“The idolatry of talent” by John Angell James

“There is in this day an idolatry of talent running through society; and this man-worship has crept into the church, and corrupted its members. It is painful to perceive how far it is carried in many circles, and to see what homage is paid, and what incense is burnt, to their favourites.
It is not religion [...]

“A holy minister” by Robert Murray M’Cheyne

“Do not forget the culture of the inner man– I mean of the heart. How diligently the calvary officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God’s sword, his instrument– I trust, a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name.
In great measure, according [...]

“Practice what you preach” by John Calvin

“Now the main thing in a preacher should be that he may speak, not with his mouth merely, but by his life, and procure authority for his doctrine by rectitude of life. Paul, accordingly, procures authority for his exhortation on this ground, that he had, by his life no less than by his mouth, been [...]

“A Pastor’s Prayer” by Martin Luther

“Lord God,
Thou hast placed me in Thy church as a bishop and pastor. Thou seest how unfit I am to administer this great and difficult office. Had I hitherto been without help from Thee, I would have ruined everything long ago. Therefore I call on Thee. I gladly offer my mouth and heart to Thy [...]

“A warning to pastors” by Martin Luther

“Those who turn proud when their praise is sounded, who seek their own glory, not Christ’s, or those who are moved by slanders and by infamy, had better leave the ministry of the Word.”
–Martin Luther, What Luther Says: An Anthology, comp. Ewald M. Plass (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959), entry no. 2919, 930.

“Some pastors are lazy and no good” by Martin Luther

“Some pastors and preachers are lazy and no good. They do not pray; they do not study; they do not read; they do not search the Scripture… The call is: watch, study, attend to reading… [Y]ou cannot read too much in Scripture, what you read you cannot read too carefully, what you read carefully you [...]

“Simply deliver as from hand to hand” by John Calvin

“No prophets or teachers ought to be counted true and faithful, except those through whom God speaks, who invent nothing themselves, who teach not according to their own fancies, but faithfully deliver what God has committed to them… A rule is prescribed to all God’s servants, that they bring not their own inventions, but simply [...]

“Open home, open heart” by Alexander Strauch

“For an elder to be inhospitable is a poor example of Christian love and care for others. The shepherd elder is to give himself lovingly and sacrificially for the care of the flock. This cannot be done from a distance—with a smile and a handshake on Sunday morning or through a superficial visit. Giving oneself [...]

“I get much more respect than I deserve” by Marilynne Robinson

“I get much more respect than I deserve. This seems harmless enough in most cases. People want to respect the pastor and I’m not going to interfere with that. But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by far, than [...]

“You will think you have had enough” by John Brown of Haddington

“I know the vanity of your heart, and that you will feel mortified that your congregation is very small, in comparison with those of your brethren around you; but assure yourself on the word of an old man, that when you come to give an account of them to the Lord Christ, at His judgment-seat, [...]

“Preaching by Proxy” by Bryan Chapell

“The expertise that commentaries bring to bear on a particular passage is at one moment their greatest benefit and their greatest danger. The mixed blessing is evident in two types of pastors who will never make great preachers: The first will not listen to what others say; the other will say only what others say. [...]

“My worst sin–lack of love for God’s sheep” by Jack Miller

“As we seek faith and pray together, the power will be in the preaching, and other matters such as style will begin to take their own course. However, I don’t mean that the models we imitate, the decision whether to use a manuscript, effectiveness in eye contact, and tone of voice are not important. They [...]

“Preaching is faith speaking” by Jack Miller

“Power in preaching comes from a strong faith that is qualified by wisdom. Preaching is faith speaking; that is what it means to preach in the power of the Holy Spirit. And faith and confident praying are two sides of the same coin. Basically I am convinced that men who do not make praying their [...]