No function of the pastor is as visible and stress inducing as preaching. But few pastors feel adequately prepared for this high-stakes responsibility when they begin their ministries. Forged by her experiences as a pastor, preaching professor and college chaplain, Mary Hulst provides practical tips for all pastors, whether ministry newcomers or seasoned professionals.
No function of the pastor is as visible and stress inducing as preaching. But few pastors feel adequately prepared for this high-stakes responsibility when they begin their ministries. Forged by her experiences as a pastor, preaching professor and college chaplain, Mary Hulst provides practical tips for all pastors, whether ministry newcomers or seasoned professionals.
One of the central tasks of pastoral ministry is preaching the Word of God. Yet those who are called to ministry may feel unprepared, unable, or unwilling to step into this role. In this brief introduction to homiletics, seasoned preacher Matthew Kim provides proven insight and guidance about the importance and history of preaching, the characteristics of faithful preaching, and the personal habits of a faithful preacher.
Describes what it means to be anointed with the Spirit so that one can preach "to raise the dead." In The Holy Spirit and Preaching, James A. Forbes, Jr.--widely hailed as one of the nation's foremost preachers--offers four dynamic lectures originally delivered as the Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale University, the most prestigious annual preaching event in the United States. In each of the lectures, Forbes focuses on the Holy Spirit as it relates to preaching. He traces the Holy Spirit's activity in Jesus' ministry and looks at the impact of being anointed by the Holy Spirit. Forbes demonstrates how the Holy Spirit works with the pastor in the preparation and delivery of a sermon. The Holy Spirit and Preaching concludes by focusing on the need for anointed preaching, and the way anointed preaching happens today.
Craig Loscalzo gives down-to-earth advice on how to communicate clearly and compellingly to a world that does not want to hear about morality, sin, evil, judgment or commitment. He gives straightforward explanations of the changes taking place all around us, including brief sample sermons in each chapter.
In Reading for Preaching Cornelius Plantinga makes a striking claim: preachers who read widely will most likely become better preachers. Plantinga -- himself a master preacher -- shows how a wide reading program can benefit preachers. First, he says, good reading generates delight, and the preacher who enters the world of delight goes with God. Good reading can also help tune the preacher's ear for language -- his or her primary tool. General reading can enlarge the preacher's sympathies for people and situations that she or he had previously known nothing about. And, above all, the preacher who reads widely has the chance to become wise. This beautifully written book will benefit not just preachers but anyone interested in the wisdom to be derived from reading. Works that Plantinga interacts with in the book include The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini Enrique's Journey, by Sonia Nazario Silence, by Shusaku Endo "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" by Leo Tolstoy "Narcissus Leaves the Pool" by Joseph Epstein Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo . . . and many more!
Psychologist, physician and preacher Richard Cox calls on the best modern neuroscience to prove that a better understanding of the brain can transform your preaching. Arguing that the sermon is a highly charged cognitive event, Cox explains the role of brain stimuli in such crucial pastoral tasks as delivering comfort and provoking moral action.
The Pastor's Handbook (KJV) is intended to meet the continuing need of the Christian minister for guidance and forms as he does the work of the ministry. It seeks to offer options to suit the tastes of the pastor and congregation within the parameters of quality, beauty and dignity. To this end, numerous changes, both large and small, have been made—more selected Scriptures, new alternatives for special occasions, some significant additions and changes. At the same time, every effort has been made to keep the book concise and compact to maximize its usefulness. The formulas should be sufficient for the ordinary needs of the minister. They may be modified or supplemented by materials from the pastor's private collection or his own preparation. Some who stress liberty in prayer and preaching dislike set forms, preferring spontaneity and a free style as they worship. If the spiritual vitality of a church is maintained there need be no fear that these forms will become lifeless rituals. The use of forms should never become merely formal. And if the use of forms adds beauty and dignity to the atmosphere of sacredness, who can object? May the blessing of God attend all who glean from this manual, enabling it them to know what to say and how to say it. This is made also for allowing them to know what to do and how to do it especially as the occasion requires. Gratitude is expressed to many pastors and contributors for this volume. Includes the: worship service, baptism, communion, funerals, anointing services, healing services, membership, installation, baby and child dedication, consecration services, ceremonies for buildings and visitation.
Pastoral ministry is more challenging than ever with unique, complicated burdens and expectations some have not experienced in previous generations. Because of this, the number of pastors who start with a great zeal for the work, quickly crash and burn and are left with a battered faith and family. This book seeks to identify those unique challenges, diagnose the problem, propose a biblical solution, and then guide the pastor and his family to embrace these challenges while shepherding the family through them.
For years, Douglas Stuart's Old Testament Exegesis has been one of the most popular ways to learn how to perform exegesis—the science and art of interpreting biblical texts properly for understanding as well as proclamation. This new edition includes a major revision and expansion of online and other resources for doing biblical research and updates past editions by including a helpful configuration of the format for the exegesis process. Stuart provides guidance for full exegesis as well as for a quicker approach specifically tailored to the task of preaching. A glossary of terms explains the sometimes-bewildering language of biblical scholarship, and a list of frequent errors guides the student in avoiding common mistakes. No exegetical guide for the Old Testament has been more widely used in training ministers and students to be faithful, careful interpreters of Scripture.
