Preaching and Training: by Peter Mead
I am a huge advocate for biblical preaching. But I don’t think preaching covers all the bases as far as training and equipping is concerned. It would be naive to think that a sermon or two every week for decades will equip a church
As leaders of churches we need to think carefully about the place of small groups, of seminars, of training sessions, of mentoring . . . and somehow figure out how to do that without overcrowding the weekly schedule.
Think too of subjects that probably won’t, or won’t easily get addressed, in normal preaching. How does the big story of the Bible fit together? What are the various temperaments with which God has wired us? And spiritual gifts – how do we discover and use and fan into flame? And what about practical instruction in addressing interpersonal tensions? And how do you mentor a leader, a preacher, a husband, a dad . . . with just preaching?
Preaching is critical, but it’s not everything. How are you equipping people in the local church to multiply the ministry?