Ernest Hemingway hardly could be described as pastoral, but as a writer he managed to make a mark.
He once commented about his craft: "A writer's problem does not change. He himself changes and the world he lives in changes, but his problem remains the same. It is always how to write truly and, having found out what is true, to project it in such a way that it becomes a part of the experience of the person who reads it."
I was struck by how his comment could apply also to the preacher, whose call is to discover God's truth and present it in such a way that listeners will experience that truth.
While that is the constant, I find that today's pastors wrestle with widely diverse elements of that task.
During seminary, young preachers are rightly concerned with learning biblical interpretation and sermon preparation and delivery. But once in the pastorate, the focus changes.
Over the past two years, as we've planned the book Mastering Contemporary Preaching for the new LEADERSHIP book series, I've ...
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