Episode 227: Mandy Smith

In this episode, Mandy Smith shares a ancient vision for pastoral leadership - one that acknowledges human weakness and relies on God's strength. Mandy unpacks the problems with the Western, secular approach to ministry that has crept into the church and she proposes a reorientation towards confession, lament, and trusting in the work of the Holy Spirit, rather than relying on our own efforts and strategies. Mandy vulnerably shares personal stories of feeling overwhelmed in ministry, and how the practice of confession and emptying herself before God has led to renewal and a deeper awareness of His presence. She emphasizes the importance of measuring success not by numbers, but by transformed lives and the overflowing of God's Spirit. This conversation offers a compelling vision for a different kind of pastoral leadership - one that is deeply rooted in faith, rather than secular models. Mandy's insights challenge us to get out of the way and let God work in and through us in powerful ways.

Dr Mandy Smith is the pastor of St Lucia Uniting Church in Brisbane, Australia, and author of The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry and Unfettered: Imagining a Childlike Faith Beyond the Baggage of Western Culture. Her latest book, Confessions of an Amateur Saint: The Christian Leader's Journey from Self-Sufficiency to Reliance on God, releases in October 2024. Mandy teaches for DMin programs at The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination and Fuller Seminary. Mandy and her husband Jamie, a New Testament professor, live in their parsonage where the teapot is always warm. Learn more at www.TheWayIsTheWay.org.

Mandy's Book:
Confessions of an Amateur Saint