BOOK REVIEW OF PASTORAL PREACHING

BOOK REVIEW OF PASTORAL PREACHING
Conrad Mbewe captured my attention with his book on pastoral preaching published in 2017. I have been reflecting much on the uniqueness of pastoral preaching as distinct from evangelistic/missional and national/universal church preaching. Many leaders write books on missional preaching today. How do we reach our culture for Christ? Many of our most popular models for preaching are people who preach to the body of Christ as a whole. Their preaching is generic because their audience is general. We can gain much benefit from these resources, but I think we need more emphasis on pastoral preaching. Mbewe’s book is an excellent step in that direction, written by a local church pastor with a local church vision.

ABOUT THE MAN

Conrad Mbewe has served as pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia for thirty years. Some have called him “the African Spurgeon” for his strong example of expository preaching. His writing style reflects his African culture, and it is refreshing to see insights on preaching from another cultural perspective. Mbewe understands the temptations we all face to grow our churches wide but not deep, to be successful but superficial. He writes as a shepherd to shepherds who passionately believes in pastoral preaching to build a people for God.

A PEOPLE FOR GOD

He defines pastoral preaching as preaching to believers and the primary means we have to fulfill our shepherding role. It is “through pastoral preaching that pastors restore straying believers, feed the people of God, and strengthen those who are weak” (p.21). His chapter on “The Focus of Pastoral Preaching” is excellent. We need to keep our eyes on the needs of the sheep as under-shepherds of the flock. Pastoral preachers focus on the glory of God and the health of God’s people (pp. 25-27). God’s people need “a comprehensive view of the gospel, a working knowledge of the Bible, an appreciation of sound doctrine, an understanding of godly living and a conviction to fight the good fight” (pp. 28-33). We are not building a people for God’s glory if we are not focused on these goals in our preaching.
 
I liked his chapter entitled “The Pastor’s Study Life” because we are prone to lose our thirst for God in the midst of the busyness of serving God. He reminds us that many pastors stop growing themselves, so they infect the body with the satisfaction of shallowness. We need a hunger for God if we are to cultivate a hunger for God among our people. Mbewe writes, “the primary reason for cultivating a devoted study life is … because you are seeking to love God with your mind” (p.148). I think this an important challenge to the western church. We are busy loving God with our heart and strength but fail to love God with our minds. Much preaching in the western church is superficial because many pastors do not love God with their minds enough to dig deep into His Word for themselves.

A LAND FAR AWAY

Mbewe uses the analogy of a land far away which our people set us apart to enter for their benefit. Since they are busy with all their cares and cannot travel to that land far away, they commission us to go and bring back to them week by week the treasures of that land (p.152). Each week our people come expecting us to give them the treasures we have earned by trading in that land. Week by week we fail to point them to the treasures of that heavenly land to which they are called if we focus only on the spoils they can enjoy in the land that is passing away. The people of God need a heavenly perspective to weather the challenges of an earthly life.

THE POWER OF GODLINESS

Mbewe challenged my heart afresh with his chapter entitled “The Pastor’s Own Life.” He wrote, “the day you lose your godliness is the day you lose your power in pastoral preaching” (p.161). He wrote of the “worms that destroy godliness” (p.165). The worms of sex, silver, and celebrity eat away at our souls if we are not vigilant. The emphasis on our temptation to enjoy our “celebrity” status when we are “successful” was an excellent reminder of the power of pride to undermine ministry. Driven by the dream of success as leaders, we can succumb to the power of pride as pastors. We are not like pipes; he points out, that deliver a liquid from one end to another. Instead, we are like the trees which are “nourished by the nutrients of the soil that pass through it on their way to the branches and leaves” (p.109). We must live it to preach it.
 
I highly recommend the book to pastors. I found it to be an easy read rich with reminders for our hearts. Perhaps this little book will begin to turn the tide of preaching back to the goal of shepherding believers into a people for God.

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