The authority of God’s Word and the priority of church and preaching is certainly not affirmed by many today, even those identifying as Christians. Where preaching is done it is often shortened as to not bore anyone in the congregation.
This is in part why Mark Hallock wrote The Shepherd Preacher: A Practical Theology for Pastoral Exposition. Hallock believes preaching is important:
Preaching matters. It matters big time. In fact, I would say that in many ways the future spiritual health and maturity of individuals, families, and congregations in North America and beyond is deeply connected to the health and overall vitality of the preaching taking place in our pulpits. Perhaps, now more than ever before, preaching matters (13).
But Hallock isn’t concerned with just any preaching. He specifically argues for what he calls “shepherd preaching.” “Shepherd preaching is that type of preaching that is carried out by faithful, biblical pastors committed to a particular congregation in a particular community” (14).
Why is it important to emphasize preaching in the local congregation you ask? Because according to Hallock even though big-name pastors are a gift to us, nothing can replace the local pastor. A shepherd knows his sheep and lays down his life for the sheep. You are not the YouTube famous preacher’s crown, but you are the joy and crown of a local pastor (Php 4:1). Jason Helopoulos urges us, “Listen to the podcasts, attend the conferences, stream the video sermons….Yet, even as we embrace it, let us rejoice in the undershepherds laboring in our local church” (15). Hallock also writes about the “celebrity” preacher status that allures many pastors (37). Hallock contends that what we need today are “ordinary” pastors whose desire isn’t for fame and recognition but to pastor their people well.
Hallock’s book is broken up into three parts: The Need for Shepherd Preaching, Biblical and Theological Foundations of Shepherd Preaching, and Historical and Cultural Perspectives on Shepherd Preaching. He sets out to argue more the “why” of preaching than the “how.” So the book isn’t heavy on homiletics, but focuses more on the theology and foundations of expository preaching.
One topic Hallock addresses is the ever-dangerous fear of man in the pastor. Numbers and growth are tempting measurements for a pastor to gauge success by in his ministry. For this reason Hallock writes about the importance of preaching God’s Word regardless of the smiles of others. He includes a chilling quote by Al Martin:
You are never free to be an instrument of blessing to your people unless you are free from the effects of their smiles and their frowns. People know when you can be bought by their smiles and beaten by their frowns… (38)
Overall Hallock’s book is a wealth of quotes and resources, and there is no better example than chapter eight where he focuses on preaching Christ from all of scripture. There he quotes many pastors and provides many resources and clarifying definitions.
Hallock’s book is a comfort to many pastors laboring faithfully in shepherding their congregations. He supplies a plentiful amount of quotes from pastors and theologians that convict and encourage pastors as they read. I will admit the length and frequency of the quotes at times made it difficult to follow his thought, but taken on their own they were wonderful. The reader should also be prepared for a dizzying amount of foundations, principles, questions, functions and convictions. While lists are a helpful memory aid and organizational tool I found it hard to keep all the lists straight at times. However, Hallock writes engagingly and persuasively and on the whole I found it easy to read.
Overall, Hallock presents a passionate and fortifying argument for scriptural authority and utters a much-needed plea for pastors to preach faithfully and shepherd their congregation well with God’s Word. Preaching matters. Not because public speaking matters, or because strong Christian leadership matters, although it does (137). Preaching matters because God’s Word shapes his people. It always has. From when God formed the earth through his words and gave his Word to his people in the promised land, to when he spoke through his Son and the apostles and gave us his canonized Word to read. When God’s Word speaks we should listen and to quote Calvin, “Where God makes an end of teaching, the Christian must make an end of learning.” As Martin Luther said about his role in the Reformation, “I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word: otherwise I did nothing…the Word did it all.” This book is a comforting nudge in that direction for many pastors struggling to maintain faith that preaching God’s Word is the right thing to keep doing.
Mike McGregor
Mike McGregor (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is Director of College Ministry at First Baptist Church in Durham, N.C. You can follow him on Twitter at @m5mcgregor.
