Thursday, 30 August 2007

Another Broughtonism

On ministry priorities and sermon preparation:

...these days ministers are so busy building up their congregations by every other method than by the preparation of their [sermons] that they have no time to prepare properly. Twice this last week I have heard the miserable sophism that the best preparation for a sermon is knocking around the parish getting to know people. Of course a minister must know people, but he learns this by being a person.


-D. Broughton Knox, "The Priority of Preaching: Prepare and Preach Properly or Perish", in Selected Works Vol II.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

So the pharisee in means wants to know - how much time is enough?
Also, what place should we give teaching house to house (a la Acts 20) - how much does this overlap with 'getting to know people'?
As you should guess, I'm feeling doubly guilty as I've ripped off your encouragement series for my preaching at the moment

Anonymous said...

God blessed us with Broughton!

Anonymous said...

I wish our minister understood this!

David Castor said...

Excuse me for being the token existentialist, but doesn't a preacher (or anyone, for that matter) "become" a person by getting to know people?

Anonymous said...

Oh David, the ever presend fly in the ointment!

Gordon Cheng said...

doesn't a preacher (or anyone, for that matter) "become" a person by getting to know people?

He is a person because God makes him so.

Gordon Cheng said...

So the pharisee in means wants to know - how much time is enough?

Hmm. 9 hrs 45 minutes.

As you should guess, I'm feeling doubly guilty as I've ripped off your encouragement series for my preaching at the moment

Good call. Your prep time now goes up to 12 hours!

Anonymous said...

It does make it harder when I'm trying to exegete you & scripture.
And as grateful as I am for what you sent me I'm not sure I'd commit to the inspiration, sufficiency, and perspicuity of Cheng's words - which makes their exegesis sooooooo much harder;-)

Gordon Cheng said...

Wisdom indeed. OK, better make that 15 hours when you're working with material borrowed from me.