Young Preachers - Finding a Place to Preach; Part 2 of 2

Now you are actively involved in your church. You’re sincerely living the Christian life. You’re getting acquainted with Southern Baptists and great preaching.

But how do I get opportunities to preach?

1. Ask your pastor if he has any opportunities where you could have a chance to preach. Let him know you would like to begin preaching. Tell him you would love to bring a short devotional to the youth, or other church classes. If there are time limits, honor them. As one of my professors said, “Men, there is no such thing as a bad short sermon.” Better to leave them wanting more, than leave them wanting less.

2. See if there are opportunities to preach or bring a devotion in a Nursing or Rehab Home. Mrs. Osea Voelkle led church services in an Assisted Living Home when I was a teenager. This was before I had my driver's license.  She asked, and was delighted that I was willing to go with them and preach a sermon. I learned much through those experiences. Do the same at Youth Camps, etc.

3. After your pastor has had a chance to hear you preach a time or two, ask him if he would be willing to contact neighboring pastors and let them know you are available to Supply Preach. Supply preaching is filling in for a pastor when he is sick or on vacation. Many pastors would love to have someone like you to call on at the last minute. If your pastor is willing to write a letter recommending you, offer to do the work of addressing letters and paying the postage to mail them. Send a copy to your local, and neighboring Baptist Association offices as well.

If you have preached in other churches, you might want to include the names and numbers of other pastors who would also recommend you. Ask your pastor for his advise along these lines.

4. If possible attend your local Baptist Association meeting (usually monthly or quarterly) with your pastor. Hopefully your pastor or Director of Missions would be willing to introduce you and let the others know of your availability to preach. Have a card or flyer to give to interested pastors. Attend these meetings every chance you have.

5. Attend all types of Baptist meetings. State conventions, evangelism conferences, the annual Southern Baptist Convention. Get to know the preachers. Make yourself available. Prayer should be a large part of all this. But remember that pastors call on people they know. Make sure they know you.

6. Ask if someone will recommend you to fill the pulpit for an area pastorless church. You may not be ready to pastor, but often they are looking for someone to just supply preach a Sunday or two until they get an interim or permanent pastor.

7. Never turn down an opportunity to preach, without good reason. If you have a good reason, explain it to them and let them know you would love to preach for them in the future. I once asked a preacher to supply for me. He declined and never gave any reason for doing so. I assumed he was not interested and never called on him again.

8. No church should be too big or too small. Count it an honor to go to any church to preach the Word of God. Never cancel out one preaching appointment to go to a bigger church to preach. Once you make a commitment to preach, keep it.

If you are asked to preach at a small church, count it a great honor and treat it like you’ve been asked to preach at Bellevue Baptist Church, Tennessee. I have always admired preachers that were just as honored and gracious to preach in a small church as a large church.

9. You may be able to send a short note to your state Baptist paper:
Benajah H. Carroll has been called to preach. He is a member of Sandy Creek Baptist Church, Big Spring and his available to supply preach. Benajah can be reached at 281/BR-549.

Check such news notes in your state paper and see how you might use them. For example, an interim may send in a note saying he has just completed and interim at a certain church, and is now available for supply preaching and interims. Always include complete contact information.

I you are scheduled to preach a revival, always send it in early enough so your paper can publish it.  This gives publicity to the church and revival, and to you as a preacher. 

10. Don’t worry about getting paid; that will work out later. Some places will not pay you at all, some will pay you very little, some very well, some not at all. Some will mail you a check. Right now just jump at every opportunity to preach and count it a bonus if they give you a check.
(By the way, if you are a pastor, see that the supply preacher is paid as well as your church is able to pay him; and see that he gets the check before the leaves your church.)

As more pastors get to know you, assuming you can preach, they will recommend you to others.

When you preach, realize you are there to help, not hurt the church. Be respectful of them. Preach the Word of God with conviction and power, but don’t be obnoxious. Don’t be arrogant and condescending to the people. Be gracious and friendly. If it were not for them, you would not have a place to preach in the first place. Preach in such a way they will want to hear you again.

Note: If you are a newly called preacher of the Gospel, write me a note and send me your mailing address. Write me at P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, TX 77566.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 30, AD 2011.

Flee Immorality
Young Preachers - Finding a Place to Preach; Part 1
Other articles in lower right margin

Young Preachers - Finding a Place to Preach; Part 1

When I attended college, I was surprised to meet young preachers who had never preached. They had felt God’s call to preach. They had surrendered their lives to the ministry. They were being educated to follow that call. Yet they had never had the opportunity to preach. Others I met had only had the chance to preach once or twice.

Part of the blame goes to their home pastors. Pastor, if you have a young man who surrenders his life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ - give him the opportunity to preach. Let him bring a devotional in a Sunday School Class or department. Have him preach on Wednesday night or Sunday night. Help him in preparing a sermon or two. It is inexcusable for a pastor to have young preachers in his church and never give them the opportunity to preach.

Now to the young man who has surrendered to preach. What do you do now? Let me mention some basics, then I’ll specifically mention how to get opportunities to preach.

First, be the best member your pastor has. Be in church every week Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. How can you claim to want to be a preacher and not even attend the regular services of your own church? Are you only going to regularly attend church when they pay you to do so?

A young man showed up at my church one Sunday night and sat on the front row. That will impress any pastor. Later he told me he was a preacher and wanted me to be his mentor. That’ll also impress a pastor. He let me know he was ready to preach for me anytime. But he attended sporadically and never showed up on Sunday mornings. I found out the reason; he just couldn’t wake up early enough to make it to Sunday morning Worship, much less Sunday School. I spoke to him of the importance of a preacher being faithful to all church services. He never attended on Sunday morning, I never asked him to preach, and he soon disappeared.

Second, study God’s Word and study good preachers. Learn how to put a sermon together. I’ll get in trouble for this, but steal a good sermon from a good preacher (but don’t try to publish that sermon in your name!). Herschel Ford used to say in his sermon books that his sermons were now yours and to feel free to preach them. Soon you will be putting together your own sermons. But feel free to start out heavily using the sermons of others.

R. G. Lee (pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis and SBC president) told of a country preacher he met. The preacher thanked Lee for his ministry and said, “I take your sermons and improve on them.” Take some good sermons and “improve” on them.

Good examples to follow: Adrian Rogers, Jerry Vines, Paige Patterson, David Jeremiah… The list goes on, but get their books and DVDs of their sermons. Don’t mimic them; preach in your own style. But learn from them.

Also, find an older pastor that you respect, and get to know him well. Ask questions. Go to him often for advice.

Prepare two or three good sermons and be ready to preach at any time. Keep your notes in your Bible. You never know when you may get an unexpected opportunity to preach.

When I was a teenager, my family drove across Houston to hear Evangelist Dan Vestal in Revival. We arrived a little late, walked in during the song service, and sat toward the back. Vestal was sitting on the platform. He saw us and walked back. I thought it was a little unusual, but figured he wanted to greet dad; they were great friends. He leaned over them and spoke to me. “David, I have a sore throat and I need you to preach for me tonight.” I was terrified. I had a grand total of about three or four sermons under my belt. I had no sermon notes with me. He refused to take no for an answer. I had a couple more songs to prepare my sermon. I got up and preached. God blessed, I think in spite of me, and several folks were saved. Always be ready!

Subscribe to a good paper or two that deals with Baptist life, theology and preaching. Subscribe to your state Southern Baptist paper. Mine is the Southern Baptist Texan and I highly recommend it. It will keep you up on Baptists, ministry, preachers and preaching. You may benefit from subscribing to your own state paper, and another good state Baptist paper. Subscribe to the Biblical Evangelist. It is filled with sermons, Bible studies, and illustrations. Both of these papers are listed in the right hand margin of Gulf Coast Pastor. Click the link, then click Subscribe at their site, and send them your mailing address. Also see links at GCP for Adrian Rogers, Jerry Vines, David Jeremiah and others.

Go to neighboring churches (when your church is not having their regular services) and hear other preachers. Attend conventions and revivals. You will both learn from them and get to know other preachers.

Next: Young Preachers - Finding a Place to Preach; Part 2
You may also be interested in Commentaries and Bible Study.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 21, AD 2011.

Young Preachers - Finding a Place to Preach; Part 2 of 2

How to Give to Japan Disaster Relief

In light of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, many wonder about the best way to give to help with disaster relief. For those who would like to give through a Christian organization, there is no better way than to give through the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.

Southern Baptists have had missionaries in Japan all along. They are already there helping with disaster relief. They are there to give in the name of Jesus Christ and to lovingly share the Gospel.

You can give through your Southern Baptist church. Even if you are not a member, you can find an SBC church and ask them if you can give a gift through them for SBC Disaster Relief. I’ve let our church know they can write a check to our church and designate it for SBC Disaster Relief. We will send 100% of the offering through our state convention (SBTC) who will forward it (100%) to the International Mission Board.

An individual or church can also send their gift directly to the Office of Finance, International Mission Board, 3806 Monument Ave., Richmond, Va. 23230. Designate it for Disaster Relief or Japan Response Fund.

‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ -Jesus Christ; Matthew 25:39-40

For more information: texanonline.net; bpnews.net; imb.org. Or just click the links (Southern Baptist Texan; Baptist Press) in the right hand margin of Gulf Coast Pastor.

PS - Remember this Sunday, March 20, 2011 is Substance Abuse Prevention Sunday in the SBC. 

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 14, AD 2011.

Adrian Rogers on "Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow"

Adrian Rogers was one of the most loved and respected pastors of the Southern Baptist Convention. His preaching blessed the lives of many thousands. Not only those he pastored at Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tennessee, but also the TV and radio audience of Love Worth Finding (see right margin) and Southern Baptists who heard him preach at conventions. Many, including my dad, called him the greatest living preacher.

Part of my advice to young preachers would be to study, emulate, and learn from the preaching, practice, and theology of Adrian Rogers. It’s not bad advice for older preachers as well. Get Adrian’s sermons and books. He is a great model for preaching and pastoral ministry.

Rogers was a leader in the Conservative Resurgence of the Southern Baptist Convention. The year it all began, 1979, was the year Southern Baptists elected Rogers president of the SBC. This began the process of bringing our convention back to its historic belief in the inerrancy of the Bible. Adrian was elected three times as SBC president.

The times I was around Adrian Rogers I was impressed with him acting like a regular preacher, not someone special. He had a very personal, gracious way about him.

When I wrote The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow about my preacher dad, I decided to write Adrian Rogers to see if he would consider writing an endorsement for the book. I was advised not to do to, since Adrian was such a highly visible leader; he would have no time to bother with such a request. Regardless, I sent him a letter and a rough copy of the book. He had known dad and my family through the days of the Conservative Resurgence. Adrian soon sent a very gracious reply and endorsement for the book. It was used on the back cover.

When the book was published, I sent a couple of copies to Adrian Rogers and thanked him again for his help. Later I would find these were his last days on this earth. He was battling cancer and no doubt did not feel like responding to my letter.

I had not asked for a reply, just wanted him to have the final copy of the book and to thank him again. Nevertheless I received an even more gracious letter concerning the book. The letter said:

Dear David,

Thank you, my friend, for the finished product - The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow.

I spent much time this morning reading, smiling, amening, and just nodding my head. It is a beautiful book, easy to read, and full of genuine spiritual wisdom.

God is love. Jesus is wonderful.

In His Dear Name.
Adrian Rogers
Memphis, TN.
June 21, 2005

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 1, AD 2011.

Note - The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow can be ordered at:

Your local bookstore, or
Hannibal Books, 800/747-0738
Amazon.com
Signed copy directly from the author:
David R. Brumbelow, P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566 USA. $12.95 postpaid.