Field Notes for Pastors

In this episode, we sit down with Vincent Bacote to consider how pastors faithfully lead their congregations amid cultural, racial, and political complexity. We reflect on the pressures ministry leaders face in polarized environments and explore how theological depth and spiritual maturity shape wise pastoral guidance. We discuss how pastors form communities that engage the public square without being consumed by it. Together, we examine how rootedness in Christ sustains courageous, humble leadership in challenging times.Vince Bacote’s personal website: https://www.vincentbacote.com.The Center for Applied Christian Ethics: https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/academic-centers/center-for-applied-christian-ethics/. We mentioned the following resources:Vincent Bacote, The Political DiscipleBlack + Evangelical: a documentary profiling the history, struggles, and contributions of African American evangelicals.Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com. 

In this episode, we welcome spiritual director Kelly Erickson to explore spiritual direction and its vital role in sustaining the pastoral and ministry calling. We discuss how spiritual direction creates a sacred space of listening, silence, and attentiveness to God, especially for those carrying the pressures and expectations of leadership. We reflect on how practices like solitude, silence, Sabbath, and retreat help pastors resist malformation, address the dark side of ministry, and reclaim their belovedness in Christ. Together, we consider how spiritual direction differs from mentoring or friendship and how it invites ministry to flow from a deep, grounded life with God.Kelly Erickson’s spiritual direction practice website with many additional resources: Hills & Valleys.Christ-Centered Spiritual Direction Association: https://www.graftedlife.org/csda/home/. The Transforming Center’s spiritual direction resource: https://directory.transformingcenter.org. We mentioned the following books:Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy SpiritualityHenri Nouwen, Life of the BelovedTeresa of Avila, The Life of St. Teresa of Avila by HerselfBernard of Clairvaux, Selected WorksJulian of Norwich, ShowingsThomas Merton, The Seven Storey MountainEugene Peterson, Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral IntegrityLyle Dorsett, Seeking the Secret Place: The Spiritual Formation of C. S. LewisGary L. McIntosh and Samuel D. Rima, Overcoming the Dark Side of LeadershipPre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.

In this episode, we sit down with artist and photographer Asher Imtiaz to explore what it means to truly see others through practices of attention, presence, and connection. Drawing from Asher’s experience as a Christian minority from Pakistan and his long-term work with refugees and asylum seekers, we reflect on seeing as an act of love that requires time, vulnerability, and a willingness to be changed. We discuss how seeing becomes communion rather than performance, pushing back against a culture of urgency and project-driven ministry. Together, we consider how pastors and ministry leaders cultivate sustained, incarnational attention as a way of loving people and making space for God’s work.Asher Imtiaz’s personal website:  www.asherimtiaz.com Asher’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asherimtiaz/ We mentioned the following resources:Henri Nouwen, In the Name of JesusDavid Brooks, How to Know a PersonPre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com. 

In this episode, we talk with pastor and author Daniel Grothe about the importance of place, presence, and agrarian imagery in shaping a faithful approach to ministry. Together, we explore how practices like gardening, shepherding, and rootedness help us resist abstraction and rediscover the incarnational nature of Christian leadership. Daniel shares stories from his own life and church that reveal how suffering, patience, and attention to people and place can lead to deep renewal. We reflect on how God works through seasons of death and growth to bring about a harvest of joy.Daniel Grothe’s personal website:  https://danielgrothe.com We mentioned the following resources:Daniel Grothe, The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Rootless AgeDaniel Grothe’s Instagram: instagram.com/mrdanielgrothe Daniel Grothe’s Substack: https://substack.com/@danielgrothe Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow: A NovelWendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian EssaysWendell Berry, This Day: Collected & New Sabbath Poems Look and See: A Portrait of Wendell BerryPre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.   

In this episode, we talk with Shanthini Baskaran about spiritual formation, soul care, and the inner life of those called to ministry. Together, we explore how busyness, identity, and constant demands can quietly erode our attentiveness to God, even when we are doing God’s work. Shanthini invites us into a vision of prayer, rest, and community that is rooted in deep intimacy with Jesus and sustained by daily rhythms. We reflect on how tending our own souls is essential for long-term faithfulness and joy in ministry.Soul Care Institute: www.soulcareinstitute.com. Shanthini’s email: [email protected]. Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com. 

In this episode, we explore Steve Smith’s journey through ministry, burnout, and the rediscovery of his identity as God’s beloved. We reflect together on how performance, busyness, and the “empire church” shape us, and how practices of silence, solitude, and Sabbath can reawaken our souls. We consider the courageous inner work that leads from exhaustion to renewal and talk about the invitations God offers us to live more rooted, spacious, and honest lives. Ultimately, we’re invited to rethink ministry through rhythms of rest, belovedness, and deeper presence with God.Potter’s Inn: www.pottersinn.com. Steve Smith’s Substack, “Potter’s Inn”Soul Care Institute: www.soulcareinstitute.com. Steve Smith’s latest book: Greening: Poems in the Unfolding of Our LivesSteve mentioned the following books:Henri Nouwen, The Wounded HealerStephen Smith, The Lazarus Life: Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary PeopleStephen Smith, The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic ChristianityPre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.

In this episode, we explore how metaphors and stories shape the way we understand ministry, leadership, and even our own souls. Together with Greg Marshall, we reflect on why storytelling is not just a communication tool but a framework that gives meaning, alignment, and direction to churches and organizations. We discuss the power of agrarian metaphors—especially gardening—for pastors, and how they can reorient ministry away from abstraction, performance, and anxiety toward attentiveness, growth, and faithfulness. Along the way, we consider how prayer, imagination, and curiosity help us remain grounded in God’s work rather than our own striving.Greg Marshall’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-marshall/. Greg’s Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/figuregreg80We mentioned the following resources:Iain McGilchrist, The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western WorldJustin Brierly, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God podcast, Season 1, Episode 25: “The Believing Brain: How Iain McGilchrist Rediscovered the Soul”C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.

In this episode, we talk with Mandy Smith about the calling of the pastor as a vocation of paying attention—to God, to ourselves, and to the communities we serve. We explore vulnerability, human limitation, and the difference between living from a false self shaped by expectations and a true self grounded in God’s call. Together, we reflect on authority, creativity, discernment, and what it means to lead without pretending to have all the answers. We consider how pastoral faithfulness grows through dependence on God rather than self-sufficiency.Visit Mandy Smith’s personal website (https://thewayistheway.org) or follow her on Instagram at @mandysmithhopes. We mentioned the following books:Mandy Smith, The Vulnerable PastorMandy Smith, Confessions of an Amateur SaintM. Craig Barnes, The Pastor as Minor PoetPre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.

In this episode, we reflect with Bishop Walter Harvey on the deep connection between pastoral calling, long-term faithfulness, and attentiveness to context. We explore what it means to shepherd people over decades, cultivating flourishing through healthy marriages, prayerful lives, friendships, and humility. Together, we wrestle with the importance of exegeting both church and community, learning to listen well, embrace change, and engage neighborhoods not from a distance but with presence. We are reminded that faithful ministry grows when we are truly with the people God has called us to serve.Bishop Walter Harvey’s personal website: https://walterharveyministries.com. The website for WI+H movement: www.with.city.  We mentioned the following:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bishop.walter.harvey/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bishop__walterharvey Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.  

In this episode, we reflect with Winn Collier on pastoral calling and identity, returning again and again to the conviction that being a pastor is fundamentally about God, not performance, personality, or success. We talk honestly about the cultural pressures that distort pastoral ministry and the fear that keeps us from embracing weakness, vulnerability, and humility. Together, we explore how friendship, attentiveness to place, and a truthful reckoning with our own limitations can nourish a faithful pastoral life. Drawing on the wisdom of Eugene Peterson and Wendell Berry, we imagine a pastoral vocation rooted in presence, patience, and love for people and place.Visit Winn Collier’s personal website (https://winncollier.com) and substack (http://winncollier.substack.com). The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination: https://petersoncenter.org. The Order of the Kingfisher: https://petersoncenter.org/order-of-the-kingfisher/. We mentioned the following books:Winn Collier, A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson Eugene Peterson, Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration of Vocational HolinessWendell Berry, Jayber Crow: A NovelGerard Manley Hopkins, “As Kingfishers Catch Fire”Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.