Advertise on podcast: Strength for Today's Pastor

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! AI: most certainly one of the most incredible cultural and societal realities we’ve ever seen. And it’s only just begun!  This is a podcast aimed at pastors and Christian leaders. Is AI something to be afraid of? Is it harmful to use it? For pastors, what are some pitfalls of utilizing AI? If AI is used, how can it be used well? What are some ethical boundaries that can help us decide how to use AI, and if we should use AI. Our guest today can help with these questions, and with the answers to them.  Miles DeBenedictis is the senior pastor of Cross Connection Church in Escondido, California (since 2008), and also a board member for Blue Letter Bible and Enduring Word.  Miles is the Founder of SOMA Insights, an organization which helps organizations discover and fulfill their purpose. His recent academic and professional pursuits include: He is currently earning a PhD focusing on AI Ethics at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the developer of Nomion AI … which helps organizations understand and leverage AI responsibly—the responsible use of technology that aligns with one’s mission and values.Miles writes a lot … articles on culture, apologetics, and biblical exposition for platforms and churches, his personal site, and for Substack.On top of all that, Miles has built a sermon helps platform called Sermon Brief, which gives Bible teaching pastors and expositors some tools they all need to get into the text and the task of sermon preparation faster.Obviously, the resources are plentiful. Here's a chance to learn from someone who's at the forefront of what A.I. means for Christian pastors and leaders today. For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Many churches are experiencing a leadership deficit. There are too few biblical elders, too few deacons, and not as many people who know which spiritual gifts they’ve been given by the Spirit, what they are called to do, or what ministries  the Lord has opened up for them. Many leadership teams are not in alignment with their pastor in doctrine and practice, nor are they in alignment with each other. There are many fellowships — normal sized (50-200 regular attenders) — that believe they do not possess the resources to begin strong leadership development and equipping and training of the saints. That's what this podcast is all about. It's going to help the equipping senior pastor do the work of equipping those whom the Lord is calling into leadership ministry positions. And, he doesn't have to have it all figured out. He can join others who are part of what pastor Donn Fisher of Calvary Chapel Raynham, Massachusetts is talking about in this episode.  To contact pastor Donn Fisher, you can reach him at [email protected] (it goes straight to him). You can find out more about the school of ministry model in New England by heading over to http://neccsom.com. There is a transcript of this podcast interview, which may be helpful to you with your notetaking. Matthew 28:18-20.  For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Welcome to Strength for Today’s Pastor.  Our podcast title indicates our passion—which is to strengthen pastors and church leaders, that their churches might be stronger and healthy. Today we have pastor James Chapman. James is an assistant/associate pastor, serving under and with senior pastor Sandy Adams of Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain in Lilburn, Georgia.  Episode 181 is a recording of a message James delivered at the Deep South Pastors and Leaders Conference, last September in 2025. The title of his message is “Armor Bearers.”  Having served pastor Sandy for over 40 years, James understands what it means to be supportive to the ministry of the senior or lead pastor. And in this message, James compares the ministry of the armor bearer in the Old Testament to his role.  This message is highly applicable to elders, deacons, board members, and staff pastors and other leaders. The text is 1 Samuel 14:6-14. He jumps right in as he opens his teaching. Enjoy!  For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Steve Marquez is husband to Monica, and father of Cody, Jared, and Andrew.  Steve is a pastor, a teacher, a former church planter, a musician, a former journalist, photographer, and founder of a non-profit ministry called Stage 4 Ministries.  Monica, Steve's wife, is her husband's co-laborer in life and also in ministry, She is a super effective and fruitful minister in her own right.   In 2014, the Marquez family received astonishing and shocking news. Steve was diagnosed with stage 3 Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC), which is kidney cancer. Later, it was discovered that he had stage 4, metastatic RCC. Eventually, he and Monica started Stage 4 Ministries. That story is told in podcast 158 of Strength for Today's Pastor. So, what’s new with Stage 4 Ministries? Steve and Monica are excited about Solace, a new way of serving not only potential end of life cancer patients, but also the ones who provide care (caregivers).  Solace is a ministry tool and template for any church seeking to provide such care, not only to church congregants, but also to the surrounding community. Listen in for more, and find out how you can gain a deep dive understanding of how the Lord might use Solace and Stage 4 Ministries in your ministries. Spoiler alert: the exciting, God-glorifying story of Steve's healing is also contained in this episode! Resources Book: Grace for the Battle Blog: https://stmarq.substack.com/ Website: https://www.stage4ministries.com/ For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Joyful generosity. It's a biblical concept. 2 Corinthians 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.  Is it possible to outgive God? Is it possible for a congregation to be led in such a way that the body of believers will love, love, love giving to God, giving to others, and investing in His kingdom.  Find out some suggestions that might help you, the pastor, accomplish that with your fellowship. For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! This is the second of a three part series on pastors and leaders discipling the saints in the areas of giving and stewardship  Not always an easy topic to address, but important.  Jesus taught His disciples on the subjects of giving and stewardship. Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples, teaching people to observe all things He has commanded us. Therefore, we are to teach people about giving and stewardship as part of our discipling curriculum. These short episodes are designed to give some practical ideas and tools to the equippers. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit will make at least some of these concepts useful to the hearers. For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! This is the first in a three part series which can be helpful to senior pastors and church leadership teams re: how to practically deal with giving and stewardship in their churches.  First, we'll look at where teaching and leading on giving and stewardship fit within the overall concept of equipping the saints for ministry ... which we pastors are called by God to do. It may be a new thought for some, but teaching and leading in these areas is part of Christian discipleship, which we're also called to do. We'll even go so far as to say that we can't develop fully mature believers without helping them discover and practice these truths. If Jesus instructed His disciples (and us) in these matters, then this must be part of our curriculum as we disciple others.  The transcript of this podcast is attached.  For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Our devices. Our phones. Our laptops. Our tablets. Our iPads.  Whatever. They can be a huge blessing.  They can be an enormous distraction. Listen in to this carefully and thoughtfully developed episode, taught by Pastor Nate Holdridge at Calvary Monterey in May 2025.  Speaking personally, it blessed and encouraged me, big-time. I'm working smarter now, even on my so-called smart phone. Listen and share. This will helm many. For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Cory Kilgus is a man with a vision. His vision drives his efforts. The key to all of this is explained in this podcast. Get the right vision (the Biblical vision), and then follow the Lord and trust the Holy Spirit to get it done. A simple recipe for God-produced success. A pattern for pastors and church planters and disciplers everywhere. For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Welcome to Podcast 174. Today I’m with Dr. Bruce Hebel, author of the incredible, life altering book Forgiving Forward: Experience the Freedom of the Gospel through the Power of Forgiveness. All close followers of Jesus Christ know that we should forgive others, but there are things about forgiveness that are about as clear as mud to us.  In this episode of SFTP, we talked with Bruce about the common misconceptions that are out there about what forgiveness really means, and how to actually do it. Among the misconceptions are the following ones: -forgiveness is not a process (it’s a decision) -to forgive someone, there’s no need to go to that person and tell him/her.  -Forgiveness is transacted with the Father. See Mark 11:25-26 -forgiveness is not the same thing as reconciliation -forgiveness is not salvific; but, forgiveness of the wounds of others determines how the Father acts toward us in this life (Matthew 6:12, 14-15) And more... Feedback and/or questions welcomed! For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! At 72 years of age, Pastor John Offutt of LifeSource Community Church in Lindale, Texas, is hardly a young man. He started LifeSource when he was in his 60s, hardly an age thought to be fitting for a new church plant. One of the main things he had in his favor was that he'd been around the block before, several times in fact. He had experience and was (and is) gifted to do what he does. But he also didn't care. Meaning, he didn't care how others thought he should lead this new work; he was free. Free to lead. Free to assemble a team that could come together and radically touch the community. It's an innovative church. They every month of the year that has five Sundays, and dedicate that Sunday to meeting urgent needs in the community. In other words, they don't meet in the church facility, they meet at numerous homes to help in Jesus' name. They have a "cash helps" Sunday each month, when congregants prepare to give cash offerings which are distributed on the spot to those who need it.  They have The Journey Class, which disciples newcomers and new believers in a number of areas... and they call the graduates of the class "partners." Included in the curriculum? Congregants learn how to practice gospel-centered forgiveness, and are expected to actually do it. A refreshing church, diverse yet unified.  This episode focuses on The Journey Class.  For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! The Barnabas Method has silently transformed over 500 men's lives across decades, and now this powerful discipleship process is available to every church leader seeking authentic spiritual formation for the men they shepherd. What's the difference between knowing biblical information and becoming like Christ? According to Pastor Dale Lewis, most discipleship approaches focus too heavily on knowledge acquisition while neglecting the transformational aspects of spiritual growth.  "Barnabas is about becoming the right person, not just having the right answers," Lewis explains, drawing from his decades of experience implementing this 13-week process. The genius of the Barnabas Method lies in its radical relationality. Built on what Lewis calls "the three Ts" - teachability, transparency, and transference - this approach creates safe spaces for men to admit they don't know everything, share vulnerably about their struggles, and commit to passing what they learn to others. The process unfolds through weekly meetings where men practice focused listening, report on dates with their wives, tackle biblical concepts like new covenant living, and hold one another accountable with remarkable specificity. Perhaps most counterintuitive is the requirement that the pastor or leader position themselves as a fellow learner rather than an expert who has "arrived." This vulnerability creates the conditions for authentic community where true transformation can occur. "If you can't learn from another man," Lewis warns, "that's saying something about how much you're actually going to learn from the Holy Spirit." The curriculum traces its origins through a discipleship lineage including Ray Stedman, Harry Ironside, and J. Vernon McGee, but has been refined and streamlined into a reproducible process any church can implement. After completing the 13 weeks, participants are encouraged to begin discipling others, creating exponential multiplication that transforms not just individual men but entire church cultures. Ready to move beyond programs to transformation? Download the free Barnabas curriculum in any of 103 languages at ScriptureSupply.com and join the growing movement of churches discovering that discipleship isn't about filling positions—it's about forming men who increasingly reflect Christ. Again, to access the curriculum, go to scripturesupply.com, then navigate to Teachings, then to Special Studies, then to Barnabas. It’s all there. You can download the curriculum in PDF format using the following link:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fYlSxeF9mEfTOKoUdx5aC2IqVE1GMQxK/view?usp=drive_link For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! This is a podcast done by Karl Vaters (author, Small Church Essentials) and Sean Nemecek, a pastor who ministers to pastors to help keep them vitalized and fruitful. The name of the podcast is The Church Lobby, Conversations on Faith and Ministry.  We asked permission to play this episode in its entirety. I think you'll find it to be extremely helpful and practical, dealing with the subject of pastoral sabbaticals. The Why, When, and How.  Such a need in today's pastoral and church climate, where pastors are commonly becoming burned out and unhealthy, largely due to the demand upon them in this impossible calling (impossible apart from God's enabling help).  For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message! Pastor Brian Heminger has been in pastoral ministry for a lot of years, most recently as the founding and longtime pastor of Calvary Chapel Half Moon Bay.  As such, Brian was bi-vocational. His work life outside of the church was as a full-time evangelist, in the role of barber.  Now he's retired from that role, but continues in his calling as a pastor-teacher.  We pastors all need encouragement. Brian's story provides that for all of us.  Blessings, Bill Holdridge For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!