from the
by preachers for preachers. While we want to minister to all of God’s servants and people, our heart, based on our shared experience, is for preachers. Our simple tagline, “Serving God’s Servants,” may say it best. We are preachers and we love and want to encourage other preachers. There are many highlights for our calendars each year but none are more important than the annual Bible Lectures at Freed-Hardeman. TJI was born in Old Chapel Hall 12 years ago this week.
We are very excited that this issue of “the preaching & ministry journal” focuses on The Heart of Preaching. Each of our featured writers has appeared on these Lectures. As we
hearts have thrilled again at the blessing of preaching. We hope yours will to and that you will leave your time with this quarter's Journal energized and encouraged.
Finally, we note that with this issue we have the return of TJI Interviews. We gathered insights from representatives of eight of our schools that train ministers and asked them about how we might do better as individuals, ministers, and congregations.
God’s best to you: “Preach the Word.”
In His Service, Jeff & Dale TJI@TheJenkinsInstitute.comThe Heart of Preaching
By Jeff A. Jenkins
The Word of God mentions 3,237 different people by name! It is also true that there are many people mentioned in the Bible, but we do not know their names. What is sometimes confusing is that only 1,794 of these people have a unique name.
With thousands of people mentioned in Scripture, only thirteen of these received the designation, Man of God. This term is typically applied to God’s prophets. It is first assigned to Moses first in Deuteronomy 33:1.
Man of God is referenced only two times in our New Testament. In the first of these two mentions, the Apostle Paul refers to his young protégé’, Timothy as a man of God. “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and
gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). In the second occurrence, Paul speaks of the relation of a man of God with Scripture. “So that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
At The heart of preaching is a man of God who understands and cherishes his closeness with God, the Word of God, and the people of God.
At the heart of preaching is a man of God who has experienced closeness with God. It is imperative that a man of God is right with God. At the heart of preaching is a man who chases after “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness!”
Our audience will very quickly sense if the preacher has internalized this message. Conviction is more caught than taught. The preacher's sincerity will be more effective than his arguments.
The world's message to the preacher is clear:
The world's message to the preacher is clear: "Show me that you are redeemed, and I will believe in your Redeemer!" It isn’t just telling the world we are redeemed, it’s showing it by our life. Preachers must avoid the two extremes of isolation of the present world and imitation of the present world. The "holier-than-thou" preacher will not be effective any more than the "worldlierthan-thou" one.
At the Heart of preaching is a man who has experienced closeness with the Word of God. The Bible is more than a sourcebook for sermons and classes; it must be viewed as living water. As men of God, we often speak to the same audience, the audience. That being true, the audience will take on the preacher’s personality as well as his views of God, life, and the scriptures.
We must be great students who love the Word if the people are to be properly nourished. The preacher is not the inventor of the Word but merely a trustee. He must humble himself to receive it, be concerned enough to share it, and be committed enough to guard it with his whole heart.
God’s man should be bold and fearless. There is always a temptation to "water
down" and compromise the message. One of the outstanding characteristics of the preaching in Acts is the boldness and fearlessness with which it was presented. When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
A story is related about Hugh Latimer which illustrates the need for fearless preaching. Hugh Latimer was preaching once before Henry VIII, he was overheard to say to himself as he mounted the pulpit stairs: 'Latimer! Latimer! Latimer! You must take care what you say, for the great King Henry VIII is here!' Then for a moment, he paused and was heard to add, 'Latimer! Latimer! Latimer! You must take care what you say, for the Kings of kings is here!' (Perry, Biblical Preaching, p 185).
It is natural for the preacher to be fearful in view of difficult situations. Paul felt the same when he went to Corinth, but he still preached the Word. “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power so that your faith might not rest on men's
"Show me that you are redeemed, and I will believe in your Redeemer!"
wisdom, but on God's power” (I Corinthians 2:1-5). He did not compromise or make excuses. He simply preached the truth in love!
At the heart of preaching is a man who has experienced closeness with the people of God. Paul believed that the opportunity to preach the Gospel was a gift from God, but it was for others. Listen to his words of grace to the Ephesians. “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles if indeed you have heard of the administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you” (Ephesians 3:1-2).
I am arrested by those two huge little words, “FOR YOU.” May God help every one of His men to understand the weight of that statement. It must never be about us; it always for the Lord and for others. It is important for us to know the people, love the people, and live with the people, so that preaching can really minister to the people's needs.
Sometimes preachers tend to "scratch where the people do not itch!" Being with people during the heartbreaks of life (death, desertion, loss of job, emotional breakdowns) develops an empathy for people.
We have a feeling Savior and His men will also feel and understand those to whom we preach. “Since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -yet was
without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mere and find grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).
James Steward ties together the attitude that the preacher should have toward others. “Unless something of the evangelist's life-blood goes into his quest for souls and into the word he brings them from the Lord, the quest remains fruitless and the word devoid of delivering power” (Heralds of God, p. 199).
Some preachers have plenty of degrees, but no temperature! Brothers, we must never get to the place where we trust our training or our experience more than we trust God! “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God” (I Corinthians 4:7). “Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (I Corinthians 1:9).
May God help us never forget that at the heart of preaching is a man of God who has experienced closeness with God, His Word, and His people.
By Jeff A. Jenkins, tji@thejenkinsinstitute.comPreaching from the Heart
There are two inescapable truths about the heart of preaching.
First, the heart of preaching must be Christ himself, for there is no good news to proclaim apart from our Savior.
And second, the heart of preaching must come from our heart if it is to have its intended effect. Although sometimes the message transcends the flaws of the messengers, most of our fellow human beings will not accept as true for them a life that is evidently false in us.
Preaching Christ both purely and personally is the great task before us as Christians. Accomplishing that task will naturally result if three things are true.
First, the Gospels should be so much the object of our study and thought that the words and actions of Christ become a permanent part of our own minds. Paul told the Christians at Rome to be ‘transformed” by the renewing of their minds (Romans 12:2). Using the same verb, Paul told the Corinthian Christians that we are “transformed” by “beholding the glory of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The verb translated by the ESV and many
PreachingfromtheHeart
Jim GardnerWalter Jackson Bate, one of my professors in college, was famous for his teaching about the great eighteenthcentury writer Samuel Johnson. Like countless other students, I was deeply impressed by the passionate intensity and depth of response to Johnson that characterized Bate’s lectures. One comment about Bate’s teaching that was widely repeated among his students was that he had studied Johnson so thoroughly and reacted to him with such depth of emotion that it had become impossible to tell where Jack stopped and Sam began. The teacher and the subject of his teaching had become one and indistinguishable. That is what should be true of us as Christians. We ought to be able to say with Paul that it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us, not as a theological principle, but as a central fact about our lives.
Spiritual transformation in our minds will not come cheaply. Walter Scott, teaching young people in their early teens at the Pittsburgh Academy in the 1820s, had them memorize all four Gospels in the original Greek. Whether or not we choose literally to memorize the story of Christ, the level of committed study that Scott asked of his students applies also to us. If we wish genuinely to internalize the gospel and make it our own, there can be no substitute for powerful, sustained intellectual and emotional focus.
Second, the heart of preaching must consist of preaching Christ himself, and not just preaching about Christ. Protestant preachers commonly treat the Gospels as though they were merely background material for the real message of God in Romans and Galatians. The theological propositions that Paul gives us in those letters concerning the significance of Christ’s death are obviously important, but ignoring Christ’s life defeats God’s purpose in the incarnation. Christ did not come to earth only to die, and he did not die only so that we might be forgiven. He lived and died so that we might be changed, so that we might be delivered from the power of sin and not just avoid its penalty.
Jesus promised, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). Much earlier in His ministry, He had said essentially the same thing: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14). He is talking about His death and its redemptive power, but He is also teaching that His life and death powerfully draw the human heart.
Can someone go to heaven without loving God? Paul says, “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed” (1 Corinthians 16:22). On what basis could we come truly to love God? John says, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). How do we know that God loves us? “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). Far too often, preaching attempts a psychological impossibility: to make
The Gospels, by showing us who Jesus is, show us who we should be.
people love God without giving them the reasons that God provided.
Christ did not come to earth and die to make God love us, but because God loved us. Christ came to earth, lived a pure and noble life, taught the most exalted truths, and died an utterly unselfish death so that we might love God. To try to make disciples of Christ without holding up Christ as an inspiration and example to follow would be foolish and futile. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Finally, the heart of preaching must both have its roots in, and gain support from, our manner of life.
Paul exhorted the Philippians to “do what you learned and received from me— what I told you and what you saw me do” (Philippians 4:9). Similarly, he told the Corinthians, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:2). To be the same kind of person as Paul, much less Christ himself, can be an intimidating standard. It can become counterproductive if we burden ourselves with unrealistic demands that we would never expect others to meet. Nevertheless, we must not ask less of ourselves than we ask of others. I worked for twelve years as an executive in the mining industry. At the beginning of that period, I asked an executive who had been one of my legal clients how often he visited the mines. He said that he never went underground because it was dirty and dangerous. I resolved not ever to become like him, that I would not make my living based on the toil and danger of
other men without sharing in it to the extent practical.
To preach the Christian life in a practical way, we must practice it ourselves. In no other way can we learn how Christ can actually take form within us. In the ESV, Ephesians 4:15 reads, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” Most translations follow the ESV in using the wording “speaking the truth,” but the Greek verb is actually a causative of the noun for truth; that is, it means to cause the truth to come into being, to make the truth real. We do that by speaking the truth, but we also do it by living the truth. We learn by experience what it takes truly to be a Christian, and thus can teach others confidently and in a way that commands respect.
“Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).
Jim Gardner, jgardner@fhu.edu
Best Habits for Passionate Preaching
By Hiram Kemp
The word passion has been defined as a strong and barely controllable emotion. It is also defined as something that is an intense or overmastering feeling or conviction. When we think about preaching, it is difficult to think of preaching that could be done in any way other than passionate. Jeremiah spoke about preaching as the word was like fire in his bones (Jeremiah 20:9). As soon as Paul became a Christian he is described as preaching boldly in the synagogue (Acts 9:20, 9:27-28). Apollos preached boldly (Acts 18:26) and powerfully showed that Jesus was the Messiah (Acts 18:26-29). As we read about the preachers in the Bible, we do not find their preaching described as lifeless, boring, or dead. Instead, those who were called by God to proclaim his message were not just told what to say, but they were expected to say it with intensity and fervor.
Jesus’ preaching was with authority, and unlike anything the people had ever heard before (Matthew 7:28-29; John 7:46). As those who want to emulate His preaching we should preach with authority but also with passion. Few would doubt that passion in the pulpit is needed. Fewer would doubt that they
enjoy hearing a lesson from someone who is not only speaking the truth but also speaking it like he believes it. The question then is how do we develop and maintain passionate preaching? Those of us who preach on a weekly basis may struggle to keep the fire burning and to keep our energy up. How can we get the message across with the desired enthusiasm and excitement week in and week out? Here are a few habits to cultivate and develop passionate preaching.
Pray Yourself Hot
I’m not sure where I first heard it, but someone has said, “before we preach we should pray ourselves hot.” As you think about speaking for God, it makes sense that we would ask God for His help in doing so in a manner that would honor and glorify Him. Paul requested prayers that he would declare the message boldly as he should (Ephesians 6:18-20). If Paul needed prayers for boldness we are probably not exempt. Pray that you can communicate the text with the same tone, focus, and heart that the Holy Spirit delivered it in (Psalm 119:18). This is more than just a prayer for the proper amount of energy. This means praying that the zeal in our hearts comes across in our delivery. Pray that our nerves will not get
the best of us and suppress our ability to communicate to the best of our ability. Pray that you would see the importance of the text and that those who hear you would get a sense of that importance as you preach and teach (Titus 2:15).
Read and Study the Bible Devotionally
One thing that can destroy passion in preaching is simply approaching the Bible academically. When all we want from the text is the facts our sermons will fall flat. People do not want a lecture they want the Lord (John 12:21). This does not mean we should be shallow in our knowledge or superficial in our study. It does mean that as we read and study we should be focused on how we can translate what we have learned into things that help us and our hearers love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Psalm 18:1; Luke 10:27-28). Read the Bible to fall in love with the author and this will come across in your preaching. Study the text as if God is actually speaking to you through it, and it will change the way you relay your findings to others. Passionate preaching comes from those who have fallen in love with the Lord through the printed page (Psalm 119:97). If we read and study the Bible devotionally we will be unable to hide our conviction of its transformative power when we stand before others to preach it (2 Corinthians 4:13).
Know Your Material Well
Not everyone will preach without notes or commit large sections of their sermon to memory. There are different styles and that is because God has made us all differently. However, every preacher should work to know his sermon well regardless of how he plans to deliver it.
The better we know our sermons the more time we can spend connecting with the listeners and the less time we will spend thinking of our next point or searching for our next sentence on the page. Know your material well enough to maintain eye contact and heart contact as you preach (Lk. 24:32). If you are deeply familiar with your sermon you can preach boldly and clearly because your level of comfort with the material will create freedom. Passion will bubble forth as you are so deeply invested in the material that it is delivered with ease and excitement.
Know & Love People
This is probably the most important thing we can do to preach passionately. If we know and love people passion will naturally result. Jesus knew all men (John 2:24-25) and He loved everyone (Matthew 9:36; Jn. 11:36). When we know people we will realize that people are hurting and really need to hear from a God who loves them more than they can imagine (John 3:16; Ephesians 3:17-19). When we love people we will remind ourselves that preaching matters because it is the vehicle God uses to get His word into people’s hearts (Romans 10:14-17; 1 Corinthians 1:21). Get to know people. Listen to their stories, learn of their hurts, fears, anxieties, and failings. This is not to give you a superiority complex but to help you to relate to those you relay God’s message to weekly. Love people. Do not just tolerate them, but genuinely love them (1 Corinthians 16:14; 1 Timothy 1:5). When you love people passion exudes because you stop thinking about yourself and instead think more of how the message from God can help them.
Concluding Thoughts
We all want to preach better. We want to challenge ourselves to be more effective, more knowledgeable, and more passionate. Passion is not about talent as much as it is about true heartfelt belief. If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that only through hearing the good news of the message about him can save souls, we will preach with unquenchable passion. Pray, ponder, and pour out your heart in preaching. People will be helped and God will be pleased!
Hiram Kemp, hiram.kemp@yahoo.com
THIS WEEK AT FREED-HARDEMAN LECTURESHIPS February 7-9, 2023
Why Preaching Matters
Phillip HinesThe year 2022 was a challenging one for me. During that year, I concluded a full-time ministry that had spanned forty-nine years. Forty-two of those years were spent with the same congregation. At the same time, I became more aware of the importance of preaching than at any other time in my ministry.
Throughout the years, I often wondered whether my ministry was having a positive impact upon the lives of those with whom I came in contact. For periods of time, I would preach God’s Word and have no visible results. There would be no conversions, restorations, or additions to the church. When I exhorted people “to abound in the work of the Lord,” it seemed that no one moved. Time was spent in homes, hospitals, and funeral homes. I encouraged the weak, the fallen, and the lost. There were occasions when I
would ask myself, “Am I really making a difference in the lives of others?”
Little did I know what was going on in the hearts and minds of some of those who listened, and with whom I spent time. Numerous were the times I received an email, card, text, or call, telling of someone’s conversion or restoration after I had preached at a particular location. The seed had been sown, but it had taken a little time for it to germinate in the heart of the listener.
This past year, I learned in a very special way that preaching does make a difference. It was during the summer of 2022, and I spoke for the Madison congregation in Huntsville, Alabama on a Wednesday night. It had been mentioned by the person introducing me that I would be retiring from full-time ministry. After the lesson, a couple came over and thanked me for a message they heard me give years ago. They had attended one of my “Strengthening the American Family” campaigns. They shared about how the message they heard that night had saved their marriage. Many years had passed without me knowing that! A few minutes later, a young man approached to tell me about another message I had preached long ago and how it had affected his life. He recalled a lesson that I had given on parenting. He remembered that I shared about often eating breakfast with my daughter at McDonalds during her teen years,
as well
Do not ever forget, that preaching simply places the seed into the hearts of the listeners. It is the seed of the Gospel, and not the messenger, that brings about change.
as some of the things we discussed. He said, “My daughter is now a teenager. I’m doing the same thing with her, and it is great! Thank you for that lesson.”
Again, this was unknown to me. Driving home that night, I reflected on those two conversations. I wondered how many more similar stories are out there. I probably will never know in this life. That is the beauty of preaching. Preaching changes lives!
On the last Sunday of 2022, I preached my final sermon for the congregation where I had been serving for forty-two years. During the weeks prior to that day, I received many calls, emails, texts, and postings on Facebook. Once again, I had no idea how much my ministry had meant to so many. Below is a post written on Facebook by a young mother which moved me to tears.
He was there to meet me after I was born. He baptized me when I was eleven years old. He was a mentor throughout my entire youth. He counseled and guided my husband and me as we prepared for marriage. He married us in 2004. He was a best friend to my dad and mom. He visited after the birth of our children. He prayed with us and for us while dad was so critical at UAB. He spoke the most beautiful and heartfelt words at Dad’s funeral. He has fed me spiritually my entire life. I am so blessed to have had the same minister and shepherd be a part of my life the last almost forty years – a part of
so many of the most special, happy times and a support through some of the lowest, saddest times. You have led your flock so well.
Do not think that I am just an old preacher bragging about my past. As you get older, you too, will look back and see things in the past that you could not see as a young preacher. There will be times when you will wonder if your work is worth it. You will not always be able to see the seed you have sown in someone’s heart take root and begin to grow. That is the beauty of preaching. That is why preaching matters!
Do not ever forget, that preaching simply places the seed into the hearts of the listeners. It is the seed of the Gospel, and not the messenger, that brings about change. As we preach, the seed will fall on various soils. Sometimes it may seem that the only soil we speak to is harder than solid rock. However, it is simply our job to sow the seed. So, keep preaching. There is more good soil out there than you will ever know!
Phillip Hines, phines@bellsouth.netThe blessed glory of telling the story
I have discovered in recent years that the hymnal has become a spiritual journal for me. Each page reminds me of some brother or sister whose life is connected in my memory with a particular song. Perhaps they introduced me to a hymn, told me that one was their favorite, sat beside me in church as together we sang “their” song, or taught me some truth that is powerfully expressed or illustrated in a song.
I can hardly turn a page without seeing the faces of my personal “great cloud of witnesses” as they continue singing the “wonderful story of love.”
One such song is “I Love to Tell the Story.” We sang it regularly in the congregations where I grew up, and it has always lived in my heart.
I love to tell the story of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love;
I love to tell the story, because I know ‘tis true; It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.
I love to tell the story: More wonderful it seems Than all the golden fancies of all the golden dreams;
I love to tell the story: It did so much for me; And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.
I love to tell the story, ‘tis pleasant to repeat What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet;
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.
These days, this precious old hymn belongs, in my heart, to Jim Bill McInteer. Brother McInteer lived from 1921 until 2010 and continues to be a source of great encouragement to me as a preacher. In my growing up years, my home congregation would
often invite him to come and preach a gospel meeting or to be part of a special day when we marked an anniversary or celebrated the start of a new ministry. Brother McInteer was the perfect preacher for such an occasion. Every time he spoke, we knew two things for certain: He loved God and he loved us. Years later, when I was interviewing to become the preacher for the College Church of Christ in Searcy, AR, I was asked who my preaching heroes were. My first answer was “Jim Bill McInteer.”
When I went to Nashville in March 2010 to attend Brother McInteer’s funeral, I was handed a bulletin for his service. On the cover was a picture of Brother McInteer and the theme for the service: “I love to Tell the Story . . .” On the inside cover were written the words of Psalm 40:9 from The Message:
I’ve preached you to the whole congregation, I’ve kept back nothing, God—you know that. I didn’t keep the news of your ways a secret, didn’t keep it to myself. I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough. I didn’t hold back pieces of love and truth for myself alone. I told it all, let the congregation know the whole story.
Nothing could have been more fitting. Even in death, Jim Bill McInteer reminded us of “the blessed glory of telling the story.”
On that occasion that I mentioned before when, in an interview, I was asked, “Who are your preaching heroes?” another name that I mentioned was Harold Hazelip. There were so many things that I appreciated about him, but high on that list is that he was a preacher. In a memorial written about him in the Magnolia Messenger by C. Philip Slate (who, appropriately, is also one of my preaching heroes), Brother Slate stated, “Although (Harold Hazelip) made contributions in academics, Harold always preached. He cared about the local church and the proclamation of the Word.”
Though I am myself no longer a “young preacher,” I find that I am richly encouraged and deeply moved these days by older preachers I have known who loved to preach the gospel. The Apostle Paul, himself, is another such hero of mine. Not only was he a faithful preacher of the Word, but near the end of his life we get a glimpse from his final letter to Timothy about his feelings concerning “the blessed glory of telling the story.” Knowing that his days were almost finished, he addressed his young protégée one last time. With age in his voice, the wisdom of years in his inspired pen, and perhaps even with tears in his eyes, he wrote,
“I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me” (2 Timothy 1:12).
“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel” (2 Timothy 2:8).
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:1-2).
“Always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:5-8).
These three preachers remind us of something that can easily get lost in the noise, the conflicts, the burdens, distractions and disappointments of life; it is, indeed, a blessed glory to tell the story of Jesus. Nothing else can save. Nothing else in the entire world
matters more. And nothing else is nearer to the heart of God. May God forgive us when we lost sight of this, and may he open the eyes of our hearts to see, once again, what a sacred privilege we have to preach the gospel.
I love to tell the story, for those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest;
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song, ‘Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.
I love to tell the story! ‘Twill be my theme in glory To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
Bruce D. McLarty, bmclarty@fhu.edu
If you have considered quitting ministry, you have plenty of company. In a report from Barna published in March, 2022, 42% of preachers have considered leaving full-time ministry. That number is up 9% from a study published by Barna in January, 2021. The top five reasons are stress, feelings of loneliness and isolation, political divisions in the church, unhappiness with the effect of ministry on the ministers’ family, and a sense of pessimism about the future of the congregation.
If you are feeling burned out, know that you are in godly company. David once said, “I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my
crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God” (Psalm 69:2-3). Elijah once believed that his life and ministry were worthless. He said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” (1 Kings 19:4). Job regretted the day he was born, and Jeremiah wanted to quit preaching, even when he couldn’t. He said, “O LORD, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me. For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, "Violence and plunder!" Because the word of the LORD was made to me A reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in
Bill Watkins, bwatkins@crievehall.orgmy bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not” (Jeremiah 20:7-9).
We preach, and people are depending on us to feed them every week. But you can’t feed anyone from an empty plate. We believe we have been called to serve, and so we push on. And if we feel discouraged and empty, we try to ignore it. If we can’t, we begin to feel guilt.
So how do we get out of this downward spiral? How can we keep preaching when we feel that there is nothing left in our spiritual tank?
Too often we burn out because we are trying to carry the burden of ministry by our own strength, resourcefulness, and resilience. They will never be enough. Ministry will always be 5,000 people and five loaves and two fish. The strength we need comes from God and not us.
If you’re feeling burned out, spend time every day in God’s word and prayer –not for your sermon on Sunday, but for you. The secret to staying in love is talking with and listening to and spending time with the people we love. It’s also true in your relationship with the heavenly Father. God has promised to supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19), and He will if we will communicate and walk with Him.
Get some rest. Take a mental and physical break from the task you’re trying to do. The Bible has more to say about rest than it says about work! Even God rested! Ask yourself how much of your work is just busy work. Step away from non-productive efforts to rediscover what your purpose really is.
Ministry will always be 5,000 people and five loaves and two fish
Sometimes we burn out because we ignore the things that we need to take care of in our own lives. We do this because we have our priorities in the wrong place. Remember God’s order of priorities for you. Your own relationship with God comes first above all other things. Your relationship to your family comes second. Your relationship with the church is third. And your relationship to the world is fourth. Many of our stresses come because we get these priorities out of order. Remember that serving the church and serving God are not necessarily the same thing.
Find a friend with whom you can share your heart and know that they will keep what you share with them confidential. It won’t always be another preacher. Sometimes it will be an older saint who has been where you are and has found the answer in God. Loneliness is a killer of peace and joy. Isolation keeps us from seeing life with true perspective. God did not make you to be a loner. There is no substitute for friends.
Sometimes burnout happens when we take responsibility for everything that happens in the church. We feel that we should have had better answers, we should have done more, we should have been there whenever there was a need. And since we weren't, we feel that
everything negative that happens is at least in part our fault.
Can I tell you a secret? You aren’t that important. God is, and He can handle reality better than you can. Only God can carry the weight of the world on His shoulders. And He can carry you as well!
So step back, take a deep breath, remember that God is in control. You don’t have to change everything, you just need to be faithful and trusting. You may plant or you may water, but the increase comes from God.
So preach, not in your own strength, but in His. Turn even your failures into opportunities by giving them to the God who works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
And maybe one other thing. You don’t have to be “excited” every time you get in the pulpit. You’ve not been called to be the cheerleader of the church.You’ve been called to be God’s messenger to people who need an authentic message from God spoken by an authentic child of God. Do that, and God will bless you and fill you with what you need.
Bill Watkins, bwatkins@crievehall.org
Imagine the perfect congregation, if you will. Baptisms are always a hundred or more annually, babies are being born weekly, and each baby is well above average in beauty and intelligence. The weekly contributions exceed the budget, and there is always a surplus at the end of the year. The elders, deacons, and ministers all get along perfectly, and there is never a disagreement doctrinally. Okay, now wake up. You are dreaming…and so am I! Now let reality set in; we all know the church is made up of all types of people and personalities. The Church is a perfect institution filled with imperfect people.
Now imagine standing before the congregation (it does not matter the number of members) and visualize each pew and try to remember each
much akin to preaching each week to hurting people. Some are looking for a word, just one word, to help make it through the week. Others are needing a full message to help them through the day. Each person in the pew has a heartache… everyone hurts a little.
What the average Joe or Jill in the pew needs, in my opinion, are elders who know the flock that they shepherd and preachers who can address the heartaches and give some hope. In Matthew chapters five through seven, Jesus addresses the answers to most of the world’s problems in the text. Jesus offers what we call the beatitudes. He offers words regarding personal relationships, not taking revenge, how to love your neighbor and an
(1) Visit with as many members as possible and earnestly listen for any underlying message. Your sermon in the future just might help that family. Never, and I mean never, use a visit to preach directly to a person who confided about a painful event in their life as a sermon example. God gave us two ears in which we hear and one tongue for us to speak. Many preachers are thinking of what to say before the person they are conversing with has not even finished speaking. A pause to hear and reflect is always important.
(2) Spend quality time with people other than in a church setting. Visit in a home, and have a meal with someone you might not usually visit. Be that preacher who visits the hospital and nursing home. When you are needed, be there. In another’s pain, you might be able to speak in such as way as to help.
(3) When a baby is born, be there to offer a prayer for the new mom and dad and, of course, the new life. People will never forget your being there on that special day.
(4) On that occasion when a member comes by to chat, they may not be there just passing the time. Often there is a question, a reflection, a need to “pour out their heart” to a listening ear. The time spent is a present on a silver platter. Ask if you can pray with and for them. Hold their hand, pray deeply and sincerely asking God to relieve their pain. Then if it is appropriate, ask for permission to share their story with the congregation. If they approve, tell them how their story might help others who are fellow strugglers. Use their name in the message only with permission. If they decline, ask if you can use the story
anonymously. It is without fail, after the sermon, someone will come up and remark. “Preacher? Have you been reading my mail?” “You seemed to look directly into my life with that sermon today!” Isn’t it odd how many times a person thinks they are the “only one” who has experienced a problem, yet ten others had the same issue or problem? Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “there is nothing new under the sun.”
Perhaps some of these suggestions will be an aid and help to you as you preach. As preachers, we hold a most serious opportunity to share God’s Word. On every pew, there are people hurting. May God help you as you visualize the auditorium where you preach. May you then see each person and their face as well as the name of each individual who will fill that pew. They are coming to worship God, and many are carrying a load on their mind and back that is simply too heavy to bear alone. God can use you brother, to lighten their load and draw them to Jesus. Remember, Jesus said in John 12:32, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” Let our sermons and our messages be from deep within, and our brothers and sisters will hear a good word about Jesus as we lift up Christ and His saving message of hope.
Steve Bailey, s.bailey@cocbrownstreet.org, Brown Street, Waxahachie, TX
The heat is our passion for Christ, any other stimuli will fail in the long run. This love you have must be growing –but “Love never ends” you never run out of words concerning what or who you truly love. Paul would say, “…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his suffering, becoming like him in his death,”.
A Race
Our life as a minister is like a race or a journey. Many start, few finish. Many get lost along the way. Others get tired and give up. Some just get bored. We even call this “Burn Out.” The fire just goes out. So how can you run your race to the finish? How can you “Finish the course?” You must avoid at all cost the ruts. Ruts are easy to get into but hard to get out of. And they will take you where you don’t want to go. I once saw a priest conducting a funeral. He has his “holy water” in a nasal spray bottle. So as he conducted his prayers and rituals with a board and indifferent look on his face, he was spraying water out of his “Afrin” bottle. I thought, “Now there is a man who is burned out.” Ruts will do that to you.
Here are some things that will help you stay on the path. Return to the basics. Re-study the fundamentals. See what you missed; you will be surprised. Sing some new songs. I am, after more than 50 years, changing the translation I preach form. This is really hard for me and a little scary. But, what I think will happen is I will be able to see the scripture afresh. The words will be a little different and even on different places on the page. I expect I will find some wonderful surprises, and I will have help
getting out of those ruts.
Another thing we must do is give our outlines a rest. You don’t have to burn them just give them a sabbatical. One of the great blessings that I have received by staying with one congregation so long is I have been forced to keep studying. So work up some new lessons.
If you want to be preaching when you are old never stop studying. Try a new method of preaching. Never change the message but maybe the method. The church can change the method by getting a new messenger, why not beat them to the punch by changing the method.
I began my preaching with topical sermons. Then I discovered expository sermons. Now I am experimenting with a narrative approach.
Also, remember there are many messages out there that are not worthy of your time. Some are trivial, angry, or as Paul calls some “foolish controversies.”
Take those who listen to you to the cross. Stay with the important subjects. Now back to the best. Make sure you have passion for Christ. There is a lot of difference between loving to preach and loving Jesus. You can’t give what you don’t have. You can’t describe what you haven’t seen.
So get serious. Ask the hard questions. And like Peter by the lake, answer Jesus’ question, “Do you love me?”
Paul Shero, paul.shero@sgcoc.com South Gate in San Angelo, TX by, dale jenkinsI read Paul’s words and at times, I feel I identify with him. I love how much he loved preaching the Gospel. I love his “oh wow, I can’t believe I get to do this” attitude. That’s when I feel like Paul. Listen: “Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace…To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles ithe unsearchable riches of Christ…” (Ephesians 3:7-8) and “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.
Amen” (1 Timothy 2:12-17).
I’m not in any way close to the vessel Paul was, but I do get the same feeling when I think that I have been so blessed to get to preach about Jesus! Why have I been so blessed to get to
do this? It’s certainly not of me or because of some talent or goodness that is of myself!
Can I share with you in hopes of encouraging you, just a few of the reasons why I love to preach?
- Preaching helps me be a better person: Paul referred to himself as the chiefest of sinners. Some suggest this is a pneumatic device to “keep it real” and relatable. Some suggest he was speaking in hyperbole. I think he was stating exactly how he felt. There are times when I mess up again, when I find myself repenting of the same sin I’ve struggled with for years that I relate. While I strive to be, I am not worthy of the pulpit or the blessed precious privilege of holding forth the Word of Hope. But I have learned that being a preacher has made me a better man. As I am confronted with God’s truth, I must preach to myself and strive to live what I am saying. I often wonder what kind of person I would be if I did not have this daily confrontation with God’s righteousness. The fact is ministers are held to a higher standard by others and, for me, it makes me hold myself to a higher standard.
- Preaching helps keep my ego in check: I’m a human, I’m a man, I’m a Jenkins man…so I have an ego. All humans have egos, the question is will it be in control of the Lord or of yourself. As much as we were “…crucified with Christ…” (Galatians 2:20) and as we
“present(ed) our bodies as a living sacrifice…” (Romans 12:1), we are still in the flesh, and that “living sacrifice” keeps slipping or crawling off the altar of our intentions (see Romans 7). Ego may not be the biggest sin you face, but as one who stands before God’s People each week and speaks with the authority from the Word of God, most preachers do have to keep that ego in check. Out of the Lord’s control your ego will express itself in many ways; all unhealthy. Whether it is via passive-aggressive, “I’m better” or “look at me and what I’ve done: statements, or self-condemning or self-aggrandizing comments, each draws attention to self and away from Jesus. Yes, a man of God can be out of control in this area. Add to this reality that the critical nature of some of our brethren can be downright mean and destructive; if my ego is in my control, I can be crushed. Or with others, the high-esteem confidence in those of us who preach can cause us to have a higher opinion of self than is healthy. Paul gives the Christ-centric and right approach: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself” (Philippians 2:3-7 and we could read further). Paul’s own amazement at being blessed to preach caused him
to worship God, see above 1 Timothy 2:17. For me, preaching takes the focus off self and puts it on the Lord.
- Preaching gives me an opportunity to dig deeper into God’s Word: I love the discovery that comes from a deep dive into the text, into the words of the Word, into the things others have mined and notices about the Truth. My accountant friend spends his work day with numbers and wishes he had more time in the Word. I, on the other hand, am in a sense, paid to study the Word of God. What a blessing.
- Preaching connects me with people’s best and worst days (and I get to speak God’s Truth and exhibit God’s Love in each of them): This is the ministry side of preaching but if I were not a preacher I would not get this beautiful back-stage pass into people’s lives. And, it is not just the grand days like when their child is born, born anew, their wedding, or golden anniversary that we get to celebrate. We also get to be with them on the day the doctor tells them cancer has invaded and they want you to pray with them, when they lay their spouse of 60 years to rest, when the tragic call comes and melts their heart. You get to stand beside them, walk with them, take them to the Throne of God, lift up their eyes and help them see there is a future Home and there is hope in the hardest of days. As painful as those moments are, I love that I get to be a part of directing and comforting in those
moments when I don’t even know what to say.
- Preaching puts me in company with the best people I know. God’s People BUT especially with God’s special Servants, YOU: I mean this first of all about ALL Christians. Christians are the best! These flawed bits of clay who love the Lord are my people. Whether it’s my wife, kids, a person who has been a Christian for decades or for only days, what a thrill to get to be a part of their efforts to live for God. But on a more personal level, my heroes have always been preachers and as one, I get to interact with the best of God’s ambassadors. I get a front row seat into your thinking, I get to sit across table from you and learn, I get to hear you pray in a more private setting, I get to ask you about how you “do ministry” and how your ministry is going. I get to see how you react to hurts and to victories.
- Preaching allows me to be a part of the wonderful work that God is doing in the world today: This is the greatest work in all the world! Remember the old Hamburger Helper commercials, we’re not the meal, but we get to help! We are not the message but we are the feet that brings those Good Tidings. My favorite verse on preaching is 2 Timothy 2:20-21 “Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for
honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” I’m not a vessel of gold or silver, and learned long ago, I never will be, but here’s the good news. I get to be in the Master’s house. I get to be useful to the Master. I’m fine being wood or clay if I get to live with the Master and help in His Work. When dad would miss one of my ball games or some other “important” event, our mom would say: “Your dad would love to be here, but he is doing the greatest work in all the world.” He believed that, she believed that, and I do too. There is no greater work than God’s Work and preaching allows me to be a part of that.
Yes, I unabashedly love preaching, and I hope you do/will too!
Dale Jenkins, tji@TheJenkinsInstitute.com
Exclusive: A Jenkins Institute Conversation
TJI: As you read imagine you are sitting in a room listening to eight of our finest preacher trainers listening as they talk about preaching and training preachers. These eight replied to us on five questions which we curated into an interview format style. Our brothers are from five states. Here is where these eight are from and the role they fill listen in the order we received their original answers:
Doug Burleson, chairman of the Freed-Hardeman Lectureships and Bible Professor at FHU. flu.edu
Todd Brenneman, Dean of the VP Black School of Biblical Studies at Faulkner University. faulkner.edu
Steve Loyd is the Director of the Southwest School of Biblical Studies in Austin, Texas. www.swsbs.edu/
Brian Kenyon, Director Florida School of Preaching. https://fsop.net/
Justin Rogers, Director, Graduate School of Theology Freed-Hardeman University. fhu.edu
B.J. Clark, Director of Memphis School of Preaching. https://msop.org/
Denny Petrillo, President, Bear Valley Bible Institute. https:// www.wetrainpreachers.com/
Kirk Brothers, President, Heritage Christian University in Florence, AL. HCU.edu
TJI: Let’s start by talking about what encouraged you to preach:
Doug B: For me, it was watching the godly examples of men, including my father, who loved to preach the Word more than anything else. I also gained great encouragement from the feedback that Christian leaders gave me as I learned more about preaching through internships and preaching camps as well.
Justin R: Doug, I had much the same experience. My father and grandfather were preachers, so I was sort of “born” into it. While I never felt the pressure to preach, my first invitation came just one week after my baptism. Through Western Kentucky Youth Camp and our (mostly older) congregation, I received a lot of encouragement to become a minister.
BJC: Two things stand out: First I too had the example of a father (T.J. Clarke), who was so passionate when he preached. His thirst for knowledge of God’s Word, and his genuine conviction in living it, and preaching it, fired me up to want to do the same! But I’d have to add that the encouraging brothers and sisters who went out of their way to encourage me as a young preacher, after I had preached some of my first sermons! Their words infused me with confidence that I could do it!
Denny P: BJ, I’d have to agree, encouragement from the leaders of the church, encouragement from my mother, and encouragement from the youth minister.
Steve L: I was encouraged by other preachers’ support of my decision to go to school.
Brian K: Knowing that I knew God exists and the Bible is His inspired word; that people are lost in sin; that the Bible contains the way of forgiveness; and that people must hear and obey God’s word for forgiveness and a better life (now and eternally).
Kirk B: Three main contributors encouraged me to preach. One was my parents, Joe and Dorothy Brothers. Mom and Dad believed in and practiced evangelism. My dad started taking me on Bible studies when I was young, and they both encouraged me to be involved in the church. The second influence would be training. Our congregation in Lebanon Junction, KY had a class on leading in worship and putting devotionals together. That gave me more confidence that I could do it. I later attended the Future Preachers Training Camp in Nashville, TN and the Future Church Leaders Workshop in Henderson, TN. I made the decision to preach at the Preachers Camp in Nashville. Finally, I was encouraged and trained by all the small congregations in central Kentucky that let me preach for them while I was in high school.
TJI: We are all motivated by many things. But for this group, you surely have some verses you have applied to preaching that inspire you. What is one of those for you?
Justin R: Of course, 2 Timothy 4:2ff. is the tried and true, go-to passage, but Colossians 1:28 is also one of my favorites. The first phrase, “whom we preach,” reminds me that my main mission is to preach Christ! The next phrase “warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom,” reminds me of my responsibility to preach to
every man, without partiality. It also reminds me that preaching Christ requires a balanced approach. At times, preaching Christ necessitates “warning” every man, while “teaching” that same man “in all wisdom.” Finally, the passage keeps me focused on the ultimate goal of preaching—“to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” What a privilege it is to preach the unsearchable riches of the gospel!
Denny P: 2 Timothy 2:2. It is God's plan for the faithful word to be passed on. I had an elder in the church say, "and you are one who we need to pass this on to. You can be the next faithful generation!" That motivated me!
Todd B: The verses that inspire me the most are Colossians 1:28-29: “It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me” (NRSV). I think these verses serve as a good "mission statement" for a preacher. Our goal should be to share the message with everyone so that they can be saved and grow into mature Christians.
Doug B: Ephesians 4:11-16 is my favorite passage about ministry in general, but I think also applies to preaching as we should all desire to equip the saints for the purpose of serving others also. We should always be about equipping others more than promoting ourselves.
Kirk B: Doug, it’s my go to verse as well. Anyone who has taken a homiletics or leadership class with me know that Ephesians 4:11-16 is very important to me. It lays out the purpose of leaders/teachers in the Lord’s church. Our goals are as follows:
1) Teach for Unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God (4:13).
2) Mentor for Maturity into the likeness of Christ: Know/speak truth in love (4:14-15).
3) Equip for Ministry in the name of Christ (4:12, 16). Every sermon, class, personal Bible study, and aspect of my daily ministry as a preacher is to be aimed at those three goals.
Steve L: I don’t know if there is one verse. It is studying the OT prophets and reading through Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus that inspires me.
Brian K: I’d have to say Romans 10;14, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” This verse gives us both our purpose and our mission.
Justin R: I’d have to add to this good list my favorite, 1 Corinthians 9:16, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”
TJI: There are folks pulling the fire alarm and saying we are losing preachers at an alarming rate. The statistics do not seem to back this up and there have been people for years who have tried to convince us that we wouldn’t have preachers in the future if we didn’t do what they suggested. The first time I heard it was about 25 years ago. But, even if they are not correct, we do need more men who are passionate about preaching the Gospel. What can the preachers reading this do to encourage young men to consider preaching?
BJ Clark: Those of us who preach have to exemplify the joy of preaching!
Demonstrate to young men how no other profession on earth offers the opportunities
of making a lasting and eternal difference in the lives of mankind. No other profession can touch eternity like preaching can!
Brian K: That’s absolutely right. We must show them, by example first and direct teaching, that preaching is one of the most challenging, rewarding, and (mostly) fun vocations any man can have!
Denny P: Yes, we can talk about the joys of preaching. There is so much negativity out there that preachers need to counteract the negativity. But if we are going to really impact them we have to provide opportunities to preach. Maybe start with small devotional talks, then move to longer venues. And, as they grow we can provide coaching when a young man is willing to give a lesson. I was in 7th grade when I preached my first sermon. It was a complete train wreck! But the reaction/ encouragement I received made you feel like it was the best sermon ever preached. It motivated me to continue.
Doug B: But, we need to be intentional about taking the time to show others how we do what we do. We also need to be humble enough to acknowledge that there may be more than one way to preach effectively and that we should never try to be someone else, including our preaching heroes.
Kirk B: And in the process we need to model godliness and dedication and passion for proclaiming God’s word in front of others. We often imitate what we see. Seeing passion and commitment in others inspires us. Also, words of encouragement can go a long way. When Jesus encountered Simon in John 1, He nicknamed him “the rock” (Peter, Cephas). Every time He called him “the rock,” Jesus was sending a message. Peter became a rock because Jesus envisioned it and encouraged it. Preachers need to be identifying and encouraging younger men to preach and teach God’s word. For this to happen, they need to be spending large amounts of time with young people.
Todd B: I certainly agree, and It is vitally important that preachers present the ministry of preaching as something worth aspiring to. Yes, there are struggles that preachers face, and these should not be ignored or minimized. But a preacher should not be emphasizing these or constantly talking about them in the pulpit where young men could hear. Instead, the value and importance of preaching should be what is emphasized. 1 Corinthians 1:21 states that it was God's wisdom to save those who believe through the ministry of preaching. Doug is right, preachers should take an active mentoring role in bringing up young preachers. They should identify young men who can speak well and who evidence other skills that make for good preachers. And, yes, Denny, preachers should make opportunities for these men to preach in front of the congregation on a regular basis. If the congregation is not involved in a program like Lads to Leaders or Leadership Training for Christ, the preacher should encourage either participation in one of these organizations or developing something similar. The preacher should also make time to provide constructive feedback to such young men to help them grow and develop their skills. Steve L: A lot of this is about us setting the right example in temperament in and out of the pulpit.
Justin R: Can I wrap this part up and pull in a few other thoughts? First, I think what we are all saying is be positive, especially around young men. Preachers should never
perpetuate the myth that ministry is martyrdom. Ministry is service, and service isn’t always comfortable, but a lot of young men have heard the preacher criticize the church and/or eldership, or lament their salary, and it turns them off to ministry.
Second, be realistic. I have heard more times than I can count, “If you can do anything else, then do it.” I think this advice is intended to stoke that “fire-in-thebones” call to preach, but it sounds to younger men like, “If you are such a complete loser that the only thing you can do is preach, then do it, I guess.” I want talented, smart, driven, optimistic, and (most importantly) faithful men filling pulpits, and I fear that we have created a notion that the only people who can preach are those who have no other options.
Third, most of us mentioned being mentors to guys. And, the younger the better. Some preachers my age (including me) have received the “wait your turn” dismissal from older ministers. Maybe things are changing, but many older ministers feel they are competing with younger ones. But we all need one another. Younger ministers can benefit from experienced advice, and older ministers can learn from fresh ideas and youthful energy. Mentorship is a learning experience for both. Embrace it.
TJI: This is rich stuff. What can we encourage the local church to do to build more preachers, and while we’re at it, what are some things to they need to avoid?
Brian K: The starting point has to be how we treat the preachers we have. Treat preachers more like members of the family rather than a “hired hand.” Take care of him and his family financially to the best of their ability. Encourage him with acts of appreciation (e.g., give him and his family a weekend in the mountains, send them to Disney or a football game, etc.). And, certainly support him when he preaches the truth, especially after those difficult sermons where he has to “step on toes.”
Doug B: Yep, congregations encourage as they take care of the preachers they have now, while also allowing him to have the time and resources to be intentional about training others to do the same. We have some great programs in the brotherhood that can prepare others to preach more effectively, but congregations need to do more to become a place where preachers and loved, supported, and equipped with the skills they need.
Kirk B: It all starts with the parents. My dissertation focused on “Factors Motivating Church of Christ Ministry Students to Enter Ministry.” I discovered that the people who most influence the decisions of Bible majors to enter ministry were family members, especially parents. The second most influential person was the youth minister. If parents value preaching and challenge their sons to preach, there is a good chance that is what they will do. My concern is that because of a concern for how much money their son will make and a fear that their son might move away, many parents encourage other paths. It is time we stopped trying so hard to get our sons into jobs that put them in million-dollar mansions right next to their parents and we started giving them up to the Messiah! Youth ministers, many will choose ministry because of you. Yet, most (according to my research) will choose youth ministry, not preaching. Why? Because that is the minister that they spend the most time with. Let me be clear, I believe in youth ministry. Yet, we desperately need preachers. We need youth
ministers who promote preaching and who create opportunities for the young people to spend real, quality time with the preacher.
One other thing I would say is start training programs within the congregation and look for future preacher training camps and ministry leadership camps to send them to. Budget funds to enable them to be able to attend these camps. Also, start preaching internships in your congregations. My research revealed that the fifth most important factor in Bible majors’ decisions to enter ministry was previous experience in ministry of I was in charge of many of the summer student internships when I was a full-time professor. That’s fifth of 29 possible answers! I found that many congregations had youth minister internships, but few had preaching internships.
Denny P: I”d say that every congregation needs to have a "young lion's" class that provides an atmosphere to learn without much pressure. Then provide opportunities for young men to give short talks (Sunday nights, Wednesday nights). I also want to mention Preacher Training Camps like several of us have. These are proving very valuable.
Todd B: I mentioned before being involved in activities like Lads to Leaders or Leadership Training for Christ. If they don’t like these, develop a homegrown program that does something similar to provide opportunities to identify potential new preachers. And I’d add to the thoughts about encouraging the preachers we have that we need to treat preaching like the worthwhile vocation it is. Congregations, elders, and even parents can easily dissuade young men from pursuing preaching. By treating it as a burden or as a lesser pursuit, they can discourage young from pursuing preaching. Congregations should have high expectations of their preachers while also being extremely gracious to the human failings that everyone, including preachers, have. Congregations can destroy preachers. By creating an atmosphere of desired excellence alongside graciousness, congregations can create environments where young men and their families can see that preaching does not necessarily equate to being constantly under attack.
Justin R: I think someone already hinted at this, but start early. Don’t wait until a young man becomes a Christian; offer encouragement and opportunity even to elementary-age children to speak publically. And, they can have a specific night set aside for young men to lead the service. Denny is right about the preacher training camps. Churches can encourage these more. Finally, I’d add send them to FreedHardeman or a solid Christian university or preacher training school.
BJ Clark: There’s not a lot to add to all of this but we need to remember when we let a young man speak in the services, it helps the young men conquer their fears.
Elderships can also approach talented young men and offer to finance/support their schooling and further training.
Todd B: I want to jump back in on this for one more thing, if I may. Congregations should do what they can to fully financially support the preacher. Obviously, there are some situations where a congregation cannot provide enough financial support to fully cover a preacher’s expenses, but they should do what they can to provide their preacher with a good salary package that minimizes the need for the preacher to find secular employment as much as possible. Yes, Paul worked as a tentmaker, but that was when he had to. When he received enough financial support, he
devoted himself fully to preaching. Working in ministry should not be a path to wealth, but congregations should not have an attitude of keeping a preacher in poverty. This will help convince parents and young men that they don’t need to worry about a preacher being financially destitute.
TJI: Let’s address this from the negative too. What are some things congregations need to avoid if they are trying to develop preachers?
BJ Clark: Preachers are certainly not perfect, but if young men hear constant criticisms and negative comments about the preacher/preaching, it will dampen their desire to want to become a preacher. Preachers should not be worshipped, but their work should be lifted up, not belittled.
Steve L: I think they need to avoid wrong thinking about the role of a preacher, as a case in point, they should not nurture the notion that they will be “the star of the show.” That is not a helpful metaphor. On the other hand, metaphors Paul uses: a good soldier, an athlete and hardworking farmer (2 Tim. 2:1ff) are accurate.
Justin R: Avoid complaining about preachers around young men. Younger people do not want to be the targets of criticism when they grow up. Don’t overpraise them. Humility seems to be one of the minister’s greatest struggles. I think one explanation is that people in the church are constantly reminding them, from a very young age, of how great they are. Encourage, but encourage the 13 year-old as you would a 30 year-old preaching his first lesson.
Brain K: While not putting him on a pedestal they also must not treat him as if he were a common commodity that can be tossed aside with “no skin off our backs.” When a congregation mistreats his family it is a killer.
Doug B: Congregations should never suggest (by message or example) that there is only one model for effective preaching. They should also model how church leadership can thrive when elders shepherd the flock and, therefore better equip the preacher to rightly divide the Word while loving people.
Denny P: I’d add two comments to this. Don’t give a guy just starting too large of an assignment immediately (a 30-minute sermon, or teaching a full Bible class, etc). The other “should” be obvious: Don’t allow the "negative Nancys" to discourage.
Todd B: Congregations should have high expectations of their preachers while also being extremely gracious to the human failings that everyone, including preachers, have. Congregations can destroy preachers. By creating an atmosphere of desired excellence alongside graciousness, congregations can create environments where young men and their families can see that preaching does not necessarily equate to being constantly under attack.
TJI: This has been good, thank you guys for the time. One more thing, what can our schools do to encourage attention to excellence in preaching? If you have a list, just give it.
Doug B: There are a lot of great ways to serve in the church, but none of them are as near to the heart of God as preaching. I am thankful that youth & family ministry programs continue to thrive, but we need to develop a generation of leaders who
know the Word or God and have a fire in their bones to preach in season and out of season.
Todd B: There are a couple of things that schools can do to encourage excellence in preaching:
1. Preaching programs should be academically rigorous. It should not be a major that someone undertakes when they can’t do well in other programs.
2. Schools that have a broad array of programs should frequently highlight the preaching program in their media and even among other students. While preaching programs may not be the largest in the university, highlighting it and its importance reminds various university constituencies of the importance of what is being done.
3. As part of their programs, schools should have either a course or part of a course that emphasizes the importance of excellence, professionalism, and other traits that preachers should embody. Mediocrity is not a virtue, and preachers should be encouraged to pursue excellence in every aspect of their ministry. Professionalism should be encouraged as well. While the preacher does not need to be a “professional,” they should exhibit professionalism in their interactions with elders and other members of the congregation, in their work habits, and in the pulpit. Faculty should help students understand what that should look like and how to cultivate those habits if students do not already possess them.
4. Schools should develop resources for ministers (especially alumni) to continue to develop excellence. Lectureships and other professional development opportunities can fill this need, but schools and faculty should consider what other materials—print or online—they could create that would help preachers have access to information about new methods, study materials, or issues ministers might face (like legal developments or tax changes).
Brian K: 1. Emphasize the seriousness of it, which is why Scriptural accuracy, correct grammar, public speaking skills, etc. are important to have, cultivate, and constantly improve.
2. Teach students, as BC Carr taught us, develop “a tough hide and a tender heart.”
3. Teach students it is okay, even necessary, to adapt culturally without compromising truth so they can reach more people with the gospel (1 Cor. 9:19-23).
Justin R: 1. The key to excellence in most things is repetition. Offer more opportunities for students to preach.
2. Teach them how to plan their preaching. I learned this from Jeff (Jenkins), and I wish I had been taught it earlier.
3. Offer more opportunities for engagement with veteran preachers who can share wisdom in informal ways.
4. We can generally be better at communicating the “so what” in some of the more academic classes, like Greek/Hebrew. These are important and helpful, but teachers (like me) don’t always connect exegetical insights to practical preaching points. BJ Clark: 1. Hire instructors who are excellent men first, as well as excellent preachers.
2. Emphasize that we truly are dying men, speaking to dying men and women. Souls are at stake! Eternity hangs in the balance! Our words may help someone go to heaven. We are not training men to give little talks! We are training men to preach the Word that is able to save men’s souls (2 Tim. 4:2; Jam. 1:18-21).
3. God cared enough to send His very best, and this ought to motivate us to give our very best effort in preparing and presenting sermons to a lost and dying world.
4. Our schools should teach preachers to imitate the same balance in their preaching as Jesus and Paul demonstrated in their preaching.
5. Finally, we should emphasize the sweet reward that awaits the devoted preacher of the gospel. Won’t it be grand to hear him say, “Well done!”
Denny P:
1. Have numerous homiletics classes
2. Require students to preach in chapel frequently, with evaluation from faculty.
3. Record their sermons where they can watch themselves.
4. Provide preaching out opportunities in the community
5. Have local preachers be mentors that give feedback when the student preaches for their congregation.
6. Play sermons from "old time" gospel preachers. This shows them what good sermons are like!
Kirk B: First of all, we need to build programs that require them to take more than one class on how to prepare a sermon before they graduate. Secondly, we need to teach them to dig deep in Bible study. Simple and light motivational sermons are not going to build strong, healthy, serving, and enduring Christians. I fear that the habit of going online and downloading someone else’s sermon is a spiritual pandemic in the brotherhood right now. I am not saying that we cannot learn from others, but we must dig for ourselves. If all we do is share someone else’s thoughts, then we are nothing more than puppets. It is like swallowing food someone else chewed and then throwing it back up for our audiences. Powerful, life-changing, disciple-making sermons grow out of deep personal encounters between preachers and God through his Word. This must be the backbone of our colleges. We must also make personal evangelism a key focus in our schools. We cannot reduce the preaching of God’s word to a pulpit in a church building. God’s word needs to be shared in the living room as well as the auditorium. The preacher often knows the word of God as well as anyone in a congregation. He also has been trained in how to communicate that message. To whom much is given, much is required. The preacher must lead the way in personal evangelism, not be a bystander. Members will be passionate about what the preacher is passionate about.
TJI: Once again, thank you all for your help with this. Let’s always try to encourage the good that we can do working together for the Lord to increase His Kingdom. We are thankful for the good work you are all doing.
