Conviction and Compassion in Pastoral Leadership

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Conviction and Compassion in Pastoral Leadership

March 31, 2026

1 hr 5 min

What does it cost to pastor faithfully in a city shaped by both beauty and deep injustice? Corey Widmer has spent twenty years navigating race, politics, and the gospel in Richmond, Virginia.

“We’re living in an extraordinary moral and spiritual crisis that we will either look back and say the American church was an accomplice, or the American church was a prophet.”

In this episode with Mark Labberton, Widmer reflects on bridging divided communities and the spiritual practices that can sustain pastors as they serve their congregations and communities. Together they discuss pressures facing pastors in a polarized era, the prophet-priest-king calling, Richmond’s racial history, pastoral burnout, John Stott’s legacy, and the contemplative life.

HOST
Mark Labberton
Mark Labberton hosts the Conversing podcast and is the Clifford L. Penner Presidential Chair Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Preaching at Fuller Seminary.
GUEST
Corey Widmer
Rev. Corey Widmer is Senior Pastor of Third Church, a Presbyterian congregation in Richmond, VA.

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Conviction and Compassion in Pastoral Leadership

Conviction and Compassion in Pastoral Leadership

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