On Using Authority Well (Ep. 345)

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan and Mark sit down with Brooks Buser to hear his remarkable story and his heart for reaching unreached language groups. The conversation then turns to Brooks' “four lanes of missions” framework and forthcoming book, Reaching the Unreached.

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan and Mark talk with Joel Beeke about his new book A Thriving and Lifelong Ministry: Cultivating Spiritual and Pastoral Vitality for the Long Haul. With pastors leaving ministry in droves, Joel makes the case for long-term pastorates and against jumping ship every few years, and warns of the slow slide from heartfelt calling into mere professionalism. 

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan and Mark sit down with Mez McConnell, founder of 20schemes, to hear his remarkable testimony and the story of his ministry to Scotland’s “schemes” — the poor, multi-generational housing communities most of the church has overlooked. 

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan and Mark are joined by Ben Lacey and Dr. Matthew Bingham to discuss Bingham’s new book A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation. Together they survey some of the popular approaches to spiritual formation shaping evangelicals today and show why each tends to sideline regeneration and the sufficiency of God’s Word. 

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Alex Duke fills in for Mark Dever to talk with Jonathan Leeman about his book, Using Authority Well: A Concise Guide for Men. Jonathan makes the case that authority is not a necessary evil but a gift from God; one meant to create and build up life, as pictured in 2 Samuel 23 and Psalm 72, rather than to exploit or destroy. 

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Mark Dever sits down with Sean DeMars to talk about his book Redemption Song, a short and approachable primer on congregational singing. Using Moses' song in Exodus 15 as a lens, they explore why God's people sing, how the regulative principle guides our worship (and why it needn't be scary or restrictive), and why singing is part of the word ministry of the church that pastors, not just music leaders, are accountable for. 

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan talks with Ryan Robertson about his new book (co-authored with Matt Bennett), The Path to Being a Missionary. Together they unpack why "I'm called" is better understood as aspiration tested by a local church, and why Ryan so often tells eager candidates to wait. 

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan talks to Mark and Connie Dever, a candid vulnerable conversation about being a pastor's wife.

In this special live episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan Leeman sits down with hymn writer, worship professor, and pastor Matt Boswell to talk about the craft and calling of writing hymns for the church. They also explore what a hymn writer and a theologian each see, how Matt writes with specific suffering church members in mind, why singing is meant to be horizontal as well as vertical, and what to do if you don't like your church's music (spoiler: sing anyway).Note: this episode was recorded live and has some audio issues throughout.

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan Leeman and Mark Dever are joined by David Lawrence, pastor of Erbil Baptist Church, and Jeremy Barker of the Mustard Seed Foundation, to discuss gospel work in Kurdistan — the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.