Wise words on preaching from a master

PROCLAIMING THE WORD:
Principles and Practices for Expository
Preaching
By David J. Jackman
Crossway. 249 pages. £20.99
ISBN 978 1 433 592 102

Some books do exactly what they say on the tin. This book is an unvarnished but well-written guide to expository preaching from a master proponent.

David Jackman is an experienced preacher, pastor, author and first director of Proclamation Trust’s Cornhill Training Course. Not everyone is a fan of the Cornhill-flavoured approach to preaching. It can at times appear to have a narrow definition of expository preaching. This book is written by one of the key shapers of that approach. David Jackman has provided here a nuanced account of expository preaching, but it is noticeable that there is little or no interaction with others who have written on homiletics in the ancient or contemporary world.

What David Jackman does do, in 19 chapters, is lay out his thinking in three main sections; these are based on three modules he taught on the Cornhill Training Course: Basic Principles; Developing Skills; Rightly Handling the Word of Truth.

What has impressed me in this book is that the author sees preaching as more than the sum of its parts. He sees preaching as less about technique and more about the preacher’s posture in relationship to God’s word. He wants to see preachers who are attentive to Scripture and willing to allow Scripture to shape their sermons. The image that the author usefully uses is of who or what is in the driving seat of a car when we are preaching. It is not enough for Scripture to be in the boot of the car or seated beside the driver as a passenger, it needs to be in the driving seat. This, for the author, means an expository verse-by-verse approach to preaching. I would have been interested to see some room given to considering the potential of a conscientious Scripture-text rooted form of topical preaching.

Readers will be helped by this book to think about how to handle Scripture with care, and avoid using it as a dispensable prop for the preacher’s preconceived ideas. The last two-thirds of the book contain numerous worked examples of how preachers should handle Scripture. The book might have benefitted from having questions or exercises to conclude each chapter. But it is enhanced by a helpful appendix that prompts the preacher to assess the effectiveness of their sermons. Preachers will only grow if they learn how to be honest about what has gone well in their preaching and what needs to be improved.

Perhaps what is most impressive about this book is how much attention is given to stressing that preaching is more than preparing sermons; it also involves the preparation of the preacher. The author wisely reflects from experience: ‘It has been my observation throughout my years of Christian service that no minister or preacher can be truly useful to God’s purposes until he has been significantly and deeply humbled.’

Novice and seasoned preachers will both find something helpful to them in this carefully considered, comprehensive and clear book.