Preachers and Preaching Books: 12 Essential Books
Because of the immense importance of Christian preaching, this week we have closely examined a couple of modern classics on preaching. Today’s post is a list of twelve books written to aid pastors in their preaching. Some of the books are modern classics while others are newer texts on preaching. We’ve asked a variety of faithful, trustworthy pastors to tell us something about each book, and how it can aid you in your preaching ministry. We hope that you will find this list to be helpful as you seek to more faithfully preach Christ.
(1) John A. Broadus, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons
“First copyrighted in 1870 and subsequently revised through four editions, Broadus has been the standard for sermon development for over a century. The book develops a functional methodology for public preaching. While its strength is in methodology, Broadus does not omit the need for personal giftedness, and especially dependence on the Holy Spirit to empower the truth as spoken in the sermon. Broadus defines Biblical preaching in a variety of ways.”
– Danny Dwyer, pastor, Cramerton FWB Church, Cramerton, NC
(2) Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching
“Dr. Bryan Chapell’s book, Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, is a wonderful book about how to put together a Christ-centered sermon. In addition to providing the principles for expository preaching, and the theology for Christ-centered messages, Chapell provides the reader with a lot of practical information ranging from how to dress in the pulpit to a sample sermon. This book should be given ample attention from preachers.”
– Eddie Moody, pastor, Tippett’s Chapel FWB Church, Clayton, NC
(3) Edmund P. Clowney, Preaching and Biblical Theology
“I can think of fewer, more important things to Christian preaching than being able to preach each text faithfully with an eye toward the larger biblical storyline. Edmund Clowney’s 1961 Preaching and Biblical Theology will help one do that. Many younger preachers in my generation have recaptured the centrality of expositional preaching, and we should thank God for this. Yet we also must show how each passage takes us (and our listeners) up into the larger biblical drama that God is enacting in the world—which we’re a part of! Though the brevity of Clowney’s book can be misleading, its message has helped me to preach in ways that not only yields the meaning each sermon text. It has begun to help my people see the unity and power of God’s Word—which always points to Christ.”
– W. Jackson Watts, pastor, Grace FWB Church, Arnold, MO
(4) Phillip Jensen and Paul Grimmond, The Archer and the Arrow
“Australian pastor/trainer of preachers Phillip Jensen crafts the wisdom gained from almost four decades of preaching into the triplet truths of a single statement: (1) My aim is to preach the gospel (2) by prayerfully expounding the Bible (3) to the people God has given me to love. Using the analogy of the archer and the arrow, Jensen sets forth the twin tasks of every preacher to carefully craft an arrow (message) that delivers the very words of God deep into the hearts of his hearers and to develop the skills to fire (preach) it well.”
– Frank Owens, pastor, Sylvan Park FWB Church, Nashville, TN
(5) Gary Millar and Phil Campbell, Saving Eutyches
“Cars need tune-ups. Smart phone apps need updates. And congregations need ever-improving preachers. Praying is certainly a good thing, but not when congregants are praying for a miserable sermon to end! That’s where Saving Eutychus comes into play. Though I have been preaching the gospel for over 25 years and have taught expository preaching for several years, I found Gary Millar and Phil Campbell’s volume a greatly beneficial read. The book focuses not so much on sermon preparation as it does on sermonic enhancement. It helps the preacher avoid the homiletical sin of being DULL. Preachers do yourself and your listeners a favor: read Saving Eutychus and put its principles into practice.”
– Jeff Manning, pastor, Unity FWB Church, Greenville, NC
(6) Tom Farrell, Preaching That Pleases God
“I first received this copy from Dr. Farrell himself because of a friendship we have had through the years. I read it the month I received it. The early chapters begin with Dr. Farrell making the case for the preacher’s life. He states that you cannot separate the man from his preaching. He moves from there to selecting the text, exegetical work, and completion of the sermon. He does not leave out ‘the anointing for the message’ side of the equation. I believe Dr. Farrell does an excellent job writing this book. He practices what he preaches in sermon preparation. He strikes a good balance between the spiritual work of preaching and the scholastic preparation of a sermon. I am considering it as a new textbook for ‘Homiletics 1’ at the college I teach at.”
– Jeff Jones, pastor, Hilltop FWB Church, Fuquay-Varina, NC
(7) D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers
“If you can only read one book on preaching, make it this book. Jones’ passion, clarity, and forthrightness are unparalleled. Other books have good ideas and good principles, but this book is the godfather of all the rest. And don’t forget ‘the most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching’ (17).”
– Jacob Riggs, assistant pastor, Central FWB Church, Royal Oak, MI
(8) R. Albert Mohler Jr., He Is Not Silent
“In his concise book, He Is Not Silent (169 pages), Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. covers an array of subjects, all centering around the preaching of God’s Word. Perfectly arranged between the Preface, where we find the current state of preaching lacking, and the Epilogue, which is dedicated to ‘The Prince of Preachers’ (Charles Haddon Spurgeon), the author reminds us, among other things, that God Himself commands us to preach His Word and that preaching is the heart of Church worship. There is an urgency in our postmodern culture for God’s Word to be preached with clarity and depth, and the best way, according to Dr. Mohler, is through expository preaching. He Is Not Silent will challenge, inform, and wonderfully encourage those who seek to preach the ‘truth’ of God’s Word in a culture that views truth as relative.”
– Michael Locklear, pastor, First FWB Church, Savannah, GA
(9) John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching
“The Puritans were fond of saying that the minister of the Gospel needs both light and heat in order to preach in a God-honoring way. In other words, preachers must have a proper understanding of the text of Scripture (light) combined with a proper zeal (heat) that arises from the text of Scripture. John Piper’s book The Supremacy of God in Preaching is a short, yet powerful combination of these two indispensable elements of preaching. I read it while in seminary, and it challenged, inspired, and refreshed me as I prepared for the call to ministry.”
– Barry Raper, pastor, Bethel FWB Church, Ashland City, TN
(10) Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching
“While at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I was taught to clarify what the big idea of biblical preaching is, while learning from Haddon Robinson’s Biblical Preaching. When it comes to preaching in the contemporary church, a pistol is better than a shotgun. Preachers need a single bullet, not a buckshot when preaching. If you aim for everything, you’ll hit nothing. The preacher’s goal of every sermon is to explain, prove, and apply the main idea of a given passage to the people in the pew. Preaching that does this will not only be considered faithful, but also successful.”
– Jeremy Craft, pastor, First FWB Church, Pensacola, FL
(11) Charles H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students
“From the first time I read this book many years ago I felt that every preacher could profit from it. When I began teaching the class, ‘Fundamentals of Effective Preaching,’ I asked the students to read it. Although a few of the subjects are somewhat dated, by and large the book is still a repository of wisdom and inspiration for the preacher. Spurgeon’s love for preaching, enthusiasm for passing on his skills, and depth of experience makes it most rewarding. Read it and you will understand why they call him ‘The Prince of Preachers.’”
– Terry Forrest, assistant pastor, Bethel FWB Church, Ashland City, TN
(12) John Stott, Between Two Worlds
“‘Preaching is indispensable to Christianity’ (15). With this opening salvo, John Stott unleashes his assessment of the ‘deplorable’ state of modern-day preaching (written in 1981), while aiming to inspire the modern preacher of his connection and reliance upon the ancient text and the ideals of those who have gone before in Gospel ministry…The book stands as a prophetic landmark between culture influencing the truth versus the Truth impacting the culture…This work is a solid standard of helps concerning the studying, preparing, and preaching of God’s Word. Between Two Worlds is a necessary addition to every preacher’s library, and his words echo through the decades of the primacy of Biblical preaching connecting the hearer to the text.”
– Rodney Holloman, pastor and former professor at Southeastern FWB College
Editor’s Note: As is frequently the case on HSF, an endorsement of a particular book is not a blanket endorsement of the book’s content or every theological view its author may maintain.
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