(Related Blog Post: Apologists and Pastors Connecting for Ministry: Stories of How You Can Do It)

Okay, now what? Now that you know the secret word, the one key word I spoke of in episode 8, the one that answers the question, How can we have greater ministry in the church, now what?

That’s the question several people asked me after they listened to that podcast. “I want to build good relationships with pastors. I even get that having lunch together is a good way to do it. How do I get started, though?”

In this episode I tell stories of half a dozen ways or so that I’ve found to connect with pastors, in my church or in others, and start building real friendship.

This time there are two secrets. One of them is the variety of ways you can go about meeting pastors. The other is more important: Your interest in them had better be real. It need not become a lasting friendship, since those are rare and they’re hard to predict before you find them, but it’s not about manipulating your way into ministry, either. It’s about meeting the pastor as a respected leader in God’s church. And listening.

That’s secret number two for this episode. You’ll have to listen in to hear more on secret number one.

This episode is part of the Season 2 emphasis on Heat to Light: Moving Through Cultural Controversy Toward the Light of Spiritual Transformation.

Be sure to visit the Thinking Christian blog, and get your free chapter download from Too Good to be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality.

Follow the Thinking Christian podcast on the podcast app of your choice, and please give it a positive rating there, too. Thank you!

Note regarding publishing schedule: This has been a season of tough family crises, including my dad’s passing away last month. I expect to resume a full weekly podcasting schedule very soon.