Leadership Journal

In a recent blog post at 9Marks.org, Kevin DeYoung wrote: "Since 2002, the year I was ordained, I estimate that I've preached almost 500 times. It took about 450 sermons to find my voice."

Finding one's voice is a challenge for any preacher. Who can resist that desire to become the preacher who first inspired you, or the preacher whose handling of the Word still moves you? After all, preaching is like writing: a skill learned by imitation.

Still, every young preacher must eventually learn that he is neither John Piper nor Rob Bell. And no congregation wants to sit under someone suffering from either delusion.

Leadership asked three pastors about their journeys in finding their own voice: Jonathan Falwell of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia; Bryan Loritts of Fellowship Memphis (Tennessee); and Joshua Harris of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Each has sought to do what DeYoung implores of preachers: "Let your person constantly be refined by the Spirit of God, and let the truth of God's word shine through your own personality."

Jonathan Falwell: Most of what I've learned about preaching has come from listening to my dad, Jerry Falwell, for 40 years. He was one of the greatest preachers I've ever heard. I've also learned a great deal from Rick Warren and Adrian Rogers. God blessed both of these men with great skills and a huge heart for ministry.

Bryan Loritts: As the son of a preacher, I was exposed early on to some incredible preachers. Men like my father—Crawford Loritts—as well as Tony Evans, Kenneth Ulmer, A. Louis Patterson, and Gordon Kirk all played a huge part in my life.

Joshua Harris: In my teen years, I idolized Billy Graham and Ravi Zacharias. I listened to so many Zacharias sermons I actually started speaking with a slight Indian accent, which must have baffled my audiences. In recent years my mentor in ministry, C.J. Mahaney, has been a big influence, along with John Piper and Tim Keller. John Stott's book Between Two Worlds has shaped me as well.

Harris: C.J. Mahaney has taught me to always keep the cross of Christ in view. Before I met him, I was prone to be moralistic, more focused on our activity than Christ's finished work. I want to be like him and preach more passionately about Christ crucified than anything else. I also think C.J. uses humor very effectively. I want to be like John Piper in his white-hot zeal for the glory of Christ. But that's not a preaching style, that's a heart and life that spills out into preaching, and it's what I pray will be true of me.

Falwell: I am acutely aware that God gives every preacher different abilities and talents and that God will use every style to reach the hearts of people. So I don't necessarily attempt to be "like" anyone else in my preaching style. Rather, my goal is to use my abilities and talents to make the greatest impact for Christ. The best way to do that is to base all that I do on the truths of Scripture. In that way I try to be like my dad and Rick Warren.

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