Strength for Today's Pastor

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Steve Marquez is husband to Monica, and father of Cody, Jared, and Andrew. 

Steve is a pastor, a teacher, a former church planter, a musician, a former journalist, photographer, and founder of a non-profit ministry called Stage 4 Ministries. 

Monica, Steve's wife, is her husband's co-laborer in life and also in ministry, She is a super effective and fruitful minister in her own right. ...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Joyful generosity. It's a biblical concept.

2 Corinthians 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 

Is it possible to outgive God?

Is it possible for a congregation to be led in such a way that the body of believers will love, love, love giving to God, giving to others, and investing in His kingdom. 

Find out some su...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

This is the second of a three part series on pastors and leaders discipling the saints in the areas of giving and stewardship 

Not always an easy topic to address, but important. 

Jesus taught His disciples on the subjects of giving and stewardship.

Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples, teaching people to observe all things He has commanded us.

Therefore, we are to teach people about giving...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

This is the first in a three part series which can be helpful to senior pastors and church leadership teams re: how to practically deal with giving and stewardship in their churches. 

First, we'll look at where teaching and leading on giving and stewardship fit within the overall concept of equipping the saints for ministry ... which we pastors are called by God to do.

It may be a new thoug...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Our devices. Our phones. Our laptops. Our tablets. Our iPads. 

Whatever.

They can be a huge blessing. 

They can be an enormous distraction.

Listen in to this carefully and thoughtfully developed episode, taught by Pastor Nate Holdridge at Calvary Monterey in May 2025. 

Speaking personally, it blessed and encouraged me, big-time. I'm working smarter now, even on my so-called smart phone.

Listen ...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Cory Kilgus is a man with a vision. His vision drives his efforts.

The key to all of this is explained in this podcast. Get the right vision (the Biblical vision), and then follow the Lord and trust the Holy Spirit to get it done.

A simple recipe for God-produced success. A pattern for pastors and church planters and disciplers everywhere.

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, ...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Welcome to Podcast 174. Today I’m with Dr. Bruce Hebel, author of the incredible, life altering book Forgiving Forward: Experience the Freedom of the Gospel through the Power of Forgiveness.

All close followers of Jesus Christ know that we should forgive others, but there are things about forgiveness that are about as clear as mud to us. 

In this episode of SFTP, we talked with Bruce about the c...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

At 72 years of age, Pastor John Offutt of LifeSource Community Church in Lindale, Texas, is hardly a young man. He started LifeSource when he was in his 60s, hardly an age thought to be fitting for a new church plant.

One of the main things he had in his favor was that he'd been around the block before, several times in fact. He had experience and was (and is) gifted to do what he does.

But...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

The Barnabas Method has silently transformed over 500 men's lives across decades, and now this powerful discipleship process is available to every church leader seeking authentic spiritual formation for the men they shepherd.

What's the difference between knowing biblical information and becoming like Christ? According to Pastor Dale Lewis, most discipleship approaches focus too heavi...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

This is a podcast done by Karl Vaters (author, Small Church Essentials) and Sean Nemecek, a pastor who ministers to pastors to help keep them vitalized and fruitful.

The name of the podcast is The Church Lobby, Conversations on Faith and Ministry. 

We asked permission to play this episode in its entirety. I think you'll find it to be extremely helpful and practical, dealing with the subject...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Pastor Brian Heminger has been in pastoral ministry for a lot of years, most recently as the founding and longtime pastor of Calvary Chapel Half Moon Bay. 

As such, Brian was bi-vocational. His work life outside of the church was as a full-time evangelist, in the role of barber. 

Now he's retired from that role, but continues in his calling as a pastor-teacher. 

We pastors all need encourage...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Episode 169 of SFTP tells the story of what it's like to minister in Las Vegas, Nevada, aka "sin city".

It CAN be done! Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. We all know that, but it's for real in the Las Vegas valley.

Hear from Pastor John Knapp about some of the ways the Holy Spirit has led their church, Calvary Chapel Green Valley, to be fruitful ...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

168- Dale Lewis: A Pastor You Need to Know

In the latest episode of our podcast, we had the privilege of speaking with Pastor Dale Lewis, a man whose life and ministry have been profoundly shaped by his unique journey of faith. Pastor Dale shares his story, one that begins with a challenging childhood and evolves into a life dedicated to spiritual mentorship and leadership.

G...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

167- Testimony: Powerful Renewal in the Holy Spirit- with John Knapp

In the bustling community of Henderson, Nevada, a spiritual renewal is taking place at Calvary Chapel Green Valley under the leadership of Pastor John Knapp. For over 26 years, Pastor John has been a guiding light for his congregation, but recently, a new wave of the Holy Spirit has invigorated the church, bringing a...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

In this heartfelt episode, Bill Holdridge shares a powerful message delivered at Regeneration Church in Scotts Valley, California. This episode is a departure from our usual format, as Bill recounts a personal journey of forgiveness and the transformative power it holds for pastors and believers alike. Drawing from his own experiences and the teachings of...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

This is podcast 164 of Strength for Today’s Pastor. 

In this interview, I'm speaking with Pastor Dan Jacobsen, a lead/teaching pastor at Heartland Community Church in Olathe, Kansas.

In addition to his role as a pastor-teacher, Dan has the unique distinction of being a grandson of the now-in-heaven pastor and Bible teacher, the beloved Dr. Warren Wiersbe. 

This is going to be a fun...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Shaun and Sheila Sells have served faithfully as a senior/lead pastor and wife team with Calvary Chapel Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Then, after 20 years in that role, Shaun handed the church leadership reins over to his admin pastor, with a vision to move on to the next season of life and ministry for the both of them.

Both Shaun and Sheila are retired from the U.S. Air Force (Sheila ...

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Dr. Richard Clinton is an expert on Christian leadership. He and his father Dr. J. Robert Clinton have spent more than 40 years researching, analyzing, and instructing on the subject. They've looked at Biblical leaders, at leaders in the history of the church. They've been thorough, to say the least.

What Richard has to say with regard to the life stages of the Christian lea...