In this episode of Rural Pastors Talk, Joe Wagner, Josh MacClaren, and CJ Dematatis open with a humorous “Pastoralax” skit before diving into what makes pastors grumpy and why a “holy heart check” matters in rural ministry.

They share personal stories including travel fatigue and traffic, tightly planned schedules getting disrupted, last-minute Sunday volunteer changes, losing a preaching slot, and discouragement over a church building situation and how the Lord used Exodus (especially Israel’s grumbling) and Scripture to expose pride, discontentment, and doubts about God’s sovereignty.

The guys discuss how grumpiness can poison a rural church by resisting change, harming welcome, and creating rifts, and they encourage drawing close to grumpy members with patience, good questions, prayer, and self-examination. They recommend Jerry Bridges’ The Discipline of Grace and close with a Spurgeon quote on catechizing your own heart.

In this episode of Rural Pastors Talk, TJ Freeman, Joe Wagner, and Josh MacClaren swap favorite vacation spots before pivoting to a needed conversation about rest for pastors. They discuss the common extremes: discouraged pastors who drift into laziness versus pastors who can’t shut ministry off. Then Josh lays out a biblical theology of rest from creation, the Sabbath, and the gospel, including the promised rest fulfilled in Christ and awaited in the new heavens and new earth. The guys talk practical rhythms like guarding a day off, setting boundaries with texts and phones, and how physical work can be restorative. TJ shares about taking a Lilly Endowment-funded sabbatical focused on unplugging, counseling, journaling, and family time, and encourages pastors to evaluate where they are on the “rest continuum” and take steps toward faithful, God-honoring rest.

In this episode of Rural Pastors Talk, Joe Wagner and CJ Dematatis discuss why pulpit supply and guest preaching matter for both congregations and preachers, pushing back on the idea that rural ministry is a “training wheels” assignment. CJ reflects on early preaching lessons and shares key takeaways from the Charles Simeon Trust Chicago Course on Preaching: get the text right for the original audience, then faithfully connect it to Jesus and thoughtfully apply it to real people by knowing and loving them.

Residents Jacob Smoker and Brydon Ratliff recount their first sermons, the value of critique, and practical advice like arriving early, staying anchored in the text, and asking hosting churches good questions about context and expectations. They recommend the book 'Saving Eutychus' and close with a George Whitefield quote.