By Phil Newton
A recent story highlighting one NFL quarterback reveals a key principle for preaching. Though achieving All-American and Heisman Trophy honors in college, this quarterback admitted he still has much to learn. He continues to welcome and act upon input from his coaches and teammates. Instead of operating in isolation, he practices his craft in community. I’m convinced that this quarterback understands something quite biblical. We best mature in life and ministry in the context of our community’s contributions.
This principle holds true for the pulpit, where the stakes are much higher. Pastors are not multi-million-dollar performers but men of God called to shepherd His flock through the ministry of His Word (Acts 20:28). No responsibility is weightier than to give an account to the Lord of the Church for how we’ve cared for His redeemed people (Heb. 13:17).
An isolationist mentality in the pulpit hinders effective gospel proclamation. Pastors learn, develop, and mature as expositors in God’s provision of community. How exactly does community help to shape pastoral preaching? Let’s consider three aspects of pastors in community.
Pastors in Plurality Provide a Nurturing Community
When Jesus sent the twelve and the seventy-two, He did so in plurality. He trained and honed them together as disciples. When He sent them out, He did so in pairs (Luke 9, 10). Why? Together, the disciples could hold one another accountable, sharpen one another in conversations, evaluate one another in gospel talks, and encourage one another to continue in faithfulness.
When Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps at the end of their first missionary journey, they “appointed elders [plural] for them in every church” (Acts 14:23). Paul uses the same plurality language when instructing his apostolic representatives in Ephesus and Crete to ensure they partner with faithful men to serve as elders (1 Tim. 5:17; Titus 1:5). Peter also uses plural terminology with the elders serving in Asia Minor churches (1 Pet. 5:1–4).
Elders serving local churches in the ministry of the Word are never to be isolationists in their labors. No one man has all the abilities or insights necessary for the church to flourish. Each needs others for sharpening, shepherding, and preaching.
Does this mean a plural pastoral structure demands each man share an equal load in the preaching? Not at all. Each brother has his gifts, strengths, and abilities, with some leaning more heavily into pulpit ministry. Yet all have responsibility for what comes from the pulpit, as elders paying attention to the flock (Acts 20:28). That responsibility works out in praying for those who preach, advising the primary preachers on the congregation’s spiritual needs, and discussing the sermons with a view to improving clarity, comprehension, and doctrinal fidelity. Who better to point out the preacher’s unnecessary verbiage, distracting habits, and doctrinal mistakes than his fellow shepherds?
Fourteen years into pastoral ministry, I discovered how the gift of elders sharpens my preaching. Even when I occasionally disagreed with a critique, I began to see a new insight or idea emerge as I prepared the next sermon. Admittedly, seminary training and years of preaching can morph into a siloed approach to the pulpit through the temptation of believing we’ve “arrived.” But no pastor has arrived in the way he handles the Word. He needs the plurality of godly men around him to nurture him in his vital role for the church.
Pastoral Teachability Flourishes in Community
Every pastor desires a Berean community as his audience (Acts 17:10–15). Consider what the Bereans did. “They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). They listened and received the Word but weren’t satisfied by only hearing the exposition. They examined the Scriptures to see if Paul and Silas’s messages rang true to God’s Word. The Bereans exemplify accountability in community. Paul and Silas tag-teamed in preaching and likely tag-teamed in answering queries into their gospel preaching. As they received questions, Paul and Silas could not be defensive as though infallible in their teaching. They had to show not only boldness with the message but humility as messengers. Paul and Silas had to be willing to listen without interruption, clarify what they taught, and demonstrate with theological precision what they had preached—all with a humble spirit. And they did. And many of the Bereans believed the good news (Acts 17:12).
How may we model the humble, teachable spirit necessary for those engaged in preaching God’s Word? Another instance in Acts provides a good example. When Paul left for Ephesus, he took Priscilla and Aquila, with whom he had worked side-by-side as tentmakers in Corinth. During that time, Apollos, an Alexandrian Jew, came into Ephesus, eloquently preaching the way of Christ. But he lacked knowledge on some truths about Christ. Despite his distinction as the only one called “an eloquent man” in Acts, the tentmakers offered him correction.
He demonstrated teachability, as Priscilla and Aquila “explained to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26). As a result, he gained the joyful commendation of the church, and in his later preaching, “He greatly helped those who through grace had believed…showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus” (Acts 18:27–28).
For many years in pastoring, I both offered and received preaching critiques, especially with those I was mentoring. Rarely did anyone bristle at the critiques. Instead, they listened, wanting to improve in handling the Word before God’s people. Their humble, teachable hearts showed the right spirit to mature in preaching. I am now a member in another church where my pastors regularly ask me to critique their preaching. This kind of teachability encourages me in what the Lord is doing in them, for it demonstrates their desire to grow in proclaiming Scripture with increasing faithfulness.
Pastoral Mentoring Sharpens Preaching in Community
Timothy represented Paul to the Corinthian church, teaching them as Paul had mentored him (1 Cor. 4:17). Timothy learned to preach as he, Paul, and Silas teamed to preach to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 1:19). Paul’s mentoring shaped Timothy for effective pastoral preaching (2 Tim. 3:10–14). Paul did not immediately turn Timothy loose when Paul began his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1–5). He trained and mentored Timothy, reinforcing truth and gospel practice, and gave Timothy opportunities under his eye. Finally, in Berea, Paul left Timothy with Silas to continue the work (Acts 17:15). The mentor had prepared his trainee to serve with effectiveness. Yet evidence in 1 and 2 Timothy shows that Paul never quit mentoring his son in the faith.
Pastors have an opportunity to train men in their congregations to teach and preach. Mentoring these men toward the goal of serving the congregation sharpens potential elders, pastors, and missionaries to labor in local churches. It is in the community of trainees and congregational members, faithfully affirming and sharpening those who preach, that these men grow in their preaching abilities. A lead pastor sets the example by inviting the men he mentors to speak into his life regarding his preaching. This kind of mutual honing bears fruit in life and ministry.
Conclusion
One of my mentors called preaching an art, implying that there is always room for improving one’s pulpit artistry. Rather than take a siloed approach to preaching, where the preacher listens only to himself and his own self-reflection, the preacher should recognize the community of faithful followers of Jesus who can sharpen and hone him as he opens the Word for God’s people. In this way, the “one another” passages to love, admonish, and encourage each other can be practiced with those who stand to herald God’s Word.
Phil Newton | Director of Pastoral Care and Mentoring, The Pillar Network
