VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Ben Kreps
Welcome to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of Sovereign Grace churches with our Executive Director. Well, it's the new year. We haven't been canceled yet.
Mark Prater
Happy New Year, Ben. I can't believe we haven't been canceled yet.
Ben Kreps
We continue to plod along in this podcast. And at the danger of shifting our listeners, our readers, to a different podcast, which is probably going to happen after this is read or watched, you wanted to talk about another podcast. It's been mentioned before, but I think a lot of people aren't really familiar with another Sovereign Grace podcast. Talk to us about that.
Mark Prater
Yeah. I'm gonna take the bold move of losing more followers from this podcast, which isn't a lot of followers. So it's not that bold of a move, the bold move of promoting another podcast. And I hope people who listen to this podcast will benefit from it, that is The Ordinary Pastor Podcast. That title, Ordinary Pastor Podcast, actually has some history in Sovereign Grace. It was a podcast started several years ago that Mickey Connolly and CJ Mahaney and Jeff Purswell did for a number of years. They talked about a various number of topics that served our pastors. And they took a break from that, I think, around the pandemic, if I remember right. And since then decided, hey, let's let some younger guys do it.
And so Jon Payne and Jared Mellinger, both members of the Leadership Team; Jon is Director of our Church Development, and Jared oversees our publishing, including the Sovereign Grace Journal, they're doing the podcast. Jon is the Senior Pastor of Redemption Hill Church in Round Rock, Texas, that's in the Austin area. And Jared is the Senior Pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, where I happen to be a pastor as well. And so when these guys talked about doing a podcast together, they just thought, let's just keep the Ordinary Pastor Podcast title, which I think is appropriate because I think that's how we view ourselves as pastors in Sovereign Grace. We're just ordinary pastors who are desperate each and every day for the grace of God and the power of the Spirit to fulfill the ministry that God has given us in leading and pastoring and caring for our churches. So it's a podcast that those guys host. They have a number of topics that they plan to talk about.
I really want to encourage anyone listening or reading this podcast to subscribe to the Ordinary Pastor Podcast. You can do that on the SGC Pastors website. I'm sure it's on Apple and Spotify and common places where you would find podcasts, anyway, and give it a listen. I think you'll really benefit from it.
Ben Kreps
Yeah. So why do you want us to listen to the Ordinary Pastor Podcast?
Mark Prater
These guys have started out really, out of the gate running strong with this podcast. What they did, they devoted the first several episodes to our Shaping Virtues. In fact, the first episode, they talked about why we created these shaping virtues, which are really not unique to Sovereign Grace. They are the work of the gospel, the fruit of the gospel in our lives.
And so then they dedicated a podcast to each of our Seven Shaping Virtues, and then dedicated a podcast to resources for anyone; members of our churches, pastors, those that are not a part of Sovereign Grace, to read and grow in those areas, in each of those virtues that are mentioned.
In their most recent podcast, Jon did an interview with Jeff Purswell regarding that word evangelist, the phrase that you find in the pastoral epistles, for pastors to do the work of an evangelist. Jeff does a great job of just unpacking what that phrase evangelist means and what that means for people, members of our churches, but pastors in particular. So I'd encourage you to check out that particular episode.
There's a number of episodes these guys have already planned. Jon told me just a couple of days ago that they've got three or four more episodes already recorded and about to drop. He didn't tell me the topics, which I'm glad he didn't because I hope it piques your curiosity to listen to the Ordinary Pastor Podcast.
Ben Kreps
Yeah, I have been listening to it. I've been enjoying it. I've been benefiting from it. I mean, if people aren't aware that this podcast has been around, even going back into the first season, they will benefit when it comes to topics and discussions about planning Sunday meetings and sermon preparation with CJ and Jeff and Mickey. And those are wonderful. But, Jon and Jared are doing a great job putting in work and serving us. And so thank you guys for that podcast. And may the best podcast win. Apparently we have competition. <laugh>.
Mark Prater
It's a battle of podcasts, right, <laugh>?
Ben Kreps
That's right. I think we're gonna lose <laugh>. We're not canceled and we applaud that. And so we're grateful for everyone who reads this podcast or who watches it. Thanks for your support. Hope we're serving you, and we're grateful for how we're being served by the Ordinary Pastor Podcast. So thank you, Mark. And thank you for reading or watching. We'll see you here next week, Lord willing. Bye for now.