ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What happens after the funeral, when the meals stop coming, the calls slow down, and everyone else’s life seems to return to normal?
Andrew, Tim, Delmar, and Jeff respond to a pastor 32 years into ministry who still wrestles with caring well for grieving families in the months after a loss. The guys talk about building a “second wave” of pastoral care, remembering death anniversaries and difficult holidays, involving elders and church members, creating simple follow-up systems, and making sure grieving people are not responsible for reminding the church that they are still grieving.
Jeff also shares about his church’s Blue Christmas service, designed specifically for people carrying loss into the holiday season.
Then the conversation moves to the opposite end of the ministry spectrum: a 25-year-old Bible college student who loves preaching, teaching, and especially counseling, but has zero desire to become the stereotypical “visionary leader.”
Does that mean pastoral ministry is the wrong fit?
The guys discuss the difference between shepherding and CEO-style leadership, why pastors still have to lead even if leadership is not their favorite part of ministry, and the many different ways pastoral gifting can take shape. Andrew shares why leadership is not the part of senior pastoring he naturally enjoys, while the guys encourage young ministry leaders to discern their calling in the local church rather than from a leadership textbook.
Whether you are just beginning ministry or have been serving for more than three decades, there will always be areas where you need other people, better systems, more wisdom, and humility.
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