Expositors Collective

Recorded at the Expositors Collective gathering in Longmont, Colorado, this panel discussion helps pastors and Bible teachers think carefully about how Scripture has been understood, preserved, and proclaimed throughout church history, and why those distinctions still matter for ministry today.
The conversation begins with practical clarity around the Apocrypha. The panel explains what the Apocryphal books are, how they relate to the biblical canon, and why pastors should understand their historical role without confusion or alarmism. Rather than treating the topic as merely academic, the speakers show how these questions directly affect pastoral confidence and congregational trust.
From there, the discussion broadens to the role of church councils in defining and guarding Christian doctrine. Listeners are reminded that the core beliefs of the faith were not invented late, but carefully articulated in response to real theological challenges. Even historical heresies, the panel argues, served the church by forcing clarity about what Christians believe and why.
A major emphasis throughout the session is the importance of distinguishing teaching from preaching. The panel explores why Bible studies should prioritise understanding rather than monologue, and why sermons must move beyond explanation to proclamation. Pastors are encouraged to be clear about their aim in each context, recognising that clarity serves both faithfulness and fruitfulness.
The conversation also calls pastors to humility, urging them to learn from faithful voices of the past rather than assuming novelty equals faithfulness. Church history is presented not as a museum of dead ideas, but as a living resource that strengthens discernment and safeguards the gospel.
The session concludes with a pastoral appeal for brokenhearted preachers who do more than convey information. The church does not merely need accurate teachers, but faithful proclaimers who handle the truth carefully and speak it with conviction, compassion, and love.

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In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Jeff Figgs offers a sober and deeply pastoral charge drawn from Paul’s final words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:10-11. Speaking from decades of ministry experience, Jeff reminds listeners that Christian leadership is ultimately measured not by recognition or platform, but by faithfulness, character, and endurance.
Jeff serves as Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Greeley, where he has faithfully taught verse-by-verse through all 66 books of the Bible over the past 28 years. Ordained in 1992, he began the church in 1996 with a small Bible study that grew into a thriving congregation. He also hosts the radio programme Under the Fig Tree, co-hosts Calvary Live on GraceFM Colorado, and serves as a chaplain for the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. That long obedience in ministry gives particular weight to this exhortation.
The session is set in the context of Paul’s final imprisonment in Rome. Knowing that his life is drawing to a close, Paul writes to Timothy, his “son in the faith,” warning that the last days will be perilous times. Paul describes a culture marked by misdirected love, counterfeit spirituality, and people who are always learning but never arriving at the truth. Against that backdrop, Paul draws a sharp contrast: “But you have carefully followed…”
From there, Jeff walks through the qualities Timothy had observed firsthand in Paul.
First, doctrine. Timothy had carefully followed Paul’s teaching from the time he joined him in Lystra on the second missionary journey. Sound doctrine is shown to be essential, not optional. Drawing from Acts 20 and 2 Timothy 2:15, Jeff emphasises diligent study, faithful preparation, and rightly dividing the Word of truth. Congregations, he notes, can tell when the hard work has been done, and the goal is not to impress with humour or stories, but to leave people saying, “We heard from God.”
Second, manner of life. Paul does not only point to what he taught, but how he lived. This unique phrase highlights the inseparable connection between message and messenger. Referencing passages such as 1 Corinthians 11:1 and Acts 20:18, Jeff stresses that a godly message must come from a godly life. The call is searching and personal: to be the same person outside the pulpit as inside it, so that those closest to us would never say, “Not you, pastor.”
Third, purpose. Ministry is framed as stewardship rather than self-promotion. Faithfulness, not fame, is the true measure of success. Jeff reflects on the seasons of ministry that shape character over time, including suffering, grief, discouragement, and perseverance. He urges leaders to maintain a genuine devotional life, not merely study for sermons, reminding listeners that we cannot lead others where we ourselves are not walking.
Throughout the session, one theme remains clear: godly character matters because we carry a godly message. In a world of perilous times and noisy voices, light does not argue, it is seen. Faithful ministry flows from lives shaped by the Word of God, empowered by the Spirit of God, and marked by humility, love, endurance, and integrity.
This episode is a timely reminder that the church does not primarily need famous leaders, but faithful ones, men and women who will handle the Scriptures carefully and live them visibly, for the sake of the next generation.

Jeff Figgs in 2019 on speech impediments, introversion and the call of God:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/3lirX6nlgYk1XDRHlIZsWM?si=515c1d9e1c7c4831

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Ministry Mentorship: Why Leaders Must Stay Teachable
with Bryan Stupar
In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Bryan Stupar reflects on pastoral and ministry mentorship, not as a leadership technique or growth strategy, but as a deeply biblical, historical, and relational pattern of discipleship.
Drawing from Scripture, church history, and decades of pastoral experience, Bryan argues that formation in ministry requires proximity, humility, and a posture of lifelong learning. Mentorship, he suggests, is not optional for Christian leaders because even Jesus, in His humanity, learned obedience through suffering. If growth and formation marked the life of Christ, how much more must leaders remain teachable.
Bryan begins by rooting mentorship in the Great Commission, showing that discipleship necessarily involves teaching, modelling, and replication. He then explores the relationship between Paul and Timothy as an example of life-on-life formation that extends far beyond content delivery to include conduct, character, faith, and endurance.
The episode also addresses the cultural challenges facing leaders today, particularly the pull of expressive individualism and self-centred leadership. Bryan contrasts this with the way of Jesus, which calls leaders to humility, service, and continual growth rather than performance and self-promotion.
Along the way, he traces the historical roots of mentorship, from Homer’s Odyssey to pivotal Christian relationships such as Ambrose and Augustine, showing how faithful investment in others has shaped the church across generations. He then turns practical, highlighting the benefits of mentorship: growth through feedback, grace-filled support, and guidance through modelling.
Bryan closes with personal reflections from his own pastoral journey, sharing how mentors shaped him through honest conversations, observation, and lived example. His encouragement is simple but challenging: none of us grow alone, and faithful ministry requires inviting trusted voices to speak into our lives.
This conversation is a reminder that Christian leadership is formed over time, in community, and always with Jesus as the aim.

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In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Mike Neglia is joined by Shane Deane for a wide-ranging conversation on Puritan preaching, with particular attention to William Perkins’ The Art of Prophesying and the Puritan emphasis on application.
Rather than treating the Puritans as mere historical figures or quotable voices, this discussion explores how their preaching method remains deeply relevant for modern pastors. Shane helps unpack why clarity, structure, and especially wise application were central to Puritan preaching, and how these convictions can shape Christ-centred exposition today.
The conversation also turns to the often-neglected practice of pastoral prayer in gathered worship, drawing on Puritan theology and practice to show why public prayer is not filler, but a vital act of shepherding the congregation before God.

Topics Covered
Shane’s first sermon and how his preaching has developed over time
What first drew Shane to the Puritans and their preaching method
The danger of treating the Puritans as “quote machines”
William Perkins’ The Art of Prophesying, with a focus on Chapter 6
The fourfold Puritan preaching pattern:
Reading the text
Explaining its meaning
Drawing out doctrine
Applying truth to the hearers
Why Perkins warned against cluttering sermons with excessive citations
Why application was the heartbeat of Puritan preaching
“Discriminating application” and addressing different kinds of hearers in one sermon
Perkins’ categories of hearers and how they challenge one-size-fits-all preaching
The Directory for Public Worship and its heavy emphasis on application
The six Puritan “uses” of application:
Information
Refutation
Exhortation
Admonition
Comfort
Trial (self-examination)
Why pastoral prayer belongs at the heart of gathered worship
How public prayer functions as shepherding, not transition time
The connection between preaching, prayer, and spiritual formation
Which Puritan habits could most immediately strengthen modern preaching
How studying the Puritans has shaped Shane’s own preaching
A closing “quote machine” segment featuring memorable Puritan lines

Key Takeaways
Puritan preaching was deeply pastoral, not merely academic
Application is not an appendix to exposition, but its goal
Structure serves clarity and freedom rather than rigidity
Too many quotations can obscure rather than illuminate Scripture
Pastoral prayer is a theological act that teaches, shepherds, and forms a congregation
Preaching and prayer together shape the spiritual life of the church

About the Guest
Shane Deane earned his PhD in Expository Preaching from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also holds an MDiv in Pastoral Studies and a ThM in Practical Theology. Shane serves as one of the elders at Passage Baptist Church in Passage West and works with Irish Baptist Missions.
Shane was born in Cork, where he met and married his wife Luana, who is originally from Brazil. They have three children, two girls and one boy. Shane also lectures at Munster Bible College, helping train future pastors and Bible teachers.
Featured links: 
Passage Baptist Church: https://passagebaptistchurch.ie/
Munster Bible College: https://www.munsterbiblecollege.ie/ 
Preparing to Preach and Pray - Pat Quinn interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuNYKI34YrU 
Praying in Public - https://www.crossway.org/books/praying-in-public-case/ 
The Art of Prophesying Audiobook - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkSiqZPTp1M 
Joel Beeke - Reformed Preaching - https://heritagebooks.org/products/reformed-preaching-beeke.html?srsltid=AfmBOoonvFHUOEdlM1s07w2yI_5LoW_oj5bFWuWhnGS4I-2DBWCm1Rq9

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

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At our Longmont training event, Pastor Nate Morris explores the heart behind preaching and the practical movements that help us communicate Scripture faithfully. Opening with a story about waiting tables, Nate reminds us that preachers do not invent the meal. We carry what God has already prepared and deliver it with care. This session combines pastoral insight, clear structure, and encouragement for anyone who wants to handle God’s word well.
About Pastor Nate Morris
Nate Morris is the lead pastor of Mountain Life Calvary Chapel, a multi location church serving Vail, Gypsum, and Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He and his wife Jen live in the Colorado mountains with their children Caleb, Zoe, and Josiah. Having grown up in the mountains himself, Nate has a deep passion to see mountain communities reached and transformed by the gospel.
He hosts Truth and Love with Nate and Jen Morris and is a regular contributor to Mountain Life Church’s Unscripted podcast. You can learn more at mountainlife.church, follow @natemorris1, or visit pastorn8.com.
Speaking with the Weight of Scripture
1 Peter 4:11 calls those who speak to speak as those delivering God’s words. Nate anchors the room in this reminder: preaching is a sacred trust. Our role is not to improve the message but to carry it faithfully, just as a good waiter brings a prepared meal without dropping the plate.
Two Questions That Shape Every Sermon
Where am I taking them?
Preaching needs a clear destination shaped by the passage itself.
How do we get there?Listeners need a guided path. Structure is one of the ways we serve them well.
Caring for Souls Through the Word
Nate highlights the preacher’s pastoral task: understanding people’s real needs and showing how the gospel addresses them. As Samuel Brengle observed, the truth in Jesus brings healing to every kind of spiritual condition. Preaching becomes an act of care as we discern and apply Scripture wisely.
Five Movements That Help People Follow the Message
1. Introduction
Help listeners orient themselves to the theme and direction of the passage.
2. Necessitation
Show why the message matters and surface the tension the text resolves.
3. Exposition
Open the Scriptures carefully. Let the text drive the content.
4. Application
Invite people to respond. Show what trust, obedience, or repentance looks like in daily life.
5. Inspiration
Leave listeners with hope in Christ, not pressure to perform.
Tools That Support Clear and Helpful Delivery
Humour, illustrations, vulnerability, inflection, and physical movement can all help the message connect, provided they serve the text rather than distract from it.
Working Heartily, Depending Fully
Nate ends by reminding us that preaching is both labour and reliance.
Colossians 3:23 calls us to work heartily for the Lord, while Augustine’s well known line captures the balance: pray as though everything depends on God, work as though everything depends on you.

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