John Gundacker is the senior/lead pastor of Calvary Chapel in Pahrump, NV, and has been for 20 years. Pahrump is a little more than an hour from Las Vegas, obviously a huge city. The church John was trained in was in Las Vegas. So when his family moved to tiny Pahrump to start a church, expectations had to change. In the process, John has learned contentment, which is a huge key in any ministry. As we'll see in this podcast episode, contentment produces its own kind of fruit ... makes it easier to wait for the Lord, it provides peace and focus upon the right things. Listen in as John tells part of his and his church's story.

Steve Sager is a seasoned and balanced pastor with a long history and varied history with Calvary Chapels — in many places and for different seasons. During much of his pastoral ministry, Steve has been bi-vocational. He was with the first Calvary Chapel ministry in Napa, CA which produced a shocking number of pastors who went out from there to plant other churches (Joseph Prudhomme, Frank Ippolito, Jay McCarl, Lee Shaw, Damian Kyle, Larry Anderson to mention a few). Steve has served as an assistant pastor, an elder, a worship leader, and as a senior/lead pastor. His passion is the ministry of the Word of God. With all his experiences and history, Steve offers a unique and encouraging perspective on pastoral ministry. Be refreshed. SPECIAL NOTE: On August 5, 2021, our brother and friend Steve passed away due to COVID-19 in Henderson, NV. He was 70 years old. He was a loving husband and an amazing father to four children.

Matt Valencia has a huge heart for God’s Kingdom, and a sincere love for the greater Body of Christ. Recently, Matt was asked to lead a discussion on the topic of this podcast. This interview dives into the meat of that discussion, and why it matters. Matt Valencia is the Lead Pastor of the Regeneration Church of Scotts Valley, CA and is also the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel in Gilroy, CA.

Daryl Zachman is one of a number of pastoral friends that I gained while living in Idaho. This podcast was recorded in Boise, because Daryl invited Poimen Ministries to come and do a church assessment, as well as share at a ministry conference hosted at their church. Daryl and his wife Cindy were directed by the Holy Spirit to launch out to Boise in 1994. So they started as pioneers, as is true of so many of the pastors in our fellowship of churches. The Holy Spirit has used Daryl and Cindy ... and their leadership ... to develop a culture of openness, hospitality, warmth, and love in their fellowship. Podcast number 90 explores some of those dynamics with Pastor Daryl.

In this podcast episode, Pastor John Milhouse of Calvary Chapel Moreno Valley, CA talks about his current church transition process. John has been in ministry as a senior pastor for more than 38 years. He speaks with careful wisdom, and with the voice of experience and grace. In addition, John comments on a message he delivered at the recent Calvary Chapel Deep South Pastor's and Leader's Conference in Stone Mountain, GA. The title of the very timely message John delivered that day is "Our Times Are In His Hands." Taken from Psalm 31:14-15, it's a quotation from king David: “But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand.” Hear how this passage relates to the need for ministry flexibility, to a pastor's leadership within the context of COVID-19, and to the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

Bryan Newberry is like a leadership guru. Plus, he's a discipleship guy as well. The combination of those two traits has been beneficial to many pastors and future pastors during his very long ministry. Bryan was the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel San Diego, where he served for 32 years with his wife Cheryl. Currently, Bryan serves as the (new) senior pastor of Calvary Chapel in Los Alamitos, as well as with Poimen Ministries. Bryan’s teachings are available at bryannewberry.org. His email address is bryanccsd@gmail.com. Feel free to email him with comments or questions.

Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra once said, "You can observe a lot just by watching." When speaking with Pastor Bryan Newberry, one can learn a lot just by listening. Bryan is a great resource for pastors and church leaders. His thing is discipleship, and that's what he does. He mentors and disciples believers, and in his role with Poimen Ministries, he mentors and disciples pastors. Join us in this episode in which Bryan discusses his new pastoral assignment, pastoral leadership, the importance of delegation as a leader, and more.

Today we have as our guest pastor Tim Brown of Calvary Chapel Fremont, CA, where he has served as the founding and senior pastor since 1997. A graduate of San Jose Bible College, Tim is a true pastor-teacher, and is a gifted writer. He has been one of the most listened to guests on Strength for Today’s Pastor, and it’s always good to have him with us. Tim, welcome back to the program. Thanks for joining us. Tim, the COVID 19 situation has created some unforeseen, almost unimaginable scenarios for pastors and churches. In fact, the very first state issued stay-at-home orders were in California (March 19). Public gatherings and schools were prohibited from meeting as scheduled; restaurants were closed to indoor seating, etc. And then there’s what happened with the church. DISCUSSION Question: Tim, you’ve been writing a blog almost daily throughout most of the pandemic, in a pastoral effort to shepherd the church through this crisis. What motivated you to do this, and how has the Lord used it? Question: Maybe you could briefly summarize what’s been happening since then, especially with respect to the churches in California… Question: So this week, you came out with one of most epic blogs, which makes the case that civil disobedience is not rebellion. I read it immediately, and almost immediately shared it on my FB page, and told others about it. So we’ve already stated the basic premise of the article … so tell us how you develop your argument in your blog. Question: So drawing from your blog post, let’s say the state says, “churches may not meet indoors or may not meet anywhere publicly.” There are criteria that each pastor and leadership team will use to make their decision. What are those criteria? You mention the decision to engage in civil disobedience is actually a matter of conscience. What do you mean by that, and why is it important? Question: You wrote that there is an ‘unnecessary tension’ in local churches due to misunderstanding the difference between civil disobedience and rebellion. For me, your article completely eliminated this tension. Please elaborate, if you would. Why is there an unnecessary tension? How does that tension go away? Question: You wrote: “Rebellion is seeking to overthrow the institution of the State or escape the prosecution of the State whereas civil disobedience is noncompliance to a law of the State when it violates conscience.” For me, these definitions turned on the light bulb in my brain. So how do the definitions apply as they relate to a church deciding to remain open during COVID-19 restrictions? You cite an example from the book of Acts, in chapter 4… Question: Your final statement in the article stated that “A proper understanding of the difference between civil disobedience and rebellion may help to ease some of the tensions felt as local churches consider whether or not to reopen.” I noticed that phrase, ‘as local churches consider whether or not to reopen.” That seemed like a wonderful conciliatory tone, and very gracious. Obviously, you’re leaving it up to each church to decide. Yes? What’s your heart for other pastors and churches going through these times? RESOURCES Pastor Tim’s teachings are available at calvaryfremont.org/sermons. His blogs throughout the COVID-19, by which he has masterfully led his fellowship, can be found at calvaryfremont.org/addressing-covid-19. Also, if you have questions you’d like feedback from Tim about … just send us an email at strongerpastors@gmail.com, and I’ll pass it on to Tim and he’ll get back to you. CLOSING So before we go, we always enjoy your feedback and happily entertain suggestions for future podcast topics that may be of help to senior pastors and church leaders. Also, please visit our website to learn of the myriad ways the Poimen Ministries team of pastors can help encourage and strengthen you in your ministry. From the staff, pastors and board of Directors here at Poimen Ministries, we wish God’s very best upon you and your ministry. So long, until next week…

In this podcast episode we’ll be talking with a brother in Christ, who is a blogger and a committed follower of Jesus, on something that is strengthening me, and I think will strengthen many pastors … and also their congregations. It’s a word from the Lord about how we should then live, in the light of our current global and local situations. His pseudonym is "Blogger Jeremy," the anonymity being for security reasons. KEY CONVERSATION POINTS ~ It is clear we are at war and that 2020 will be remembered as the year in which a fierce spiritual attack was unleashed upon us, upon the church of Jesus Christ world-wide. ~ This declaration of war by the enemy leaves us with no choice but to sound the alarm before our king and to enter the battlefield. ~ Synopsis of the enemy's objectives: Victory. Objectives. Enemies. Surprise. Vengeance. Role. Expectations. Identity. ~ Begin the battle from the position of Victory. ~ Rely upon the elements of surprise as we fight the battle. ~ What is expected of us, as enlisted soldiers in the army of God? --------------------------------------------------------------------- Blog Post from which this interview is derived: https://a-ready-pen.blogspot.com/2020/09/this-is-war-september-2020.html

In episode 84 of Strength for Today's Pastor we’re going to hear from Pastor Sandy Adams of Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain, Georgia. A couple of weeks ago, show host Bill Holdridge had the privilege of attending the Calvary Chapel Deep South Pastor’s Conference at the church Sandy has pastored for almost 40 years. Sandy preached a message on Monday night on the subject of “Race in America.” As anyone who is familiar with Sandy’s ministry would expect, the message was factual, historical, Biblical, soundly theological, and profoundly applicational. Therefore, we decided to devote this podcast to playing the message in its entirety. So let’s get into it … and hear from God’s Word and from the Holy Spirit in a message entitled “Race in America” from Micah 6:6-8. To read the transcript of Sandy’s message, click on the link below to download it in .pdf format. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uE8TZ_LZnHVuOzhYwZ9DAIgUOV_n0QId/view?usp=sharing