Progress in the Pulpit: How to Grow in Your Preaching

Praise for Progress in the Pulpit

Biblical preaching is the urgent need of the contemporary church. In Progress in the Pulpit, Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix explain why expositional preaching matters and how to do it. Rookie preachers and seasoned preachers will benefit from the counsel of these wise and faithful preachers.

H.B. CHARLES JR.

Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL

Power in the Pulpit, published years ago, remains today one of the most effective books in history for teaching the art and science of expository preaching. In Progress in the Pulpit, Shaddix and Vines have drawn from their vast knowledge and experience, not only on preaching, but from living lives of godly character. This book encourages pastors and preachers to continue to progress and grow in their preparation, delivery, and evaluation. I highly recommend this book to anyone who serves in the ministry of teaching and preaching.

MATT CARTER

Pastor of Preaching, The Austin Stone Community Church

Preaching is at the heart of Christianity. Biblical, Christ-centered preaching brings salvation to non-Christians (1 Cor. 1:21). Such preaching also matures and equips those who are already followers of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 3:16–4:5). No wonder the apostle Paul stated that preachers that work hard at preaching are to be considered worthy of double honor (1 Tim. 5:17). If a preacher ought to prioritize anything, it should be preaching. In Progress in the Pulpit, veteran pastors and homileticians, Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix, give beneficial insights that will help any Christian preacher improve. I enthusiastically recommend this helpful work.

STEVE GAINES

Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, TN

President of the Southern Baptist Convention

Progress in the Pulpit is not just another preaching resource. It’s a clarion call for men of God to resist the temptation to be parrots, puppets, or pirates of others’ sermons and instead be prophets of God’s Word. Readers will walk through a step-by-step process for moving from a blank screen to a Spirit-empowered sermon. Each chapter contains a treasure trove of applicable insights, which can be incorporated into one’s preaching immediately. Whether you’re the lead preaching pastor or fill-in Bible study teacher, everyone will walk away from the book with the confidence to grow as a better communicator of God’s Word.

ROBBY GALLATY

Senior Pastor, Long Hollow Baptist

Author, Growing Up and The Forgotten Jesus

Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix have once again written a book that every preacher could benefit from. As a follow up to their incredible book Power in the Pulpit, you now hold in your hand their new inspirational book Progress in the Pulpit. Both of these men of God have a desire to see every preacher grow in their preaching. Many preachers unfortunately have pressed the cruise control button when they stand in the pulpit on Sunday mornings and yet wonder why the ministry is not growing. Well, I assure you that you will not see growth in the pew until you see growth in the pulpit. Thank you Vines and Shaddix for understanding that if our churches desire to have growth in the pews we must first see progress in our pulpits!

FRED LUTER JR

Pastor, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans, LA

Former President, Southern Baptist Convention

When Vines and Shaddix wrote Power in the Pulpit, they gave preachers and teachers of preaching a sound, practical guide that has become a standard text for teaching expository preaching in many seminaries, including my own. That they have followed up with a new volume, Progress in the Pulpit, is welcome news to all students of good preaching. This book will prove valuable both to seasoned preachers who desire to continue their progress, and to seminary students who are eager to tackle additional topics of study beyond the basics.

BARRY MCCARTY

Professor of Preaching and Rhetoric, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

© 2017 by

JERRY VINES and JIM SHADDIX

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked THE MESSAGE are from The Message, copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

All websites listed herein are accurate at the time of publication but may change in the future or cease to exist. The listing of website references and resources does not imply publisher endorsement of the site’s entire contents.

Edited by: Jim Vincent

Interior design: Erik M. Peterson

Cover design: Smartt Guys design

Cover image of grapes copyright © 2017 by Vitaly Korovin/Adobe Stock (78324663).

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Vines, Jerry, author.

Title: Progress in the pulpit : how to grow in your preaching / Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix.

Description: Chicago : Moody Publishers, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017009775 (print) | LCCN 2017016854 (ebook) | ISBN 9780802495372 | ISBN 9780802415301

Subjects: LCSH: Preaching.

Classification: LCC BV4211.3 (ebook) | LCC BV4211.3 .V56 2017 (print) | DDC 251--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017009775

We hope you enjoy this book from Moody Publishers. Our goal is to provide high-quality, thought-provoking books and products that connect truth to your real needs and challenges. For more information on other books and products written and produced from a biblical perspective, go to www.moodypublishers.com or write to:

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To all the faithful pastors who have modeled for us sanctification in the pulpit by continuing to make progress in their preaching.

CONTENTS 

Foreword

Introduction: He Will Have to Do Better than That!

PART 1: Defining the Sermon

1. Gentlemen, This Is a Sermon!: Revisiting the Roots of Expository Preaching / Jim Shaddix

2. A Holy Man of God: Living and Preaching in the Spirit / Jerry Vines

3. Never Without a Word: Planning to Preach God’s Revelation / Jim Shaddix

4. Pulpit Discipleship: Shepherding People to Christlikeness through Preaching / Jim Shaddix

PART 2: Developing the Sermon

5. King James, Prince, and Merle: Preaching Literature / Jerry Vines

6. We Deal in Words, My Friend: Preaching Language / Jerry Vines

7. Is a Beeline the Best Line?: Getting to the Cross in Every Sermon / Jim Shaddix

8. Turpentine the Imagination: Imagining the Sermon / Jerry Vines

PART 3: Delivering the Sermon

9. The Awakening of the Reverend Van Winkle: Culture, Clarity, and Communication / Jerry Vines

10. Just As I Am: Extending the Invitation / Jerry Vines

11. Rising Above Foyer Feedback: The Art of Objective Sermon Evaluation / Jim Shaddix

12. Teaching about Preaching: Helping People Worship Through the Sermon / Jim Shaddix

Conclusion: Construction in Progress / Jerry Vines

Notes

Appendix: Sermon Presentation Feedback Guide

Recommended Resources

Acknowledgments

Scripture Index

Subject Index

More from the Authors

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This powerful book is predicated upon a rather radical notion—that preachers should make progress in their preaching. While hardly a new idea, this is surely an idea whose time has come. Far too many preachers are like ants embedded in amber. Their preaching is the same as it was when they began their ministries. This fact is not only a tragedy; it is unfaithfulness.

There is no higher calling than the preaching of the Word of God. The preacher is not a mere professional, for he must be called of God and commissioned by the church. At the same time, the preacher is surely not held to less than we expect of one who represents a profession. None of us would want to undergo surgery at the hands of a surgeon who has made no progress since completion of his residency. We expect physicians to learn with every surgical procedure and we entrust our lives to their expertise and knowledge. Most professions formalize this expectation with requirements for continuing education.

Congregations entrust the stewardship of the Word—the proclamation of the Word of God—to preachers. This is the mandate of the New Testament, and the church calls out men who are gifted and qualified by knowledge and spiritual maturity to preach and teach the Holy Scriptures. That is where the task of preaching begins, and it only ends when the preacher, after years and years of preaching in season and out of season, lays that burden down. For most preachers, committed with heart and mind and soul to this calling, that means as close to the grave as possible.

Along the way, the preacher is a devoted student of the Bible. If truly faithful, the preacher is also a devoted student of preaching.

This is why I am so eager for you to read Progress in the Pulpit. The book’s very title testifies to its importance. In this book you will find a most remarkable combination of encouragement, practical advice, and thoughtful reflection on preaching. Every preacher needs this assistance.

Furthermore, Progress in the Pulpit is a master class in preaching, written by two most-qualified authors. Dr. Jerry Vines is truly a Prince of the Pulpit. To hear him preach is to hear almost sixty-five years of faithfulness in preaching and expertise in exposition distilled into every single message. But Dr. Vines also represents something even more rare—the model of a preacher who simply will not stop learning about preaching. He is a master preacher, but he increases his mastery with every passing year. Just read his chapters in this book and you will know exactly what it means for a man to devote himself to the joy and burden of preaching until the race is finally run.

Dr. James Shaddix combines academic experience in the teaching of preaching with years of ministry in the local church. Rare is the man who has been both pastor of leading churches and a writing professor of preaching. Jim Shaddix is as respected in the pulpit as he is in the classroom. His wisdom from the pulpit and the classroom are brought together in this volume.

Together, Vines and Shaddix cover an amazing range of issues in preaching and they do so in a style that is as free from nonsense as it is filled with wisdom. Every page is practical and every page is biblical. This is their second major book on preaching, written together. Let’s hope it is not their last.

If you know all you need to know about preaching, or if you have stopped growing in your preaching and you are content with that state, then this book is not for you. If you are a preacher committed to growing in every dimension of your preaching, then get ready to grow as you read every chapter in this book. So get to it.

R. ALBERT MOHLER JR.

President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix

John and Mary were returning home from prayer meeting in a pouring rain. They had driven to church in a similar drenching rain. Active members of Shady Grove Baptist Church in Villa Rica, Georgia, John was deacon chairman and Mary was president of the Women’s Missionary Union. The bad weather kept the crowd small—only eight people, plus the young preacher and the song leader who came with him.

What did you say the boy’s name is? John asked.

Jerry Vines.

Didn’t they say he was only sixteen?

Yes. He’s Clarence’s boy.

Oh, I know Clarence well. Used to deliver bread to our store. Good people. But I’m not sure this boy will ever make a preacher.

Why do you say that, John?

He was scared to death. Didn’t have much to say. Preached only twenty minutes. Hardly raised his voice. He was so nervous he could barely get his words out.

Now, John, he’s only sixteen. And it was his first sermon ever.

And he used notes. How can that be preaching in the Spirit? And he kept looking down and up, like a chicken drinking water.

John!!

I guess I am too hard on the boy. But he will have to do better than that.

The above conversation is imaginary, and I did not know a John and Mary at Shady Grove Baptist Church. I am unsure what those who were listening actually said then, but such a conversation could well have occurred on a rainy night in Georgia sixty-four years ago. Now, I look back on eight pastorates and thousands of sermons preached all over America and several foreign countries. I’ve even written some books on preaching. Have I done better than that? Have I made any progress in the pulpit?

I (Jim) remember my first sermon painfully well. It was during a Sunday night service at Alexandria Baptist Church in Alexandria, Alabama, in the early 1980s. Ready, Aim, Fire! was the title. It was a stellar (not so much!) exposition on spiritual warfare from Ephesians 6:10–20. I cringe every time I run across that half sheet of paper with the outline on it that’s still tucked away in a box in my attic.

I also remember the first time my dad ever came to hear me preach. While I’m sure he had some encouraging things to say afterward, one particular observation he made was seared in my mind: Jim, you preach with a scowl on your face. And he was right. Now I too look back with the same question. After thirty-five years of preaching experience, two postgraduate degrees in preaching, four senior pastorates, and a couple of books on preaching under my belt—have I made any progress in the pulpit?

Although my father’s words were real, those of the John and Mary about Jerry’s earliest preaching efforts were imaginary (though they could have said that, based on his efforts). Now let’s listen in on another imaginary conversation that could have taken place as well—this one in Ephesus in the first century. Brother and sister Onesiphorus are returning from services at First Church of Ephesus. Their young pastor, Timothy, had preached his heart out. I really like Paul’s young protégé but—in his preaching—he’s no Paul, says Mr. Onesiphorous. I doubt he will ever preach as well as Paul does. He has great potential. But, he’s so young. He is preaching in a difficult day.

Did Timothy make progress in the pulpit?

We should never be content with where we are in our Christian journey. Indeed, sanctification is a progressive growth in righteousness. Nor should we who preach be satisfied in our preaching. All preachers, young and old, need to make sermonic improvement, both in content and in delivery. The people who listen to us should see we are growing in our Christian life, our calling, and our preaching. Both of us believe we have improved some (though certainly not enough) in almost a century of combined preaching experience. We pray we’re not like the pastor who had a member say to him after his message, Oh, pastor, every sermon you preach is better than the next one!

The need for improvement in one’s preaching has been recognized throughout the history of the Christian church. In his classic volume Lectures to My Students, Charles H. Spurgeon included a chapter entitled The Necessity of Ministerial Progress. In a manner unique to Spurgeon he said, Serve God with such education as you have, and thank Him for blowing through you if you are a ram’s horn, but if there be a possibility of your becoming a silver trumpet, choose it rather.¹ Later he added, I am certain that he who thinks he has gained perfection in oratory mistakes volubility for eloquence, and verbiage for argument.²

Paul understood the need for young Timothy to grow in his preaching ability. In his first letter to him, Paul wrote, Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all (1 Tim. 4:15 KJV). Most of the newer translations have progress rather than profiting. The ESV renders the verse: Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. The word is interesting and informative. The verb form in the Greek is prokóptō, occurring six times in the New Testament (see Luke 2:52; Rom. 13:12; Gal. 1:14; 2 Tim. 2:16; 3:9, 13). The noun form is prokóptā, which occurs three times in the New Testament (here and Phil. 1:12, 25). The word is a compound of the preposition pro, meaning forward and the verb kóptō, meaning to cut or to lengthen out by hammering. The word pictures a smith stressing a piece of metal with his hammer and extending it to new lengths. This is the idea when Luke says, "And Jesus increased [prokóptō] in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52).

Paul used the verb form in Philippians 1:12 with the further idea of advancement and progress. The root idea is to cut forward or move forward to an improved state. In military use it conveyed the idea of soldiers who went ahead of an army, cutting down trees and removing obstacles, building bridges and preparing roads for the army to follow. They were the Seabees of the ancient world. This seems to be what Paul has in mind when he uses the noun form to urge young Timothy to make progress, which will be apparent to all. The noun conveys the ideas of movement forward, advancement, progress. Spiritual Seabees, you might say.

But what kind of progress does Paul have in mind? The context around his admonition is instructive. First Timothy 4:1–5 places Timothy’s ministry in an atmosphere of apostasy. These were times of departure from the faith (apostasy), of seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, and the like. Paul recognizes those were tough times to be a young pastor just starting out. So he begins by giving the young preacher some general encouragement and prohibition. Paul charges him to be a good servant of Jesus Christ. He is to refuse unhelpful fables, to seek godliness, and to place his trust in the living God who desires to save all men.

Then, in the immediate context (1 Tim. 4:12–16), Paul calls the young man of God to a life of personal spiritual growth and to progress in his ministerial life. God’s answer to days of apostasy is the faithful preaching of the Word of God. Timothy was not to let his youth be a hindrance, but rather set an example of progress in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity (v. 12). By most estimates Timothy is between thirty and thirty-five years of age at the time. Paul encourages him to grow in the whole gamut of graces he would need as a pastor. He can cause older saints to overlook how young he is by showing how godly he is!

Paul goes on to admonish Timothy to demonstrate advancement in his ministerial duties as well, especially in preaching. He was to devote [himself] to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching (v. 13). The public worship service is the setting here. The reading of Scripture is to be followed by exposition. John Stott writes, It was taken for granted from the beginning that Christian preaching would be expository preaching, that is that all Christian instruction and exhortation would be drawn out of the passage which had been read.³ He is also to make progress in the exercise of his spiritual gift, divinely bestowed at his ordination service. As Paul and the other elders laid trembling hands upon him, promises of God’s blessings upon his life and ministry were uttered (1 Tim. 4:14). He received a special touch for a specific task.

Summing it all up, Paul says to Timothy, Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching (1 Tim. 4:16). In so doing he will save [himself] and [his] hearers. He’s not talking about soul salvation. Rather, he’s talking about a life that’s worthy of our salvation. Paul wants young Timothy to have a life that’s not wasted, but fruitful. Stott summarizes the need for progress on the part of young ministers by saying, People should be able to observe not only what they are but what they are becoming.⁴

The thrust of this entire passage is that in life and ministry the youthful preacher was to make progress. Those who saw and heard him should notice that he was making progress out of the pulpit, as well as in the pulpit. And because we regard Paul’s words to be those of the Holy Spirit to our hearts as well, we hear God’s admonition to us that we should make progress in the pulpit.

In the summer of 1984—at the urging of Dr. Paige Patterson—I (Jerry) wrote two volumes on preaching out of my own ministry experience, A Practical Guide to Sermon Preparation (1985) and A Guide to Effective Sermon Delivery 1986), both published by Moody Publishers. After about fifteen years of very positive reception by many colleges, seminaries, and pastors, Jim Shaddix and I partnered to combine the two books into one volume, Power in the Pulpit (Moody, 1999). God continued to bless this single volume as part of the curriculum in many schools and in the libraries of thousands of pastors. In June 2017, Moody Publishers published a revised edition of Power in the Pulpit to extend its usefulness in God’s kingdom.

For several years now Jim and I have considered a second book on preaching to accompany Power. Although both of us are in the second half of our ministries, we’re constantly trying to improve in our preaching and stay current in the fields that relate to its practice. We’re not content to stop making progress as preachers. So we are delighted that the good folks at Moody graciously agreed to publish this volume in an effort to help other preachers make Progress in the Pulpit. This book is being released the same month as the revised edition of Power in the Pulpit.

Today’s ministers preach in a far different world than the one of the 1980s. Current cultural, church, and homiletical trends are sweeping across the landscape like a warming El Niño. Things are not the same. The culture outside the church house is a challenge. Inside the church house professing Christians compose a different kind of audience than those who once attended on a rainy Wednesday night in rural Georgia or a sleepy Sunday night in northeast Alabama. Faithful preachers want to know how to get the message across in today’s culture. They desire to communicate the gospel in a clear, simple, and effective manner.

A considerable amount of new information is available to the preacher. Linguistic studies of Hebrew and Greek texts give promise of helpful insights into Scripture. New help in understanding how to preach the various genres of Scripture is useful. The emphasis on text-driven and Christ-centered preaching assists the preacher in conveying the meaning of the Bible, not only through books and various theological journals, but also blogs and other valuable Internet resources. Studies in rhetoric, which take into consideration the latest in communication theory, attention spans, verbal and visual communication, are a storehouse of tools to keep the preacher current in his preaching. Advances exist in how to do better sermon planning and evaluation. This book will deal with these and many other areas to assist those who would preach to our culture.

The format of the book is simple. Part 1 on defining the sermon isn’t intended to convey that one ever masters preaching sermons, but simply to suggest that an understanding of the theology of preaching, the spiritual development of the preacher, and a plan for preaching are foundational areas for progressing as preachers. Part 2 on developing the sermon attempts to address some current topics that can help the preacher do a better job of manufacturing his product, so to speak. Such themes as language and literature, the use of the imagination, and the centrality of Christ in our preaching are considered. Part 3 on delivering the sermon looks at marketing the product through our delivery. Using communication theory and technology, we will highlight our message to the consumers and we will consider achieving a response, evaluating our sermons, and extending preaching education.

At the end of each chapter we have included some suggestions for Reading for Progress. Here we will suggest additional reading in recent books dealing with the subject of the respective chapter. The book concludes with a challenge and plan for preachers to continue to make progress in their preaching so that the people will all see you mature right before their eyes! (1 Tim. 4:15 THE MESSAGE). Our desire is to enhance the preaching ministry so the message of the gospel continues in America and even to the ends of the earth.

One final word regarding the development of this book. While each of us has written six of the twelve chapters that make up this book, we’ve reviewed one another’s work and added insights as we’ve felt inclined. And while we may have slight disagreements with one another on a very few minor points, both