David Platt: “The most important thing I’ve learned as a pastor that I didn’t learn in seminary.
November 2, 2026
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Welcome to our weekly roundup of articles, podcasts, videos, and links curated by pastors, for pastors—to equip and encourage you in your ministry. You don’t have to shepherd alone. Let’s go.
WORD OF THE WEEK

Let Intimacy Drive Your Ministry

It’s possible to have long seasons in ministry when you’re busy serving, the church is growing, and things look awesome from the outside, but your walk with the Lord is inconsistent at best—when you’re so focused on doing ministry that you lose sight of being with Jesus. That’s a lesson David Platt says he “had to learn the hard way.”

“I’d study the Bible to preach a sermon like I’d learned in seminary, but not just to know God. And I could turn on a public prayer just like that. But I wasn’t in the prayer closet just because I wanted to be with God.”

Seasons like Platt experienced can be scary. We look successful and can be in the eyes of the church world, but we’re doing ministry apart from rest in Jesus and dependence on his Spirit. Pastors do a lot of important ministry work, but if we aren’t doing ministry with Jesus, we’ve missed the point.

Hear more of Platt’s testimony in this Pastor to Pastor video, and consider joining him and other TGC Council members for our Expositional Preaching cohort this fall. Platt will be teaching on how to preach in a way that cherishes our vertical relationship—in a way that depends on and exalts God.
David Platt: On Hard Days of Ministry, Cling to Jesus
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Resource Roundup

6 Seasoned Pastors on Best Practices for Men’s Ministry

A roundup of seasoned pastors identify the biggest need they see for men’s discipleship in their churches, then share the best thing they’ve done—or seen another church do—for men.
How the Psalms’ Pilgrim Prayers Shaped Me

Reed Dunn shares how Psalm 120 taught him that the Psalter doesn’t just describe our spiritual experience; it can prescribe it as well.
Worship Leader, Tell the Whole Story

To tell the gospel’s whole story, Kevin King says, worship leaders ought to aim for songs that convey God’s glory, our need for his grace, his provision of grace, and how we respond missionally.

Around the Web

Here are links to other great resources worth your time:

  • Garrett Higbee introduces the “Fruit to Root Diagnostic,” a biblical counseling tool that helps pastors move beyond treating surface-level behaviors and address the underlying heart issues driving them.

  • Brittany Allen identifies six common but harmful responses Christians often give to women who have miscarried, from “at least” comments to offering premature theological truths. She then provides simple, compassionate alternatives.

  • Darryl Dash addresses the tension every preacher faces between feelings of inadequacy and the temptation toward self-reliance, pointing to a biblical foundation for pastoral confidence.

Find more resources for pastors at tgc.org/pastors.