Expositors Collective: Expository Preaching, Bible Teaching and Sermon Preparation

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

In this fun interview between neighbours, Mike speaks with Tadhg O'Connell about lessons that he has learned as a preacher, testimony-giver, camp-speaker, addiction-recovery-activist and community organiser. They speak about neck tattoos, mountain top experiences, caring for the community and more. 

My name is Tadhg O’Connell, and I have lived all my life in Ballyphehane, a place I am deeply proud to call home. For many years, I was trapped in addiction, living in the bondage of my own sinful desires and feeling completely hopeless, to the point where I did not want to live anymore. In the middle of that darkness, I picked up a Bible and read Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and for the first time I truly understood that I was a sinner in need of salvation. But I also came to see that Christ had done everything necessary for me to have a relationship with God, as Hebrews 10:12 says, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” Realising that Jesus had paid the price for my sin changed my life completely. Today I am a member of Douglas Baptist Church, and my heart is especially for those still caught in addiction. I believe God has called me to remain where He saved me, as 1 Corinthians 7:20 says, “Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them,” and so my heart is heavy for the people in disadvantaged communities  who still feel lost and do not know their lives are valued because they are made in the image of God. I now run an addiction group every Monday night at 8pm in Ballyphehane Community Centre, seeking to bring the light of Jesus into this dark world, sharing the hope that rescued me and giving all the glory to Him. 

 
SAVE THE DATE 
Our next in-person training event will be at Reliance Church in Temecula, California May 15-16th, early bird registration is available now, save your seat as soon as possible! 
 https://expositorscollective.org/gatherings/

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

Dr Roy Collins is the kind of man many churches would love to have in their congregation: a retired pastor and professor who faithfully teaches the adult Sunday school class and serves as a steady, encouraging presence among God’s people. His influence is not loud or flashy, but marked by wisdom, warmth, and a long history of loving the local church.
In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Dr Collins shares a message on Sermon Prep Essentials, recorded live at an Expositors Collective training event in 2024. Drawing on decades of experience in pastoral ministry and as a professor of Biblical Interpretation at Colorado Christian University, he offers thoughtful, grounded counsel for those tasked with preaching the Scriptures week after week.
Throughout the message, Roy reminds preachers that they are called to speak God’s words, not their own. He emphasises the importance of slow, careful reading of the text, encouraging listeners to read and reread Scripture until it has time to settle and shape their thinking. He also highlights the value of humility in sermon preparation, urging preachers to learn from others and to allow their ideas to be refined within the context of the church.
At the same time, Dr Collins offers gentle but firm warnings about common dangers in preaching, including the temptation to chase novelty or to elevate “new insights” that have not been tested by the wider church. In a culture that prizes originality and self-expression, he calls preachers back to faithfulness, reminding them that the gospel does not need reinvention, but clear and careful proclamation.
Dr Collins is a member of White Fields Community Church, where his ongoing service reflects a lifetime commitment to Scripture, teaching, and encouragement. This episode will be a timely help for pastors, Bible teachers, and anyone seeking to grow in patient study and faithful proclamation of God’s Word.
Resources Mentioned: 
Logos Bible Study Software: https://www.logos.com/ 
Roy Collins' episode on Theology for the People: https://nickcady.org/2021/08/27/guidelines-for-biblical-interpretation-with-dr-roy-collins/comment-page-1/

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

Recorded live in Longmont, Colorado, this panel conversation brings together four seasoned pastors and ministry leaders to reflect on what faithful preaching looks like in today’s cultural moment.
Dr Roy Collins, Dr Alan Stoddard, Mike Payne, and Bryan Stupar speak candidly about early preaching mistakes, the discipline of reading Scripture carefully, and the practical realities of preparing sermons alongside the many demands of pastoral ministry.
The discussion addresses how expressive individualism shapes both the church and the wider culture, and why historic practices like preaching calendars, shared preparation, and confessional reminders help anchor pastors and congregations alike. The panel also explores realistic rhythms for sermon planning, the challenge of information overload, and the value of planning ahead rather than reacting week to week.
In the final portion of the conversation, the focus turns to youth ministry. The speakers offer wise and grounded counsel on mentoring young people, cultivating lasting fruit, and remembering that students are often listening more closely than they appear. Rather than chasing novelty, the panel encourages patient investment, faithful presence, and a long view of spiritual formation.
This conversation was recorded at a live Expositors Collective training event in Longmont, Colorado aimed at equipping pastors and Bible teachers to faithfully study and publicly proclaim God’s Word in the modern church.
Topics Covered
Lessons learned from first sermons and early failures
Why reading whole books of Scripture matters
Planning ahead with preaching calendars
Managing information overload in sermon preparation
Structuring a realistic ministry week
Expressive individualism and its impact on the church
Why historic confessions still matter
Mentoring young people toward spiritual fruit
The quiet but real attentiveness of youth
Additional Listening: 
Alan Stoddard on Ministry Mentorships: https://goodlion.io/podcast/expositors-collective/episode/passing-on-the-baton-preaching-mentorships-and-ministry-training-with-alan-stoddard 

Mike Payne on Passing on the Baton:
https://goodlion.io/podcast/expositors-collective/episode/the-value-of-preaching-mentorships-michael-payne 

Bryan Stupar on Character in the Ministry:
https://goodlion.io/podcast/expositors-collective/episode/why-character-matters-bryan-stupar

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