Pastor, We’ve Been Building Something for You

When we set out to study what pastors and ministry leaders actually need, we thought the research would point us toward more content: new resources, more specialized teaching, or maybe another book.

We were right on that count, but what surprised us was that it pointed toward something we'd already built without realizing what it was.

Cohorts we've run throughout the years followed the same general shape: strong teaching from people worth learning from, followed by open conversation. And when we went back through those sessions afterward, the pattern was unmistakable: the prepared teaching was good, and the conversation after the sessions was where meaningful formation happened. Pastors and ministry leaders were given a space to be honest about the parts of ministry nobody prepared them for.

That tracks with everything else we heard this year through focused interviews and from pastors across our own Gospel Centered Discipleship community. The same words kept showing up: burnout. Isolation. Nobody to ask. Shepherding people requires them to pour out constantly, and rarely offers a place to be poured back into.

So this fall, we're launching a cohort that makes that honesty-filled space intentional instead of treating it as a happy accident.

Starting September 28, six pastors and leaders whose voices have shaped how we think about ministry will each lead a session built around one facet of pastoral life: 

• Jeremy Writebol on the pastor's own identity

• Jonathan Dodson on the pastor's walk with Christ

• Jared C. Wilson on the pastor and his church

• Ronnie Martin on the pastor and his friendships

• Thabiti Anyabwile on the pastor and his leaders

• Ray Ortlund on the pastor and his family

Each session is a blend of teaching with raw conversation. We've learned that both make a difference in a pastor's life and ministry. Six weeks, six pastors, one room built for you to be known.