A God-Centered Vision for Pastoral Calling and Identity with Winn Collier

In this episode, we reflect with Winn Collier on pastoral calling and identity, returning again and again to the conviction that being a pastor is fundamentally about God, not performance, personality, or success. We talk honestly about the cultural pressures that distort pastoral ministry and the fear that keeps us from embracing weakness, vulnerability, and humility. Together, we explore how friendship, attentiveness to place, and a truthful reckoning with our own limitations can nourish a faithful pastoral life. Drawing on the wisdom of Eugene Peterson and Wendell Berry, we imagine a pastoral vocation rooted in presence, patience, and love for people and place.

Visit Winn Collier’s personal website (https://winncollier.com) and substack (http://winncollier.substack.com). 

The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination: https://petersoncenter.org. 

The Order of the Kingfisher: https://petersoncenter.org/order-of-the-kingfisher/. 

We mentioned the following books:

Winn Collier, A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson 

Eugene Peterson, Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration of Vocational Holiness

Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow: A Novel

Gerard Manley Hopkins, “As Kingfishers Catch Fire”

Pre-order Matt’s book, The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry, and then visit his blog to sign-up for pre-order incentives: www.mwerickson.com.