It doesn’t matter how you start; it’s how you finish that makes the difference. In the season finale of The Heart of Pastoring Podcast, Jared and Ronnie discuss the “why” behind the qualification that pastors not be recent converts, what happens when they are recent converts, and the residual effect on ministers and their churches when there is too much rush of untested men into positions of leadership. Our hosts also take a little stock of their own lives and ministries from their mid-life vantage points and explore what it means to pursue a long track record of faithfulness, a reliable pattern of predictability in ministry, and a good ol’ “veteran-ship” in the faith.

Does anyone go into ministry for the money? Maybe. Jared and Ronnie didn’t think they’d have a lot to say about the pursuit of money — and what the apostle Peter calls “shameful gain” — but they did. And it turns out ministerial greed and shameful gain isn’t just about money. There are other things pastors often succumb to becoming greedy about. In this conversation, our hosts explore the variety of ways pastors pursue discontentment, gluttony for things and experiences, and even how congregations can help pastors avoid financial (and other kinds of) anxiety and unrest.

Is gentleness the lost art of pastoring? The apostle Paul forbids pastors from being bullies and from being quarrelsome, but many pastors (and churchgoers) today seem to think these qualifications are optional and even valorize ministerial violence, manipulation, and conflict. In this honest conversation, Jared and Ronnie share some of their own experiences serving under bully pastors, what sows the seeds of abuse in ministers, and how to pursue not an image of peace but a heart and reality of peace.

Does every pastor need to be gifted in the pulpit? Does every pastor need to be an academic or a scholar? What does the biblical qualification of pastors that they be “able to teach” actually mean? Jared and Ronnie, two long-time preachers and teachers, have a straightforward conversation in this episode about the place of creativity and eloquence in preaching and teaching, the non-negotiable basics of the teaching qualification, pursuing clarity in our communication, and what it takes to “find your voice” as a teacher.

Do you have to be an extrovert to meet this qualification for pastoral ministry? Does hospitality only refer to fellowship with other believers? In this episode, Jared and Ronnie talk about the postures and opportunities of true hospitality, a position of welcome and openness to outsiders, and showing love for neighbors in evangelistic conversations and more.

When we say “pastor on Twitter,” what image first comes to your mind? It’s likely not an even-keeled, thoughtful, diserning personality. But social media isn’t the only platform for unstable pastors. In this new episode, Jared and Ronnie talk about the tendency for pastors to be swayed by cultural winds, congregational pressures, crazy headlines, and just their own rabbit trails and hobby-horses. When a pastor’s mind is constantly “held captive” by every thought — instead of the other way around — he loses his sense.