Together for the Bluegrass

Pastor Ryan Coffey of FBC Somerset shares about his new book and hands-on experience in the world of church fostering and revitalization at this month's CKNB Equip Lunch. Find his book at the link below. https://a.co/d/017sm5PT

David and CJ talk with Pastor Landon of Cedar Grove Baptist about small group ministries in churches. What they are, how to implement them, and how to define success with them are just some of the points covered in this episode!

David and CJ roundtable their trip to the North American Mission Board's Replant Lab with their team.

The guys sit down for a chat with Kyle, the Senior Pastor of FBC Paris, about why reading deeply, widely, and often is an important discipline for pastoral ministry. Plus, get a few recommendations for your reading list!

David and CJ are back to discuss the upcoming Barnabas Cohort, which is a 1-year program designed to train and encourage pastors. Our guests in this episode are Shane Maples and Jonathan Jones, both alumni of the cohort!

Joe Barnard is the founder and director of Cross Training Ministries, a men's discipleship ministry. He is a graduate of Baylor University and the University of St. Andrews. For eight years he pastored a church in the Scottish Highlands before returning to his hometown in Louisiana. His first book has just been released with Christian Focus Publications: The Way Forward: a Road-map of Spiritual Growth for Men in the 21st Century. Joe is married to Anna, and they have four children. https://www.xtrainingministries.com/https://www.menneedhelp.org/

We have a lot to celebrate as Kentucky Baptists! In this episode, David chats with Michael Cabell live from the KBC Annual Meeting about some of the ways Kentucky Baptists are partnering together.

David Barron Interviews three pastors of various church sizes and contexts. Topics include the use of AI, developing leaders in the church, and preventing ministry burnout!

Shane is the Pastor of Southern Heights Baptist in Lexington, Kentucky, and today he joins CJ and David for a conversation about pastoral decision-making. - Should we preach in churches we disagree with? - Is it ok to have spontaneous baptisms? - What bible translation should I use? - What is a pastor's biblical authority? With these as case studies, we discuss how pastors think through things, how pastors can prevent mental burnout, and how congregations can support their Pastors this Pastor Appreciation Month.

CKNB President, Joey Rogers, delivered the President's message at the 2025 CKNB fall gathering.

This is a talk recorded from our most recent CKNB Equip lunch, where Richard Nelson, founder and Executive Director of the Commonwealth Policy Center, shares about his work in the Kentucky Capitol and his recent book, Christianity and Politics. Book: https://a.co/d/di2YLhDWebsite: https://commonwealthpolicycenter.org

Mark Clifton is the Director of Revitalization, Replanting, and Rural Ministry at NAMB. He was gracious enough to spend time with David, CJ, and a small group of pastors, sharing wisdom from his years of experience in these areas.

David and CJ have the pleasure of speaking with Troey Stout, who has spent a lifetime in law enforcement and military circles, about the increasing need for churches to take security seriously. When an emergency happens, it's too late. How are you planning to keep your church safe today?

Article: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GPfjnqN9x/

Larry Riley, Executive Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington Kentucky, joins David and CJ for a conversation about how to lead a church with varying generations. Larry brings over 40 years of full-time pastoral leadership experience including revitalization and transitional contexts.

Bill Abernathy is a retired Pastor and current church consultant. Bill has a book releasing this year on the often overlooked, but incredibly important process of pastoral transitions. How can we leave or step into a ministry in a God-honoring way? This question and more are answered in this episode of T4B!Connect with Bill: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560642551308Website: https://www.churchassistant.org/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJc1WVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHWCgvaectJxt0bZiOIzTQ1s0lWNq3TXnIBdQFe30z1dSxAzacTXDMv7swQ_aem_Bxnja9WrzeMCbTrQ1pOneg

In this episode, Pastor Joshua of Safe Harbor Baptist shares practical advice and theological anchors that help sustain those navigating the darkness that is the loss of a pre-born baby. Find his article here: https://www.cknb.org/post/a-pauline-driven-view-of-post-miscarriage-care?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=blog.post-promoter&utm_campaign=8fa58b77-a570-481d-837d-1e6c61f17376&fbclid=IwY2xjawJJuq9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZrytJrcS-EfW8080P6L6mjcol_B9ypnvGnKhv8ibbWuUj2W1h6SJAURSA_aem_YqkNT2KMfPREG08BhFP4Kg

David and CJ record from the hotel lobby with Pastors Derek, Josh, and Johnathan to debrief the 2025 NAMB Replant Lab.

In the first episode of 2025, David and CJ chat with Pastor Kevin Hash of Versailles Baptist about all things youth ministry! If you find this resource helpful, please like, share, comment, and subscribe! Kevin's article: https://www.kentuckytoday.com/baptist_life/first-person-thoughts-from-digital-babylon-part-1/article_abcc57ec-df27-11ef-956c-134e7422dc41.html

David Barron, David Stokes, Ryan Coffey (Pastor of FBC Somerset) and CJ Pearce discuss Church fostering. What is it? When is a church ready for it? What are the challenges of church fostering?

We had the pleasure of catching up with JimBo Stewart at a coffee shop in Louisville recently! JimBo is the Associate Director of Replanting at NAMB and host of the Replant Bootcamp Podcast. In this conversation we chat about current trends in replanting, what’s on the horizon, and what makes us most hopeful. Replant Bootcamp podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/replant-bootcamp/id1478934597Replant Bootcamp website: https://replantbootcamp.com/

David and CJ have the pleasure of chatting with Sean Demars, Pastor of 6th Avenue Community Church and host of Room for Nuance and Defend and Confirm podcasts. How can pastors utilize things like podcasts and social media in their ministry? What are the possible dangers of doing so? How do you know when to end a ministry? Does pineapple belong on pizza? Is Bigfoot real? We ask the hard questions on this episode of Together for the Bluegrass! Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/room-for-nuance/id1694579242 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defend-and-confirm-podcast/id1428204129

CJ and David talk with Pastor Donovan Stewart from The Mission Church of Lexington about the importance and challenges of casting vision and cultivating mission strategies in a church. Website: https://www.missionchurchlex.org

David and CJ talk with Stu Cocanougher about his book, Reaching the World Across the Street, and the incredible opportunity the United States has for evangelism as God in His providence brings the nations to us. Resources: Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1949625524?ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_PS096406QAQTVFKS21HK&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_PS096406QAQTVFKS21HK&social_share=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_PS096406QAQTVFKS21HK&skipTwisterOG=1&fbclid=IwY2xjawFVQ51leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHc5hIprWZCPG7WurFRemOt3iq4LkvD3L3htRxKZkSBrAf5HM0rN_klcmtQ_aem_MajuyELX_KS3al555Mur5Q Joshua Project: https://www.joshuaproject.net/countries/US?fbclid=IwY2xjawFVQ8pleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHR3lFDQvxEL3fzAufkoGVWsuPE0brVve9cRL6_hLG9R6ILQ3lk0lRxCF9A_aem_etNVbU9Gmy-ODr4enQDU8A DM Collective: https://dmcollective.org/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFVRAFleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHf1Vw75QXIvcBGA4vvXKadsbq0bdUvqu2IZCbK_V48eSmLbX6PzarDKUrQ_aem_jTqH_irpfQ34d4tCAW9QVg Mosaix: https://mosaix.info/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFVRC9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHTgfDbr3jgEFfzxMuyaF7vWbgRIQH_u-c67lyW_WMF4VmNmZ3kzeltz-MQ_aem_gg-CdqvIbWOr8ufu5EgTIA

David and CJ are back to talk about how pastors and ministry leaders can set realistic goals and expectations for themselves and their churches as well as some suggestions for helping your church celebrate all that God has done over the last year.

*We apologoze for audio issues with CJ's mic. This was our first Zoom interview and we did not catch the problems until after the recording* Ben Stratton is Pastor of Farmington Baptist Church in Graves County Kentucky and a Baptist historian with the J.H. Spencer Historical Society. This week, he joins David and CJ to discuss how local churches can preserve and celebrate their history and harness it to fuel the missional future of their ministry.

CJ and David tackle the least controversial subject of the summer!

Linda Lee joins the show to discuss the Elkhorn WMU (Women Mission Union) and the vital role that it plays for missions in our local churches. More info and how to gent involved: www.kywmu.org

Mark Clifton is the Executive Director of Church Replanting and Rural Ministry at the North American Mission Board and the author of Reclaiming Glory and the host of the podcast, Revitalize and Replant. Mark joins the show to talk with David and CJ about various things related to revitalization, rural contexts, and pastoral ministry. Revitalize and Replant podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revitalize-and-replant/id1663498161 Additional Resources: https://www.namb.net/church-replanting/

Brian Croft has been a pastor for over two decades and is the founder of Practical Shepherding, a prolific author, and podcast host. In this episode, Brian joins CJ and David to introduce Practical Shepherding and discuss the heart of his new book co-written with James Carroll, Pastoral Perseverance. Listen carefully to learn how to get a FREE copy of this new book! Website: https://practicalshepherding.com Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trench-talk/id1021730413

Daniel and Cameron from UK's BCM join the show to debate Zaxby's vs. Raising Cane's chicken and fill us in on all the amazing things God is doing through Baptist Campus Ministry.

CJ Pearce talks about April's Network Gathering with David Barron and David Stokes. There's plenty to be excited about for churches that are part of the CKNB such as the Barnabas Church Revitalization Cohort, expanding Ambassador Program, new church plants, plus much more!

Pastor Brad Pearce and Pastor CJ Pearce discuss their recent pulpit swap with David Barron. Sermon links: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w-s-b-c-georgetown/id1670489423?i=1000652490727 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w-s-b-c-georgetown/id1670489423?i=1000652490555

Brad Pearce of Durbin Memorial and Andy Waldroup of Safe Harbor join David and CJ to discuss meaningful church membership's reasons, blessings, and challenges.

Bethany Pearce and Sara Robinson join the show to discuss the unique challenges ministry wives face in an ever-changing ministry context. They also share resources and vision for the future of ministry wives in the CKNB and the blessings of friendship among them. Bethany Pearce is the CKNB ministry wives' liaison, pastor's kid, preschool teacher, mother of two, and wife of T4B host, CJ Pearce. She's excited to get to know the women of the CKNB! Bethany's Phone # 502-382-1655 Sara Robinson is the women's ministry and transition consultant for the KBC. Sara helps churches build and grow healthy ministries to women in all stages of life. This is accomplished primarily through individual church consultations, women’s leadership training and women’s ministry events. She also helps churches by providing teaching at women’s ministry events, ministering to pastor’s wives and assisting churches who may want to begin a women’s ministry. Additionally, Sara provides leadership training for ministry teams, conducts conflict resolution consultations and assists churches and leaders in transition. Connect with Sara at [email protected] to schedule a time to meet with her.

On day two of the KBC's REACH conference, Andrew Eaton talks with CJ Pearce about the continued need for church planting in often-forgotten parts of Kentucky and answers the question "Aren't there enough Baptist churches already?". Andrew leads the church planting and replanting groups of the KBC and works alongside an incredible team. He helps churches strategize to make an evangelistic impact through partnering and/or participating in church planting and replanting. Learn more: https://www.kybaptist.org/churchmultiplied/

Mark Hallock is a Pastor, Author, Podcast Host, and revitalization/replanting expert. In this episode, Mark and CJ discuss the need for Baptist churches to be committed to radical partnerships and some of the things that often prevent us from taking steps toward partnership. Calvary Family of Churches: https://thecalvary.org/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leading-church-revitalization/id1633749061 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revitalize-and-replant/id1663498161

Pastor Leon and Pastor Jeff join David and CJ from the North American Mission Board Replant Lab in Atlanta Georgia to discuss the need for renewed health in our churches and the importance of associations in Baptist life.

Connor Alford of Versailles Baptist joins David and CJ to discuss how pastors and congregations can effectively prepare for Easter. What should you preach? What should the order of service be? Should we go big or keep it like a normal Sunday? These questiuons and much more are answered in this episode of T4B!

David Barron interviews three Pastors who came to our network from out of state (New York, Nevada, and California) about some of the humorous and heavy things that they weren't prepared for when it comes to pastoring in the Bluegrass.

CJ and David spend a few minutes with Chris and Stephen from the missions organization 20Schemes. 20Schemes is working to plant healthy churches in some of the darkest places in Scotland. Take a listen and learn how you and your church can involved! Learn more at the link below: https://20schemes.com/

David and CJ continue the theme from last episode on planting and revitalization with Nick Sandefur of Porter Memorial in Lexington and Randall Combs of The Local Church in Georgetown.

David and CJ sit down with Andy Waldroup and Andrew Eaton to discuss how both church leaders and congregation members can faithfully participate in planting and revitalization in a way that glorifies God.

In this episode, David Barron and CJ Pearce sit down with Steve Broughton (previous CKNB President), Kyle Sullivan (current CKNB President), and David Stokes (Executive Director of the CKNB) to discuss the Fall Executive meeting, encouragements, and challenges as we look to the future.

Join Hosts David Barron (Network Ministry Director of CKNB) and CJ Pearce (Local Church Pastor) on this new Podcast produced by the Central Kentucky Network of Baptists!