KANSAS CITY, Mo—More than 100 regional pastors and ministry leaders gathered at Midwestern Seminary on March 27 for the first on-campus preaching workshop from the Midwestern Institute for Preaching and Preachers.
Featuring speakers Robert Smith Jr., Jason K. Allen, and H.B. Charles Jr., the workshop focused on the priority of Christ-centered preaching in the pastor’s call to shepherd the local church.
President Jason Allen shared the vision for the workshops to serve local churches and their pastors. “We consider to be a precious stewardship not only the students we train but the churches we serve. And we consider it a double stewardship to serve those churches in our immediate proximity,” he said.
The workshop comprised three keynote sessions, a panel discussion with seasoned preachers, and a group work session where participants had the opportunity to sharpen one another in sermon preparation.
The first session was led by Robert Smith Jr., distinguished professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, who focused on the preacher’s task to lead a congregation through a text to Christ.
Smith demonstrated this preaching objective with the example of Luke 24:30–36, where Jesus meets several disciples on the road after His resurrection and shows them how the Old Testament points to Him.
Smith showed how Jesus used the opportunity on the road to help His disciples see for themselves how the Old Testament Scriptures point to Him, thus stirring their affection for Him and their response to Him.
From this example, Smith offered preachers practical encouragement for persevering with their congregations through a text, such as asking good questions and listening to the text, for the goal of building up their congregations in maturity. Smith also noted that expounding the Old Testament and faithfully preaching the sufferings of Christ are essential components of leading people to Christ through Scripture.
“The Bible is all about Him,” Smith said. “It’s not ultimately about the plan of salvation; it’s ultimately about the man of salvation who carries out the plan of salvation.”
Following Smith, Jason Allen led the second session, which addressed the work of studying to show oneself approved, drawing from 2 Timothy 2:15.
“Part and parcel with a ministry of the Word is a devotion to the study of the Word,” Allen said.
He gave several reasons why preachers must study, noting the dignity of God’s Word and the importance of handling it well; the biblical requirement that pastors be “able to teach”; the church’s need for clear and confident articulation of the truth in a confusing culture; and the preacher’s own self-respect and self-confidence in reflecting the living and active Word of God.
Allen then gave 16 practical recommendations for how to study God’s Word, including to start early, use good resources, be inquisitive of the text, be humble, be expositional, be authoritative, and be Christ-centered.
Allen encouraged preachers to begin their study by prayerfully wrestling with the biblical text. “Generate your own textual reflections before you turn to the reflections of other preachers,” he said. “Ask the Spirit to work in you in those moments.” He added, “He’s ordained you in His providence to preach this text.”
The final session was given by H.B. Charles Jr., pastor-teacher at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville and Orange Park, Florida. Charles highlighted the importance of growing and progressing as a preacher.
“Effective preaching is hard work,” he said. “Somebody’s going to work hard on that sermon for Sunday. Either you’re going to work hard to prepare it, or the saints are going to have to work hard to listen to it.”
Charles encouraged participants to pursue seven characteristics of effective preaching: faithfulness to the text, purpose for the sermon, unity in the sermon elements, movement toward the goal, clarity in words, passion for the message, and liberty in the pulpit.
“That kind of preaching liberty is the overflow of a heart full of devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ,” Charles said, adding, “It is preaching to the glory of God.”
Charles reminded preachers that their preaching should seek to clearly and consistently communicate Scripture’s purpose. “It is not our preaching that makes the gospel work. It’s the gospel that makes our preaching work. So you want to be faithful to the text.”
Following the sessions, the three speakers were joined by Midwestern Seminary faculty members Jared Bumpers, assistant professor of preaching and evangelism, and Jared C. Wilson, assistant professor of pastoral ministry, to answer questions from workshop participants during a panel discussion.
Participant Jeff Brown from Shawnee, Oklahoma, expressed his gratitude for the practical equipping and resources provided through the workshop. “I’m training pastors in Africa how to do homiletics and hermeneutics, and I got so much out of this,” he said. He also noted the value of the table discussion for making ongoing connections with fellow ministry leaders, adding, “It was a wonderful time of fellowship.”
Eduard Mangalagiu, a Spurgeon College student from Iasi, Romania, shared the value of the workshop for his ministry preparation. “As a young preacher, hearing from experienced ministers helped me understand the honor and responsibility of preaching,” he said.
Mangalagiu is pursuing a Master of Divinity through the Accelerate program. He went on to say, “The workshop was a great encouragement, providing valuable insights and practical advice. It gave me tools I can immediately apply to my sermon preparation and delivery.”
The Midwestern Institute for Preaching and Preachers will host three workshops each fall and spring, including one on campus and two regionally. Upcoming workshops will be held on September 8 in Oklahoma City; September 9 in Wichita, Kansas; and October 21 on Midwestern Seminary’s campus in Kansas City.
To learn more about the Midwestern Institute for Preaching and Preachers and to sign up for updates, click here.
