The Contemplative Pastor

What is my shadow mission? In this episode, join John Mark Comer and John Ortberg as they explore the possibilities and pitfalls in the pastoral vocation. They discuss the dangers of over-relying on giftedness, the importance of detaching from outcomes, and the power of identifying what John refers to as a "shadow mission"— what your life could be if it veers just a few degrees off course. This session was conducted at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026. John Ortberg is a pastor, author, and speaker. He’s been in ministry for over 40 years and teaches around a central theme of spiritual formation. John is a deep believer that the main thing God gets out of your life is the person you become. He desires for people to know God in an interactive, life-transforming way. Presently, John leads the ministry Become New, focused on helping you grow spiritually one day at a time. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

How is this era in church history inviting us into creative exploration? In this episode, Tyler Staton invites us to recover a renewed sense of pastoral imagination. Drawing from the creation account in Genesis, he reflects on God as a creator and artist, considering what it means for pastors to participate in God's enduring work to cultivate life, beauty, and renewal. This teaching calls us to step off the treadmill of urgency and to join God boldly and creatively in the here and now. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

Is there a gap between our public and private life? In this episode, Gemma Ryan invites us to consider the hidden life beneath our ministry and leadership. Through the practices of solitude, secrecy, and confession, she explores the narrowing gap between who we are in public and who we are when no one is watching. With honesty and tenderness, she shares deeper questions about our work and activities, calling us away from performance and towards a quieter, humbler life lived before God alone. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

Where does deep transformation in the church begin? In this episode, Drew Hyun is joined by John Mark Comer to wade into the everyday pastor’s wrestle with the slow, often hidden work of formation in leadership. Together, they reflect on issues of patience and ego, community, vulnerability, burnout, and the tension between fostering a vision for renewal and staying faithful within the constraints of a specific church and season of life. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

What if the burdens we often feel in pastoral work come from doing ministry for God, without God? In this episode, Drew Hyun invites pastors to honestly consider a painful tension that many leaders experience: the possibility of ministering for God while slowly losing their connection with Him. Drawing from his own story and the experiences of the early church, he explores the subtle ways ministry, activity, and even spiritual success can become disconnected from intimacy with Jesus, calling us back to a life connected to the vine of Christ. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

If spiritual formation were the primary goal of your church, what might need to change? In this episode, John Mark Comer invites us to consider whether the way we have organized church life is actually forming people into maturity in Christ, and the kinds of convictions that support a more intentional pathway of life-change. This is an invitation to a new, yet ancient pastoral imagination rooted in the way of Jesus — one that is slow, patient, and transformative. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Los Angeles, California, in 2026. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

How can you reorder your life for the sake of others? In this episode, Ken Shigematsu is joined by John Mark Comer to discuss how to turn the vision of the way of Jesus into a lived way of life. Together, they reflect on the challenges of reshaping our lives, the quiet resistance we often experience, and the invitation to move beyond good intentions into the often hidden work of transformation over time. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Portland, Oregon, in 2023. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

What fruit is being produced by your devotion to God? In this episode, Ken Shigematsu invites us to reflect on who we are becoming in the rhythm of our lives and leadership. He shares the simplicity of his own Rule of Life and how it has nurtured a friendship with Jesus that is not only formative but also enjoyable. Ken’s teaching encourages us to slow down, pay attention, and honestly discern what our lives are truly producing. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Portland, Oregon, in 2023. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

What could happen if we considered formation, not just information, in the discipleship process of our people? In this episode, Dr. Gerald Sittser is joined by John Mark Comer to engage with questions from pastors and leaders about the depth and challenge of recovering a more robust, formational faith. They reflect on the catechumenate as a model of training beyond mere instruction, the risks of a “thin” spirituality, and what it means to cultivate communities where people genuinely learn to live the way of Jesus. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Portland, Oregon, in 2023. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.

How can our communities learn to follow Jesus in a way that is within, but not defined by, our surrounding culture? In this episode, Dr. Gerald Sittser draws from the history of the early church to explore how the Jesus movement grew — slowly, relationally, and often in the margins. He reflects on the role of the catechumenate and the long, patient work of communities that learned how to follow Jesus in an opposing culture. This teaching offers a historical and deeply practical vision of formation, inviting us to consider what we are building and whether it can endure beyond the conditions that currently support it. This session was held at the Practicing the Way Pastor Conference in Portland, Oregon, in 2023. To find more resources and experiences tailored just for you—the pastor—visit practicingtheway.org/pastor. This podcast and its episodes are free, thanks to the generosity of The Circle and other givers. You can learn more about The Circle or contribute toward future resources like this podcast at practicingtheway.org/give.