I thoroughly enjoy getting to know our contributors. Learning who they are, their influences, their passions, and their desires really helps us to understand who they are and where they are coming from as we study their sermons.
In this article, we have the privilige of getting to know one of our newest contributors, Patrick Edwards. I had the opportunity to sit down with him recently, and had a tremendous time learning about his church in North Carolina, their involvment with a church in Wales, and his insight into small groups and missions. Patrick was kind enough to share some thoughts with us concerning preaching and the pastoral lifestyle. I hope you find this encouraging and motivating as you continue to serve in your role as a Pastor.
Q & A with Contributor Patrick Edwards
SS: Who are your heroes when it comes to preaching and why?
PE: Andy Davis of FBC Durham was the first preacher I sat under who I really respected as an intellectual. He showed me that you could dive into great depth into Scripture from the pulpit, which in my upbringing was not something I had expected. John Piper has been someone I’ve admired as he was one of the first preachers I encountered who showed me how to do sound exegesis while also consistently teaching a broader biblical worldview. He was the first for me who really balanced the forest and the tree well. Finally, I greatly admire Matt Chandler as I think he is easily one of the great Christian anthropologists in the pulpit of our time. The way he preaches and what he addresses demonstrates how in tune he is with the current human condition and culture.
SS: What is your style of preaching and why?
PE: I am an expository preacher, which means a variety of things these days. To me it simply means I work through entire books of the Bible from beginning to end. This allows me to present to my congregation what the Bible wants to say as opposed to what I want to say; it ensures I stay true to what is biblically important; and it also forces me at times to address topics I may not otherwise normally address (for example, my recent series on Old Testament Wisdom literature has forced me to go a lot of places I otherwise would have not done so.
SS: How can pastors grow in their preaching skills?
PE: Read theology! By far the most helpful thing for me has been reading as much biblical theology on my topic as possible before even touching a commentary. To get a grasp on the genre, theme, and purposes of a book will help you understand the overall importance of the book you’re preaching to your congregation. To me, preachers are not just preaching texts, but teaching biblical worldview and that worldview has never changed. Sometimes we can struggle to see the relevance of a book or topic to today’s culture, but once we develop a biblical theology of that book and then of the entire canon, I think the transition to the sermon becomes much easier. So before I start any book now, I will read as much scholarship on that book as a whole to help me enter the world of the text I am about to exegete and preach.
SS: How do you maintain and grow in your relationship with Jesus while pastoring a church, raising a family, devoting time to study, visiting church members, etc.
PE: Ideally, these things should all overlap. I know many preachers argue you must have something you’re reading devotionally that is separate from what you’re studying and preaching. I respect that, but don’t agree. I seek to preach to myself a text before I ever preach it to the congregation. I think we all find spiritual edification in that way, but I understand that some guys have a harder time compartmentalizing.
In my preaching and pastoring I consistently argue that your life cannot be compartmentalized though. You can’t have you’re little spiritual sphere, and family sphere, and job sphere. God calls us to give Him everything so that our entire lives become one sphere of His mission and Kingdom. So, all that to say, I don’t think you can compartmentalize pastoral ministry from your family or personal life. Instead, I seek to share pastoral ministry with my wife and likewise seek to share my family with pastoral ministry. My entire life then becomes about pastoring the church but it also becomes about my family and becomes about personal walk with the Lord. These are all different aspects of the one calling I have to make the best use of the times.
SS: Any advice for pastors starting out in ministry?
PE: Connect and sit under/work with pastors you respect and will pour into you! Seminary is great, but the most valuable thing to you will be to sit under godly pastors and then to be able to maintain those relationships once you start out on your own.
Rapid Fire Questions
SS: Caf or decaf
PE: Caf
SS: Last movie you watched
PE: Moana
SS: Books on your nightstand right now
PE: Gospel of Glory, Richard Bauckham; And He Dwelt Among Us, A.W. Tozer; Evangelical, Sacramental, & Pentecostal, Gordon Smith
SS: Favorite book (other than the Bible)
PE: Pride & Prejudice, Austen
SS: Favorite book(s) of the Bible
PE: Daniel
SS: Favorite verse(s)
PE: John 10:10
SS: Top 5 authors
PE: If I could only read five people – Jane Austen, W.B. Yeats, N.T. Wright, Michael Bird, Tim Keller
SS: What does your morning routine look like?
PE: Feed, dress, ready kids; feed, dress, ready myself; head to the church; prayer; e-mails; sermon study/prep/or writing (depending on the day); lunch while listening to the Dan LeBatard Show; phone calls (checking in on folks); finish unfinished work/read; come home for a run; play a bit with the kids; catch up with wife while cooking dinner; bathe kids; family devotion; lay kids down; sit with wife on the porch until we both fall asleep and stumble to the bed by 8:30pm!
SS: What day do you take off to unwind?
PE: Friday
SS: How do you unwind?
PE: Clean the house/yard work; day trip with the family; maybe a good Cab Franc if it’s a nice afternoon 🙂
SS: Charcoal or gas?
PE: Gas
View Sermons by this Author: http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/190743/patrick-edwards/
