Field Notes for Pastors

Matthew Erickson
  • 5.0 (5)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Field Notes for Pastors is a conversational podcast for pastors and others in ministry exploring our soul-deep work in the fields of the Lord. Whether you’re in a ministry season of fullness and famine, we want to explore themes around Paul’s words: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Episodes

  1. Recovering Our Souls in Ministry: From Performance to Presence with Steve Smith

    1D AGO

    Recovering Our Souls in Ministry: From Performance to Presence with Steve Smith

    In this episode, we explore Steve Smith’s journey through ministry, burnout, and the rediscovery of his identity as God’s beloved. We reflect together on how performance, busyness, and the “empire church” shape us, and how practices of silence, solitude, and Sabbath can reawaken our souls. We consider the courageous inner work that leads from exhaustion to renewal and talk about the invitations God offers us to live more rooted, spacious, and honest lives. Ultimately, we’re invited to rethink ministry through rhythms of rest, belovedness, and deeper presence with God. Potter’s Inn: www.pottersinn.com.  Steve Smith’s Substack, “Potter’s Inn” Soul Care Institute: www.soulcareinstitute.com.  Steve Smith’s latest book: Greening: Poems in the Unfolding of Our Lives Steve mentioned the following books: Henri Nouwen, The Wounded Healer Stephen Smith, The Lazarus Life: Spiritual Transformation for Ordinary People Stephen Smith, The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic Christianity Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.

    47 min
  2. The Stories We Live By: Metaphors That Shape Ministry with Greg Marshall

    FEB 2

    The Stories We Live By: Metaphors That Shape Ministry with Greg Marshall

    In this episode, we explore how metaphors and stories shape the way we understand ministry, leadership, and even our own souls. Together with Greg Marshall, we reflect on why storytelling is not just a communication tool but a framework that gives meaning, alignment, and direction to churches and organizations. We discuss the power of agrarian metaphors—especially gardening—for pastors, and how they can reorient ministry away from abstraction, performance, and anxiety toward attentiveness, growth, and faithfulness. Along the way, we consider how prayer, imagination, and curiosity help us remain grounded in God’s work rather than our own striving. Greg Marshall’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-marshall/.  Greg’s Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/figuregreg80 We mentioned the following resources: Iain McGilchrist, The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World Justin Brierly, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God podcast, Season 1, Episode 25: “The Believing Brain: How Iain McGilchrist Rediscovered the Soul” C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer  Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.

    44 min
  3. Ministering from the True Self with Vulnerability and Creativity with Mandy Smith

    JAN 26

    Ministering from the True Self with Vulnerability and Creativity with Mandy Smith

    In this episode, we talk with Mandy Smith about the calling of the pastor as a vocation of paying attention—to God, to ourselves, and to the communities we serve. We explore vulnerability, human limitation, and the difference between living from a false self shaped by expectations and a true self grounded in God’s call. Together, we reflect on authority, creativity, discernment, and what it means to lead without pretending to have all the answers. We consider how pastoral faithfulness grows through dependence on God rather than self-sufficiency. Visit Mandy Smith’s personal website (https://thewayistheway.org) or follow her on Instagram at @mandysmithhopes.  We mentioned the following books: Mandy Smith, The Vulnerable Pastor Mandy Smith, Confessions of an Amateur Saint M. Craig Barnes, The Pastor as Minor Poet Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.

    50 min
  4. Calling, Context, and Faithfulness Over the Long Haul with Bishop Walter Harvey

    JAN 19

    Calling, Context, and Faithfulness Over the Long Haul with Bishop Walter Harvey

    In this episode, we reflect with Bishop Walter Harvey on the deep connection between pastoral calling, long-term faithfulness, and attentiveness to context. We explore what it means to shepherd people over decades, cultivating flourishing through healthy marriages, prayerful lives, friendships, and humility. Together, we wrestle with the importance of exegeting both church and community, learning to listen well, embrace change, and engage neighborhoods not from a distance but with presence. We are reminded that faithful ministry grows when we are truly with the people God has called us to serve. Bishop Walter Harvey’s personal website: https://walterharveyministries.com.  The website for WI+H movement: www.with.city.   We mentioned the following: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bishop.walter.harvey/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bishop__walterharvey  Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.

    43 min
  5. A God-Centered Vision for Pastoral Calling and Identity with Winn Collier

    JAN 12

    A God-Centered Vision for Pastoral Calling and Identity with Winn Collier

    In this episode, we reflect with Winn Collier on pastoral calling and identity, returning again and again to the conviction that being a pastor is fundamentally about God, not performance, personality, or success. We talk honestly about the cultural pressures that distort pastoral ministry and the fear that keeps us from embracing weakness, vulnerability, and humility. Together, we explore how friendship, attentiveness to place, and a truthful reckoning with our own limitations can nourish a faithful pastoral life. Drawing on the wisdom of Eugene Peterson and Wendell Berry, we imagine a pastoral vocation rooted in presence, patience, and love for people and place. Visit Winn Collier’s personal website (https://winncollier.com) and substack (http://winncollier.substack.com).  The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination: https://petersoncenter.org.  The Order of the Kingfisher: https://petersoncenter.org/order-of-the-kingfisher/.  We mentioned the following books: Winn Collier, A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson  Eugene Peterson, Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration of Vocational Holiness Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow: A Novel Gerard Manley Hopkins, “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.

    40 min
  • 5 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Field Notes for Pastors is a conversational podcast for pastors and others in ministry exploring our soul-deep work in the fields of the Lord. Whether you’re in a ministry season of fullness and famine, we want to explore themes around Paul’s words: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew Erickson
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Matthew Erickson
  • Show Website
    Field Notes for Pastors

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