About this episode

Jonny Pollock discusses the challenges and lessons of preaching and pastoral care in small church contexts with Mike Neglia.

In this episode, Jonny Pollock joins Mike Neglia to reflect on preaching and pastoral ministry in small and rural church contexts. Jonny is the pastor of Calvary Church Loughrea, a church plant in a small town in County Galway, Ireland, which began in 2017 when he and his family relocated there to begin the work. After an initial season of prayer and Bible study, the church began gathering for Sunday worship in 2018. Since then, the focus has remained simple and intentional: sharing the Gospel through the Word of God, while also sharing life together as a community shaped by God’s grace. Drawing from that context, Jonny shares lessons from early preaching, the challenges of communicating with people who have little or no church background, and the importance of staying grounded in the care of souls rather than platform or visibility. The conversation explores how to make biblical teaching accessible without diluting its depth, why new believers often ask the most insightful questions, and how intentional convictions shape the culture of a church. Throughout, Jonny and Mike return to a central conviction: we are not here to impress people, but to faithfully care for souls. Jonny…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Neglia

Guest: Jonny Pollock

Topics covered

• preaching
• pastoral ministry
• small church contexts
• Gospel sharing
• care of souls
• biblical teaching
• church planting

Keywords

• expository preaching
• small churches
• pastoral care
• Gospel
• church planting
• new believers
• biblical teaching

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Calvary Church Loughrea

Books & works: How to Pray, How to Read the Bible

Places: County Galway, Ireland

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Expositors Collective: Expository Preaching, Bible Teaching and Sermon Preparation podcast page.