Definition:

The highest priority for pastors is proclaiming the message of the Bible in relevant and clear ways. Without preaching, believers cannot be built up and non-believers will not hear the gospel. Preaching can take many forms, be given in many locations and situations, and use various styles, but at the heart of it must be proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Preaching involves the synthesis of many areas of study. Those in pastoral ministries must be knowledgeable of the Bible, theology, history, methods of communication, and students of their local context.

Characteristics:

Be:

  • Clear communicator
  • Live the message that is proclaimed
  • Student of the Bible

Know:

  • Biblical theology
  • Systematic theology
  • History of the church
  • Methods of interpretation
  • Communication styles
  • Student of context

Do:

  • Relevant application
  • Story telling

Outcomes:

  1. Identify the methods Jesus used to preach the gospel and use some of these to preach a sermon. PRE-1
  2. Interpret the Bible within its historical and cultural contexts, recognize different literary genres in the Bible and how to interpret them in appropriate ways, identify the message and key theological concepts for the original audience, and apply the message through a sermon to contemporary audiences in contextually relevant ways. PRE-2
  3. Tell the story of the Bible including important dates, people, and events, in order to show the human problem and God’s answer in Jesus Christ. PRE-3
  4. Compare and contrast the teaching of the book of Genesis regarding the nature of God, humanity, sin, and creation, with local beliefs about creation and sin. PRE-4
  5. Describe the key themes and methods of Jesus’ teaching, how this affected people, how they responded to his ministry, and how this can be applied to preaching today. PRE-5
  6. Describe how the early church grew, the key themes of early Christian preaching, the methods used to spread the gospel, and how these are relevant today. PRE-6
  7. Explain a Wesleyan-Arminian understanding of the Trinity, humanity as created in the image of God and fallen into sin, salvation in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, the inspiration and authority of the Bible, and the mission and ministry of the church. PRE-7
  8. Explain various perspectives of holiness and its application to the Christian life from a variety of theological perspectives, e.g. Reformed, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox. PRE-8
  9. Identify several terms used to express experiential holiness, know their historical or Biblical context, and express their individual strengths and weaknesses in reference to the cultural context in which the students will most often find themselves. PRE-9
  10. Tell the story of the expansion of Christianity during different points in history, noting key ideas, persons, dates, and locations. Explain how holiness has been a key theme of the church throughout the ages. Connect the growth of the church and development of theology to the student’s current context of ministry. PRE-10
  11. Identify how holiness was experienced in the Bible and how this applies in the cultural context in which the student will most often find themselves. PRE-11
  12. Describe how the student’s preaching has impacted or changed that student’s own life. PRE-12
  13. Explain how God communicated his word to humanity as recorded in the Bible and the place of preaching in this. PRE-13
  14. Demonstrate 5 different ways to organize and deliver a sermon for a culturally appropriate length of time and explain how to call people to respond in obedience or change in response to the truth of the sermon. PRE-14
  15. Explain how to use culturally appropriate stories to illustrate the key points of a sermon. PRE-15
  16. Develop a one year preaching plan in line with the Christian calendar and seasons. PRE-16
  17. Demonstrate how to communicate orally and visually while adapting to the worldview, culture, sociological dynamics and trends of your audience. PRE-17