| Volume XXIX |
January 2009
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Number
6
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Where Have All the Preachers Gone? By Ryan Roark
Some of our pulpits are being filled by well-intentioned men who have little to no formal training. Certainly, I am not alleging that it takes a degree to preach God’s word. I do suggest that, whenever possible, preachers should seek and receive training to equip themselves for a vocation that presents its share of challenges. After publishing an online article similar to this one, I received one very angry email from a brother who preaches for a small congregation and has no formal training. Unfortunately, he came away misunderstanding my position on the matter. In a response to this brother, I assured him that it was in no way my intention to suggest a degree is a necessity. There are churches of Christ that must number into the hundreds (if not thousands) throughout the world that are being served well by men who do their best without having the advantage of formal education. However, like anything else, preaching is a skill that ought to be honed through experience, education, and study whenever and wherever possible. It is not the “sheepskin” that hangs on a wall, nor the letters that succeed one’s name on a resume that matter. Rather, it is the invaluable tools one attains over the course of studying at universities, and especially at strong preacher training schools. It seems to me we have ample institutions at our disposal to accomplish the task of training the men. The real needs, at present, are these: (1) men with a desire to preach, and (2) saints of God with a desire to financially support the work of training men to preach the word. How can we remedy the preacher shortage so many are lamenting? Consider just a few suggestions: First, encourage those who are but small boys now to be aspiring preachers. We never know how planting that little “seed” of encouragement early on can blossom at a later time! Second, conduct young men’s training classes (sometimes called “Timothy classes”) in which teenage boys are taught (in great depth) the finer points of preparing and delivering a sermon, song leading, reading Scripture, etc. Every quarter or so, give the young men in this class the opportunity to lead the congregation in all aspects of worship once they are adequately trained to do so. Third, be careful how we speak of preachers and elders, particularly in the company of children. How many young men will want to go to school to be trained as a preacher when he grew up hearing mom and dad badmouth the preacher and elders? Fourth, support one or more preacher training schools in your monthly budget (we have several schools doing a fine job). If we are already doing so, consider increasing our support as our budget allows. Fifth, remember that no preacher is as great as some brothers and sisters believe, nor as awful as others may imagine. The respectable preacher is one who sees himself as one among many humble servants of God, laboring alongside every member of a local body of Christians. In an address at Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky, Edgar DeWitt Jones said,
For just a brief moment, I would like to address item number one from the list of suggestions given above (i.e., the encouragement of young men and boys to aspire toward preaching the Gospel). From a very personal standpoint, I have seen the power a simple word of encouragement can have. Like many young lads, I was convinced I would be a professional athlete making fistfuls of cash. Certainly, if this did not work out, I would move into some sort of business arena since this was the path my father took, and his father before him. After preaching a sermon or two as a teenager, I was encouraged by more than one of the brothers and sisters at my home congregation to give some thought to making this my life’s work. At the time, I was the captain of the high school football team with plans on receiving an athletic scholarship. I feel I must have laughed as I dismissed the possibility of working as a full-time preacher from my thoughts. Though I did not know it at the time, a few kind and encouraging words from these brothers and sisters had “planted a seed” in the back of my mind. It would take a few more years, but the thoughts they had placed into my thinking would eventually spring forth as a full-grown, fervent desire to declare God’s power to save (Rom. 1:16) as a lifelong endeavor. Friend, we need better men for better churches. Inspire today’s children to dream of preaching the Gospel; support and encourage those presently being trained and schooled; and work willingly alongside those who even now address the saints from time to time with messages from God’s own word. Ryan is a 2002 graduate of FSOP and preaches for the Cold Harbor Road church of Christ in Mechanicsville, Virginia.
The Gospel and Why We Train Preachers By Brian R. Kenyon
The Gospel Must Be Learned
Note that Timothy was to continue in what he had learned and that in which he had confidence. Timothy’s source of knowledge was at least twofold. First, as “from a child” in verse 15 indicates, Timothy learned the Scriptures from home, particularly his mother and grandmother (2 Tim. 1:5). This is all the more encouraging considering that Timothy was reared in a religiously mixed home. His mother was Jewish, but his father was a non-believing Greek (Acts 16:1). Faithfulness to God and His word is possible even in a religiously mixed home. Second, Timothy was taught by the apostle Paul, who considered the young evangelist as his “son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2). From this we learn the role the home has in encouraging men to preach. Who knows what Timothy would have done had not his godly mother and grandmother taught him the Scriptures! How many preachers today fill pulpits across the world because of the encouragement they received from their mothers, grandmothers, and/or other family members? Let us teach our children the Scriptures and encourage our young men to “Preach the word”! Paul gave three major reasons why the Gospel must be learned. First, it is “able to make thee wise unto salvation.” Only the Gospel has the power to save (Rom. 1:16). However, just knowing the Gospel is not enough; we must respond “through faith” in Christ! Second, the Gospel must be learned because it “is given by inspiration of God.” The Greek word behind these six English words literally means “God-breathed” (cf. “breathed out by God,” ESV). The genuine words of the original writings of the Bible are not from men, but are actually the words of God! If there were anything ever worth learning, it would be, and is, the Bible! Third, the Gospel must be learned because through it, and it alone, we are “thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17b, NKJ). Without the knowledge of the Scriptures applied, we can never be the people God wants. Equally certain is that by applying more than the Scriptures allow, we can never be the people God wants! The Gospel Must Be Taught Since the Gospel must be learned, it obviously must be taught. Thus, Paul’s solemn charge,
“Be instant” means both to “be ready” (NKJ), and to “be urgent” (ASV). Both “in season” and “out of season” are translated from a word for time (kairos) that has a different prefix. “In season” literally means a “good time,” or when the time is right, convenient (the Greek word occurs again in Mk. 14:11). “Out of season” literally means an “un-time,” or when the time is not right, untimely. There is truth to the statement often credited to Marshall Keeble that the word must be preached “Whether they want to hear it or whether they don’t want to hear it!” The taught word of God must “reprove [convince, NKJ],” which means to show, or convince, one of his error or fault (Jn. 8:46; Eph. 5:11); “rebuke,” which carries the idea of scolding or censuring someone (Mt. 16:22; 19:13; Jude 9); and “exhort,” which means to encourage (1 Tim. 5:1; 6:2). All this is to be done with “great patience and instruction” (NAS). We Must Continue in the Gospel Paul warned that some people, even among the churches of Christ, would no longer continue in the word of God. Some will abandon “sound doctrine” and “the truth” for “their own lusts” and “fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4 cf. 1 Tim. 1:4, 6-7; 4:7; Tit. 1:14). These will only tolerate those who preach what they want to hear! Conclusion Since the Gospel must be learned, taught, and continued in, any Scriptural and effective effort at accomplishing such is worthy of existence. The Florida School of Preaching has been doing this since 1969. We thank all of you who make this work possible. The Gospel is why we train preachers!
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Perhaps one of the most quoted verses having to do with preaching is Second Timothy 4:2. However, an examination of the context in which this verse appears reveals three major truths relevant to the Gospel and, incidentally, why we exist to train preachers.
Philip Lancaster
Uleysses Richardson 