In all the posts I’ve read (and written) about the shortage of pastoral candidates, Maclean’s third reason is one that few have the courage to articulate. It just doesn’t sound right to suggest that we have too many churches.
Bavinck certainly commends “eloquence” as an important aim in Christian preaching. For Bavinck, eloquence is more than rhetorical training or homiletical excellence. He defines eloquence under three headings.
The pursuit of this kind of preaching and teaching requires the pastor / teacher to keep the varied nature of his congregation in mind. In other words, those who proclaim the Word of God must remember to whom they are speaking.
In this post I’m listing out my eight favorite books on preaching, but I’m dividing those books into two lists. List one contains comprehensive books on preaching. List two contains niche, focused books on preaching.
Lord willing, in the spring of 2025, we plan to teach a series on the Apostles’ Creed at Immanuel. In preparation for this series, I purchased several books on the Apostles’ Creed. The following three are my favorites, with one bonus book thrown in for good measure.
Regular pastors won’t make a big impact through any external, worldly metric of success. However, regular pastors can make a big impact in the following four ways.
Here at the beginning of 2024 I’ve been preaching a series on The Holy Spirit at Immanuel. Here are five books that have proved helpful in my preparation.
What is true broadly of the Old Testament is also true narrowly of the book of Psalms. The Psalms point us to Jesus Christ.
Should church members have access to their pastor? My answers (plural) to this question are no, and it depends, and yes.
Regular Pastor 