Claim OwnershipThe Pastor in the Middle
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The Pastor in the Middle is a podcast for pastors seeking to think through ministry issues with grace and nuance. Fred Shackelford and Matt Crawford both pastor in the Memphis area, Fred at Ellendale Baptist Church and Matt at Trinity Baptist Church. They often feel like they are in the middle, stuck between extreme positions on both sides. Can we find a balanced approach? That’s the goal of “Pastor in the Middle,” our new podcast.
102 Episodes
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![PITM Episode 100 [Repost from Ep. 39]: Finishing Well, with Dr. Richard Hipps](https://images.subsplash.com/base64/L2ltYWdlLmpwZz9pZD1kMWQwMGQ4NS1hNTE5LTRlY2ItYTJhMS1jODNhNzE1Mzc0MWMmdz0xNDAwJmg9MTQwMA.jpg "PITM Episode 100 [Repost from Ep. 39]: Finishing Well, with Dr. Richard Hipps")
[FINAL RE-POST EPISODE FOR SUMMER - NEW EPISODES NEXT MONTH!]Fred and Matt discuss finishing well in ministry with Dr. Richard Hipps, the Pastor Emeritus at Trinity Baptist Church (where Matt currently serves). Richard served for 17 years at Trinity.
Fred and Matt discuss the process of hiring church staff - especially associate ministerial staff.
We are BACK! After a summer hiatus, Fred and Matt are recording new episodes again. In this episode, they interview their friend Lee Smith, founding and lead pastor of Greater Experience Community Church in Southaven, Mississippi. Their main focus was bi-vocational (or co-vocational) ministry.
[Repost due to summer schedules. One update: Reginald Taylor is now DOCTOR Taylor, having completed the PhD work we discussed in this episode.]PART TWO: Fred and Matt interview Pastor Reginald Taylor of The Rock Church in Memphis. Reginald is writing a PhD dissertation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on the doctrinal preaching of Adrian Rogers. In this second of a two-part series, Reginald discusses homiletical method.
On this episode, Fred and Matt discuss the church merger that Fred led in 2021, with Ellendale Baptist Church and Agape Church coming together as one.
Fred and Matt interview Dr. Danny Sinquefield on the value and blessing of churches partnering together. Danny is the pastor emeritus of Faith Baptist Church in Bartlett, TN, after having pastored there for over 27 years. He now serves as the Harvest Field Team Leader for Region 1 of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, helping to encourage pastors and coordinate cooperative ministry all over West Tennessee.
Fred and Matt work through the use of humor in preaching - its benefits and potential pitfalls.
Fred and Matt discuss the importance of humility in the life and heart of the pastor. They work through some of the root causes of the problem, a biblical perspective on it, and some practical help for defeating this insidious temptation.
For their December 2024 episode, Fred and Matt talk through 10 habits for pastors to incorporate into their ministries in 2025. Merry Christmas!
Fred and Matt interview Dr. Jon Akin, Vice President for Church Relations & Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Jon has a PhD in Old Testament and has written several books on preaching in a Christ-centered way.Links to his books (some discussed in the episode) are below:1. "Preaching Christ from Proverbs": https://www.amazon.com/Preaching-Christ-Proverbs-Jonathan-Akin/dp/0692360158?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.98chky2lBln-P9gZ_r2T25SSu_N7IgFMHLC3H-96GyXHP2IucYcI3sZXSg-v6w5A.XJMPiCUoyb3ifKGHdMbAES7OewcjGHApD6Wpi9cmUE4&dib_tag=AUTHOR2. "Exalting Jesus in Ecclesiastes": https://www.amazon.com/Exalting-Ecclesiastes-Christ-Centered-Exposition-Commentary-ebook/dp/B077JLW843?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.98chky2lBln-P9gZ_r2T25SSu_N7IgFMHLC3H-96GyXHP2IucYcI3sZXSg-v6w5A.XJMPiCUoyb3ifKGHdMbAES7OewcjGHApD6Wpi9cmUE4&dib_tag=AUTHOR3. "Exalting Jesus in Proverbs": https://www.amazon.com/Exalting-Proverbs-Christ-Centered-Exposition-Commentary-ebook/dp/B076MLP74M?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.98chky2lBln-P9gZ_r2T25SSu_N7IgFMHLC3H-96GyXHP2IucYcI3sZXSg-v6w5A.XJMPiCUoyb3ifKGHdMbAES7OewcjGHApD6Wpi9cmUE4&dib_tag=AUTHOR
At a Mid-South Baptist Association pastors meeting in Memphis, Fred and Matt recently had the opportunity to interview Raleigh Sadler, founder and director of Let My People Go (lmpg.org). LMPG helps churches engage in the fight against human trafficking. Please check out their website!The free e-book that Raleigh references during the episode can be found here: https://www.lmpg.org/handbookHere's the Amazon link to Raleigh's first book, "Vulnerable: Rethinking Human Trafficking": https://www.amazon.com/Vulnerable-Rethinking-Trafficking-Raleigh-Sadler/dp/1535917970/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NRZIRGN2X2IY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dmNVzKSMSvoTfdPN6mEPRQ.3MxEzWP6Rw3-CKHQun9pHVz1dvyt-NrV2IaIUHSMhJs&dib_tag=se&keywords=vulnerable+rethinking+human+trafficking&qid=1729379174&sprefix=vulnerable+re%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-1Here's the link to Raleigh's podcast, MercyCast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mercycast/id1669610161Thank you for listening!
Fred and Matt return from their podcast hiatus to (fittingly!) talk about - sabbaticals! Fred just took a sabbatical after 10 years of serving at Ellendale Baptist Church. Podcast episodes will now come on a monthly basis, but each individual episode should be longer. Thanks for listening!
[REPOST FROM EPISODE 34.]Fred and Matt interview Pastor Reginald Taylor of The Rock Church in Memphis. Reginald is writing a PhD dissertation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on the doctrinal preaching of Adrian Rogers. In this first of a two-part series, Reginald discusses hermeneutical method.Here is the link for Dr. Tom Schreiner's book mentioned in this episode:https://www.amazon.com/Interpreting-Pauline-Epistles-Thomas-Schreiner/dp/080103812X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=interpreting+the+pauline+epistles+by+thomas+r.+schreiner&qid=1686631775&sprefix=interpreting+the+pauline+e%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1And here is the link Dr. Schreiner posted online with the relevant chapter from his book:http://d3pi8hptl0qhh4.cloudfront.net/documents/tschreiner/book_IPE_chapter6.pdf
Fred and Matt COMPLETE their PITM series on preaching through different genres of Scripture. In this final episode in the series, they dive into New Testament Prophecy - the book of Revelation. Please listen and share!
[REPOST FROM EPISODE 32 DUE TO SUMMER SCHEDULES.] Fred and Matt invite Dr. Gerson Garros, Associate Pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee, onto the podcast to discuss his vision and experience leading international ministries in the city of Memphis.
Fred and Matt discuss short-term mission trips, which have been important and influential in their spiritual growth and their ministries. They talk through blessings, goals, and pitfalls to avoid in these types of mission endeavors.
[REPOST FROM EPISODE 27 due to summer traveling.]Fred and Matt discuss the importance of effective sermon illustrations, as well as methods for collecting, tagging, and utilizing them.
Fred and Matt have one more discussion with Steve Reynolds, President Emeritus of Baptist Memorial Healthcare in the Mid-South. Baptist Healthcare is an explicitly Christian organization with many non-Christian employees, customers, and organizational partners. On this episode, Steve shares wisdom from his experience of living out his faith in this environment.
Fred and Matt continue their discussion with Steve Reynolds, President Emeritus and Senior Consultant for Baptist Memorial Healthcare in the Mid-South (23 hospitals in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi). Steve was President and CEO of Baptist Memorial Healthcare for 20 years. This is Part 2 of a two-part discussion on Christian leadership. Thanks for listening!
Fred and Matt sit down with Steve Reynolds, President Emeritus and Senior Consultant for Baptist Memorial Healthcare in the Mid-South (23 hospitals in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi). Steve was President and CEO of Baptist Memorial Healthcare for 20 years. This is Part 1 of a two-part discussion on Christian leadership. Thanks for listening!
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