Preaching Through Stagnation

What do you do when you've done everything you know to do—and it's just not working? When attendance is flat, baptisms are sparse, giving fluctuates week to week, and you can't point to any clear sign that God is actually moving? Or worse: what happens when your own soul feels dry, and you still have to get up and preach about a God whose goodness you're struggling to feel?

Here's the distinction that changes everything: This isn't "Preaching Away Stagnation"—it's preaching through it. Stagnation is coming. The question isn't whether you'll face seasons of spiritual dryness or ministry plateau. The question is: when it happens, how do you keep showing up?

"Healthy things grow" sounds right until you realize: only one of the four seasons is harvest. A lot of faithful ministry looks like planting, watering, waiting—and wondering if anything is happening underground.

This episode unpacks two types of stagnation every pastor will face:

• Church Stagnation
• Personal Stagnation

The Psalms are full of people crying out to God when things feel stuck. This conversation charts a way forward for you to do the same — and practical handles for how to keep preaching when you don't feel like it.

📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Spurgeon's Sorrows by Zach Eswine
• John Piper's biographical talks (search "The Swans Are Not Silent" or "Men of
• Whom the World Is Not Worthy" on Desiring God)
• Authentic Masculinity Podcast hosted by Seth Troutt
• Accidental Pharisees by Larry Osborne

Evergreen

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