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Send us Fan Mail Mental health is a big deal for our churches, and our pastors, these days. Rates of serious psychological distress in New Zealand have more than doubled over the past decade. And younger generations are talking about mental health in ways previous generations rarely did. What's going on? What does it mean for the church? And how do we as pastors look after our own mental health while also caring for the mental health of our congregations? In this episode, Vic Francis talks with the Rev Silvia Purdie — Presbyterian minister, counsellor, supervisor, author and mental-health educator. Silvia has spent much of her working life inhabiting two worlds that don't always understand each other particularly well: the church and the mental-health profession. Welcome, then, to Mental health: Are we OK? For more information on Vic and Solace, check out our website or search for us on Facebook or Instagram. And if you would like to support this podcast, please become a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/forpastors And to explore more around the mental health field: Resources with Silvia Purdie: https://www.conversationscounselling.nz/equip-series.html https://www.conversationscounselling.nz/seminars.html https://www.conversationscounselling.nz/solid-ground.html Books and poems by Silvia Purdie https://www.conversations.net.nz/books.html https://www.conversations.net.nz/traumarecovery.html Network for mental health and the church: https://www.conversationscounselling.nz/mental-health-ministry-network.html NZ and international resources for Christian mental health: https://www.conversationscounselling.nz/mental-health-links.html

Send us Fan Mail Vic Francis talks to Michael Frost and Cathy Marston, two prominent "progressive" pastors about how they see life, faith, scripture and where they fit in the church today. Michael (In the Shift) and Cathy (Changes Ahead) are both podcasters as well pastors, and have a story that is worth hearing – whether you agree with them or not. For more information on Vic and Solace, check out our website or search for us on Facebook or Instagram. And if you would like to support this podcast, please become a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/forpastors

Send us Fan Mail We often talk about growing in faith, but what does that actually mean? Is the faith we have at 50 or 60 supposed to look different from the faith we had at 20? What happens when growth involves not simply learning more, but questioning or even letting go of things we once thought were certain? And for pastors, how do we navigate our own growing and changing faith alongside that of our congregation? In this episode, Vic Francis talks with Alan Jamieson — Baptist leader, author, researcher and explorer of spiritual formation, who has spent considerable time thinking about how souls grow, and how faith changes and develops over a lifetime. For more information on Vic and Solace, check out our website or search for us on Facebook or Instagram. And if you would like to support this podcast, please become a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/forpastors Meanwhile, here are some links to people referred to in this podcast: James Fowler  Faith Development and Pastoral care (1987)Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the quest for Meaning (1981)Janet O. Hagberg & Robert A. Guelich The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith (1995)Alan Jamieson A Churchless Faith (2000 Garside Publishing in NZ) Published internationally by SPCK, 2002.• Called Again (2004 Garside Publishing in NZ). Titled ‘Journeying in Faith' – published internationally by SPCK – 2004. Printed copies available from Alan (email [email protected]) • Five years On (published in NZ April 2006 and internationally by SPCK under the title ‘Church Leaving' –Aug 2006). Printed copies available from Alan (email [email protected]) • Chrysalis: The hidden transformation in the journey of faith  (2008 Paternoster).  Enjoy the podcast, everyone. Vic

Send us Fan Mail What is a Christian activist? Should Christians be involved in politics, protests and picket lines? If so, which fights should we choose and which should we avoid? And where does the Holy Spirit fit in? In this episode, Vic Francis talks to Wellington vicars Alison and Martin Robinson, who have been ministering at the margins of society for over three decades alongside refugees, prisoners and the urban poor. And then in more recent years, they have led the replanting and renewal of St David's Church in Naenae.  Martin and Alison are proudly activist, but they're also proudly Holy Spirit. If you would like to connect with the Robinsons, you can do so through the St David's Naenae website. Or click here for Catch Network Aotearoa or Common Grace Aotearoa. Meanwhile, for more information on Vic and Solace, check out our website or search for us on Facebook or Instagram. And if you would like to support this podcast, please become a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/forpastors Enjoy the podcast!

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to For Pastors, a podcast which "champions pastors and their holy calling in an uncertain world". In this episode, we go beyond the intensity of the joys and challenges of local church ministry and lift our eyes to explore the possibilities of churches working together on behalf of the "capital C" Church and of the towns and cities in which they're ministering. We hope you'll enjoy For Pastors, Heart for a City.

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to For Pastors, a podcast which "champions pastors and their holy calling in an uncertain world". Today Vic Francis sits down with John and Nancy Ortberg — keynote speakers at next month’s Abide conference in Auckland and two voices who have spent decades at the intersection of faith, leadership and marriage. John Ortberg is a pastor, speaker, author and one of the most influential voices in Christian spiritual formation over the past three decades. He is best known for helping ordinary Christians connect deep theological truths with everyday life in a way that is both practical and accessible. Nancy Ortberg is a respected leadership consultant, teacher, speaker and former church executive with extensive experience in both ministry and organisational leadership. Together, they bring wisdom forged through ministry, seasons of change and a deep commitment to joy. This is a conversation you won't want to miss. You can connect with John's daily teaching at the Become New website, and get your discount tickets to hear the Ortbergs at the Abide conference in August at the Abide website, keyword FORPASTORS. Welcome, then, to For Pastors, A Conversation With John and Nancy Ortberg.

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to For Pastors, a podcast which aims to "champion pastors and their holy calling in an uncertain world". In this episode, Vic Francis talks with Kiwi poet, musician and contemplative Strahan Coleman on life and faith and illness and family and quiet fire and gazing nakedly on the love of God. And much, much more. Strahan is a popular speaker who is becoming widely known through his trio of prayer books, which are attracting growing international interest.  To connect with Strahan, check out his Commoners Communion website. (For Pastors can confirm there is no such thing as communistcommunion.com so don't try that!). Meanwhile, for more information on Vic and Solace, check out our website or search for us on Facebook or Instagram. And if you would like to support this podcast, please become a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/forpastors Welcome, then, to For Pastors, A Conversation With Strahan Coleman.

Send us Fan Mail Conspiracy theories. Why are they so prevalent, and are Christians more gullible than most? And what happens when a conspiracy theory leads towards something worse - radicalisation? Indeed, could the next terrorist come from the pews of your church? In this episode, Vic Francis asks these questions and more of Maja and Dave Whitaker, pastors and academics from Christchurch who have studied conspiracies and radicalisation and come up with some startling truths. If you are concerned about extremism, you can access Government advice here or here for the Police crowded places strategy. And for Dave Whitaker’s thesis, click here. Meanwhile, for more information on Vic and Solace, check out our website or search for us on Facebook or Instagram. And if you would like to support this podcast, please become a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/forpastors Enjoy the podcast!

Send us Fan Mail Why are so many scandals rocking Pentecostal churches in New Zealand and Australia? This question, debated in the Alphacrucis Bible college staffroom, led four Pentecostal academics and pastors to investigate, asking what's going on, why is it going on, what should be going on and what can be done about it? In this episode of For Pastors, Vic Francis interviews the Rev Dr Adam Dodds and Pastor Joshua Newington, two of the report's authors, about their research and their far-reaching insights and conclusions. You can get in touch with Adam or Joshua via the Alphacrucis website, or use this link if you're interested in the symposium on power in November that they mention. For more information on Vic and Solace, check out our website or search for us on Facebook or Instagram. And if you would like to support this podcast, please become a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/forpastors Enjoy the podcast!

Send us Fan Mail Artificial intelligence. It's all around us. As pastors, what are the advantages - and the potential disadvantages - with the way we handle AI as we follow our call and lead our churches? Can something non-human yet so captivating help bring us or our people closer to God? In this episode of For Pastors, Vic Francis interviews Andy Shudall of Eastgate Christian Centre and Rob Stacey of Tauranga Central Baptist about the good, the bad and the ugly of AI. For further thoughtful processing, Andy suggests this message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8C1pnDrWhg For more information on Vic and Solace, check out our website or search for us on Facebook or Instagram. And if you would like to support this podcast, please become a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/forpastors Enjoy the podcast!

Send us Fan Mail Pastors don't do it for the money. But we do need money to exist. And we understand it's a sacrificial life. But we don't want to disadvantage our families. And we are trusting God. But we also want to be smart, and faithful, with money. In this episode of For Pastors, Vic interviews Grant Harris of Windsor Park Baptist and Bruce Anderson of DecisionMakers about the delicate subject of Money, Ministry and Me. Enjoy! Some helpful links you might like to check out: DecisionMakers (where you can get hold of Bruce): https://www.decisionmakers.co.nz Windsor Park Baptist (where you can get hold of Grant): https://www.windsorpark.org.nz KiwiSaver tool: https://kiwisaver.decisionmakers.co.nz Mindful Money on ethical investing: https://mindfulmoney.nz Christian Savings: https://www.christiansavings.co.nz/churches-and-charities/ministry-loans

Send us Fan Mail For over four decades, the Rev Dr Patricia Allan has advocated for the victims of abuse in the church, work which was recognised with the awarding of an ONZM in the New Year's Honours list this year. Patricia is now 88, and calls herself an unlikely warrior or firebrand. In this podcast, she reflects deeply on her journey of advocacy, what it has cost, and how to ensure churches can be safe spaces. Speaking Truth to Power may be an uncomfortable episode of For Pastors - but it is an important one.

Send us Fan Mail Conflict. It’s all around us – on the world stage, in our families and workplaces, often deep within ourselves. And it’s in our churches – from the volume of the music to centuries-old theological debates. Yet we hardly ever talk about conflict, and as a result we often do it pretty badly. In this podcast, Vic Francis talks to the Rev Dr Karen Kemp from Laidlaw College, an expert in conflict, to find out how we can handle it better. Welcome to Making Friends Out of Conflict. If you want to know more, check out the Centre for Church Leadership and their range of master classes.

Send us Fan Mail Vic Francis is joined by Father  Bishoy Mekhaiel in an exploration of the Coptic Church out of Egypt, and its small but vibrant presence on the New Zealand Christian scene. Vic and Bishoy explore the foundations of the Coptic church, its first Pope Saint Mark (writer of the Gospel of Mark) and Orthodox Christianity, something little known in New Zealand. For Pastors is brought to you by Solace. If you would like to know more about us, check out our website at solace.org.nz, or search us on Facebook or Instagram. And if you would like to support this podcast, please become a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/forpastors

Send us Fan Mail Vic Francis is joined by Sam Harvey and Richard Black, and asks in the wake of recent scandals with Philip Yancey and Shawn Bolz - and so many others before them - whether there's a better way to pastor and lead a church. For more information on Vic and Solace, check out our website at solace.org.nz, or search us on Facebook or Instagram. And if you would like to support this podcast, please become a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/forpastors To connect with Sam Harvey, click here. Or here to pre-order Richard Black's book The Thriving Pastor, or here for free resources including white papers.