The Flourishing Pastor

In this episode, Matt interviews Ron Edmondson, lead pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, KY, as they discuss a sermon Ron gave on how the work of the people was just as important as his work as a pastor— anchoring his message in Exodus 31:1-6— Bezalel and Oholiab. 

Matt Rusten serves as the president of Made to Flourish. Previously, Matt pastored at churches in Kansas City, and Madison, Wisconsin. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Doctor of Ministry in Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocation at Fuller Theological Seminary. Matt’s book...

In this episode with Bryan Loritts, we’re exploring the theme of work and justice through a sermon Bryan preached from Matthew 25 on the sheep and the goats. Bryan understands this text to be not about the root of salvation, but the fruit of salvation—and it has profound implications for the work we do everyday. 

Matt Rusten serves as the president of Made to Flourish. Previously, Matt pastored at churches in Kansas City, and Madison, Wisconsin. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Doctor of Ministry in Faith, Work, Economics, and V...

In this conversation with Andrew Arndt, Lead Pastor of New Life East in Colorado Springs, we explore the question — how do you help your congregation embrace a biblical theology of work? That might sound like a dry theme, but Andrew unpacks the biblical story for work in a way that provides concrete applications for everyday discipleship. 

Matt Rusten serves as the president of Made to Flourish. Previously, Matt pastored at churches in Kansas City, and Madison, Wisconsin. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Doctor of Ministry in Faith, Work, Economics, and...

In this episode, Chris Brooks, lead pastor at Woodside Bible Church, a large multisite church in Detroit, MI, talks through a sermon he preached from the Proverbs on work. Chris unpacks three destructive behaviors that keep us from God’s purpose for our work, and how God’s wisdom reframes our perspective on his purpose for our labors.  

Matt Rusten serves as the president of Made to Flourish. Previously, Matt pastored at churches in Kansas City, and Madison, Wisconsin. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Doctor of Ministry in Faith, Work...

Rich Villodas has a passion to teach and equip God’s people to live on mission with him right in the places they already are–especially in their daily labors. In this conversation, Rich walks through a sermon he preached on Colossians 3:23-24, where he reframes everyday work as full-time ministry.

Matt Rusten serves as the president of Made to Flourish. Previously, Matt pastored at churches in Kansas City, and Madison, Wisconsin. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Doctor of Ministry in Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocation at Fuller Theological Semi...

In this episode, Matt interviews Charlie Dates as they discuss a sermon he preached on Matthew 5:13-16, on Jesus’ message about salt and light. It’s a familiar text for many people, but Charlie finds fresh ways to apply this familiar biblical text about our identity as salt and light to people’s everyday work. 

Matt Rusten serves as the president of Made to Flourish. Previously, Matt pastored at churches in Kansas City, and Madison, Wisconsin. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Doctor of Ministry in Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocatio...

Welcome to season two of The Flourishing Pastor podcast, now hosted by Matt Rusten.

This season, we’re exploring what it means to preach to the people in our pews who spend the majority of their week at work — whether that’s in an office, a warehouse, a kitchen, a classroom, or in the unpaid roles of caregiving, volunteering, or community leadership.

Through conversations with thoughtful pastors from around the country, we’ll look at how the preaching ministry can become a powerful means of connecting the Word of God to the real, everyday lives of peopl...

In this episode, Tom Nelson discusses a sermon he gave in the book of Ecclesiastes— touching on a question many people feel deeply—is work meaningless? Ecclesiastes is written in the voice of the critic, punching holes through easy answers for life. Tom’s sermon addresses the angst that many people feel when they think about their work, and how God can reframe our labor even when it feels as fleeting as smoke.

Matt Rusten serves as the president of Made to Flourish. Previously, Matt pastored at churches in Kansas City, and Madison, Wisconsin. He received his Master...

Despite the chaotic TV version, succession is something leaders should start from the very beginning. It's not something just for retirement-age pastors and organizational heads. It's for leaders, at every career stage, who want to finish their work well. In this episode of The Flourishing Pastor Podcast, pastor Tom Nelson talks about the art — and it is an art — of passing the baton from one leader to another. Part of the conversation is a deep dive into the challenges leaders face in the latter parts of their careers, including why so many pastoral ministries seem to end in failure or s...

All leaders have a scorecard, a measure of what success looks like. These can vary, and generally, they're neither right nor wrong: Numeric growth, influence reach, facility upgrades. But for pastors — especially those prone to a "visionary" leadership style — it can be all too easy to develop a faulty or distorted scorecard, to measure success with cultural markers rather than with biblical faithfulness. Fruitfulness. In this episode of The Flourishing Pastor Podcast, Tom Nelson describes how tracking success in pastoral work can be both essential and fraught. He outlines a healthier way to measure success and looks toward the ulti...

For most of us, the word "work" mainly equates to compensation. But fundamentally, according to pastor Tom Nelson, work is far more: It's a vital part of being an image bearer of God, and it's not primarily about whether or not it earns monetary compensation. It's about contribution to God's world, contributions that can take paid and unpaid forms. In this episode of The Flourishing Pastor Podcast, Nelson explains how this integral view of work transformed the way he pastors, including a significant pivot in what it looks like to equip people for the work of ministry. It all...

The management guru Peter Drucker said famously that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” His point? Building a culture within an organization or company is really important. Despite the ubiquity of Drucker’s maxim, healthy organizational and institutional cultures — even among churches and church staffs — are often at a minimum. In this episode of The Flourishing Pastor Podcast, Tom Nelson delves into the work of building healthy culture within churches and organizations. As the conversation unfolds, Tom discusses the place of mission statements and core values, and how leaders can reinforce them by embodying them. 

Tom Nelson is the senior...

Do the math and you'll find that most of your time, if you subtract sleep, is spent working, whether paid or unpaid work. If this is true of pastors and leaders, how much more so is it for the people you lead? In this episode of The Flourishing Pastor Podcast, Nelson explains and explores the concept of faithful presence as developed by scholar James Davison Hunter. He shows how the faithful presence approach to culture reflects a biblical model — with real-life implications for pastors and leaders. As the conversation unfolds, Nelson also addresses the importance of what he calls vo...

You've heard that pastors and leaders should walk their talk. What is at the heart of that advice? Not perfection, but a consistency that reveals a life of wholeness. In this episode of The Flourishing Pastor Podcast, Nelson describes how a bifurcated — or fake — life can be ruinous for pastors and leaders, and how the path to wholeness is comprehensively personal and communal. The conversation unfolds into a deeper look at the Christian virtue tradition and its role in the pursuit of wholeness.

Tom Nelson is the senior pastor of Christ Community Church in Kansas City, Kansas, and...

Absolutely, teaching and acquiring knowledge about the Bible and theology is vital for healthy churches. Yet it *is* possible to possess a lot of Bible information and still be spiritually and theologically immature — both for the the people in the pews and the person in the pulpit. Pastor Tom Nelson knows this reality, because he lived this reality. But if maturity is more than acquired information, what is it? In this episode of The Flourishing Pastor Podcast, Nelson discusses the idea of apprenticeship with Jesus and how the great invitation of Matthew 11:28 has changed both his personal life and ho...

King David shepherded his people according to the integrity of his heart. Leadership flows from who the leader is — or is not — on the inside. What does this mean for how you understand integrity, and what does it mean for how you approach leadership? In this episode of The Flourishing Pastor podcast, Nelson continues unfolding Psalm 72:78 as a framework for leaders and leadership. As the conversation develops, Nelson explains that times of crisis or concentrated tension within church, organizations, or companies requires even more from the leader's interior life. 

Tom Nelson is the senior pastor of Christ Commu...

We often have a lot of different paradigms for leadership, many of which are good and helpful. But first and foremost — according to pastor Tom Nelson — leadership is followership. It may seem paradoxical, but it's a consistent thread in Scripture: Those who lead well, follow well. In this episode of The Flourishing Pastor podcast, Nelson unpacks this dynamic and explains what it looks like for him — and what it can look like for you. As the conversation unfolds, Nelson explains why he sees Psalm 23 as a paradigmatic leadership text.

Further topics include the importance of sel...

It's no secret that not all pastors are flourishing, and certainly not all churches are flourishing. Is there a way to move into a flourishing reality? That's what pastor Tom Nelson discusses on the first, extended episode of "The Flourishing Pastor" podcast. 

Here’s the reality: Flourishing for individuals and churches alike is about far more than leadership tips or strategic plans. Instead, when we read in the Scriptures that King David shepherded the people of Israel with integrity of heart and with skillful hands, part of what we’re reading is a dynamic, multi...