A podcast helping pastors and other church workers navigate the challenges of leading the flock.
Episodes
Friday May 08, 2020
Friday May 08, 2020
Welcome to a very special package of podcasts where Pastor John interviews pastor and attorney, David Bodanza. David knows both the church and the law well -- he's a practicing lawyer with over 30 years experience specializing in Church Law. In this episode, we discuss the importance of clarity in a church's Articles of Incorporation.
Friday May 08, 2020
Friday May 08, 2020
Welcome to a very special package of podcasts where Pastor John interviews pastor and attorney, David Bodanza. David knows both the church and the law well -- he's a practicing lawyer with over 30 years experience specializing in Church Law. In this first episode, we're introduced to David and also hear the wonderful story of how God used him to revitalize a precious New England congregation.
Friday May 01, 2020
Friday May 01, 2020
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Show Notes
A question we often ask on the podcast is, "Who pastors the pastor?" But an equally important question is, "Who pastors the missionaries?" In way too many cases, those families who are serving on foreign soil have little or no pastoral investment. And for some, the need for the love and care of a pastor is dire.
In this episode of The Minister's Friend, Pastor John continues his interview with Jon and Tammie Rissmiller, who serve with both Global Outreach International and Pastor2Missionaries, providing direct (and often on site) pastoral care to missionaries around the world. In this segment, we discuss the biblical basis for missionary support and care, and then give an overview of what that care by local churches should entail.
Resources
Books:
- Serving As Senders Today: How To Care For Missionaries As The Prepare To Go, Are On The Field, And Return Home, Revised Edition, Neal Pirolo, Emmaus Road International, (January 1, 2012)
- Mind The Gaps: Engaging the Church In Missionary Care, David Wilson, Ed., 2015, Believers Press (Three Strand Partners)
Web Resources:
Missions Training/Debriefing/Counseling:
- Mission Training International - Palmer Lake, Colorado - https://www.mti.org/
- TRAIN International - Joplin, Missouri - https://traininternational.org/
- Alongside - Richland, Michigan - https://www.alongsidecares.net
To find out more about the Rissmillers' ministry or to provide support:
Friday Apr 24, 2020
Friday Apr 24, 2020
Show Notes
A question we often ask on the podcast is, "Who pastors the pastor?" But an equally important question is, "Who pastors the missionaries?" In way too many cases, those families who are serving on foreign soil have little or no pastoral investment. And for some, the need for the love and care of a pastor is dire.
In this episode of The Minister's Friend, Pastor John interviews his long-time friends, Jon and Tammie Rissmiller, who serve with both Global Outreach International and Pastor2Missionaries, providing direct (and often on site) pastoral care to missionaries around the world. In this first segment of our interview, we introduce you to the Rissmillers and their ministry. In the weeks that follow, our hope is provide you and your congregation with practical and innovative ways that you can better care for the missionary families your church supports.
Resources
Books:
- Serving As Senders Today: How To Care For Missionaries As The Prepare To Go, Are On The Field, And Return Home, Revised Edition, Neal Pirolo, Emmaus Road International, (January 1, 2012)
- Mind The Gaps: Engaging the Church In Missionary Care, David Wilson, Ed., 2015, Believers Press (Three Strand Partners)
Web Resources:
Missions Training/Debriefing/Counseling:
- Mission Training International - Palmer Lake, Colorado - https://www.mti.org/
- TRAIN International - Joplin, Missouri - https://traininternational.org/
- Alongside - Richland, Michigan - https://www.alongsidecares.net
To find out more about the Rissmillers' ministry or to provide support:
Thursday Apr 16, 2020
Thursday Apr 16, 2020
Did you know The Minister's Friend is on all the major podcast platforms? Subscribe today on Apple, Android and more!
Show Notes
In this special episode of The Minister's Friend, Pastor John responds to the many comments, emails and conversations he's had with people who are expressing trouble praying during this scary and unpredictable time with the Coronavirus Pandemic. Some are folks out of work because of the national shutdown. Some are families sequestered in their homes for safety. And some are seasoned pastors who are just finding it hard to navigate this new "normal" with online worship and social distancing requirements that have completely changed how we do church.
Pastor John brings us a message he preached in 2016 at Woodbury Community Church in the Upper Midwest. This message summarizes the little video lessons on prayer he has been offering since the "Stay at Home" orders were levied upon us.
If you'd like to work your way through those video lessons, you can find them HERE.
Recommended Books on Prayer:
- Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets
- A Praying Life by Paul Miller
- Praying God's Word by Beth Moore
- With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray
- Prayer by O. Hallesby
- Learning to Prayer Through the Psalms by James W. Sire
- The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer by E.M. Bounds
Friday Apr 10, 2020
Friday Apr 10, 2020
Did you know The Minister's Friend is on all the major podcast platforms? Subscribe today on Apple, Android, and more!
Show Notes
There are three things Pastor John notes are all but missing from the North American church today: we don't pray like we should, we don't make disciples like we should, and we don't read our bibles like we should. In fact, George Barna has noted that half of America is fully "disengaged" from the Bible. Enter the Institute for Bible Reading. Glenn Paauw and Paul Caminiti join The Minister's Friend to talk about their incredible tool, the Immerse Bible Reading Experience, and how it is designed to address today's lack of bible reading. Today is the last segment in this interview. In it, we talk about the really effective "book club" model.
Special Offer
This episode was recorded during the COVID-19 Virus Pandemic (April 2020). In order to bless families who are "sequestered" in their homes with most States passing Stay-At-Home orders, the folks from the Institute for Bible Reading have created a FREE resource for families to help redeem the extra time spent together. Immerse From Home is a family study of the Bible book Luke-Acts. They provide the biblical text (New Living Translation), introductory videos for the two main sections of the study, streaming audio links for those who do better listening to the Bible than reading it, and a special family guide to make this a wonderful family experience together.
Below are two important FREE links:
- Paul Caminiti's Video Introduction to Immerse From Home
- The Immerse From Home website where you can download everything you need
We cannot recommend this experience more highly. Enjoy!
Suggested Resources
Websites:
- The Institute for Bible Reading Website
- The Immerse Bible Reading Experience Website (www.immersebible.com)
- State of the Bible 2019: Trends in Engagement (Barna Research, April 2019)
- Facts and Trends: How Many Protestant Churchgoers Actually Read the Bible Regularly? (Lifeway Research, July 2019)
Presentation (Audio and Video):
- Re-enchanting the Scriptures by Glenn Paauw (Audio)
- How the Story of the Bible Works by Glenn Paauw (Video Series)
Books:
Would you like access to additional content from The Minister's Friend? Our ministry has expanded. We now have three levels of membership to best meet your needs! You can get more information by clicking this button!
Friday Apr 03, 2020
Friday Apr 03, 2020
Pastor John continue his interview with Paul Caminiti and Glenn Paauw of the Institute for Bible Reading about the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. Today they discuss the decision to rearrange some of the Bible books and letters in the Immerse Bible. There is also a special offer for our listeners near the end of the podcast. Don't miss it!
Monday Mar 30, 2020
Monday Mar 30, 2020
Pastor John continues his interview with Paul Caminiti and Glenn Paauw of the Institute for Bible Reading. Today we talk about how removing the artificial chapter and verse divisions in the modern bible allows the original and beautiful literary forms within the Scripture to shine through.
Friday Mar 20, 2020
Friday Mar 20, 2020
Pastor John continues his conversation with Paul Caminiti and Glenn Paauw from the Institute for Bible Reading about the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. Today we hear how God led Glenn to be part of this work, and some interesting things they discovered about the development of the modern English bible.
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
Pastor John beings a new series of episodes looking at the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. He begins by introducing the two men who developed the tool, Paul Caminiti and Glenn Paauw. In this episode, we hear the story of how God led Paul to this work.