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."
Who are your preaching role models?
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.
How do you try to be like them?
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.
"I want to give equal weight to content and delivery. We tend to err on one side at the expense of the other."—Bryan Loritts
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.
Loritts: Some of my preaching mentors are legends in the traditional African-American church, where there's a natural flair and poetic flavor that comes with the office of pastor. But then there are guys like my father who modeled for me the huge importance of being a hybrid—one whose communication style can adjust appropriately to a white context or a black one. Within these different cultural expressions, I have picked up key preaching lessons, like how to use illustrations, from the master, Tony Evans, and transitioning well between points, from Gordon Kirk.
How do you differ from them?
Loritts: To my mentors' generation, preaching tends to be a lot more linear and authoritative. While I also feel deeply that biblical preaching must be authoritative, I tend to position myself with my audience more as a fellow traveler in the journey of faith.
What was also really popular in my mentors' era of preaching was the "do these three things and you'll have this kind of life" approach. I've shied away from that over the last five years because I feel that matters of faith aren't that clean. Like jazz, my preaching tends to be more dissonant.
Falwell: My dad and Adrian Rogers had booming, unmistakable voices. Even now, when I hear audio clips of their sermons, I am amazed at their ability to fill a room. My style is far more conversational.
Harris: There's a depth and weightiness to the preaching of the men I've mentioned that I simply don't have. I try not to let this discourage me. I'm at the beginning of my journey as a preacher and so I trust that will come with time.
Everything I'm preaching, I'm preaching for the first time. But in terms of style, I try to make things very simple—maybe because that's the only way I can understand the truths myself. So for me, that often means I have to make use of a lot of illustrations.
What does your weekly preparation look like?
Falwell: My dad always said that nothing of eternal importance is ever accomplished apart from prayer. So my weekly sermon preparation starts with prayer. Then, during the week, I spend a great deal of time reading supporting materials. At the end of the week, I focus on the preaching outline. I try to make sure that the basic truths I want to get across are clear. Then, on Sunday morning, I rise very early and am in the office for two hours before our first service, doing nothing but praying and reviewing the sermon.
Loritts: In my weekly preparation, I want to give equal weight to content and delivery. I think all preachers tend to err on one side at the expense of the other. So by Wednesday night, I am done with my research—the word studies, reference work, and a basic outline.
Thursday is my study day, with no appointments, and that's when I fill in my outline and write a rough draft. Friday morning I write the final draft, which is word for word. Then I step away until Saturday evening, at which point I read the manuscript three times, just to get a good feel for which thought follows which.
Sunday morning I get up at 3:30 to pray over the sermon (I have also been praying over it during the week), read over the manuscript again, and rehearse it once. My practice is to memorize the Bible passage I'm preaching and recite it from memory (messing up from time to time) for the church. This discipline has been enriching for me and inspiring for our people.
Harris: I normally devote most of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to preparing my sermon. I often work at a table at my local Whole Foods; for some reason I get less distracted there. Studying there also lets me develop relationships with wonderful people outside the church.
Thursday I soak in the text and make random notes about the central idea, illustrations, and questions I have. Friday I try to nail down some kind of basic outline; I usually feel discouraged and unclear by the end of this day. Saturday I take my notes on paper and actually type up a full manuscript. The process of writing it word for word forces me to think more clearly.
I usually wrap up by late Saturday evening. And I think about Andy Stanley, who I've heard finishes his sermons on Friday and takes Saturday off, and I try not to be angry. God bless you, Andy Stanley!
Copyright © 2010 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
