In this episode we interview...Keith Getty about singing in the rural church.We ask:So, do you really believe an already overwhelmed rural pastor should squeeze one  more thing into his schedule by focusing some of his time on singing?What role does singing play in helping Christians walk through times of difficulty?What did you take away from the experience of family hymn sings during COVID that might help some of us grow in the way we teach our families to sing?For more info go to:https://www.gettymusic.com/https://gettymusicworshipconference.com/CONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

Rural Pastor's Talk

Should Rural Pastors Waste Time on Music? with Keith Getty

In this episode we discuss...our 5 points on what to do while we wait for season 2:Invest in individuals in your congregation, Preach the Word.Find rest.Care for your family.Pray, pray, pray!Sing, sing, sing!CONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

Bonus Episode: Peace!

In this episode we discuss...our 5 points on if the rural church is dying: Rural churches are closing.We have watched churches in our county close doors.  We have spoken with a number of pastors thinking of quitting.  There are probably as many pastor-less churches as there are with pastors, and there are lots of dwindling congregations made up of a few families.Some really beautiful, quintessential buildings sitting empty.Towns are hurting: closed grocery stores, banks, etc.Even post offices departing.Rural resources are slim.No nearby conferences.No targeted conferences.Few books.Few guys you can just go get coffee with.No seminary close by.No biblical counseling center.Rural ministry is reviled.Precious resources should be maximized (example from Simeon Trust)People not dreaming of it.People dreaming of leaving it!Movements not happening here.Christ is there.Proverbs 15:3Jeremiah 23:24Psalm 139:7-101 Chronicles 29:11-12Psalm 103:19Ephesians 3:10Christ&apos;s people are there. Genesis 1:26–28Acts 20:28Romans 12:15Matthew 28:19-20Acts 2:41John 4:23Matthew 16:18Titus 1:5There is a perception of decline and death in the rural church, but the reality is that it is an overlooked gem! It is precious to Christ and should be precious to all His people!Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:Need some profession business cards or letter head? Check out Hoban Press OR Hoban Press Cards!Our Quote of the Day:"If we lose our passion for rural America, then we will have abandoned a critical part of the gospel call." Glenn Daman, The Forgotten Church CONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

Is the Rural Church Dying?

In this episode we discuss...that as we preach, we must make certain that we know the context of the passage we are preaching and not take it out of context.We need to remember who the original audience was and the author&apos;s intent in writing.We not only need to preach correctly from Scripture, but we need to model the correct way of using and reading Scripture.Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:No review this week!Our Quote of the Day:No quote this week!CONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

Keeping Things in Context

In this episode we discuss...our 5 points on what to look forward to when you can&apos;t get out of bed:Your next dedicated time in the Word and prayer seeking God.Psalm 19:7-11Psalm 63:1-8The Next Sunday’s Worship with your flock and preaching the Word.Colossians 3:16Attaining an attainable goalRead a book, finish a project, lose some weight to the glory of God!Colossians 3:17Leading your wife & family into holinessEphesians 5:25-6:4Colossians 3:17-21The New Heavens and the New Earth & the day when you will see the faithful ones of your flock found righteous in Christ, receiving their crown of glory, feasting at the wedding supper of the Lamb, and witnessing the final defeat of evil.Isaiah 25:6-12Revelation 21:1-6Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:Need a new tool to help with sermon study? Check out biblearc.com!Our Quote of the Day:“This world is but a wilderness through which we must pass. It is not our place of rest. Heaven is our home, the King of kings is our husband and glory is our eternal inheritance” - James SmithCONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

What Gets You Out of Bed?

In this episode we...have an interview with Nate Pickowicz, author, speaker, theologian, movie star, and most of all: pastor!Questions we ask:What’s the name of the town you pastor in… and how many people live there… and how many paid pastors are on staff at your church?What is your great passion for your church?How did your most recent book get its name?Who did you picture in your mind as you were writing it?What event spurred you to write it?Understanding that we would really like people to purchase your book to get all the details… could you give us the bird’s eye view of a 7-Year Bible reading plan?What would you say to someone who struggles with reading -- who has no real affinity for any book or written word (no family background of any sort of bookishness) -- how would you encourage/exhort them to EAT THEIR BIBLES?Share with us the passion a pastor has to preach the Word of God to the people the Lord has brought him.Find Nate at:https://www.hbc-nh.org/about-us/How To Eat Your BibleThe American PuritansWhy We&apos;re ProtestantReviving New England: The Key to Revitalizing Post-Christian AmericaStuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:Need a Christian camp or amazing video resource? Joe reviews His Thousand Hills, and American Gospel: Christ Alone.Our Quote of the Day:"It doesn’t matter what I am doing. When one of my children asks, &apos;Dad, I have a question about God…&apos; Everything stops. Always." - Nate Pickowicz, TwitterCONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

Eat Your Bible with Nate Pickowicz

In this episode we discuss...our 5 points on how a young pastor can serve well in a church with many older saints:Young Pastor, you may be young. They may be old. But you are all eternal.There can be lots of differences between a 25 year old pastor and a 75 year old senior saint. But there is at least one similarity…every single one -- young or old -- is an eternal being who will someday stand before a Holy God. The same rules apply1 Timothy 6:11-12Young Pastor, be an EXAMPLE of Spiritual Maturity and SPIRITUAL GROWTH.As Pastors -- young or old -- we want to be the example of Spiritual Maturity & Spiritual growth. We are the Shepherds after all.1 Timothy 4:12-16Young Pastor, Meet the Qualifications: Scripture will expose your blindspots and where you need refined.It is VERY, VERY good to review the qualifications for eldership and identify where you need to put your energy toward maturity and victory over sin.1 Timothy 3:1-7Young Pastor, don’t forget your MAIN GOAL: rightly handling the Word of Truth.Paul called Timothy to REALLY hard tasks!Your goal isn’t to make changes for change’s sake so that these old people look like what you are used to in seminary… your goal is see them mature in Christ.Teach the flock what the Word says:Let the Word of God shine the light on sinLet the Word of God CONVICT people where they are sinningLet the Word of God do the TEACHING to correct themLet the Word of God TRAIN them.Young Pastor, you’ve got a big job, Grace be with you.1 Timothy 6:20-21Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:Need a phone and phone case? Josh reviews his WisePhone, and Etsy Case. Joe also reviews his new battery phone case!Our Quote of the Day:“Apostates and great backsliders do not reach their worst at one bound. The descent to hell is sometimes a precipice, but far oftener a smooth and gentle slope” - Charles Haddon SpurgeonCONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

Young Pastor, Old Church

In this episode we...have an interview with Derek Van Ruler and Scott Boyer, Pastors and founders of 4thLevel Discipleship:Questions we ask:What do you mean when you use the word disciple?Do you believe there are 4 levels of discipleship?  You’re both pastors.  What did you observe in your churches and in other churches you’ve worked with that led you to say “we need something more” when it comes to discipleship?There are so many books on discipleship and plans for making disciples…why 4th Level?What do you say to the pastor whose listening and thinking “Oh great, another program for discipleship…” I’ve read all the books, I’ve experimented with all the systems, but at the end of the day I just can’t get people motivated?What are some of the barriers to discipleship you’ve seen in small town churches like the ones we serve?How can I know I’ve “arrived” as a real disciple of Christ? A certificate?In your experience, are most of the pastors you talked to still being discipled?Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:Don&apos;t want to be electrocuted? Joe reviews his handy electric "hot" wire detector.Our Quote of the Day:“Discipleship is not an offer that man makes to Christ.”  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of DiscipleshipCONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

Discipleship

In this episode we discuss...our 5 points on being vulnerable with your church:You are both shepherd and sheep.  You are not outside the body you serve. You are not above the body you serve. You are not superior. You are not the head!!! You are PART of the body you serve even though you are called to serve as a shepherd.  1 Corinthians 12:12–27You have weaknesses!Weakness is NOT bad.  It is actually good.2 Corinthians 12:9You’re going to get hurt, but Christ is the healer!Colossians 2:24-25Psalm 147:32 Corinthians 9:81 Peter 5:10Philippians 4:19Build especially deep relationships with your elders.Acts 20:28Hebrews 13:17You shouldn’t be the hero of your sermons.Help the congregation see that you too are continuing to grow in Christ!1 Timothy 1:15Philippians 32 Corinthians 11:30Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:Need a backpack? TJ re-reviews his Knack Bag.Our Quote of the Day:"The most courageous pastors are the ones who don’t perform, but rest in their identity in Christ and live in the freedom of being themselves before their people." -  Brian Croft, The Pastor&apos;s Soul: The Call and Care of an UndershepherdCONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

How Well Should Your Church Know You?

In this episode we...have an interview with Matt Merker, Director of Creative Resources and Training for Getty Music.Questions we ask:You have said you have a Holy obsession with congregational singing. Why do you think the rural pastors listening should care so much about how their congregations sing?What is the biggest mistake you think most churches make when they plan their services?Are there any guiding theological goals a pastor should have as he leads his team to prepare for the Lord’s Day gathering?How would you encourage a  brother in a place like that to get started in making changes that would lead to more meaningful and robust services?What is the role of congregational singing in the life of a believer?How can we overcome those stylistic preferences and expectations to produce lively corporate singing that is good for the whole church?Find Matt at: https://www.mattmerkermusic.com/.Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:Matt reviews his upcoming book, Corporate Worship.Our Quote of the Day:"A worshiping community is made up of individuals whose lives are centered around the Savior they worship together each week. A worshiping community expects to encounter God&apos;s presence not only on Sunday morning but every day. A worshiping community recognizes that passionate times of singing God&apos;s praise flow from and lead to passionate lives lived for the glory of Jesus Christ." - Bob Kauflin, Worship MattersCONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

Freshen Up Your Church Services with Matt Merker

In this episode we discuss...our 5 points on how your church fits into the kingdom:Don’t be afraid to be an elder.God has established an office for the leadership of the Church.Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1As under-shepherds, Christ EXPECTS us to lead in the manner He has ordained.  We are to teach and practice godly leadership in the church through eldership. Don’t be afraid to accept things as they are on the way to where they should be.Examples of things that can frustrate:We have deacons, but I think we should have elders...We’re singing a bunch of songs with weak or poor theology...Our constitution really needs to be revised...We’re supporting 50 missionaries at $50/month…Don’t be afraid to speak the truth in love.Sometimes you have to say hard things from the pulpit, in a counseling session, in a public meeting, etc.Proverbs 27:5-6Don’t be afraid of Alexander the CoppersmithThere are those who you don’t want to upset because their presence and influence can be destructive.  Do not fear saying what God’s Word says no matter how they will react. The Lord will work it out!Don’t be afraid of hard work or failure.Often failure is the workroom God uses in our lives to reform us to be what we need to be in order to be more successful tools in his hands.Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:How&apos;re you planning to read the Bible this year? Consider the M&apos;Cheyne Bible Reading Plan.Our Quote of the Day:"There is much to learn about leadership from the life of Jesus-but the vision of leadership that we find in His Word is not likely to earn Him top billing on the leadership shelf in your local bookstore. The road to His kingdom did not, after all, land Him in an exquisite palace or an oak-paneled boardroom. It took Him to a cross-a throne of splintered wood, where His only robes were the flayed ribbons of His own flesh and where the scepter extending from His hand was not a polished staff but a bloodstained spike, Everyone who trusts in Him has been called to join Him in this suffering and to be united with Him in this death. For leaders in particular, the cross means that there is no depth of dereliction or sorrow to which we can be called where our King has not already been. &apos;The way of the Christian leaders is not the way of upward mobility in which our world has invested so much,&apos; Henri J.M. Nouwen has reminded us, &apos;but the way of downward mobility ending on the cross.&apos; That is the path of the one who leads as a follower of the God who goes before us." -   The God Who Goes Before You: Pastoral Leadership as Christ-Centered FollowershipCONTACTCall and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcher

Are You Afraid to Lead?

In this episode we discuss...our 5 points on how your church fits into the kingdom:Your place matters to Christ!Matthew 16:18bActs 17:24-27Your people are unique, so know and love them.Psalm 139Exegete your congregation!2 Kinds of Differences:ContextualGifting and PersonalityYour people are there for the lost people around them.1 Thessalonians 1:6-8It’s going to be hard, so embrace it.  Colossians 1:28-29The book you’re reading might not be all that helpful.Much of what we read by way of application does not always  apply well in a rural context.Don’t get discouraged by it!Think rural, and do things in rural ways.  Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:Need a knife sharpener for those blunted blades? Josh and Joe review Work Sharp's Guided Knife Sharpening System & Upgrade Kit.Our Quote of the Day:"If I did not praise and bless Christ my Lord, I should deserve to have my tongue torn out by its roots from my mouth. If I did not bless and magnify his name, I should deserve that every stone I tread on in the streets should rise up to curse my ingratitude, for I am a drowned debtor to the mercy of God—over head and ears—to infinite love and boundless compassion I am a debtor." Charles SpurgeonCONTACT (give us feedback, topic ideas, or just say hey)Call and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcherGoogle Play

How Does YOUR Church Fit into the Kingdom?

In this episode we discuss...pastoring rural parents with our guest author, speaker, and pastor Dr. Tedd Tripp!We'll answer these questions:What do we need to know about the kids in our church before we can equip the parents in our churches to shepherd them well?What is the biggest mistake you see Christian parents making that they might not even be aware of?If a young pastor came to you and said, “Dr. Tripp, I’ve noticed that the children in our church are undisciplined.  They can’t sit still.  They don’t listen to their parents.  They don’t respect their teachers.”  And I don’t know what to do.”  How would you counsel that pastor?One of the main arguments you make in the book is that our focus should be on changing hearts rather than behavior.  Are you suggesting that we should not try to change the behavior of our children?Why would you encourage us to spank our children when a nice time out could get the job done and keep us in the good graces of society?  How can we encourage the parents in our churches to see their children as a blessing?Is it wrong for us to discourage the parents in our churches from having their children so involved in these activities?Links for our Top Two's:Shepherding the Heart VideosPaul David Tripp's New Morning MerciesDevotions with your spouse!Zebra 301 7MM Gel Tip - Zebra 402 5MM Gel TipSecura Pigma 50034CONTACT (give us feedback, topic ideas, or just say hey)Call and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcherGoogle Play

Christmas, Kids, and Coal - A Review with Dr. Tedd Tripp

In this episode we discuss...our 5 points on fighting negativity in the heart:Remember: You have bad stuff in your heart!Matthew 15:18-19What you CHOOSE to think about is a matter of worship.Romans 12:1-22 ways to think about 2020:Disaster OR Kindness of God This is an opportunity for the Church to grow in faith.What you CHOOSE to allow to grip your heart will have a major impact on how you live.Proverbs 4:23Luke 6:45If you’re entertaining negative thoughts you are in sin.Philippians 4:8Examples of bad things we could think about…Nobody helped me shovel the church driveway.Boy, it’s lonely out here.I want 2020 to just end.God will help you, and you NEED it!Psalm 51:10Hebrews 4:12Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:Need some ideas about pretty much anything? TJ reviews Pinterest for all your creative needs!Our Quote of the Day:"In some ways, depression is a slow, painful death of desire, the heart-sickness that comes from repeatedly having hope deferred (Prov. 13:12). Hope that sustains the heart when pursuing a treasured desire has faded (or disappeared) in the depressed. What, then, do you treasure? What do you think would bring you happiness? Who or what are you worshiping? What would give your life meaning? Whose life do you covet? The joyous truth is that perhaps this painful depression is the Lord’s way of revealing false gods to you… Bathing our soul in the Gospel message will powerfully transform the locus of our treasure. Rather than cherishing success or self-approval, we can learn to cherish the Lord because He’s lavished such love upon the undeserving (1 John 4:7-10). All-satisfying treasure is found in this Gospel message.The depressed don’t simply need to feel better. They need a Redeemer who says, “Take heart, my son, my daughter; what you really need has been supplied. Life no longer need be about your goodness, success, righteousness, or failure. I’ve given you something infinitely more valuable than good feelings: your sins are forgiven.”This is the freeing truth you can learn through your depression: You weren’t created to love and worship anything more than you love and worship God; and when you do, you’ll feel bad. God has made you to feel pain when you’ve got other treasures that you’ve placed above Him. He wants you to treasure Him." - From Elyse Fitzpatrick&apos;s "Will Medicine Stop the Pain?"CONTACT (give us feedback, topic ideas, or just say hey)Call and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcherGoogle Play

Cheer up, Buttercup

In this episode we discuss...our 5 points on losing focus in the rural church by internal means:Buildings are just places.We are stewards of our buildings.1 Corinthians 10:31The way we use our space makes a statement to lost people.2 Corinthians 2:15The way we use our space will encourage or discourage our values (gathering, one-anothering, hospitality, etc).Watch out! Buildings can quickly become idols (idols of neglect or idols of too much care).Stuff Rural Pastors Can Use Review:Trying to live stream your church services? Josh reviews OBS Software, and its many applications.Our Quote of the Day:"When we are most lazy, the devil is most busy. Sloth is the cause of sin, and idleness the fruitful mother of wickedness." Andrew GrayCONTACT (give us feedback, topic ideas, or just say hey)Call and leave a message at (570) 724-3741Email: ruralpastorstalk@gmail.comWebsite: http://ruralpastorstalk.buzzsprout.com/SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://facebook.com/ruralpastorstalkTwitter: @ruralpastorsLISTENItunesSpotifyStitcherGoogle Play

Does it Matter if the Building is Outdated?

Rural pastors helping rural pastors think biblically about the local church.

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Rural Pastor's Talk

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