Dave Jacobs from SmallChurchPastor.com joins Jeff on this episode to talk about a little discussed topic in the church today - GOSSIP! It's destructive and divisive and happens every day - and the guys give very practical suggestions for how to lead your leaders and your people in a God-honoring direction, away from this troublesome practice.

We've recently had a couple "Seminary Series" episodes, and this one is very applicable to small church life everyday struggles! We hope you benefit from it!

If you are looking for a "pastor coach" or some leadership or personal develop coaching, from a seasoned pastor and THE Small Church Pastor Coach - look no further! Contact Dave Jacobs at Dave@smallchurchpastor.com. He's your guy!

​Follow Dave on Twitter @thinkmonk, and catch Dave's blog at www.davejacobs.net.

So yes, Walter Brueggemann indeed does bring the heat of his understanding of what the Bible says about money. possessions, the economy, the poor, and the billionaire class - hotly to episode 235 of The 200churches Podcast!

Jeff and Jonny talked with Dr. B from his Cincinnati home and he pulled no punches as he shared what he thinks is very important for small church pastors to know about speaking up for the poor, the disadvantaged, and those mired in poverty and without a voice.

In his most recent book, Money and Possessions, Brueggemann encourages a holy and loving neighborliness as the proper approach for God's people in today's economy. In the Amazon promotion of the book, it says:

In this episode, he talks to pastors of small churches about ways that they and their churches can make a difference in the real, lived lives of people today. We even got Dr. B to laugh out loud! He, however, got us to laugh more. This is a great episode, right on the heels of episode 234 with Dr. Stanley Hauerwas! Enjoy!

Also, Walter Brueggemann recently appeared on the Homebrewed Christianity podcast, and discussed very similar material - it is also a great episode to listen to if you want more Brueggemann!! CLICK HERE!

What a privilege and joy to speak with Dr. Hauerwas about his thoughts on the church, pastors, and our role in society. Especially interesting was his take on the importance of Eucharistic Celebration in the public worship of the people of God.

Here is how he is described straight from his bio on the Duke Divinity School website:

Professor Hauerwas has sought to recover the significance of the virtues for understanding the nature of the Christian life. This search has led him to emphasize the importance of the church, as well as narrative for understanding Christian existence. His work cuts across disciplinary lines as he is in conversation with systematic theology, philosophical theology and ethics, political theory, as well as the philosophy of social science and medical ethics. He was named "America’s Best Theologian" by Time magazine in 2001. Dr. Hauerwas, who holds a joint appointment in Duke Law School, delivered the prestigious Gifford Lectureship at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland in 2001.

His book, A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic, was selected as one of the 100 most important books on religion of the 20th century. Dr. Hauerwas recently authored The Work of Theology(Eerdmans, 2015), Hannah’s Child: A Theological Memoir, 2nd Ed. (Eerdmans, 2012), and War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity ( Baker Academic Press, 2011).

If you are a pastor, you should also be a thinker and learner - and you will love this conversation as much as we did! Enjoy!

Jeremy Norton is the real deal! Straight from a small church, 200 miles north of Juneau AK, in the Yukon Territory of Canada, Jeremy talks about leading change, loving his leaders, and ordering his week! This is an awesome episode!

One Friday, on my (Jeff) day off, I was looking at recent iTunes reviews, and saw Jeremy's review of our podcast. So I thought, why don't I call this cat up?! I did, we had a great conversation, and I asked him to be on our podcast - and here it is!

What we liked so much about Jeremy is just how real he was, sharing wins and losses, strengths and struggles. It's encouraging to know that small churches are being led by men and women with such conviction and transparency, and love for their people and for God. Jeremy is an example of just such a pastor.

CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE FOR GREAT IDEAS
If you want to see a good small church website, and a church making excellent use of social media, stop on by Whitehorse Baptist Church at www.whbc.ca and you can get some great pointers and ideas from what Jeremy's done.

Thanks Jeremy for joining us, for inspiring small church pastors around the world, and for loving Jesus and his people!

We hope that you, pastor, are personally encouraged by Jeremy's words, and also professionally challenged to make the most of the ministry God has blessed you with!