The Anonymity of Pastoral Work

November 14, 2022 Nate Holdridge

In our modern age, talk of pastoral work as anonymous work seems like a stretch. Maybe the pastor in a rural town on a dusty road is anonymous, but pastoring seems to be about as public as you can get these days. We live in a time when pastors are out front, obvious, visible. Many encourage us to leverage social media to minister to people (at best) or build a platform for ourselves (at worst). I mean, we live in the age of the celebrity pastor, so how can pastoral work ever be anonymous?

Pay Attention to Your Listeners (Acts 14:8–10)

October 12, 2022 Nate Holdridge

During their first ministry trip together, Paul and Barnabas arrived in a city named Lystra. As Paul addressed a small gathering, a man sat near him. Born without the ability to develop, he listened as Paul spoke. As Paul scanned the faces in the crowd, the Spirit locked him onto the man. (2 Minutes/500 Words)

Jesus Famous Podcast | Ben Sobels - Vegemite, Lawyer To Pastor, & The Hope For Discipleship

June 23, 2022 Nate Holdridge

Pastor Nate sits down with Ben Sobels, Pastor of Cypress Church for a taste of Vegemite and to hear Ben's story! Ben talks his encounters with Jesus and how he grew in his faith and in his ministry as a pastor living in the California Monterey area.

Jesus Famous Podcast Recap

April 28, 2022 Nate Holdridge

The Jesus Famous Podcast is a series of conversations with Nate Holdridge discussing ways in which we can see Jesus famous in our lives. Catch up on all episodes here.

# 24 Exile Pastors (1 Peter 5:1-5)

November 7, 2021 Nate Holdridge

# 24 Exile Pastors (1 Peter 5:1-5)

You Are God's Child -- Who We Are: God's Sons and Daughters (1 John 2:28-3:1)

June 29, 2021 Nate Holdridge

PXL_20210605_185655587.MP.jpg — You Are God's Child -- Who We Are: God's Sons and Daughters

(1 John 2:28-3:1)

We were created to have dominion, God said. The idea was beautiful and simple. By His sovereign will, God created. He spoke things into existence. His Word divided water and land, the atmosphere and outer space, and the species. On the first six days of creation, God expressed His dominion and will. (8 Minutes/2000 Words)

Exodus 18-19

March 10, 2021 Nate Holdridge

This week, in Exodus Chapter 18, Moses is going to interact with his father-in-law, a man named Jethro, and receive important counsel from this man. This counsel is going to impact generations of the people of Israel. And Chapter 19 of Exodus begins the process of God delivering the law to the people of Israel from Mount Sinai.

Nate's New Book Is Here: Christ Unites

April 29, 2020 Nate Holdridge

In his new book Christ Unites, Pastor Nate Holdridge takes you on a journey through Paul's letter to the Ephesian church. There, Jesus is seen as the head of the church, the originator of a new humanity designed to carry out His will. Each chapter tackles a different dimension of Christ's work at unifying all things to Himself, at His purpose and plan for His people.

6 Lessons I've Learned About Small Group Ministry

March 18, 2020 Nate Holdridge

6 lessons.jpg — 6 Lessons I've Learned About Small Group Ministry

Having pastored a church without small groups, and now having pastored a church where always at least half of the congregation is in a small group, I can tell you the latter is preferable. People need to know each other. People need to interact with healthy Christians. People need community. (7 Minutes/1800 Words)

Archival Post & Podcast: Benefits of a Sermon Based Small Group

January 6, 2020 Nate Holdridge

Benefits of a Sermon Based Small Group

Archival Post

Calvary Monterey, the church I pastor, embraces a simple ministry model. We aren’t a collection of Sunday plus a billion ministries to subspecific groups. The left-handed-golfers-with-a-plus-13-handicap will have to look elsewhere for a ministry explicitly catered to their needs. Instead, we mostly gather together on Sundays and disperse into homes and coffee shops and office spaces during the week. And when our groups gather, part of their time together is spent in discussion about the previous Sunday’s text and teaching. (5 Minutes/1200 Words)