Ever wondered what effective church ministry looks like with just half or quarter-time clergy? This is the reality for many churches today, and that trend is only increasing. Today’s guest is a bivocational pastor and author who discovered that shifting from full to part time clergy leadership actually led to healthy churches in numerous congregations. Join us to hear more about effective part time ministry, discipleship, bivocational ministry, and trusting the holy spirit’s activity today.
Homepage / Pivot Podcast /#66: Exploring Pastoral Leadership Models: Part-Time is Plenty
#66: Exploring Pastoral Leadership Models: Part-Time is Plenty
Explore effective ministry, discipleship, and the Holy Spirit's guidance in today's dynamic landscape.
Featuring
G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Religion Reporter, UCC Pastor, Consultant, and Author
G. Jeffrey MacDonald is a religion reporter, UCC pastor, consultant and author of Part-Time is Plenty: Thriving without Full-Time Clergy (Westminster John Knox, 2020). His workshops and courses help mainline congregations learn to do better with less. His website is gjeffreymacdonald.com. MacDonald earned his Master of Divinity cum laude from Yale Divinity School and his A.B. in History from Brown University. He lives on Boston’s North Shore.
Hosts
Dwight Zscheile
Professor of Congregational Mission and Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota
Dwight Zscheile is professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary. His latest books are The Starter’s Way (with Ed Olsworth-Peter) and Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue).
Alicia Granholm
Senior Director, Faith+Lead, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota
Dr. Alicia Granholm is senior director of Faith+Lead at Luther Seminary and a leadership and church consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She helps pastors and leaders engage culture to make a lasting impact. For nearly two decades, she has trained, equipped, and empowered followers of Jesus to engage their local communities by contextualizing the Gospel and its application. Alicia compassionately crosses cultural boundaries having lived, studied, traveled, and served in 25 countries on six continents. Alicia has a Doctor of Strategic Leadership, Global Consulting (Regent University), M.Div. (Bethel Seminary), and M.A. in Teaching (University of St. Thomas).
About Pivot Podcast
Join us on Pivot Podcast, where we journey beyond church-as-usual to discover how God is reshaping ministry for today’s world.
Each week, we dive into conversations with innovative leaders and practitioners who are navigating four game-changing pivots: shifting from quick fixes to deep listening, from membership to discipleship, from rigid models to creative ministry ecosystems, and from clergy-centered leadership to unleashing everyone’s gifts.
Whether you’re a member of the clergy seeking fresh inspiration or a volunteer stepping into new leadership territory, Pivot Podcast equips you with the insights and practical wisdom to follow Jesus into a faithful future.
Through their work with diverse cohorts of preachers, they’ve discovered that the most compelling sermons aren’t necessarily the most polished – they’re the ones where preachers have learned to listen deeply to both God and their congregations. Learn practical tools for gathering meaningful feedback, understand why vulnerability matters more than ever in preaching, and discover how shifting from evaluation to understanding can deepen your sermon’s impact. Plus, hear why reimagining God’s agency in preaching might be the key to unlocking more powerful proclamation.
Recent episodes
Featuring
G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Religion Reporter, UCC Pastor, Consultant, and Author
G. Jeffrey MacDonald is a religion reporter, UCC pastor, consultant and author of Part-Time is Plenty: Thriving without Full-Time Clergy (Westminster John Knox, 2020). His workshops and courses help mainline congregations learn to do better with less. His website is gjeffreymacdonald.com. MacDonald earned his Master of Divinity cum laude from Yale Divinity School and his A.B. in History from Brown University. He lives on Boston’s North Shore.
Hosts
Dwight Zscheile
Professor of Congregational Mission and Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota
Dwight Zscheile is professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary. His latest books are The Starter’s Way (with Ed Olsworth-Peter) and Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue).
Alicia Granholm
Senior Director, Faith+Lead, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota
Dr. Alicia Granholm is senior director of Faith+Lead at Luther Seminary and a leadership and church consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She helps pastors and leaders engage culture to make a lasting impact. For nearly two decades, she has trained, equipped, and empowered followers of Jesus to engage their local communities by contextualizing the Gospel and its application. Alicia compassionately crosses cultural boundaries having lived, studied, traveled, and served in 25 countries on six continents. Alicia has a Doctor of Strategic Leadership, Global Consulting (Regent University), M.Div. (Bethel Seminary), and M.A. in Teaching (University of St. Thomas).