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What does it actually mean to shepherd a church?

In this Bible Study episode of The Dad Show, we're discussing Church Elders: How to Shepherd God's People Like Jesus by Jeramie Rinne from the 9Marks Building Healthy Churches series.

The conversation explores what Scripture teaches about elders and why biblical church leadership is about much more than a title, a board meeting, or one pastor trying to carry everything.

We talk about elders knowing and living among the people they shepherd, protecting sound doctrine, teaching God's Word, pursuing people who drift away, developing future leaders, confronting false teaching, sharing the weight of ministry, and knowing the limits of pastoral authority.

We also get into some harder questions: What happens when churches become more focused on programs than people? Who shepherds the pastor? Should churches have multiple elders? What separates biblical authority from abusive leadership? And when someone quietly walks out the back door of a church, whose responsibility is it to notice?

One of the strongest themes from the conversation is that you can't shepherd people you don't know.

Healthy church leadership requires men willing to get involved in people's lives, carry burdens together, guard God's Word, and shepherd God's people like Jesus.

Book: Church Elders: How to Shepherd God's People Like Jesus
Author: Jeramie Rinne
Series: 9Marks — Building Healthy Churches

This episode also concludes our journey through the 9Marks series before we move into A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God.

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The Dad Show is expanding.

What started with Ryan and a vision to create a place where men could have real conversations about marriage, fatherhood, faith and life is growing into The Dad Show Network.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Tristan Greth and Jesse Chambers to introduce two new voices — and two very different directions — joining The Dad Show.

Tristan is taking the lead on The Dad Show: Beyond Sunday, a show built around one question: What does following Christ actually look like the other six days of the week?

Jesse is taking the lead on The Dad Show: Unfiltered — unscripted conversations about men's health, fitness, technology, marriage, fatherhood, the fire service, random rabbit holes and pretty much anything else that comes up.

And Ryan isn't going anywhere.

The original Dad Show will continue with the same dad-to-dad conversations that started it all.

What was supposed to be a quick introduction turned into exactly the kind of conversation these shows are being built for — men's mental health, leadership, biblical masculinity, raising kids, handling emotions, learning to disagree, faith and why men need places where they can actually talk.

Three different lanes. One mission.

Helping men become better husbands, better fathers, better leaders and better men.

Welcome to the next chapter of The Dad Show.

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In this Bible Study episode of The Dad Show, the group discusses Deacons: How They Serve and Strengthen the Churchby Matt Smethurst.

Together, we examine the biblical role of deacons, their origin in Acts 6, their relationship to elders, and why servant leadership is essential to a healthy church.

The conversation includes practical examples of ministry, personal experiences serving others, and a challenge for every believer to pursue Christ-like service.

Key Scripture:
• Acts 6:1–7
• Mark 10:45
• 1 Timothy 3

Whether you currently serve in church leadership or simply want to better understand God's design for the local church, this episode offers practical encouragement and biblical insight.

The Dad Show exists to help men grow in faith, leadership, family, and purpose through honest conversations centered on God's Word.

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