Lessons for Faith from the Garden with Matt Erickson

Host Andrew Camp welcomes Matt Erickson, senior pastor of Eastbrook Church in Milwaukee and author of The Pastor as Gardener, to discuss gardening as a metaphor for pastoral ministry and discipleship. Erickson shares his family roots in gardening, favorite crops, and how crises—including the pandemic, racial justice tensions, and a friend’s moral failure—led him to agrarian biblical imagery such as 1 Corinthians 3:5. He describes how themes like seed, compost, pruning, soil, and seasons reshape views of suffering, formation, place, and community, critiquing technological distraction, rootlessness, and efficiency-driven “exploiter” mindsets in favor of care and attentiveness. Practical steps include contemplative prayer and guarding attention. They explore how churches face seasons, including “winter” in North American decline, and why resurrection-shaped hope sustains faithful cultivation. BioMatt Erickson is a pastor, writer, speaker, and disciple of Jesus. Since 2010, Matt has served as the Senior Pastor at Eastbrook Church, an urban, multiracial church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Matt received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Christian Education from Wheaton College (IL), a Master of Divinity degree from Northern Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Western Theological Seminary (Holland, MI) in connection with the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination. He is the author of the recently published book The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry. Matt is married to Kelly, who has served in various ministry roles and operates her own spiritual direction practice. Matt and Kelly are parents of three children, all in college or beyond.Follow Matt Erickson:Website: mwerickson.comSubstack: @mwericksonFollow Andrew CampFacebook: andrew.camp.9Instagram: @andrewcamp80Substack: @thebiggesttableThis episode of the Biggest Table is brought to you in part by Wild Goose Coffee. Since 2008, Wild Goose has sought to build better communities through coffee. For our listeners, Wild Goose is offering a special promotion of 20% off a one time order using the code TABLE at checkout. To learn more and to order coffee, please visit wildgoosecoffee.com.