I grew up in a family of pastors. You’ve never heard of any of them. They haven’t written books. Their sermons aren’t online. Their pictures aren’t in conference programs. But my grandfather, father, and uncle faithfully preached the Word and shepherded congregations for decades.

While their ministries haven’t made headlines, if you visit certain small towns in North Carolina, you’ll find stories of people they comforted through the worst moments of their lives, people they counseled through hard decisions, people they rejoiced with over marriage and the birth of children, people they led to faith and baptized into the church of Jesus Christ. 

It’s a shame that the failures of a few famous pastors so often overshadow the everyday work of many, many faithful pastors. There are pastors like the ones in my family all around the world who labor diligently to serve their congregations, often with little help or encouragement. 

That’s why I’m excited about The Everyday Pastor, TGC’s new podcast on the nuts and bolts of ministry. It’s hosted by Ligon Duncan and Matt Smethurst, two pastors who know well the joys and challenges of local church ministry and want to come alongside pastors in the trenches. If you’re a pastor, we hope you’ll tune in. If you’re not, share it with your pastor—and add a note of thanks for how the Lord has used his ministry in your life.