Jason K. Allen - Letters to My Students: Volume 1: On Preaching

In the tradition of Spurgeons famous Lectures to My Students , Jason Allen gives us Letters to My Students: On Preaching . Each of the twenty chapters is a short, succinct treatment broadly covering in summary fashion three crucial areas: Preparing to Be a Preacher; Preparing Your Sermon; and Growing in Your Preaching. Every young preacher (old ones too!) will find practical benefit and encouragement from this helpful book.

David L. Allen , Dean of the School of Preaching, Southwestern Seminary

Jason Allen knows preaching, preaching students, and the Prince of Preachers. So theres no one better equipped to give us a volume that extends this great preaching legacy. Allen helps preachers to start well, practice well, and finish well in the ministry of the Word through text-driven, gospel-centered, and listener-friendly sermons. With the feel of a fireside chat, this book makes for a buffet from which all of us who preach can and should feast repeatedly. Whether youre running your first leg or your last leg of the preaching race, mine this gem for its potent, practical, and timely treasures.

Jim Shaddix , PhD, DMin, W. A. Criswell Professor of Expository Preaching and Senior Fellow of the Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

This is a book written to help men preparing for or just beginning a ministry of preaching. Mission accomplished! I wish this book had been available in the early days of my ministry. If it had been, I would have been a better preacher then, and I wouldnt have had to learn by a longer and harder way many of the lessons Jason Allen presents here.

Donald S. Whitney , Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Associate Dean, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and Praying the Bible

For almost fifty years now, Spurgeons Lectures to My Students has been a constant companion. I have read it, re-read it, referred to it in lectures, and quoted it often in my own attempts to write about preaching. Now, Dr. Allen has done us a wonderful service. His book Letters to My Students: On Preaching is a helpful, current discussion of the sacred task of preaching the Word of God. Should I have fifty more years of ministry, Im sure this volume by Dr. Allen would be a constant reference. I am glad that those who will have those fifty years will be able to use it as such!

Jerry Vines

All of us who preach have a challenging and demanding task entrusted to us by God. Those who are committed to the pulpit are students throughout their lives. Jason Allen has given to us a masterful, practical, and helpful resource on the essentials of preaching. These principles will enable you to be a better student of Gods Word and a more effective communicator of His truths.

Mac Brunson , Senior Pastor of Valleydale Church in Birmingham, Alabama

The task of preachingauthoritatively explaining and applying Gods Word to Gods peopleis both glorious and grueling. It is certainly easier to criticize than to do. And preparing the sermon isnt even the whole task, for the minister must also prepare his soul. The sheer weight of this stewardship is why Im so grateful for Jason Allens Letters to My Students: On Preaching. This practical and compelling manual explores the various dynamics related to pulpit proclamationfrom discerning the call to developing the gift to delivering the message. Whether you stand behind the sacred desk each Sunday or you desire to one day, this book will serve you well.

Matt Smethurst , Managing Editor, The Gospel Coalition; author, Before You Open Your Bible: Nine Heart Postures for Approaching Gods Word and 12 Thessalonians: A 12-Week Study

This new volume is not simply another theoretical treatise but is filled with practical principles beaten out on the anvil of personal experience by one of the brightest new lights in Christian higher education today. I hope every young preacher reads and heeds the truths found within these pages.

O. S. Hawkins , Former Pastor, First Baptist Church in Dallas; author of the Code Series devotionals

What a great read. Academics tend to forget that most of us who labor in the pulpit need to be mindful of our firm foundation. Jason Allen has not forgotten the call to equip those who labor each Sunday. His writing is clear and his words are very encouraging. I especially commend the preachers checklist (chapter 19). Read this and be motivated to sweat in service of the calling and work of preaching.

Steven Smith , Senior Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas; author of Dying to Preach and Recapturing the Voice of God; coauthor of Preaching for the Rest of Us

Copyright 2019 by Jason K. Allen

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-5359-4114-3

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 253

Subject Heading: PASTORAL THEOLOGY / CLERGY / MINISTRY

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Also used English Standard Version. ESV Text Edition: 2016. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Also used: King James Version ( kjv ), public domain.

Cover design by Brian Bobel.

Photography by Cole Gorman.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated, with deep appreciation, to Dr. Steven J. Lawson. It was under Dr. Lawsons ministry that while a sophomore in college, as a recently converted Christian, I first encountered expository preaching. In those early, formative years his pulpit ministry deepened my love for Gods Word, shaped my convictions for expository preaching, and sparked Gods call to ministry in my own life. He quickly became a ministerial mentor, counseling and encouraging me onward in ministry.

He took me under his wing, taught me how to preach, and gave me my first ministerial staff position. At the personal level, he married my wife, Karen, and I, and has, from the earliest of days, taken a special interest in me, my calling, and my family. He continues to be a source of encouragement and support, and for that Im ever indebted to him.

Yet, I dedicate this book to him not merely because of his kind influence on my life, but because of how effectively, and passionately, he has championed the message of this book. His is a voice crying out to a new generation of ministers, encouraging them, as he did me, to preach the Word.

Acknowledgments

One clear sign of Gods favor on my life is the people Hes brought into it. Each of the following family members, friends, and colleagues is a tremendous source of blessing, encouragement, and support.

At the personal level, my life and ministry are enabled and enriched by the prayers and encouragement of my family. God has abundantly blessed me with a wife in Karen, and children in Anne-Marie, Caroline, William, Alden, and Elizabeth, who have surpassed my every hope and dream as to what theyd be and mean to me. They are a constant source of love, joy, and support. To my favorite six people on the planet, thank you.

At the institutional level, my colleagues and office staff, likewise, are an invaluable source of support and encouragement. Most especially, Im thankful for Patrick Hudson, Tyler Sykora, Dawn Philbrick, and Catherine Crouse. These men and women are an absolute delight to serve with, and they go about their daily tasks with graciousness and competence. Thank you.

Furthermore, Im thankful to the team at B&H Publishers, most especially Jennifer Lyell, Devin Maddox, and Taylor Combs. Thank you, dear friends, for believing in this project and for working with me to bring it to fruition.