Keep Preaching the Word

By Dr. Clif Johnson, BMAA President

The meeting is over, goodbyes have been said and handshakes and hugs have been given. By now, receipts have been turned over to the treasurer and we are back in the groove of our ministerial routines. Thus goes the rollercoaster of religious activity — highs and lows, peaks and valleys. How about we step off the rollercoaster and think about how we might bring the theme of our meeting — “Preach the Word” — into our ministries?

We may think that such a theme would be easy to incorporate into ministry. We may even wonder what the big deal really is. After all, do we not preach the Word Sunday after Sunday? Well, hopefully we do, but we should always seek to improve as pastors and to grow spiritually and in wisdom. With that in mind, here are some action steps to employ as you continue to preach the Word:

• Get training. Preaching is a rare occupation in that there is very little encouragement to continue your education or skills training once you graduate from Bible college and seminary. The BMA Theological Seminary is a great place to take a refresher course on preaching. Several other ministries exist that will help you improve in your preaching such as Simeon Trust Preaching Workshops that can be taken online. G3 Preaching workshops and The Preaching Lab conferences are also available. The point is, never stop learning, growing and receiving training.

• Find or be a mentor. Perhaps the greatest impact an older pastor can have on the younger generation of pastors is intentionality. Show younger guys how you develop your sermon. Talk with them about what you take into the pulpit (outline or manuscript) and why. Give them advice on preaching “hard” passages. Let them in on how you pray for your church members. Answer the questions you once had as a young pastor. In other words, pour your ministry into them.

Younger guys, don’t make it a habit of always being around younger guys. When you go to national meetings, find older men to talk with and learn from. Find them in your local association or find them online and ask them the questions you want to be answered.

• Study the Christian Worldview.(Defined as the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world as a Christian individual, group or culture.) In addition to continuing to study the craft of preaching, preachers also need to know what the Christian worldview is and how the Christian worldview is to interact with the world in which it finds itself. Church members not only need to know the Word of God, but they also need a clear understanding of the world of God that is under the curse of sin.

• Use a preaching survey. One practical way to get a gauge on your preaching and know how to improve is to hand out a survey to a few people in the church. Questions on the survey could be as simple as a rating system that asks if your main points were made clear, if the illustrations were helpful, if the application was relevant, etc.

Men, the time is now. The task is clear, but the task is not easy. It requires work, prayer and holy sweat. Let’s get to it. Preach the Word!

The meeting is over, goodbyes have been said and handshakes and hugs have been given. By now, receipts have been turned over to the treasurer and we are back in the groove of our ministerial routines. Thus goes the rollercoaster of religious activity — highs and lows, peaks and valleys. How about we step off the rollercoaster and think about how we might bring the theme of our meeting — “Preach the Word” — into our ministries?

We may think that such a theme would be easy to incorporate into ministry. We may even wonder what the big deal really is. After all, do we not preach the Word Sunday after Sunday? Well, hopefully we do, but we should always seek to improve as pastors and to grow spiritually and in wisdom. With that in mind, here are some action steps to employ as you continue to preach the Word:

• Get training. Preaching is a rare occupation in that there is very little encouragement to continue your education or skills training once you graduate from Bible college and seminary. The BMA Theological Seminary is a great place to take a refresher course on preaching. Several other ministries exist that will help you improve in your preaching such as Simeon Trust Preaching Workshops that can be taken online. G3 Preaching workshops and The Preaching Lab conferences are also available. The point is, never stop learning, growing and receiving training.

• Find or be a mentor. Perhaps the greatest impact an older pastor can have on the younger generation of pastors is intentionality. Show younger guys how you develop your sermon. Talk with them about what you take into the pulpit (outline or manuscript) and why. Give them advice on preaching “hard” passages. Let them in on how you pray for your church members. Answer the questions you once had as a young pastor. In other words, pour your ministry into them.

Younger guys, don’t make it a habit of always being around younger guys. When you go to national meetings, find older men to talk with and learn from. Find them in your local association or find them online and ask them the questions you want to be answered.

• Study the Christian Worldview.(Defined as the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world as a Christian individual, group or culture.) In addition to continuing to study the craft of preaching, preachers also need to know what the Christian worldview is and how the Christian worldview is to interact with the world in which it finds itself. Church members not only need to know the Word of God, but they also need a clear understanding of the world of God that is under the curse of sin.

• Use a preaching survey. One practical way to get a gauge on your preaching and know how to improve is to hand out a survey to a few people in the church. Questions on the survey could be as simple as a rating system that asks if your main points were made clear, if the illustrations were helpful, if the application was relevant, etc.

Men, the time is now. The task is clear, but the task is not easy. It requires work, prayer and holy sweat. Let’s get to it. Preach the Word!