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.
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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 Pastor as Gardener: Seasons, Soil, and Sermon Prep with Matthew Erickson
What if your role as a pastor is not to produce growth, but to cultivate the conditions where growth might happen?
In this episode of the Expositors Collective Podcast, Mike Neglia talks with Matt Erickson about his journey in preaching and how a season of personal and cultural upheaval led him to rethink pastoral ministry. Drawing from his book The Pastor as Gardener, Matt offers a vision of ministry that is both deeply biblical and quietly liberating.
Instead of carrying the weight of outcomes, pastors are invited to think more like gardeners than CEOs. Preparing the soil, planting faithfully, watering consistently, and trusting God to bring the growth.
Along the way, this conversation gets very practical. Matt reflects on his early experiences in preaching, how his preparation habits have matured, and how a collaborative preaching team can strengthen both the preacher and the church. He also explores how metaphors shape ministry expectations, why seasons matter more than we often admit, and how preaching can move beyond information transfer into genuine spiritual formation.
If you’ve ever felt the pressure to make things “work” in ministry, this episode offers a needed reset.
🌱 In This Conversation, You’ll Hear About:
Why “preaching in the moment” can sometimes reveal a lack of preparation
Matt’s growth from unstructured sermons to intentional, week-ahead preparation
How a team-based preaching model can lead to deeper study and more cohesive series
The story behind The Pastor as Gardener and the crises that shaped it
The freeing truth of 1 Corinthians 3 – you are not responsible for the growth
Why the gardener metaphor helps decentralise the pastor’s role without diminishing responsibility
How different seasons of ministry affect expectations, energy, and fruitfulness
The strengths and limits of the shepherd metaphor in modern ministry contexts
Jesus as “the gardener” in John 20 and how that image reframes pastoral identity
The importance of the preacher’s hidden, subterranean life
How to intentionally shape sermons for spiritual formation, not just information
Practical ways to incorporate prayer, silence, and reflection into preaching
🌿 Key Insight
You can prepare, plant, and water with care…but you cannot make anything grow.
📚 Books & Resources Mentioned
By Matt Erickson
The Pastor as Gardener: A Renewed Vision for Ministry https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802884145/the-pastor-as-gardener/
Field Notes for Pastors (podcast) https://mwerickson.com/podcast/
On Leadership & Spiritual Formation
The Making of a Leader – J. Robert Clinton : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Leader-Second-Recognizing-Development/dp/1612910750
The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith – Janet O. Hagberg & Robert A. Guelich : https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/311089.The_Critical_Journey
🔎 About Matthew Erickson
Matt is a pastor, writer, speaker, and disciple of Jesus. Since 2010, Matt has served as the Senior Pastor at Eastbrook Church, an urban, multiracial church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Upcoming Training Weekend
May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California
Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $120 per person!
Register Today!
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.
March 17, 2026
March 10, 2026
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