Equipping
The Next Generation
Of Christ-Centered Expositors
Latest From The Podcast
Who We Are
Expositors Collective is a growing network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers. We provide resources through our weekly podcast, our two-day intentional training seminars, and interactive webinars.
About CGN
We are a family of churches working together to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and plant churches.
Visit our website for more information about care, coaching, and resources.
The Team
Mike Neglia is the lead pastor at Calvary Cork located in Cork, Ireland. Mike is married to Rachel, and they have two children, Eoin and Rosie. Please visit his website. Also, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, @mikeneglia.
Nick Cady is the lead pastor of White Fields Community Church in Longmont, Colorado. Before moving to Longmont in 2012, Nick spent 10 years in Hungary as a missionary, pastor, and church planter with Calvary Chapel. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Theology from the University of Gloucestershire (UK) and a master’s degree in Integrative Theology from the London School of Theology.
Nick is the author of Theology for the People, a blog and podcast discussing the intersection of theology and culture. Additionally, Nick is on the steering committee of the Expositors Collective, an organization that exists to equip and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers. He also serves as a Local Connector with Calvary Global Network and recently developed Cultivate, a program to assess, train, and deploy new church planters and missionaries.
Nick is the author of Theology for the People, a blog and podcast discussing the intersection of theology and culture. Additionally, Nick is on the steering committee of the Expositors Collective, an organization that exists to equip and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers. He also serves as a Local Connector with Calvary Global Network and recently developed Cultivate, a program to assess, train, and deploy new church planters and missionaries.
John Whittaker is a preacher, teacher, and pastor. He holds theology and ministry degrees from Boise Bible College, Cincinnati Bible Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. John has been serving in ministry for 30 years. He has served as Professor of Preaching and New Testament at Boise Bible College for 19 years. He has also helped plant a church in Kuna, Idaho, where he preached for 11 years; served for 4 years as one of the teaching and campus pastors at The Pursuit; taught classes for Eternity Bible College; and preached in various places around the country and the world. He is the founder of the Bible in Life online discipleship ministry at johnwhittaker.net
When he is not preaching or teaching, you can find John at a local coffee shop meeting with and encouraging other local ministers; hanging out at home with wife and partner in ministry, Louise, his closest friend for 30 years; or throwing a ball to his dogs.
Bryan Stupar was born in 1970, raised in the surf culture of Huntington Beach, California, and “got saved” when he was almost 16 years old. He married his best friend Sherry in 1991. In 1993, at age 23, Bryan moved to San Luis Obispo on California’s Central Coast to plant Calvary SLO Church, which has become an influential church in the area and beyond with its church planting/missions work. Best of all, Bryan is the father of two daughters, Brianna and Brooke, and enjoys spending time with his family. He is often found hanging around SLO at one of its many coffee shops, taking photos or in the surf.
Alan Stoddard serves as the lead pastor of Imagine Church in Cresson, Texas, having previously pastored churches elsewhere in Texas and New Mexico. Alan graduated from Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, and Gordon-Conwell Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. His doctoral work at Gordon-Conwell was on “Reinforcing Expository Preaching with Sermon-based Small Groups."
The Podcast
The Art of Prophesying with Shane Deane
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
Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective
December 30, 2025
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