
Pastor As Gardener (Part 2)
From A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar by Randy Knie & Kyle Whitaker
June 12, 2026 · 52 min · Season 6 · Episode 12
About this episode
The episode features a conversation with pastor Matt Erickson about a deeper approach to church health and spiritual formation.
Text us your questions! We continue our conversation with pastor and author Matt Erickson of Eastbrook Church in Milwaukee. The job of many pastors feels like that of a CEO, with a focus on leadership strategy and the "three Bs": buildings, budgets, and butts in seats. This conversation offers a slower, deeper, and more hopeful way to think about church health, discipleship, and long-term spiritual formation. We dig into the sequoia metaphor: doing work you may never see mature, trusting God...
People in this episode
Hosts: Randy Knie, Kyle Whitaker
Guest: Matt Erickson
Topics covered
- church health
- discipleship
- spiritual formation
- leadership
- pastoral care
Keywords
- pastor
- gardener
- sequoia metaphor
- church
- spiritual growth
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Eastbrook Church
Places: Milwaukee
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