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Who are your favorite preachers? Do you attempt to emulate them in the pulpit?
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20 thoughts on “What Preachers do you Listen to?”
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God bless you my brother. You are already on point by way of your own comments. Honor to whom honor is due! Glory to God in all that we preach and prepare. With every good wish.
Reverend Hightower
My favorite preacher of ALL time is the late great Bishop G.E. Patterson!! He knew the word like the back of his hand, and he is THE master hoopologist!! Nobody can touch him! My second favorite is my girl Evangelist Dr. Dorinda Clark-Cole
I thank you for these comments. Being a newly called to the ministry, it is sometimes hard to pull a sermon when the parishoners are so accustomed to a style and you sometimes try to pattern your preaching to accomodate them. I have found myself rushing through sermons because of the response. I study hard to be sure that I rightfully divide the Word of God.
The Man of God who said, “you can graze in someone else’s grass, but produce your OWN milk” was a crucial. Thank you for that revelation. I am more convinced now that you have to preach what God has given you and be seated. If you are guided by the Holy Spirit, He will give you whatever is needed for delivery.
Thank God for this Forum!!!
I don’t listen to many preachers. I think there is too much “hero-worship” amongst preachers. Just let me learn to preach the word no matter who preaches it and I will be all right. Is it truly healthy to follow all these preachers?
I remember when I was in Bible College and the other preaching students were all talking about this preacher and that preacher as if they were celebrities. I think that is a problem. Just preach the word
Ed,
Listening to other preachers is not necessarily hero worship. Seeking to learn from others simply acknowledges that others know more than you. In addition, God may be using others to help you in your preaching endevors.
God Bless and keep on commenting
Hi everyone,
One of my favorite preachers is my mentor who happens to be my pastor as well. I find his illustrations, expressions and preaching style so good that I find myself acting and talking like him! Amazing. Its something that I do subconsciencely. Many people have said I preach like him.
I have also observed that this happens alot in preaching circles i.e preachers picking up expressions and habits of their preaching mentors!
I would really like to be my own person, how does one develop this?
Any suggestions?
This is a very good question, and I would invite anyone else to answer. I think that one of the best ways to become “your own person” is to study your mentor even more. I would suggest a study of your mentor that includes the following:
Asking and answering these types of questions will help you to refine your use of your mentor’s preaching.
Another thing to do would be to have more than one mentor. Learning from more than one preacher will help you to not only take on the style of one preacher.
Good answer.
When I learned how to dance I would follow the steps of the person I was learning from and thus look like him. Then when I had a partner I would then develop my own style.
Your desire to be accepted like your mentor is commendable and crippling to the spirit.
You must let go and let God. Like the servant that buried his talent in the ground you have hidden yours under the desire to be liked and awarded like your mentor.
You must trust the Holy Spirit of God, you must fail and accept it. No one is 100% in the pulpit. We have great days, good days, and oh so days. Your goal is to not be pleasing to the crowd but to uplift Jesus.
You do the work, God will bring the inspiration it is not you who should be in the pulpit but THE PREACHER Jesus by way of the Holy Spirit, you need to get out of the way and let God have God’s way.
You seek applause and approbation from the congregation that you are “a great preacher”.
Hide your ego, stand behind the Holy Spirit and let it lead and you follow.
I have addressed a part of your statement in a post that you can find here
I think it is important to recognize the truth that you are saying, which is that the Holy Spirit will Guide. And also your concern about seeking the applause of humanity. That is a big problem amongst many preacher. But we also must not set aside the very real value of learning from other preachers whether you call it “study” or “eumulate” or even “evaluate.”
Learning from other preachers is one way that God can use to help us on our way.
Thank you for your perspective which is one that I missed in this post…the very real truth that the Holy Spirit will guide us as preachers…
God Bless….
The idea of being yourself is truly unavoidable. Time in the ministry and the necessity of God’s use of your abilities will rise as you preach more and more. We all start as we watch our mentors, but each generation demands something different from it’s ministers. Elijah and Elisha are a good example, a double portion was needed to continue the work of the ministry that was begun by the mentor. Each generation is in need of more, a bolder and more direct exegesis of the scriptures. Do not worry, as you allow God to lead you, the needed difference will come through.
When I’m listening to the word that is being bought forth from the pulpit, I’m truly blessed and touched by the anointing coming through the message. Style is not my concern.
You can graze in somebody else’s grass, just produce your own milk!
I can applaud what the Holy Spirit does in someone else’s life, without hero worship.
I need a bible dictionary when I study. If I dig into the Greek, I will pick up my Greek N.T. Nestle/Aland. If there is a bible difficulty I might need to pick up something that addressed the issues better than I could.
It’s like here on the Eastcoast in the winter. I need my gloves. It just sits there. But when I put my hand in it, I does amazing things, it can open a door, grab a cup of water when I’m thirsty or hold my child’s hand crossing the street.
The glove is just an instrument. It only comes alive when I use it.
The same with the preacher and God. We are powerless without the Hand of God in our lives!
I think there’s a humility in listening to others.
Not as a replacement for personal study.
I’m blessed by those that are rightly dividing the Word of Truth. I might agree with some of the brethren on some issues, but I love some their preaching.
I like E. Dewey Smith. He’s blowing up right now.
BlackXenos,
Thta is a very good point. We are highly dependent on others when we use our Lexicon’s, Dictionaries, and other resources.
I love to listen to preachers preach. Even if I don’t agree with the message. I listen to hear a word from God. I was once angry with a preacher because he said something that was not biblical but it had to do with a dream he had. I departmentalized that part of his message and think on in from time to time to see if God will reveal something for me. Hearing a man of god bring the word to life is a rewarding experience. I know that I’m not the only man to hear from God.
I think to listen to another preach to capture his style may work for some. I believe to study and apply the word in your daily life is what makes a good man and a good prophet.
“The reason God came from nowhere, was there was nowhere for Him to come from. And coming from nowhere, He stood on nothing for there was nowhere for Him to stand. And standing on nothing, He reached out where there was nowhere to reach and caught something where there was nothing to catch, and hung something on nothing, and told it to stay there.â€
– Rev. S.M. Lockridge
Rev. Lockridge spoke these words and other long ago I was truly blessed to have heard them and to share them with you today.
MotorCityKing
Mr. Cox,
I listen to a number of well known preachers and even more not so well known ones. The preachers that have made the most direct impact on me are Dr. C.A.W. Clark (deceased), E.V. Hill (deceased), and my pastor Dr. C.M. Alexander. The Biblical standard for preaching “preachers” may well be a bit different than what we have today, however, the Lord is using us, I’m sure.
I was blessed to see and hear my spirtual fathers whom i call the prince of preachers the late BISHOP GILBERT EARL PATTERSON,AND BISHOP LINDELL BENFORD BROWN TWO OF THE GREAT MEN OF GOD WHO GREATLY IMPACTED MY MINISTRY THE PERSON WHO I CLOSELY WATCH IS DR RAPLH WEST AND PASTOR JOHN P KEE TWO VERY ANNOINTED PREACHES TRULY THESE MEN ARE CALLED TO PREACH A UNERRING GOSPEL TO A DIEING WORLD. WHEN I HEAR EVEN NOW THE PREACHING STYLE OF THESE MEN I THANK GOD FOR USING THEM SO MUCH IN THE PREACHING OF HISSSSSS!!!!! GOSPEL.
I have several ministers I admired over the years but I try not to sound like any of them.
My favorite preachers are the late Bishop G.E. Patterson, Bishop Noel Jones, Pastor E. Dewey Smith and Rev. Freddie D. Haynes III! I love all of them but I especially love Dr. Freddie Haynes because of what he preaches. He preaches a transformational message and I love his church. If I was in Texas he would definitely serve as preaching mentor once I fully get into publically preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ!
I have learned much from listening to and reading the sermons of Gardner C. Taylor, Charles G. Adams, Miles Jerome Jones, Samuel DeWitt Proctor,Charles Booth, H. Beecher Hicks, William Augustus Jones, Jeremiah Wright, Jr., Brad R. Braxton, E.V. Hill,Barbara Brown Taylor, Joel Gregory,Peter Gomes,as well as many lesser known pulpiteers who have demonstrated both style and substance. From them I learned the value of serious study, theological depth, and the power and beauty of language in service of the Gospel. Augustine was right in “On Christian Doctrine,” preaching demands our best use of language, not to obfuscate, but to elucidate the Word of God.