Pastoral Problems

Philip Stanley
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Pastoral Problems is where pastors Phil Stanley and Justin Wright talk honestly about ministry—the meaningful, the messy, and the completely ridiculous. Expect real conversations about church leadership, preaching, discipleship, culture, and pastor life, mixed with humor, wild church stories, and plenty of rabbit trails. Pastoral problems are inevitable. Becoming one is optional.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Pastoral Problems: When Worship Goes Off the Rails

    Sometimes worship is powerful. Sometimes the Holy Spirit moves. And sometimes the drummer starts the song so fast that everybody on stage is about to meet Jesus. In this episode of Pastoral Problems, Phil Stanley and Justin Wright swap worship-team horror stories involving wrong songs, wrong keys, runaway tempos, forgotten lyrics, talkback microphones, awkward restarts, and one worship leader who somehow managed to get booed by an entire youth camp in the middle of worship. Then the conversation turns to modern worship production. Do we really need eleven guitar parts on one song? Are multitracks helping local churches—or creating an unrealistic standard that smaller worship teams are expected to reproduce? And when every sound, cue, click, and arrangement is programmed ahead of time, do musicians still have room to actually respond to the moment? Phil and Justin talk about tracks, click cues, worship technology, musical authenticity, and finding the balance between preparation and flexibility. Because your worship team doesn’t have to sound exactly like the recording. If we wanted Spotify, we could just play Spotify. If you enjoyed the episode, like, share, and leave us a comment with your favorite worship-team disaster—or tell us where you land on multitracks in worship. If you're listening on a podcast platform, we'd greatly appreciate a 5-star rating to help more people discover the show. Have a question, topic suggestion, ministry story, or pastoral problem you'd like us to discuss? Email us at pastoralproblems@aol.com. Pastoral Problems is hosted by Phil Stanley and Justin Wright and produced by Brightworx Media.

  2. Aug 24

    Pastoral Problems: Surviving the Gut Punches of Ministry

    Ministry can give you some incredible victories—and then punch you in the mouth five minutes later. In this episode of Pastoral Problems, Phil Stanley and Justin Wright start with golf scores, an alarming number of guitars, a collapsing drum shield, fake church plants, disastrous summer weddings, and a few rabbit trails that probably should have stayed off the air. Eventually, they get serious about one of the hardest lessons pastors have to learn: how to get back up when ministry doesn’t go the way you expected. Using Joshua’s defeat at Ai, Peter’s failure, and their own experiences in ministry, Phil and Justin talk about handling disappointment, people leaving, personal mistakes, and the emotional swing between incredible ministry wins and unexpected gut punches. The goal isn’t learning how to never get knocked down. It’s learning how to trust that God isn’t surprised by what happened—and keep moving forward. If you enjoyed the episode, like, share, and leave us a comment with your own pastoral problem or ministry story. And if you’re listening on a podcast platform, we’d greatly appreciate a 5-star rating to help more people find the show. Have a question, story, topic suggestion, or pastoral problem you want us to talk about? Email us at pastoralproblems@aol.com. Pastoral Problems is hosted by Phil Stanley and Justin Wright and produced by Brightworx Media.

    Pastoral Problems: Surviving the Gut Punches of Ministry

  3. Aug 17

    Pastoral Problems: God Called Her to Pastor. Apparently Heaven Forgot to Check the Bylaws.

    God Called Her to Pastor. Apparently Heaven Forgot to Check the Bylaws.In our very first "official" episode of Pastoral Problems, we jump straight into a conversation that has generated plenty of discussion in the Church: women in ministry and pastoral leadership.We believe God calls and equips women to serve at every level of ministry, including as pastors, and in this episode we talk through why. We discuss Scripture, church culture, leadership, some of the arguments surrounding the issue, and what we’ve seen through our own experiences in ministry.It’s an honest, thoughtful conversation about calling, gifting, and making room for the people God has chosen to use.Grab some coffee and join Phil Stanley and Justin Wright for Episode 1 of Pastoral Problems.Pastoral problems are inevitable. Becoming one is optional.Reach out to us at Pastoralproblems@aol.com

    Pastoral Problems: God Called Her to Pastor. Apparently Heaven Forgot to Check the Bylaws.

  4. Aug 10

    Pastoral Problems: "It's Only Going To Get Worse."

    In this episode of Pastoral Problems, Phil Stanley and Justin Wright introduce you to the kind of conversations you can expect around here: strange prayer requests, church stories you really can’t make up, unnecessary rabbit trails, and a few “hot takes” that turn out to be more like mildly warm takes.But somewhere between sleeping saints, potlucks, church growth, and the talking part of your phone, things get serious. Phil and Justin talk about building real community, why discipleship can’t simply be reduced to a program, the difference between knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Him, and why pastors have to do more than preach sermons—they have to actually pastor people. The discussion eventually lands on a simple reminder: ministry isn’t ultimately about numbers, nickels, programs, or platforms. It’s about people becoming genuine followers of Jesus.Grab some coffee and join us for awkward prayer requests, ministry lessons, rabbit trails, and an honest conversation about what pastoring really looks like.Reach out to us anytime at: Pastoralproblems@AOL.comPastoral problems are inevitable. Becoming one is optional.

  • 4 Episodes

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Pastoral Problems is where pastors Phil Stanley and Justin Wright talk honestly about ministry—the meaningful, the messy, and the completely ridiculous. Expect real conversations about church leadership, preaching, discipleship, culture, and pastor life, mixed with humor, wild church stories, and plenty of rabbit trails. Pastoral problems are inevitable. Becoming one is optional.

Information

  • Creator
    Philip Stanley
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Philip Stanley
  • Show Website
    Pastoral Problems