Top 3 Recommended Books for Powerful Christian Ministry
Introduction
Ministering like the Master” by Stuart Olyott, “The Imperative of Preaching” by John Carrick, and “Preaching Christ” by Charles McIlvaine are books that focus on Christian ministry and preaching, albeit with distinct approaches and emphases. These books open a fresh perspective on Christian service that can transform the way you minister to others. More than theoretical studies of Jesus’ ministry, each book offers you practical and actionable advice with concrete principles and steps to be more effective in any form of Christian ministry or service. We pray that your understanding of Christ’s life will deepen, and that you will be enabled to be more Christ-centred in all the various ministry endeavours and contexts.
Let's compare these three books:
Ministering Like the Master
Unleash the transformative power of effective ministry with “Ministering Like the Master” by Stuart Olyott,…
1. “Ministering like the Master” by Stuart Olyott:
– Focus: Olyott’s book centres on examining the ministry of Jesus Christ as portrayed in the Scriptures and drawing insights from His life to inform and inspire Christian ministry today.
– Approach: The book emphasizes the importance of modelling our ministry after Jesus’ example of love, compassion, and selflessness. Olyott provides practical applications for ministry based on the principles he draws from the life of Christ.
– Target Audience: This book is relevant to anyone involved in Christian ministry or service, regardless of their specific role or position within the church.
2. “The Imperative of Preaching” by John Carrick:
– Focus: Carrick’s book focuses specifically on the importance and centrality of preaching in the life of the church. It highlights the significance of faithful biblical preaching for the spiritual health and growth of the congregation.
– Approach: The book explores the theological basis for preaching, the nature of preaching as a means of grace, and the role of the preacher in delivering God’s Word faithfully.
– Target Audience: This book is primarily geared towards preachers, pastors, and church leaders who want to understand the theological foundation and principles of effective preaching.
Imperative of Preaching
The Preacher’s Mandate: Unleashing the Imperative of Preaching” by John Carrick is a compelling exploration…
3. “Preaching Christ” by Charles McIlvaine:
– Focus: McIlvaine’s book centres on expository preaching that proclaims Christ as the central figure of the Scriptures. It emphasizes the importance of Christ-centred preaching to communicate the Gospel effectively.
– Approach: The book provides practical guidance on how to preach Christ from various biblical genres and texts. It aims to equip preachers to present Christ in all aspects of their sermons and to help listeners grasp the significance of Christ’s work in salvation history.
– Target Audience: This book is directed towards preachers and ministers who desire to make Christ the focal point of their preaching and to exposit the Scriptures in a way that leads to a deeper understanding of Christ’s redemptive work.
Preaching Christ
Unleash the Power of Apostolic Preaching: “Preaching Christ” by Bishop Charles P. McIlvaine Discover the…
In summary, while all three books touch on Christian ministry and preaching, they have different emphases and target audiences. “Ministering like the Master” focuses on emulating Jesus’ example in ministry, “The Imperative of Preaching” emphasizes the theological significance of preaching, and “Preaching Christ” centres on delivering Christ-centred expository sermons. Depending on your specific interests and needs in ministry and preaching, each of these books can offer valuable insights and practical guidance.
In order of the most accessible, to the deepest of the 3, here’s a further breakdown of each title:
MINISTERING LIKE THE MASTER
WHAT: 3 catchy chapters in 100 pages – “Our Lord was not a boring preacher”! “Our Lord was an evangelistic preacher”! “Our Lord was not just a preacher”!
WHERE: Readers will be taken through the Gospels, specifically the examples of Christ’s preaching.
WHY read this book: Not only will you be warned of the perils and pitfalls that could hinder your success as a preacher, you will come to realise how essential Christ’s example is to those who seek to minister in His name today.
HOW: Olyott provides steps to emulate His example in both your interactions with others and your sermons.
WHO: Stuart Olyott (b. 1942) is Pastoral Director of the Evangelical Movement of Wales and an elder at Christ Church in Deeside, North Wales. He previously served as a pastor of Belvidere Road Church in Liverpool for 23 years. Other works by him include “Ministering like the Master”, “Reading the Bible and Praying in Public”, and his translation of John Calvin’s “Truth for All Time”.
WHEN: Originally published in 2003 (Based on his addresses at the Leicester Ministers’ Conference in the year 2000), the edition available on our website is the republished edition of 2017.
PREACHING CHRIST
WHO: Charles P. McIlvaine was a 19th century American Episcopal bishop trained in Princeton University.
WHAT: In just 86 pages, McIlvaine presents an address to those entering the Christian ministry.
WHY: While McIlvaine was in Princeton, the college experienced a powerful religious revival; He rightly attributed it to the work of the Spirit of God, as opposed to the ritual and ceremony of the High Church of his day. He wrote these sermonettes to strengthen the church’s witness and effectiveness by drawing them back toward the Scriptural, apostolic example.
WHERE – the author’s sources: McIlvaine refers mainly to the New Testament, along with an appendix on Acts 5:42 by Charles Spurgeon.
HOW: McIlvaine answers these crucial questions:
– How did the apostles preach Christ?
– How do some fail in preaching Christ?
– What is it to preach Christ?
– What truths relate to preaching Christ?
– What are the qualifications for preaching Christ?
WHEN: Originally published in 1863, it was republished in 2003.
THE IMPERATIVE OF PREACHING
WHAT: Carrick persuades preachers to utilise the patterns of communication laid down by God Himself in Scripture, namely “The Indicative”, “The Exclamative”, “The Interrogative”, and “The Imperative”.
WHERE – the author’s sources of evidence: Abundant examples from Scripture and from the preaching of such men as Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Samuel Davies, Asahel Nettleton and Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
WHY was this book written: Since preaching still is the primary ministry of the church today, the author insists that preachers should not neglect any help which Scripture affords.
HOW: Carrick not only insists on applying and explaining the truth of Scripture. Carrick also provides an effective critique of redemptive-historical preaching, arguing that this approach seriously neglects the application of the Word of God. By a presentation of the positives and negatives, he presents a thorough body of principles for preaching.
WHO: John Carrick was formerly
– Minister of Cheltenham Evangelical Church
– Lecturer in the History of Philosophy & Christian Thought at Reformed Theological Seminary
– Minister of Matthews Orthodox Presbyterian Church
He also authored “The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards”, published by @banneroftruth.
WHEN: Republished in 2016
