In this episode, Jonny Pollock joins Mike Neglia to reflect on preaching and pastoral ministry in small and rural church contexts. Jonny is the pastor of Calvary Church Loughrea, a church plant in a small town in County Galway, Ireland, which began in 2017 when he and his family relocated there to begin the work.

After an initial season of prayer and Bible study, the church began gathering for Sunday worship in 2018. Since then, the focus has remained simple and intentional: sharing the Gospel through the Word of God, while also sharing life together as a community shaped by God’s grace.

Drawing from that context, Jonny shares lessons from early preaching, the challenges of communicating with people who have little or no church background, and the importance of staying grounded in the care of souls rather than platform or visibility.

The conversation explores how to make biblical teaching accessible without diluting its depth, why new believers often ask the most insightful questions, and how intentional convictions shape the culture of a church. Throughout, Jonny and Mike return to a central conviction: we are not here to impress people, but to faithfully care for souls.

Jonny is also the author of How to Pray and How to Read the Bible, short and practical resources designed to help new believers engage with the foundations of the Christian life. He writes regularly on church planting, leadership, and mission in post-Christian contexts.

Learn more from Jonny:

Substack: jonnypollockwrites.substack.com

X: @jonnypollock

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $140 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.
Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

Connect
Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

What does success in church planting actually look like?

In this special crossover episode between the Expositors Collective and Cultivate podcasts, Mike Neglia speaks with Brian Kelly about the realities of planting and pastoring a church. Brian brings over twenty years of experience in church planting and mission work across East Africa, New Zealand, and the United States, along with firsthand involvement in multiple church plants and sending many others into ministry.

Together they discuss the weight that comes with planting a church, why the language of “planting” is a better metaphor than a startup model, and how pastors should think more like gardeners than entrepreneurs. Drawing on insights from The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry by Matthew Erickson, the conversation explores the slow, patient work of cultivating spiritual growth in a church community.

They also talk about the importance of planting teams, the role of families in ministry, the perseverance required to stay the course, and how initiatives like Cultivate seek to train, mentor, and support new church planters.

Whether you are planting a church, pastoring an existing congregation, or preparing for future ministry, this conversation offers wisdom, realism, and encouragement about what faithful ministry really looks like.

Find out more about Cultivate here: https://cultivatechurchplanting.com/

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $140 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.
Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

ConnectJoin our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Dr Jeffrey Arthurs joins Mike Neglia for a rich and encouraging conversation about preaching, courage, and the freedom that comes from fearing God rather than fearing people.

The discussionincludes a striking quotation from Puritan preacher William Gurnall:

"We fear men so much because we fear God so little. One fear cures the other."

That idea opens the door to a wide ranging conversation about the fear of man in ministry and how a deeper awareness of God reshapes the way we preach, lead, and serve.

Jeffrey Arthurs shares insights from decades of preaching, teaching, and mentoring preachers. Along the way he offers practical wisdom on understanding the people we preach to, communicating with clarity and specificity, and learning how different biblical genres should shape the way we proclaim Scripture.

In this conversation you will hear about:

• The difference between fear of man and fear of the Lord in ministry
• Why specificity makes preaching more powerful
• The importance of understanding both the biblical context and the congregational context
• Haddon Robinson’s Subject/Complement approach to sermon structure
• The difference between feedback and feedforward when helping preachers grow
• The hidden hope inside biblical lament
• Why different literary genres in Scripture should influence our preaching style

Whether you are a seasoned preacher, a young Bible teacher, or someone who simply wants to communicate Scripture more clearly, this conversation is full of thoughtful encouragement and practical insight.

About Jeffrey Arthurs

Jeffrey D. Arthurs is Professor of Preaching and Communication at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. His passion is helping people proclaim the Word of God with clarity, faithfulness, and creativity.

His books include Preaching with Variety, Devote Yourself to the Public Reading of Scripture, and Preaching as Reminding. Before entering the classroom he served in a wide range of communication roles including pastor, missionary, announcer, and ministry consultant.

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $120 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.

Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

Connect
Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Cody King is a Bible teacher, church planter and pastor with a passion for expository preaching. He began teaching the Bible in 1998 and graduated from Calvary Chapel Bible College in 2002. He served as one of the founding pastors of Reliance Church in Temecula, CA from 2007-2014. He was the founding and lead pastor of Redemption Calvary in Commerce City, CO from 2014-2022. Cody also served as an Assistant Pastor to support West Church in Bradenton, FL from 2022-2025. He has had the privilege of helping establish and strengthen other church planters and their churches over the years. In 2025 Cody was brought back to Reliance Church where he currently serves as an Assistant Pastor. Cody and his wife Myca were married in 2002 and have four daughters together.

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $120 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.

Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

Connect

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

What does true generosity look like in the life of a preacher?

In this conversation, Mike Neglia sits down with Ted Leavenworth of Reliance Church to talk about a culture of generosity in preaching ministry. Rather than guarding the pulpit or building ministry around a single voice, Ted describes a different approach: raising up Bible teachers, sharing opportunities, and intentionally creating space for others to grow.

Ted explains how Reliance Church has developed preaching teams that allow emerging communicators to learn, practise, and serve the church while still maintaining clarity and faithfulness in the teaching ministry. The conversation explores what it looks like to mentor new preachers, release gifted leaders into church planting and missionary work, and cultivate a church culture where the pulpit is not a platform to protect but a stewardship to share.

This episode also highlights the practical realities behind that vision. Mike and Ted discuss the structure of preaching teams, the benefits and challenges of multiple voices in a teaching rotation, and how generosity in leadership can multiply gospel impact far beyond one congregation.

Ted has consistently lived out what he describes here, investing deeply in younger communicators and opening doors for many preachers to grow in their calling. His example offers both encouragement and practical guidance for pastors who want to strengthen their churches by developing others rather than doing everything themselves.

If you are a pastor, ministry leader, or Bible teacher wondering how to cultivate a healthier preaching culture in your church, this conversation will give you both inspiration and practical ideas to begin.

If you like this episode, then you're going to love this interview with his wife Brenda: https://goodlion.io/podcast/expositors-collective/episode/women-deserve-good-theology-brenda-leavenworth

or this older interview with Ted from 2018: https://goodlion.io/podcast/expositors-collective/episode/mistakes-new-preachers-often-make-ted-leavenworth

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $120 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.

Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

Connect

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Pilgrim Benham serves as the Dean of Students at Calvary Chapel Bible College, now located in Bradenton, Florida. In this role he helps train and disciple the next generation of pastors, missionaries, and Bible teachers, investing in students who are preparing for lives of faithful ministry and service.

In this session from the Expositors Collective training event in St Petersburg, Florida, Pilgrim speaks about the vital role of preaching mentorships. Whether these relationships are formal or informal, personal or within a group, he encourages preachers to intentionally invite feedback, guidance, and coaching from more experienced voices. Growth in preaching rarely happens in isolation. It happens when humility meets community, and when preachers are willing to learn from those who have walked the road before them.

Pilgrim also highlights the biblical pattern of ministry multiplication. Paul’s instruction to Timothy reminds us that faithful teaching is meant to be passed on from one generation to the next:

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also"

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $120 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.

Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

Connect
Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

What if your role as a pastor is not to produce growth, but to cultivate the conditions where growth might happen?

In this episode of the Expositors Collective Podcast, Mike Neglia talks with Matt Erickson about his journey in preaching and how a season of personal and cultural upheaval led him to rethink pastoral ministry. Drawing from his book The Pastor as Gardener, Matt offers a vision of ministry that is both deeply biblical and quietly liberating.

Instead of carrying the weight of outcomes, pastors are invited to think more like gardeners than CEOs. Preparing the soil, planting faithfully, watering consistently, and trusting God to bring the growth.

Along the way, this conversation gets very practical. Matt reflects on his early experiences in preaching, how his preparation habits have matured, and how a collaborative preaching team can strengthen both the preacher and the church. He also explores how metaphors shape ministry expectations, why seasons matter more than we often admit, and how preaching can move beyond information transfer into genuine spiritual formation.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to make things “work” in ministry, this episode offers a needed reset.

🌱 In This Conversation, You’ll Hear About:

Why “preaching in the moment” can sometimes reveal a lack of preparation

Matt’s growth from unstructured sermons to intentional, week-ahead preparation

How a team-based preaching model can lead to deeper study and more cohesive series

The story behind The Pastor as Gardener and the crises that shaped it

The freeing truth of 1 Corinthians 3 - you are not responsible for the growth

Why the gardener metaphor helps decentralise the pastor’s role without diminishing responsibility

How different seasons of ministry affect expectations, energy, and fruitfulness

The strengths and limits of the shepherd metaphor in modern ministry contexts

Jesus as “the gardener” in John 20 and how that image reframes pastoral identity

The importance of the preacher’s hidden, subterranean life

How to intentionally shape sermons for spiritual formation, not just information

Practical ways to incorporate prayer, silence, and reflection into preaching

🌿 Key Insight

You can prepare, plant, and water with care…but you cannot make anything grow.

📚 Books & Resources Mentioned

By Matt Erickson

The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802884145/the-pastor-as-gardener/

Field Notes for Pastors (podcast) https://mwerickson.com/podcast/

On Leadership & Spiritual Formation

The Making of a Leader – J. Robert Clinton : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Leader-Second-Recognizing-Development/dp/1612910750

The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith – Janet O. Hagberg & Robert A. Guelich : https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/311089.The_Critical_Journey

🔎 About Matthew Erickson

Matt is a pastor, writer, speaker, and disciple of Jesus. Since 2010, Matt has served as the Senior Pastor at Eastbrook Church, an urban, multiracial church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $120 per person!

Register Today!

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.
Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

Mike sits down with Peter Patrick Kenny for a wide-ranging conversation about preaching, preparation, and pastoral ministry. They discuss sermons that cover thirteen chapters and sermons that focus on just two verses, the dangers of over-relying on full manuscript notes, and the habit of slipping into “Christianese” when communicating biblical truth.

They also explore tools like discourse analysis, arcing, and inductive Bible study, and how these approaches help preachers understand the text more deeply and communicate it more clearly to their congregations.

Along the way, Peter reflects on the ministry of assistant pastors and shares lessons he learned while serving under the guidance of Ed Neill at Grosvenor Street Baptist Church in Dublin.

It’s a fun, friendly conversation between two friends that will encourage and equip anyone who studies, teaches, or preaches the Bible.

Peter is originally from Co. Tipperary, Ireland and now lives in Cork with his wife and three children. He has the joy of serving as the pastor of Cork Baptist Church, a very diverse city centre congregation that has been in it's current building since the 1890s and in the city for many years before. He's excited to see what God will do in the years ahead as his word is preached.

Resources Mentioned:

Preaching to a Post-Everything World - Zack Eswine : https://www.logos.com/product/43211/preaching-to-a-post-everything-world-crafting-biblical-sermons-that-connect-with-our-culture

Charlie Wingard's book Help For The New Pastor: https://charliewingard.com/book/

Bible Arc : https://app.biblearc.com/

Additional Resources:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/an-interpretive-lexicon-of-new-testament-greek-beale-brendsel-ross/

https://cdn.desiringgod.org/pdf/booklets/BTBX.pdf

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/profile/benjamin-l-gladd/

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/preaching-to-post-everything-world/

https://www.christcenteredpreaching.com/

https://www.grosvenorbaptist.org/

Join us for our next Training Weekend May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Register Today!

Connect:

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective