Preach Small: Faithfulness, Creation, and Church Planting

In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Mike speaks with Seth Lewis, pastor of Carrigtwohill Baptist Church in County Cork, Ireland, about the quiet and often hidden work of faithful ministry.

Seth reflects on preaching during the first year of a church plant, the temptation to measure ministry by visible size or immediate results, and the importance of aiming our ambitions towards the things that matter to God. Drawing from his book Dream Small: The Secret Power of the Ordinary Christian Life, Seth encourages preachers and church leaders to pay attention to the small acts of faithfulness that often go unseen, but are deeply significant in the kingdom of God.

The conversation also explores Seth’s second book, The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God, and how the created world can help preachers read Scripture with fresh attention. Seth discusses the way Jesus used ordinary things - seeds, birds, fields, bread, water, and weather - to reveal profound truths about God, and how modern preachers can learn to see the world as a rich source of theological reflection and sermon illustration.

Whether you are preaching in a new church plant, serving in an ordinary and unnoticed place, or seeking to grow in your personal study and public proclamation of God’s Word, this conversation is an invitation to embrace the small, attend to creation, and preach with patient faithfulness.

Seth Lewis is pastor of Carrigtwohill Baptist Church in County Cork, Ireland. He and his wife Jessica have three children, a turtle, and a small garden. Seth is the author of Dream Small: The Secret Power of the Ordinary Christian Life and The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God. He also writes weekly at sethlewis.ie.

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $140 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.

Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

Connect

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

In this episode, Jonny Pollock joins Mike Neglia to reflect on preaching and pastoral ministry in small and rural church contexts. Jonny is the pastor of Calvary Church Loughrea, a church plant in a small town in County Galway, Ireland, which began in 2017 when he and his family relocated there to begin the work.

After an initial season of prayer and Bible study, the church began gathering for Sunday worship in 2018. Since then, the focus has remained simple and intentional: sharing the Gospel through the Word of God, while also sharing life together as a community shaped by God’s grace.

Drawing from that context, Jonny shares lessons from early preaching, the challenges of communicating with people who have little or no church background, and the importance of staying grounded in the care of souls rather than platform or visibility.

The conversation explores how to make biblical teaching accessible without diluting its depth, why new believers often ask the most insightful questions, and how intentional convictions shape the culture of a church. Throughout, Jonny and Mike return to a central conviction: we are not here to impress people, but to faithfully care for souls.

Jonny is also the author of How to Pray and How to Read the Bible, short and practical resources designed to help new believers engage with the foundations of the Christian life. He writes regularly on church planting, leadership, and mission in post-Christian contexts.

Learn more from Jonny:

Substack: jonnypollockwrites.substack.com

X: @jonnypollock

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $140 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.
Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

Connect
Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

What does success in church planting actually look like?

In this special crossover episode between the Expositors Collective and Cultivate podcasts, Mike Neglia speaks with Brian Kelly about the realities of planting and pastoring a church. Brian brings over twenty years of experience in church planting and mission work across East Africa, New Zealand, and the United States, along with firsthand involvement in multiple church plants and sending many others into ministry.

Together they discuss the weight that comes with planting a church, why the language of “planting” is a better metaphor than a startup model, and how pastors should think more like gardeners than entrepreneurs. Drawing on insights from The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry by Matthew Erickson, the conversation explores the slow, patient work of cultivating spiritual growth in a church community.

They also talk about the importance of planting teams, the role of families in ministry, the perseverance required to stay the course, and how initiatives like Cultivate seek to train, mentor, and support new church planters.

Whether you are planting a church, pastoring an existing congregation, or preparing for future ministry, this conversation offers wisdom, realism, and encouragement about what faithful ministry really looks like.

Find out more about Cultivate here: https://cultivatechurchplanting.com/

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $140 per person!

Register Today!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.
Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

ConnectJoin our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective