Abstract
Steven Lawson's book Called to Preach: Fulfilling the High Calling of Expository Preaching discusses a vital topic in the church. In his introduction, he states, “When the pulpit is strong, the church is strengthened, and her witness to the word is fortified. But when the pulpit is weak, the church languishes in spiritual listlessness, and society suffers from it.” 1 Preachers are the means that the Lord has chosen to build and encourage the church. Having pastored for 35 years, written 33 books, and served as the professor of preaching at the Master's Seminary, Lawson has a good bit of experience in teaching and seeing what it means to be called to preach. In this book, his focus is on the faithful exposition of the Word of God. He provides practical suggestions both in understanding the calling to preach and sermon delivery.
Chapters 1–3 give a biblical foundation for what the call to preach looks like. Specifically, he provides seven indicators of a real call to preach: a burden for preaching, the ability to teach, Christlikeness, confirmation from others, ministerial influence on others, a sense of urgency, and God opening doors. Lawson focuses on elevating the responsibility of preachers to exult God by stating, “A towering understanding of God leads to transcendent worship and holy living. But preaching a low view of God leads to trivial worship and base living.” The glory of God is the aim of preaching.
In Chapters 4–8, the book transitions to focus more on practical ideas for developing effective preaching and communication styles. Lawson leads the reader through the various stages of studying for expositional preaching. The first of these stages is the orientation stage. These are the tools for practical Bible study. Second is the preparation stage. Here, Lawson gives tools for effective study. Next comes the evaluation stage, where the preacher needs to consider the needs of the audience. Fourth is the selection stage. This is the stage where a specific text to preach is selected. Fifth is the interpretation stage, where the expositional preacher digs into the text itself. Finally, there is the consultation stage. Here, the preacher seeks out additional resources on the text. As the nature of these things goes, Lawson transitions from preparation to delivery. Like in the earlier parts of the book, there is a list of helpful and practical ideas for developing an effective preaching style. There are 18 of these ideas, each supported with Scripture and other quotations. Preaching is to be authoritative and clear, simple and fervent. How we say something is as important as what is being said. If a pastor is winsome but does not preach the whole truth of scripture, then he has failed. The opposite is true as well.
In the closing chapter of the book, Lawson leaves the reader with the charge to preach the word of God faithfully. He challenges the preacher to understand that “God must prepare the preacher before the preacher can prepare the message.” 2 Preaching and being called to preach depends on the Lord. The message that is to be proclaimed is one that this world has little patience for. The gospel message itself is offensive to a world that is content to stay in their sins.
Called to Preach is a great encouragement for anyone considering the call to the office of pastor. Becoming a pastor is a terrifying process at times. In many cases, it is accompanied by a seemingly overwhelming sense of inadequacy. Lawson provides detailed steps and essential markers along the journey to becoming a pastor that can be beneficial for those who are considering if they are called and for those who have known for a while.There is a lot to praise about this book and very little in the way of weaknesses. That being said, the book could be improved by integrating the first couple of chapters better into the rest of the book. Its setup could almost be read as two separate books. One on identifying a call and a second on what that call looks like. This could be fixed by improving the transition between the two major sections. Introduce the first section as identifying a preacher and close it by emphasizing the importance of rightly exercising the call.
Lawson's book is a breath of fresh air in a world of pragmatism. Anyone considering if they are called to preach should read this book and consider the ideas and implications deeply. Even for pastors who have been in the role for a while, this book rekindles the passion that was there at the beginning. It is inspirational and informative. Each chapter has something important to contribute to the topic of preachers and preaching. Preaching is a heavy burden that one cannot carry on their own. Anyone who has been in faithful ministry for more than a couple of months can tell of the toll that faithful pastoral ministry can bring. If the pastor attempts to carry this weight on their own, they will either quit or give in to the pressure to be well-liked. This is why this book is so important. The call to be a pastor is something that must come from the Lord. It must be verified by witnesses. Lawson's work helps the reader understand what it means to be called and what the call looks like.
