Amazing book to read!

 

This blog post was originally published at a previous blog site in 2013. However, it continues to reflect my thinking today.

Those that know me personally know that I love teaching and studying Pastoral Theology; simply looking at how and why we do the ministry we do. This includes everything from pastoral counseling, Ethics, Homiletics/Teaching, Church Leadership, and the Church Ordinance. I’m always reading and looking for good books or articles on the subject, and ironically, I came across a book on Amazon that is free to download to my Kindle entitled, “The Preacher and His Model, the Yale Lectures on Preaching, 1891.”

This awesome nine-part lecture was presented at “Divinity School of Yale University, New Haven, Conn, April 25, 1891, by Rev. James Stalker D.D. of Glasgow, Scotland. Dr. Stalker was a minister, lecturer, and preacher for the Free Church of Scotland (United Free Church). From 1902-1924 he was Professor of Church History at the United Free Church College in Aberdeen, where he also added the Chair of Christian Ethics in 1905. He maintained these until his retirement in 1924.

Dr. Stalker has joined the other great British authors that I have enjoyed over the years including but not limited to C. S. Lewis and Thomas Torrance, both of whom have had a profound impact on my thinking as a Christian and minister.  Dr. Stalker has the ability through his teaching to help you develop a unique understanding of what God has called you to as a minister of the Gospel, and a preacher of the word. A great quote in the book is “Preaching is not merely the speaking of a man. If it is, then it is certainly not worth coming to church for. Preaching, if it is of the right kind, is the voice of God.”  He takes time through the short lecture series to take each student/preacher on a walk to understand the calling, ministry, purpose, and requirement.

My prayer as you read this short blog post is that you would take time to read this awesome book by a mighty man of God. Allow his thoughts to challenge you as you become the man of God and preacher/teacher he has called you to be.