By Brandon Elrod
ALPHARETTA, Ga.—Pastoring a church can take its toll. The personal and spiritual nature of the vocation requires pastors to deal with deep stresses that other jobs often do not entail.
Through a recently launched podcast, Quick Takes with Kevin, North American Mission Board (NAMB) president Kevin Ezell aims to equip and encourage pastors. Ezell sits down with experienced pastors to have them share insights they have gained throughout their years of ministry.
Through a new podcast called Quick Takes with Kevin, North American Mission Board (NAMB) president Kevin Ezell aims to equip and encourage pastors. Ezell, left, sits down with experienced pastors and leaders, such as former LifeWay president Thom Rainer (right), to have them share insights they have gained throughout their years of ministry. NAMB photo.
“I wanted to call it ‘Cracker Barrel with Kevin’ because, to me, that’s one of the easiest places to have a conversation about anything, but it’s too hard to get permission to use the restaurant’s name,” said Ezell. “I’m trying to give pastors the feeling of sitting across the table from some fellow pastors and learning from their successes and struggles.”
New episodes release every Wednesday. Currently, the conversations stem from various chapters in a book called Replenish: Leading from a Healthy Soul by Lance Witt. The focus of the podcast is to encourage and equip pastors as they balance the demands of life, leadership and ministry.
“I’m not claiming to have a lot of wisdom or all the answers,” Ezell said, “but I do have some pretty smart friends, so each episode features pastors who are living out these topics and learning from them. It has led to a lot of great discussion so far.”
In the first episode, SBC Executive Committee president Ronnie Floyd shares about the day he decided to stop allowing his calendar to control him, protected time with his family and dedicated his mornings to being with the Lord.
Chuck Herring, pastor of Collierville First Baptist Church (Tenn.), tells about a near-death experience that solidified what was truly important to him, and Thom Rainer, past president of LifeWay, discusses how to stop being a people pleaser.
“Pastors are NAMB’s number one customer and we want to serve them well. One thing I know for sure is many of them are hurting and struggling,” Ezell said. “Too many throw in the towel each year and give up pastoring for good. I hope we can help encourage them and help them figure out ways to return to a healthy balance.”
The podcast is available both in audio and video formats through Apple Podcasts and on YouTube. It can also be found in the namb.net resources section by clicking the podcasts link.
Brandon Elrod writes for the North American Mission Board.