HOW TO HELP YOUNG PREACHERS
It is imperative that older preachers help younger preachers. When I speak of younger preachers, I am talking about men who have sensed God’s call in their lives to preach the Word but have not had much experience or time to develop their gifts. A younger preacher may be a high schooler or a young man who is in Bible college. It could also be a married man with a teenage daughter and an eight-year old son. While “younger” is often considered to be speaking about biological age, I am also referring to experience.
If you are a preacher of the Gospel, I ask you a sincere question. When is the last time you have purposefully invested in the life of a younger preacher? Chances are that you will never forget the men who invested in you. Don’t get too busy in your ministry to invest in younger preachers. I propose to you that your ministry is incomplete if you do not invest in them. This is taught in 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
Invest in young preachers by spending time with them. Some have had weekly classes with these men to teach them about preaching and ministry. You can spend time with them by taking them on church visits or simply running errands for the church. These formal and casual interactions teach them how to minister to people and shows them that preachers are human beings too. There are many demands on the time of the preacher, but there is no reason that we cannot incorporate young preachers into the things we already do.
Give them opportunities to serve and preach. I am still terrified when I think of watching the first sermon I ever preached. I was not a theologian. I never had taken a homiletics class. Yet, I was given the opportunity to preach on a Wednesday night in November. Later, I was given the opportunity to preach in nursing homes. A pastor can wisely give a young preacher an opportunity to preach that is in proportion to his gifting and development without hurting the church or the young preacher.
Model a sound philosophy of ministry and a strong pulpit ministry. Much more is caught than taught. An indelible impression is made on the young preacher who observes a man of integrity and consistency in the times of difficulty. Biblical preaching will help mold him into the image of Jesus Christ. Perhaps model is the wrong word. If you are a man of integrity and the Word, just be who you are!
Rebuke the young preacher when he needs it. Better for him to hear from you that he rambles in the pulpit than to hear it from some caustic critic. If his character is lacking, remind him of the biblical prohibition that he has violated, tell him how to fix it, and expect him to grow from his mistakes. “Open rebuke is better than secret love” (Proverbs 27:5).
Foster relationships with younger preachers. Paul’s writings were filled with encouragements to young Timothy. “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). While he gave him words of encouragement, he reminded Timothy of the relationship that they had. You would be amazed at the number of younger preachers who do not have a mentor! Grow your relationships with family members to strengthen your family. Build relationships with the lost to reach them with the Gospel. Mentor younger preachers to multiply your ministry.
There seems to be fewer young preachers today than previous years. This should make us even more eager to invest in them! May their tribe increase, and may we rise to the challenge to invest in them like older preachers invested in us.