The Contemplative Pastor

Practicing the Way

For the pastor who longs to embody a less hurried, less overwhelmed, less CEO-like form of leadership, and to recover the ancient path of pastoring in the way of Jesus. The Contemplative Pastor invites you into illuminating conversations with guides and sages on spiritual and pastoral formation, and offers guided prayers and reflections to help you sit with the rich wisdom of each episode.  Our aim? To shape a new, yet ancient, kind of pastor—more unhurried, more prayerful, more peaceful—and to see the formational role of the local church flourish once again. Welcome to The Contemplative Pastor. --- To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

  1. 17 hr ago

    Pastoring in the Presence, Not Absence, of God (Featuring Alan Fadling)

    How can we pastor without sacrificing our own souls on the altar of hurry and anxiety? In this episode, join Jay Kim and Alan Fadling for a wide-ranging conversation on the inner pace of pastoral ministry. Drawing from over four decades in ministry, Alan explores what it means to practice the presence — not the absence — of God, to tend conditions rather than just drive results, and to embrace the slow, patient work of becoming unhurried, non-anxious shepherds. Along the way, they reflect on Alan’s simple conviction that, in the end, leadership is love — and love isn’t rushed.   Alan Fadling is the President and Founder of Unhurried Living, Inc. in Mission Viejo, California, a Christian non-profit that trains leaders to rest deeper, live fuller, and lead better. Along with his wife, Gem, he leads PACE, a two-year leadership formation journey. A trained spiritual director and coach with over 30 years of experience, he speaks and consults internationally with organizations like InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Cru, and Saddleback Church. He is the award-winning author of five core books, including An Unhurried Life, An Unhurried Leader, and A Non-Anxious Life, and is currently working on a forthcoming book on contemplative leadership. He lives in California with his family. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

    Pastoring in the Presence, Not Absence, of God (Featuring Alan Fadling)

  2. 6 Aug

    The Kind of Pastor the Kingdom Flows Through (Featuring AJ Sherrill)

    What if your primary pastoral work isn’t building the Kingdom, but becoming the kind of person the Kingdom can flow through? In this episode, join Jay Kim and AJ Sherrill for a conversation about contemplative pastoring in an age of efficiency and comparison. In this conversation, Jay and AJ explore the costly link between efficiency and love, why we often settle for relief instead of true renewal, and how practices like silence, examen, Sabbath, and personality-aware disciplines can help us live at a slower, more human pace. Along the way, they return to the simple, challenging invitation to become pastors who are with God before we are ever at work for God. AJ Sherrill has more than twenty five years of experience as a pastor, leading churches in cities such as NYC, LA, and also as lead pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is now lead pastor at St. Peter's Church in Charleston, South Carolina. He has served as adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he teaches popular courses on transformational preaching and the Enneagram. Sherrill receives many speaking requests to lead Enneagram workshops across the country and is the author of The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation and Being with God.  To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

    The Kind of Pastor the Kingdom Flows Through (Featuring AJ Sherrill)

  3. 25 Jun

    A Conversation Between John Ortberg and John Mark Comer (Part 2)

    How can we suffer personally and alongside others without losing our joy? In this episode, join John Mark Comer and John Ortberg for the second part of their conversation exploring the possibilities and pitfalls in the pastoral vocation. In these final movements of the interview, John shares honestly about healing from wounding, what we can do when we are joy-challenged and what will matter in the end. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026. John Ortberg is a pastor, author, and speaker. He’s been in ministry for over 40 years and teaches around a central theme of spiritual formation. John is a deep believer that the main thing God gets out of your life is the person you become. He desires for people to know God in an interactive, life-transforming way. Presently, John leads the ministry Become New, focused on helping you grow spiritually one day at a time. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

    A Conversation Between John Ortberg and John Mark Comer (Part 2)

  4. 18 Jun

    A Conversation Between John Ortberg and John Mark Comer (Part 1)

    What is my shadow mission? In this episode, join John Mark Comer and John Ortberg as they explore the possibilities and pitfalls in the pastoral vocation. They discuss the dangers of over-relying on giftedness, the importance of detaching from outcomes, and the power of identifying what John refers to as a "shadow mission"— what your life could be if it veers just a few degrees off course. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026. John Ortberg is a pastor, author, and speaker. He’s been in ministry for over 40 years and teaches around a central theme of spiritual formation. John is a deep believer that the main thing God gets out of your life is the person you become. He desires for people to know God in an interactive, life-transforming way. Presently, John leads the ministry Become New, focused on helping you grow spiritually one day at a time. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

    A Conversation Between John Ortberg and John Mark Comer (Part 1)

  5. 4 Jun

    Becoming A Creative Pastor (Featuring Tyler Staton)

    How is this era in church history inviting us into creative exploration?  In this episode, Tyler Staton invites us to recover a renewed sense of pastoral imagination. Drawing from the creation account in Genesis, he reflects on God as a creator and artist, considering what it means for pastors to participate in God's enduring work to cultivate life, beauty, and renewal. This teaching calls us to step off the treadmill of urgency and to join God boldly and creatively in the here and now. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026.  To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

    Becoming A Creative Pastor (Featuring Tyler Staton)

  6. 28 May

    The Hidden Life (Featuring Gemma Ryan)

    Is there a gap between our public and private life? In this episode, Gemma Ryan invites us to consider the hidden life beneath our ministry and leadership. Through the practices of solitude, secrecy, and confession, she explores the narrowing gap between who we are in public and who we are when no one is watching. With honesty and tenderness, she shares deeper questions about our work and activities, calling us away from performance and towards a quieter, humbler life lived before God alone. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026.  To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

    The Hidden Life (Featuring Gemma Ryan)

  7. 21 May

    The Emotionally Healthy Leader: Part 2 (Featuring Drew Hyun and John Mark Comer)

    Where does deep transformation in the church begin? In this episode, Drew Hyun is joined by John Mark Comer to wade into the everyday pastor’s wrestle with the slow, often hidden work of formation in leadership. Together, they reflect on issues of patience and ego, community, vulnerability, burnout, and the tension between fostering a vision for renewal and staying faithful within the constraints of a specific church and season of life. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026.  To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

    The Emotionally Healthy Leader: Part 2 (Featuring Drew Hyun and John Mark Comer)

  8. 14 May

    The Emotionally Healthy Leader: Part 1 (Featuring Drew Hyun)

    What if the burdens we often feel in pastoral work come from doing ministry for God, without God?   In this episode, Drew Hyun invites pastors to honestly consider a painful tension that many leaders experience: the possibility of ministering for God while slowly losing their connection with Him. Drawing from his own story and the experiences of the early church, he explores the subtle ways ministry, activity, and even spiritual success can become disconnected from intimacy with Jesus, calling us back to a life connected to the vine of Christ. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026.  To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

    The Emotionally Healthy Leader: Part 1 (Featuring Drew Hyun)
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About

For the pastor who longs to embody a less hurried, less overwhelmed, less CEO-like form of leadership, and to recover the ancient path of pastoring in the way of Jesus. The Contemplative Pastor invites you into illuminating conversations with guides and sages on spiritual and pastoral formation, and offers guided prayers and reflections to help you sit with the rich wisdom of each episode.  Our aim? To shape a new, yet ancient, kind of pastor—more unhurried, more prayerful, more peaceful—and to see the formational role of the local church flourish once again. Welcome to The Contemplative Pastor. --- To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

Information

  • Creator
    Practicing the Way
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Contemplative Pastor

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