PREACHER’S CORNER
Preparation for a
Full Proof Ministry By Suffragan Bishop C. Shawn Tyson
[5] But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. - 2 Timothy 4:5 KJV
I
n retrospect, it seems hard to believe that it has been thirty-seven years this June since I first stood behind the sacred desk as a young, zealous, on fire for God, 18-year-old preacher fresh out of high school and delivered what was called my “trial sermon.”
Having traveled from coast to coast and to various parts of the world carrying the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, it has now become both my privilege and responsibility to share just a few insights with the coming generation of ministers concerning the foundational tenets that have allowed me to experience both longevity in the ministry and what, I pray, shall be continued relevance. Preparation for Ministry It has been said, and I believe it to be true, that “those who fail to prepare, are preparing to fail.” I shall never forget the time I had the profound privilege of taking the early, great, Former Presiding Bishop James Archie Johnson to the airport after he had ministered at Christ Church Apostolic in Indianapolis. I vividly recall attempting to extract from Bishop Johnson’s brain every nugget of wisdom I could in that 20-minute ride from the Hilton Hotel downtown to what was in 1983, Weir Cook airport. Being a man full of grace and wisdom, Bishop Johnson imparted a number of principles to me that I adhere to, to this day. But his last statement to me as he shook my hand and looked intently into my young, 18-year-old eyes were words I shall never forget, “Brother Shawn...prepare yourself; your day shall come!” It was from that moment on that I took to heart the instruction of the Bishop and began the intensive process of preparing myself spiritually, academically, mentally, vocationally and emotionally for what would become a ministry that has taken me to places I could not have imagined as an 18- year-old, young minister.
20
THE CHRISTIAN OUTLOOK
“GOD’S PROMISE TO PERFORM”
MAY/JUNE 2020
