Musings on Spiritual Matters

A friend of mine, named Michael Jackson, not the dead one, but the one who works with HCU asked me to read this book, and do a review.  Little did I know of the value of the blessing he was providing.  This book is not for the beginner or the novice minister.  The first section of exploring the background of preaching expressions throughout history is for the individual that has a strong understanding of homiletics.  If not, the novice will be lost.  He will continue to be lost during the sections on understanding the hermeneutic aspects of Biblical and contemporary preaching.  Though, this is one of the most enlightening and beneficial sections in the book.  What makes this book unique is the focus on implementing the vision through Biblical preaching.  The book moves the preacher from a “retreat to plan sermons” to a “time of visioning the sermons for the congregation.”  The majority of the book provides scriptural foundations and practical advice on fulfilling the plan of God through preaching.  Instead of asking “what should I preach on, or what does God want me to preach on,” the preach asks “what is happening in the community and in the heart of God that I must continue through the preaching.”  The preaching is leading the congregation in a specific direction.  The author has various strategies on accomplish this strategic nature of preaching.  He seems to highly endorse a collaborative model for preaching.  This could help as well as sink the leadership role of the minister in the congregation.  A preacher could succumb to allowing the congregation to dictate direction instead of a pneumatic leading.  This book is for the seasoned minister as he has mastered some of the beginning skill sets of presentation and preparation.  This book will have the mature minister take his congregation to the next level in serving the Lord.

Related posts:

1. Read “Leading Strategic Change”
2. Read “Preaching What We Practice”
3. Read “Preaching Biblical Wisdom in a Self-Help Society”
4. How To Improve Preaching
5. Triangulation in Preaching

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This entry was posted by Matthew on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 1:01 pm and is filed under Church News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.