Pastoral Preaching
In Pastoral Preaching, Conrad Mbewe gives a blueprint from the pulpit on building a people for God.
The book begins by distinguishing between pastoral preaching and evangelistic preaching. Both use the analogy of a shepherd to describe what a pastor does. While evangelistic preaching brings sheep into the fold, pastoral preaching aims at maturing the sheep through the preaching and teaching of God‘s Word. Pastoral preaching is done in the context of a local church.
From Your Heart to the Church
I was most moved to read that a primary implication of the church–pastor relationship is that pastoral preaching should flow out of a heart that dearly loves the people of God in the church. The pastor will get involved with the lives of the people, develop relationships with families, and pray for them. The book goes into detail about how pastoral preaching is both learned by modeling and by training.
After a section on teaching what it means to use the whole Bible for pastoral preaching, the book examines how to find power for pastoral teaching. While the pastor’s study life is important, so is the pastor’s prayer life. A godly life is the fruit of both study and prayer, and this is the heart of the pastor’s power.
For the World to Hear
What sets this book apart from other books on preaching—or even pastoring—is that the author is from Africa. His examples and illustrations show that pastoral preaching is a universal and biblical concern.
As a layperson, I found Pastoral Preaching both humbling and inspiring. Mbewe’s perspective reminded me that faithful pastoral ministry isn’t limited by geography or culture—it’s a global calling rooted in Scripture and empowered by love for God’s people.
I received a media copy of Pastoral Preaching and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.