Pastor in the Middle

01/09/2024

On this week’s PITM episode, Fred and Matt interviewed our friend Jeff Jones on the topic of ministry to college students. Jeff has been BCM Director at the University of Memphis for 20 years, leading incredible discipleship and outreach on campus. Check it out!

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 64: Ministry to College Students - Jan 9, 2024

01/03/2024

First PITM episode of 2024! For this week's podcast episode, Fred and Matt discussed preaching and leading on giving within the church.

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 63: Preaching and Leading on Giving - Jan 2, 2024

12/19/2023

It’s the end of the year, and we naturally look back at everything we did in 2023. So, how do we as pastors evaluate ourselves? That’s what Fred and Matt discussed in the latest edition of PITM.

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 61: Evaluating Ourselves - Dec 19, 2023

12/13/2023

On PITM, Fred and Matt had their second discussion on preaching different genres of Scripture. This week it was Old Testament books of wisdom and poetry. Check it out!

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 60: Preaching Old Testament Wisdom and Poetry - Dec 12, 2023

12/01/2023

For this week’s PITM episode, Fred and Matt discussed worship services during the holiday season. Check it out and share!

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 58: Services During the Christmas Season - Nov 28, 2023

11/17/2023

Sorry we are late to post the link! This week on PITM, Fred and Matt discussed the why and how of building community among church leaders - both volunteers and staff.

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 56: Building Community Among Church Leaders - Nov 14, 2023

11/01/2023

As a pastor, when do you bring in a guest speaker or musician? This week on PITM, Fred and Matt discussed special events and initiatives.

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 54: Special Events and Initiatives - Oct 31, 2023

10/26/2023

This week on PITM, Fred and Matt interviewed Stephen Robert, COO of One More Child!

Topic: how individual churches and pastors can help fight human trafficking. You should listen!

Book recommendation on the episode: Raleigh Sadler's “Vulnerable.”

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 53: How Can Churches Fight Human Trafficking? With Stephen Roberts, COO of One More Chi - Oct 24, 2023

10/11/2023

In this week’s episode of PITM, Fred and Matt discuss time involved in sermons - both in preparation and delivery.

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 51: Sermon Time - Oct 10, 2023

10/04/2023

For this week’s episode of PITM, Fred and Matt got to talk about cooperative ministry with our friend Mitch Martin, director of the Mid-South Baptist Association. Please listen and share!

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 50: Cooperative Ministry, with Mitch Martin - Oct 3, 2023

09/26/2023

In this week’s episode of PITM, Fred and Matt talk about a specific aspect of pastoral care and showing the love of Jesus: hospital visits.

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 49: Hospital Visits - Sep 26, 2023

09/20/2023

This week on PITM: Part 2 of “Your First Steps in Ministry”:

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 48: Your First Steps in Ministry (Part 2) - Sep 19, 2023

09/12/2023

This week’s episode deals with your first steps in pastoral ministry (senior OR associate roles). Check it out!

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 47: Your First Steps in Ministry (Part 1) - Sep 12, 2023

09/05/2023

This week’s episode of PITM is on moving from a metro area to a pastorate in a small town. Our guest is Ben Cowell, Senior Pastor of Brownsville Baptist Church in Brownsville, Tennessee.

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 46: Transitioning from a Metro Area to a Small-town Pastorate, with Ben Cowell - Sep 5, 2023

08/30/2023

Other than the pulpit, the staff meeting is probably the most important lever of leadership for the senior pastor. Our latest episode of PITM covers the staff meeting. Check it out, and please share!

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 45: Staff Meetings - Aug 30, 2023

08/22/2023

Today’s PITM episode is on Caring for the Pastor, with a special guest interview - Dr. Billy Daws, regional director for PastorCare in Atlanta and North Georgia!

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 44: Caring for Pastors, with Dr. Billy Daws - Aug 22, 2023

08/15/2023

Following their podcast episode on weddings last week, Fred and Matt tackle the subject of funerals this week! Check it out and share! [By the way, next week, we've got a great guest interview coming. Be sure to check our feed next Tuesday.]

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 43: Funerals - Aug 15, 2023

08/15/2023

“The love of God is so strong that even when he is flagrantly ignored, deserted, or rejected, he is drawn, as a husband to his wife or a mother to her child, to love in spite of the actions of the other. The wrongs are real, but so too are the compassion and the desire to forgive, if the condition for restoration - a renewed desire to acknowledge God - is present to allow the floods of his mercy to be unleashed.”

- David Baker, commentary on Habakkuk 3:2

08/09/2023

This staggering data was shared by my friend Billy Daws. Fred and I plan to interview him soon for Pastor in the Middle. Pray for your pastors!

08/08/2023

This week on PITM, Fred and Matt discuss weddings. Check it out at the link below!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pastor-in-the-middle/id1650814553?i=1000623779201

07/25/2023

This week, Fred and Matt talked about various approaches to using notes while preaching. There is much freedom here for pastors to use different methods. Check it out and share!

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 40: Preaching Notes - Jul 25, 2023

07/19/2023

We had a wonderful interview this week with the Pastor Emeritus at Trinity Baptist Church (where Matt serves), Dr. Richard Hipps. The episode was on “Finishing Well.” You’ve gotta hear his story!

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 39: Finishing Well, with Dr. Richard Hipps - Jul 18, 2023

07/12/2023

Great summary of Habakkuk’s declaration of faith in chapter 3:

“In the light of these evidences of God's being and power in the past, Habakkuk puts himself, in fearful but joyful submission, into the hands and care of the One who can and does provide even when all other means of support and sustenance fail.”

- David W. Baker in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary

06/21/2023

This is one of our best Pastor in the Middle episodes to date. It's Part 2 of our interview series with Pastor Reginald Taylor of the Rock Church in Memphis. Reginald is completing a Preaching PhD at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In this episode, he gives a masterclass on homiletical method.

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 35: Homiletical Method, with Reginald Taylor - Jun 20, 2023

06/06/2023

In today's episode of PITM, Fred and Matt talk through raising up leaders within the local church, as part of discipleship and mission.

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 33: Raising Up Leaders - Jun 6, 2023

05/31/2023

This week's episode of Pastor in the Middle was a blast to record - Fred and Matt got to interview Matt's Associate Pastor at Trinity Baptist Church, Dr. Gerson Garros. Gerson has done an amazing job leading ministry to internationals in our part of Memphis, so we asked him about his vision and experience for this type of ministry. Many churches and pastors could benefit from his wisdom and ideas.

Episode 32: International Ministry in Your Community

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 32: International Ministry in Your Community - May 30, 2023

05/17/2023

In this week’s PITM episode, Fred Shackelford and Matt Crawford discuss kids in church life. Jesus said to let the little children come to him! Check it out:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pastor-in-the-middle/id1650814553?i=1000613208570

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 30: Kids in Church - May 16, 2023

05/11/2023

This week’s PITM episode discusses how we can engage as individuals and churches in our community, for the sake of showing Jesus’s love and sharing the gospel.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pastor-in-the-middle/id1650814553?i=1000612303494

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 29: Community Involvement - May 9, 2023

05/02/2023

We are really excited about this week's PITM Episode. Many of y'all remember the devastating tornado that came through Covington, Tennessee, just over a month ago. For this episode, Fred and Matt got to interview our friend Cliff Marion, who is the pastor of First Baptist Church Covington and has been on the front lines of the response to the disaster. In our episode, Cliff shares what he learned through this disaster, and he talks about crucial partnerships with Send Relief, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, Samaritan's Purse, and other local churches in his area. Check it out and please share!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pastor-in-the-middle/id1650814553?i=1000611418256

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 28: Ministering After a Disaster, with Cliff Marion - May 2, 2023

04/25/2023

New PITM episode this morning! Fred and Matt discussed creating a discipleship culture in your local church:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pastor-in-the-middle/id1650814553?i=1000610528345

‎Show The Pastor in the Middle, Ep PITM Episode 27: Creating a Discipleship Culture - Apr 25, 2023