Matt begin a two-part series on prayer. This first part focuses on the personal prayer life of the pastor - although it is applicable to any Christian! 2024-04-0233 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 75: Handling Relational Conflict Fred and Matt discuss navigating relational conflict as a pastor - both when you are trying to help others reconcile, and when you need reconciliation with someone. 2024-03-2640 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 74 [Repost from Ep. 25]: Sermon Illustrations [REPOST FROM EPISODE 25 DUE TO OUR FAMILIES BEING ON SPRING BREAK.]Fred and Matt discuss the importance of effective sermon illustrations, as well as methods for collecting, tagging, and utilizing them. 2024-03-1931 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 73: Easter Season Fred and Matt discuss what they lead their churches to do during the Easter season, leading up to and including Easter Sunday. 2024-03-1226 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 72: Preaching from the Gospels Fred and Matt continue their series on preaching from different genres of Scripture, now moving into the New Testament. This episode covers preaching from the four Gospels. 2024-03-0533 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 71: Hot Takes Should pastors comment on every controversy of the day? Fred and Matt offer their own hot take on hot takes. 2024-02-2734 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 70: Music and Worship "Worship wars" is a contradiction in terms! Song selection and styles of worship should lead to mutual submission within the Body of Christ. In this episode, Fred and Matt discuss leading a congregation in worship through music. 2024-02-2037 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 69: Theological Education, with Mark Catlin Fred and Matt have one more episode with Dr. Mark Catlin of Union University! In this episode, we discussed theological education - especially for students who may not be able to utilize the traditional brick-and-mortar seminary approach. 2024-02-1344 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 68: Preaching from the Old Testament, with Mark Catlin (Part 2) PART 2: Fred and Matt continue the interview with their friend, Dr. Mark Catlin, on preaching from the Old Testament. Mark has a PhD in Old Testament from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the Director of Union University's Master's of Christian Studies program in Memphis. 2024-02-0629 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 67: Preaching from the Old Testament, with Mark Catlin (Part 1) Fred and Matt interview their friend, Dr. Mark Catlin, on preaching from the Old Testament. Mark has a PhD in Old Testament from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the Director of Union University's Master's of Christian Studies program in Memphis.[This is Part 1 of an incredible discussion. Watch for Part 2 next week.] 2024-01-3026 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 66 [Repost from Ep. 23]: Casting Vision in the Local Church, with Dean Inserra [DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER IN OUR AREA, THIS IS A REPOST FROM EPISODE 23.]Fred and Matt interview special guest Dean Inserra, founding and lead pastor of City Church Tallahassee (citychurchtallahassee.com). We discuss casting vision as leaders in the local church. 2024-01-2345 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 65: Preaching Old Testament Prophecy Fred and Matt continue their series of episodes on preaching different genres of Scripture. This episode covers the why and how of preaching Old Testament Prophetic passages. 2024-01-1633 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 64: Ministry to College Students Fred and Matt are joined by Jeff Jones, Baptist Collegiate Ministries Director at the University of Memphis, to discuss ministry to college students. 2024-01-0944 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 63: Preaching and Leading on Giving Fred and Matt discuss preaching on and leading a church in New Covenant giving. 2024-01-0232 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 62 [REPOST from ep. 21]: Prayer [REPOST DURING CHRISTMAS WEEK. New episodes return next week!]Fred and Matt discuss the importance of prayer for the Christian in general and the pastor in particular. We share some helpful practices and things we've learned regarding personal and corporate prayer. 2023-12-2633 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 61: Evaluating Ourselves Fred and Matt discuss how leaders in pastoral ministry should evaluate each aspect of their own work.Here's the link to the evaluation forms mentioned in the episode (which we also talked about in episode 17): https://sermonillustr8r.wordpress.com/2023/02/13/sample-evaluations-ministerial-and-support-staff-for-pastor-in-the-middle-podcast-episode-17-staff-development/ 2023-12-1930 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 60: Preaching Old Testament Wisdom and Poetry Fred and Matt return to their series on preaching from different biblical genres. This is the second of these episodes, and it covers the Old Testament books of wisdom and poetry. 2023-12-1232 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 59: What Do You Do on Sundays (Besides Preach)? Fred and Matt discuss what is best for the pastor to do (other than preaching) during the important hours on Sunday morning. 2023-12-0535 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 58: Services During the Christmas Season Fred and Matt discuss worship services, sermons, and activities during the Christmas season - one of the most pivotal times of the year for churches. 2023-11-2837 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 57 [REPOST from ep. 17]: Staff Development [REPOST from episode 17, due to our holiday schedules the week of Thanksgiving. We should be back with a new episode next week!]Fred and Matt discuss the why and the how of strategies for developing church staff members.Sample staff evaluations mentioned on the podcast can be found at the link below. One is for ministerial staff, and the other is for support/administrative staff.https://sermonillustr8r.wordpress.com/2023/02/13/sample-evaluations-ministerial-and-support-staff-for-pastor-in-the-middle-podcast-episode-17-staff-development/ 2023-11-2136 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 56: Building Community Among Church Leaders Fred and Matt discuss the why and the how of building community among staff and church leaders. 2023-11-1429 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 55: Preaching Old Testament Narrative Fred and Matt begin a recurring series on preaching from different genres of Scripture. This episode discusses preaching Old Testament narrative. Make sure you listen for that new part of the story of David and Goliath! 2023-11-0733 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 54: Special Events and Initiatives Fred and Matt discuss bringing in outside speakers, artists, and other special initiatives. 2023-10-3125 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 53: How Can Churches Fight Human Trafficking? (Stephen Robert, COO of One More Child) Fred and Matt interview Stephen Robert, the Chief Operating Officer of One More Child (onemorechild.org). Among many other ministry objectives, One More Child helps survivors of human trafficking. The episode deals with how individual pastors and churches can join in the fight against this evil. 2023-10-2436 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 52: Worship Service Elements and Order Fred and Matt discuss elements for a worship service and the order in which they are placed. 2023-10-1736 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 51: Sermon Time Fred and Matt discuss the time involved in preaching - both in sermon prep and in sermon delivery. 2023-10-1033 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 50: Cooperative Ministry, with Mitch Martin Fred and Matt welcome Mitch Martin to the podcast. Mitch is the Director of the Mid-South Baptist Association (midsouthbaptist.com). This episode covers the blessings, benefits, and missional impact of pastors and churches cooperating together. 2023-10-0338 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 49: Hospital Visits Fred and Matt discuss an important aspect of pastoral ministry: visiting people in the hospital. 2023-09-2637 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 48: Your First Steps in Ministry (Part 2) In Part 2, Fred and Matt discuss more steps you should consider taking as you begin serving in pastoral ministry - regardless of the type of pastoral role. This episode covers more of things to do once you have actually started in a ministry role. 2023-09-1932 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 47: Your First Steps in Ministry (Part 1) Fred and Matt discuss some of the first steps you should consider taking as you begin serving in pastoral ministry - regardless of the type of pastoral role. 2023-09-1232 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 46: Transitioning from a Metro Area to a Small-town Pastorate, with Ben Cowell Fred and Matt have Pastor Ben Cowell on the podcast to discuss moving from a large metro area to a pastorate in a small town. Ben Cowell is from Memphis, Tennessee, but he recently transitioned to be the senior pastor at Brownsville Baptist Church in Brownsville, Tennessee. 2023-09-0542 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 45: Staff Meetings Fred and Matt discuss the pastor's leadership through staff meetings. 2023-08-3031 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 44: Caring for Pastors, with Dr. Billy Daws Fred and Matt interview Dr. Billy Daws, who works with PastorCare (https://www.pastorcare.org/) - a ministry focused on walking with pastors through the difficulties of ministry. Dr. Daws has over 50 years of ministry experience and has a passion for shepherding the shepherds. 2023-08-2245 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 43: Funerals Following their episode last week on weddings, Fred and Matt discuss the pastor's ministry through funerals. 2023-08-1532 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 42: Weddings Fred and Matt discuss the pastor's role in weddings. 2023-08-0833 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 41 [REPOST from ep. 11]: Preaching Planning [REPOST from ep. 11] Fred and Matt discuss their processes for planning preaching, both for individual messages and series. The "Series Map" that Fred and Matt discuss can be found here: https://sermonillustr8r.wordpress.com/2022/12/31/series-map-example-for-pastor-in-the-middle-podcast/ 2023-08-0135 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 40: Preaching Notes Fred and Matt discuss how much notes we should use while preaching. 2023-07-2535 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 39: Finishing Well, with Dr. Richard Hipps Fred and Matt discuss finishing well in ministry with Dr. Richard Hipps, the Pastor Emeritus at Trinity Baptist Church (where Matt currently serves). Richard served for 17 years at Trinity. 2023-07-1845 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 38: SBC 2023 Recap Fred and Matt recap the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. 2023-07-1137 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 37 [REPOST from ep. 8]: Shepherding Our Families [REPOST FROM EPISODE 8] Fred and Matt discuss the pastor's first ministry responsibility.New episodes resume next week, July 11! 2023-07-0432 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 35: Homiletical Method, with Reginald Taylor PART TWO: Fred and Matt interview Pastor Reginald Taylor of The Rock Church in Memphis. Reginald is writing a PhD dissertation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on the doctrinal preaching of Adrian Rogers. In this second of a two-part series, Reginald discusses homiletical method. 2023-06-2031 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 34: Hermeneutical Method, with Reginald Taylor Fred and Matt interview Pastor Reginald Taylor of The Rock Church in Memphis. Reginald is writing a PhD dissertation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on the doctrinal preaching of Adrian Rogers. In this first of a two-part series, Reginald discusses hermeneutical method.Here is the link for Dr. Tom Schreiner's book mentioned in this episode:https://www.amazon.com/Interpreting-Pauline-Epistles-Thomas-Schreiner/dp/080103812X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=interpreting+the+pauline+epistles+by+thomas+r.+schreiner&qid=1686631775&sprefix=interpreting+the+pauline+e%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1And...2023-06-1334 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 33: Raising Up Leaders Raising up new ministry leaders in the church is part of discipleship and accomplishing the church's mission. In this week's episode, Fred and Matt discuss ways of raising up new leaders in the church. 2023-06-0629 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 32: International Ministry in Your Community Fred and Matt invite Dr. Gerson Garros, Associate Pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee, onto the podcast to discuss his vision and experience leading international ministries in the city of Memphis. 2023-05-3035 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 31: Discerning God's Will Fred and Matt discuss wrestling to discern God's will, for Christians in general and pastors in particular. 2023-05-2330 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 30: Kids in Church When kids follow Jesus, they should be treated as full church members. Fred and Matt think through involving kids in church life.Two books mentioned in the episode:1) https://www.amazon.com/Guard-Preventing-Responding-Child-Church/dp/1939946514/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3BE49YEWE6OGE&keywords=reju+on+guard&qid=1684185874&sprefix=reju+on+guard%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-12) This one is FREE on Kindle right now: https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Church-that-Cares-Abused-ebook/dp/B07SKM7PGN/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=becoming+a+church+that+cares+well+for+the+abused&qid=1684185895&sprefix...2023-05-1630 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 29: Community Involvement Fred and Matt discuss ways to show the light of Christ and the gospel through community involvement - both as individuals and as churches. 2023-05-0933 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 28: Ministering After a Disaster, with Cliff Marion On March 31, 2023, a historic tornado outbreak occurred across the Mid-South, doing particularly devastating damage in Covington, Tennessee. In this episode, Fred and Matt interview their friend Cliff Marion, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Covington, about the doors of ministry that the Lord opened in the aftermath of those storms. 2023-05-0241 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 27: Creating a Discipleship Culture Evangelism and discipleship go hand-in-hand. In this episode, Fred and Matt talk through ideas for building a culture of discipleship within the local church.Here's the link to an article (referenced in the episode) that Matt wrote for LifeWay Research in 2020: https://research.lifeway.com/2020/06/04/how-to-avoid-sacrificing-evangelism-for-discipleship-and-vice-versa/ 2023-04-2535 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 26: Ordinations Fred and Matt discuss the church's ordination processes and ceremonies - both for deacons and for pastors. 2023-04-1830 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 25: Sermon Illustrations Fred and Matt discuss the importance of effective sermon illustrations, as well as methods for collecting, tagging, and utilizing them. 2023-04-1131 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 24: Finding Joy in Ministry Fred and Matt discuss a recent Barna study on pastor's satisfaction in ministry, and then how pastors can find joy in the gift God has given them in ministry.Here's the Baptist Press article mentioned in the episode: https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/pastors-satisfaction-certainty-of-call-in-rapid-decline-barna-finds/ 2023-04-0434 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 23: Casting Vision in the Local Church, with Dean Inserra Fred and Matt interview special guest Dean Inserra, founding and lead pastor of City Church Tallahassee (citychurchtallahassee.com). We discuss casting vision as leaders in the local church. 2023-03-2845 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 22: Theological Education Fred and Matt discuss the importance of theological education for the pastor, as well as pros and cons of different methods of getting that education. 2023-03-2139 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 21: Prayer Fred and Matt discuss the importance of prayer for the Christian in general and the pastor in particular. We share some helpful practices and things we've learned regarding personal and corporate prayer. 2023-03-1433 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 20: Deacons Fred and Matt discuss the biblical role of deacons in the church, as well as ideas on recruiting and developing deacons. 2023-03-0733 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 19: Ordinances, Part 2 (Baptism) Fred and Matt continue their 2-week discussion of the ordinances. This week they address baptism. 2023-02-2836 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 18: Ordinances, Part 1 (Lord's Supper) Fred and Matt start a 2-part series on the ordinances, including a discussion of the concept of theological triage. This week covers the Lord's Supper, with baptism coming next week.Here's a link to the Lord's Supper document Matt uses with his deacons when they take the Lord's Supper to shut-in or homebound church members: https://sermonillustr8r.wordpress.com/2023/02/20/communion-for-the-homebound-guide/ 2023-02-2137 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 17: Staff Development Fred and Matt discuss the why and the how of strategies for developing church staff members.Sample staff evaluations mentioned on the podcast can be found at the link below. One is for ministerial staff, and the other is for support/administrative staff.https://sermonillustr8r.wordpress.com/2023/02/13/sample-evaluations-ministerial-and-support-staff-for-pastor-in-the-middle-podcast-episode-17-staff-development/ 2023-02-1436 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 16: The Pastor's Library Fred and Matt discuss the pastor's reading and the building of a pastoral library.Resources mentioned in the show:1) LibraryThing.com - a personal library database2) Daniel Akin's "Building a Theological Library" - https://www.danielakin.com/pdf-download-building-a-theological-revised-edition-2019/3) Bestcommentaries.com - recommendations and rankings of Bible commentaries (Matt accidentally said ".net" on the episode. It's ".com")4) Thomas Schreiner's New Testament commentary recommendations: https://www.9marks.org/article/recommended-new-testament-commentaries-for-evangelical-pastors/2023-02-0735 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 15: Church Facilities Fred and Matt discuss the use of church facilities. 2023-02-0132 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 14: Your First Year as a New Pastor Fred and Matt follow up on their two episodes about pastor search processes with an episode about how to walk through your first year in a new pastorate. 2023-01-2431 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 13: Search Process, Part 2 Fred and Matt work through Part 2 of their two-part series on pastor search committees (which is also relevant for ministerial position searches). This second episode is addressed to the candidate. Again, a sample theological and ministry questionnaire for these kinds of searches can be found here: https://sermonillustr8r.wordpress.com/2023/01/08/sample-theological-and-ministry-questionnaire/ 2023-01-1727 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 12: Search Process, Part 1 Fred and Matt work through Part 1 of two episodes on search committee processes. This first episode is geared to the members of search committees. You can find a sample theological questionnaire for search committees to use here: https://sermonillustr8r.wordpress.com/2023/01/08/sample-theological-and-ministry-questionnaire/ 2023-01-1035 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 11: Preaching Planning Fred and Matt discuss their processes for planning preaching, both for individual messages and series. The "Series Map" that Fred and Matt discuss can be found here: https://sermonillustr8r.wordpress.com/2022/12/31/series-map-example-for-pastor-in-the-middle-podcast/ 2023-01-0335 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 10: The Pastor's Rest Fred and Matt discuss how they biblically and practically flesh out rest in the life of the pastor. 2022-12-2735 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 9: Christian Celebrity Culture Fred and Matt discuss the issue of putting other Christians on pedestals. 2022-12-2031 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 8: Shepherding Our Families Fred and Matt discuss the pastor's first ministry responsibility. 2022-12-1332 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 7: Big Events Fred and Matt discuss the value of churches using big events for outreach ministry. 2022-12-0629 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 6: Handling Criticism Fred and Matt talk about how a pastor should react to criticism in ministry. 2022-11-2929 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 5: Addressing Difficult Topics Fred and Matt discuss addressing difficult topics as a pastor, both from the pulpit and on social media. 2022-11-2230 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 4: In the Middle of the Church Fred and Matt discuss what it means to be a pastor doing ministry in the middle of your congregation. 2022-11-1528 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 3: The Spiritual Life of the Pastor Fred and Matt interview their friend and co-laborer in Memphis, Pastor Shun Abram, about the spiritual life of the pastor. Shun is the founding and lead pastor of Binghampton Community Church in Memphis, as well as the Director of the SEND Relief Ministry Center in the Raleigh area of Memphis.Link to sermon by Dr. Donald Whitney at Southern Seminary, mentioned by Matt in the episode: https://equip.sbts.edu/chapel/chapel-fall-2005/the-almost-inevitable-ruin-of-every-minister-and-how-to-avoid-it/ 2022-11-0830 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 2: Traditions Fred and Matt talk through a balanced, biblical approach to traditions in the church. 2022-11-0132 minThe Pastor in the MiddlePITM Episode 1: Intro Introducing our new podcast, "The Pastor in the Middle." 2022-11-0125 min
This Is My Story w/ Benjamin MoulderBonus Episode - Dr. Fred ShackelfordWhy Do Bad Things Happen To Good People? This is what we discuss today with Dr. Fred Shackelford. With the evil in the world and those who would crash an airplane into a building or hurt small children - where does this come from? When "thoughts and prayers" are not enough, what is the answer? 2022-06-0852 min
Ellendale Baptist Church >>> Neighborhoods to Nations20170709 PM Rev Dan Shackelford2017-07-0927 minEllendale Baptist Church >>> Neighborhoods to NationsJennifer Shackelford Womens Spring Luncheon2014-05-0448 min