Pastors Talk - A podcast by 9Marks

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. 

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Caleb Morell and Mark Dever sit down with Australian author Tony Payne (co-author of The Trellis and the Vine) to discuss his new book, Let the Word Dwell Richly. Payne makes the case that alongside the public preaching of the Word, the New Testament everywhere assumes a "one another word" — believers speaking Scripture and its implications to one another for mutual spiritual benefit.

In this special episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan Leeman and Mark Dever welcome John Piper to reflect on his book The Pleasures of God, newly reissued by Crossway. Together they explore why God's self-exaltation is not vanity but love, how grace overflows from a God who is full and free, the connection between God's glory and His happiness, and why a gloomy view of God distorts everything downstream. 

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan Leeman and Mark Dever discuss the unusual sermon Mark preached on July 5th, 2026 — the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; tackling the question, "Are we celebrating the 250th anniversary of a sin?" Along the way they reflect on when to depart from expositional preaching for a topical occasion, rightly ordered love of country versus idolatry.

In this special episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan Leeman sits down with Mark and Connie Dever to talk through Mark's sudden medical event. Mark and Connie recount the story, from the emergency room to Mark's slow recovery, and reflect on what the experience revealed: how a healthy church cares for a pastor and his family in crisis, and the importance of building those habits of mutual care long before you need them.

In the season finale of Pastors Talk, Jonathan Leeman is joined by Ligon Duncan and Michael Lawrence to discuss the state of the pastoral pipeline — examining why fewer men are entering ministry, the role of demographics and seminary debt, and what healthy churches and seminaries can do about it.

In part three of their series on raising up leaders, Jonathan Leeman and Mark Dever work through nine practical principles Mark uses to identify and develop future pastors — from spotting qualified men and extending trust early, to delegating well, cultivating feedback loops, embracing a healthy view of authority, and modeling clarity and humility. Along the way they discuss why spending time with a few people often matters more than chasing a platform, and why a senior pastor who always wins the vote is quietly undermining his own eldership.

Jonathan Leeman and Mark Dever continue their conversation on raising up leaders, exploring the connection between discipleship, evangelism, and church planting, how to measure ministry fruitfulness beyond numbers, and what it means to steward your church for the next pastor.

In this episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan and Mark dive into the essential, yet often challenging, practice of raising up leaders and passing out authority. They discuss what it takes to build a ministry around giving authority away rather than consolidating it.

Hebrews 2:1  warns believers to pay close attention to the gospel message to avoid drifting away from their faith. Mark and Jonathan talk to Jared Wilson about his book on this topic and how believers should be thinking carefully about the centrality of the gospel in their lives.

How should pastors think about their work hours? What are some principles that churches and pastors can consider for pastors to get reimbursed? Mark and Jonathan talk with Garrett and Mike on lessons learned.

Should Christians talk about discerning the repentance of other Christians? What are the instructions from the New Testament to churches? Mark and Jonathan invite Caleb Morell to discuss this.

How to pastor and walk with those in the unique season of life when they can't leave home and approaching death. Mark and Jonathan discuss practical ideas on how to be mindful as pastors.

Jonathan and Mark Feather talk to Joshua Schooping, a former Eastern Orthodox priest, on how to pastor church members who may be considering joining the Eastern Orthodox church.

Jonathan, Mark and Mark Feather talk to Joshua Schooping, a former Eastern Orthodox priest, on the reasons he had to leave that church.

Jonathan talks to Reuben Bredenhof, author of The Ministry of Small Things. They consider the ordinary ministry of pastors, focusing on all the small things they must be faithful to, and reflect on the temptation of pastoral cynicism.

If Jesus is the great deacon, what does that say about the office of deacon in our churches?Jonathan sits down with Larry Lazarus to discuss why it is important for churches to know the job descriptions of deacons.

Have you ever wondered why it's important for congregations to know their pastor's job description according to the Bible? Jonathan sits down with his senior pastor, Larry Lazarus, to consider this question.

Mark talks to H.B. Charles Jr. on ministerial calling and how he prepares for preaching.

Mark sits down with H.B. Charles Jr. to talk about his ministerial journey and how God has used him.

Is there a doctrine of religious liberty in the Bible? Mark and Jonathan talk with Andrew Walker on how to think about this question.

On this episode of Pastors Talk, Mark and Jonathan talk with Matt Rhodes about his new book, Persecution in Missions.

On this episode of Pastors Talk, Mark and Jonathan invite Stephen Yuille and Caleb Morell to talk about the writing of John Cotton, focusing on his perspective on Congregationalism.

How should christians think about protests that stop church services?Mark and Jonathan talk about the recent disruption that happened at St. Paul Church.

Mark and Jonathan talk to Jimmy Scroggins about similarities and difference on how 9Marks' principle apply in a mega church context.

Mark and Jonathan sit down and review this past year by talking about the transition and sharing a top 10 list of things 9Marks did.

How should people in ministry relate to boredom and the nature of repetition? Mark and Jonathan talk about the good and the concerns on how we relate to those things. You can enter the giveaway at mbts.edu/pastorstalk

As a pastor, talking to the church about money and the budget could be difficult for several reasons. In this episode Jonathan and Mark talk to Jamie Dunlop about his experience when he talks to the church about the budget.

Does the Bible require pastors to officiate weddings? How should we think about christian marriage ceremonies? In this episode Mark and Jonathan discuss the practice of weddings.

Mark and Jonathan talk with Taylor Hartley on the new issue of Church Matters and on the Ordinances.

Finally! After 300 episodes we cover the topic of Congregationalism. Mark and Jonathan discuss the biblical evidence and its helpfulness for the life of the church

Mark and Jonathan talk to Aaron and Harshit about their book Prioritizing Missions in the Church and how important it is for the life of the church.

Mark and Jonathan talk to Vinicius Musselman Pimentel about christianity in Brazil and book publishing.

How is prison ministry done and how does it connect to the local church? Can you have a church inside of a prison? Jonathan Leeman interviews Jamey Norman and Sean DeMars.

Mark and Jonathan talk to John Musyimi about the release and the content of the Africa Statement on Prosperity Gospel and Word of Faith Theology.

Mark and Jonathan talk to Issam about the state of Christianity in Lebanon.

Mark and Jonathan interview John Folmar and Scott Logsdon on their new Church-Centered Missions book Prioritizing the Church in Missions.

Mark and Jonathan talk to Zach and Garrett on how they seek to love their wives well while pastoring their churches.

On this episode of Pastors Talk, Jonathan asks Mark about his friendship with John MacArthur.

Jonathan selects two winners for the 300th episode giveaway!

In the last few decades France has become more secular. In this episode, Mark and Jonathan interview pastor Matthieu Giralt about the state of Christianity and his personal church experience.

To celebrate the 300th episode milestone, Mark and Jonathan answer some of the questions that were submitted by the community.

There are many "Christians"communities out there, but do they proclaim the biblical gospel? Mark and Jonathan talk to Josh Waldner who grew up in a Hutterites colony.

Why did Alex duke write From Eden to Egypt? Mark and Jonathan interview Alex on the burden behind the book.

Jonathan and Mark share how they structure their libraries and also discuss how much importance pastors should give to their libraries.

There are seasons in a pastor's life when they could feel spiritually dry. In this episode, Mark and Jonathan, alongside 2 friends, think practically about what to do in those seasons.

Jonathan talks to Samuel James about an article he wrote and together consider how maturity should look like inside of the church in light of the times we live in.

Mark and Jonathan talk about the pastor's personal evangelism and consider how to carefully think about how we should relate to it.Related Resources:Evangelism by Mack StilesHow Do I Get Started in Evangelism? by Mack StilesWhat If I'm Discouraged in My Evangelism? by Isaac AdamsThe Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever

Mark and Jonathan talk to the author of A Light on the Hill, which tells the history of a church 5 blocks from the US Capitol: Capitol Hill Baptist Church.