New Churches Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 822

Pastoring Through Politics

Tony Merida

Host Tony Merida teams back up with rural pastor and planter Will Basham to discuss how you and your team can best navigate the pressures and polarization of politics amidst another election year. Tune in to discover your pastoral responsibility as a preacher within your church planting context and how you and your congregation can be people of peace in chaotic times.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • Lessons learned from pastoring in 2020
  • The importance of positioning the gospel first in all things
  • Why we must be discipled by the Word of God rather than by the world God created
  • Postures and principles to consider as you shepherd your flock with Christ’s truth
  • How you can create spaces for healthy, civil dialogue away from the pulpit

Helpful Resources:

  • Are you part of a new church plant? Learn more about our new church offer here.
  • Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer.

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

It’s important that we look at our preaching and ask, “Am I making things political that aren’t political in the text? Or am I making things political because the text mandates it?” — Will Basham

If we step into the pulpit fearful of all the emails we’ll get on Monday, we’re not going to be faithful to what the Word of God says. Let Scripture be our guide, not the modern controversy or whatever’s hot on the news right now. — Will Basham

We have to agree in the Lord and be willing to admit that while we have some disagreements, there’s one thing we won’t disagree on, and we’ll stand united on the gospel. — Will Basham

It’s the gospel that’s uniting us, and we can show the world a better way of having civil dialogue: to have an open Bible and an open heart as we engage one another. — Tony Merida

Jesus is king, and His kingdom is real and is coming. While we don’t minimize the importance of politics, we are also not idolizing them either. We’re exalting Jesus in the midst of all of it. — Tony Merida

Published on April 16, 2024

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About the Podcast

New Churches Podcast

The New Churches podcast offers practical answers to your real ministry questions. We aren’t going to provide lofty pie-in-the-sky theories. Instead, we are going to help you in your real ministry context, with your real thoughts, questions, and issues.

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Meet the Author

Tony Merida

Vice President, Planter Development Send Network

Tony Merida is the founding pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, N.C, and is the Vice President of Planter Development for Send Network. He also serves as a Board member for The Gospel Coalition. Tony has written several books including, The Christ-Centered Expositor, Love Your Church, and multiple volumes in the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series. He’s happily married to Kimberly, and they have five children.

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