Text-Driven Blog
The Preacher as Steward
Pastors are called to stewardship. Of course, one could say that this is the calling of every believer. And they would be correct. The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 demonstrates that we are all to be stewards of whatever God has given us. While this is ... Read More »
The Preacher As Expositor
“I’m an expository preacher.” I’ve heard more preachers describe their preaching like that than any other way. However, I’ve observed that considerably more preachers call themselves expositors than actually preach expositionally.... Read More »
The Preacher and His Family: Leading Your Family in God’s Two Gardens
In Psalm 127, Solomon refers to children as a “heritage” or an “inheritance” from the Lord. It’s easy to miss how revolutionary that statement is. Solomon isn’t saying that children will receive our inheritance. He is saying that they are our inher... Read More »
The Preacher as Evangelist: Evangelistic Preaching
Some things go together – a boy and his bicycle, a little girl and her doll, and a bride and her groom. Preaching and evangelism are like these – they logically go together. Jesus was a preacher. We read in Mark 1:14, “Jesus came…preaching.” Jesus Hi... Read More »
The Preacher as Teacher
The first time that I participated in a dive was in a swimming pool with a depth of ten feet. Then came the moment off the coast of Hawaii when, as an advanced diver working at a depth of fifty feet, I checked my daughter Carmen’s air gage and discovered t... Read More »
The Preacher as Biblical Counselor
As a pastor, the last thing you need is another hat to wear. To add the title of counselor to that list of duties is not a specialization that you have time to pursue. But, your people experience the brokenness of our cursed human condition and idleness is not... Read More »
The Preacher as Theologian: Why Theology is Needed for Text-Driven Preaching
“Sure, I learned lots of theology in seminary… Lots of answers to questions that nobody is asking!” My friend’s words made my stomach lurch. Not because I’m a systematic theology professor, but because like him, I’m also a preac... Read More »
The Preacher as Pastor | Why Text-Driven Preaching is Needed for Healthy Pastoral Ministry
It is a joy to serve at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where we espouse what is called “Text-Driven Preaching.” Simply put, we want the chosen text (Yes there should be an actual biblical text) to drive the sermon. The text-driven preacher is co... Read More »
The Preacher as Leader: Avoiding Listener Fatigue
Most Sundays, preachers stand before their congregation and teach their people to tune them out. You can deliver a finely crafted, text-driven, and powerful message, and receive little congregational response. Why? Because you make this common mistake befo... Read More »
The Preacher as Writer
Should a preacher be a writer? I hesitate to say “yes,” simply because I do not want to add another burden to a pastor who is already overwhelmed with the demands of ministry. To say that all preachers or pastors should be skilled in the craft of writing r... Read More »
The Preacher and the Importance of Godly Character
1 Peter 1:1-2; 13-16 Peter begins his epistle by calling believers “Temporary residents”. That term literally means “beside the people.” It reveals the necessary separation and the dynamic saturation of believers in the world. We are always resident al... Read More »
Four Types of Meaning in the Text
The text-driven preacher must recognize that there are four basic types of meaning conveyed in every text and context: referential, situational, structural and semantic. Referential meaning is that which is being talked about; the subject matter of a text. Sit... Read More »
