How Was the Sermon? - Calvin Theological Seminary (internal

C a l v i n T h e o l o g i C a l S e m i n a r y

FORUM

The Sermon

1. BIBLICAL

• Thesermoncontentwasderive

dfromScripture:

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• Thesermonhelpedyouun

derstandthetext

better:

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• ThesermonrevealedhowGodisatw

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W i n t e r 2 0 0 8

How Was the Sermon?

2C a l v i n T h e o l o g i C a l S e m i n a r y

Forum • Winter 2008

DearBrothersandSisters,

EverySundaytheydoitagain:thousandsofministersstandbeforelistenersandpreach a sermon to them. If the sermonworks—if it “takes”—aprimarycausewillbethesecretministryoftheHolySpirit,movingmysteriouslythroughacongregationandinspiringScripturealloveragainasit’spreached.PartofthemysteryisthattheSpiritblowswhereitwillsandwithpeculiarresults.Aseverypreacherknows,anicelycraftedsermonsometimesfallsflat.Peoplelistentoitwithmild interest,and then theygohome.OnotherSundaysapreacherwillwalktothepulpitwithasermonthathasbeenonlyroughlyframedupinhis(orher)mind.Thepreacherhasbeenbusyallweekwithweddings,funerals,andyouthretreats,andonSundaymorningheisn’treadytopreach.Miraculously,his rough sermonriseson thewingsof theHolySpirit andgatherspeople toGod.

Strange things happenwhen aminister preaches.After the service, peoplethankthepreacherforthingsshedidn’tsay,orforthingsshedidsaybuthadn’tunderstoodaswellasthelistenerhad.Ourwordscanbe“wiserthanweare,”saidBenBelitt,andnevermoresothanwhentheSpiritofGodisinthebuild-ing.Onsuchoccasions,asBarbaraBrownTaylorwrites,“Somethinghappensbetweenthepreacher’slipsandthecongregation’searsthatisbeyondpredictionorexplanation.”

Inanycase,asweteachourstudentshereattheSeminary,thepreacher’sjobis topreachaboutGod.Openup theScripturesandpreach fromthemaboutGod.RespectGod’smysteryandourfinitude,butpreachaboutGod.Admitoursin,ourcorruption,andthecorruptionofourknowledgeofGod,butdopreachwhat we know of God: God’s mercy, God’s judgment, God’s wisdom, God’sMessiah,God’sSpirit,God’senthusiasmforlosersandnobodies.TheBible’sbigstoryisnothumansin—darkanddesperateasitis—butGod’sredeeminggracecenteredinthegospelofJesusChrist,andthepreachermustfindexcellentwaystotellthisstoryandpreachthisgospel.

Congregationscanhelp,and in this issue fourgoodcolleagues tellhowtodoit.

Graceandpeace.

C a l v i n T h e o l o g i C a l S e m i n a r y

ForumProvidingTheologicalLeadership

fortheChurchVolume 15, Number 1

Winter 2008

REFLECTIONS ON PREACHING AND EVALUATION

3HowWastheSermon?

by Scott Hoezee

6GoodPreachingTakesGoodElders!

by Howard Vanderwell

8NotattheDoor:ThoughtsonWhenandWheretoTalkaboutSermons

by Mary Hulst

10TheMovetoGrace

by John Rottman

DEPARTMENTS

Formation for Ministry . . . . . . . . . 12News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

COVER: Todd Farley preached at the Seminary in Oct . 2007 (see p . 14) .

TheCalvin Theological Seminary ForumispublishedinWinter,SpringandFalleditions.

CalvinTheologicalSeminary,3233BurtonSt.SE,GrandRapids,MI49546.

The Forum isavailableatwww.calvinseminary.eduEditorialCommittee:JohnCooper,Editor;Mariano

Avila,JohnBolt,DuaneKelderman,KathySmithDesigner:PaulStoub,StoubGraphicsPhotography:ShannonBernard-Adams,Steve

Huyser-Honig,KathySmith,PaulStoub

©2008CalvinTheologicalSeminary

PuBLICATIONSMAILAGREEMENTNO.40063614RETuRNuNDELIvERABLECANADIANADDRESSESTO:CALvINTHEOLOGICALSEMINARy3475MAINWAy,LCDSTN1BuRLINGTON,ONL7M1A9email:[email protected]

from the presidentCornelius Plantinga, Jr.



“Nice sermon, pastor,” thefriendly woman said asshebreezedthroughthenarthex door. “That ser-mon just didn’t do any-

thingforme,”thedisappointedmansaidashetuggedonhiscoatandheadedtotheparking lot. The one comment tells thepreachergenerallythatshemayhavedonea good job; the other tells the preachergenerally that somethingmay have gonewrong. But in both cases it’s that adverb“generally”thatistheproblem.

“Whatexactly did I say thatmade thatsermon so ‘nice’ according to Lloyd andSheila last week?” the preacher wonders.Then again, “What exactly did I say thatmadeAlicesoticked?”What’smore,howcan thepreacherbe sure that either com-mentwasontarget?Whethersomeoneiscomplimenting or critiquing the pastor’ssermon,pastorsarebetteroffiftheyknowthatthepersonmakingthecommenthassomeideaaboutwhatasermonshould beinthefirstplace—andthereforehassomegood reasons for suggesting that a givensermondidordidnothitthemark.

When Calvin Theological Seminaryestablished “TheCenter forExcellence inPreaching” three years ago, the facultyknew it would serve the church if theycame up with some standards by whichtoassesssermons.Thefacultydidso,andthe four standards they came up withwereeventuallyfoldedintotheSeminary’snewsermonevaluationform(enclosedinthis issue ofForum). In an effort to help

everyone in the church be abletoprovidetheirpastorswiththekind of informed feedback thatisgenuinelyhelpful,thebalanceofthisarticlewilllookbrieflyateach of these four standards ofexcellentpreaching.

Excellent preaching is biblical.

Scriptureisthevesselthroughwhich and by which the HolySpirit brings the gospel to light.So the first step in evaluating asermonistoask,“Doesthissermonreflecta serious engagement with the biblicaltext?ThenexttimeIreadthispassage,will

I be able to remember at leastone insight that Igleanedfromthissermon?”

For their part, pastors needtoapproachthetextwitheager-ness and an expectation thattheywillbestartledbywhatthetext reveals. Too often preach-ers assume too much and soconcludethatbiblicaltextsdon’thavealotofpotentialtostartle.My colleague Randy Bytwerk,a Calvin College communica-tionsprofessor,saysthatbefore

Thomas Edison would hire someone toworkinhisinventionshop,hewouldtakethecandidateouttolunchforsomesubtleobservation. When the soup arrived, ifthe potential employee added salt beforehetastedthesoup,Edisonwouldnothirehim.Peoplewhoassumetoomuchdonotmakegoodinventorsbecausetheygetridoftheirbestideasbeforetheybothertotrythemout.

Preachers should never assume theyknow how a certain text “tastes” beforereading it. Preachers should expect to bestartled by the text and then bring thatexpectation into the pulpit.What’smore,preachers should expect to be convictedbythetextthroughtheircarefulstudyofit.Congregations, inturn,shouldhear inthe sermon not how the preacher “feels”aboutthetextnorwhatthepreacherwantstomakethetextsay.Instead,trulybiblicalsermons are those that proclaimthetruthofthetext.Onlywhenthe

How Was the Sermon?by Scott Hoezee,

Director of the Center for Excellence

in Preaching

▼


reFlections

Preachers should expect to be startled by the text and then bring that expectation into

the pulpit.



sermon says whatthetextsayscanwe

expect the Holy Spirit to work throughthatsermoninwaysthatarefresh,bracing,andstartling.

Excellent preaching is authentic. Somewhileagowhenservingasaguest

preacher, I was approached by a womanwho said with great enthusiasm, “WhatI likedmost about your sermon is that Icantellyoureallybelievethisyourself!”Iwasgladtohearthatbutwasatthesametimetroubled.Hercommenttoldmethatshe had heard altogether too many ser-mons that did not reveal such transpar-encybetweenthemessageandtheheartoftheonewhoproclaimedit.

AccordingtoMark’sgospel,whenJesusfirst began to preach and teach in placeslikeCapernaum,thepeoplewereproperlywowedbyhismiracles—butwhatarrestedtheir attention even more was, as theyput it, “He teaches as onewith authority,not like the scribesandPharisees.”Whatdifferentiated Jesus from others was thattherewasnodiscerniblegapbetweenhismessageandhisownperson.

IonceheardacharminganecdoteaboutPope JohnXXIII. Apparently one day inthe 1950s the Pope was having an audi-encewith a number of people, including

severalmothersofyoungchildren.AtonepointthePopesaidtooneofthesewomen,“Could you please tell me the names ofyour children? I realize there are othershere who could give me that informa-tion,but somethingvery specialhappenswhen a mother speaks the names of herownchildren.”IthinkweknowwhatthePopemeant.Whenourrelationshiptoandengagementwithsomethingorsomeoneisas closeas amother-childbond, thenwecannothelpbutspeakofsuchthingswith

warmth,fervor,love,andcommitment.The more people sense the preacher’s

ownengagementwithanddevotiontothegospeland theChristofGodwho is thatgospel’s centerpiece, the more sermonswilltakehold.It’stheold“fireinthebelly”phenomenon: there can be no substitutefor the preacher’s own enthusiasm aboutthe things he or she proclaims. Whena congregation has the sense that thepreacher is bored with his own sermon,howintheworldwillthatmessagetouchanyone?Butwhenapreacherhasspenttheweekengagedwiththebiblicaltextinwaysthatmakehereagertogetintothepulpitand share theweek’sfindingsanddiscov-erieswitheveryoneelse,thatsermonwilltakeholdalmostimmediately.

Excellent preaching is contextual. The Word of God is the unchanging

foundationandcenterofanysermon.Fur-ther,Godisthesameyesterday,today,andtomorrow,andsotherearethingspreach-ers must say today that are identical towhatPaulsaidinAntioch2,000yearsago.Somethingsdonotchange.

But preachers cannot speak even coregospeltruthstodayinthesamewayJohnCalvin did in Geneva 400 years ago orAugustine did 1,600 years ago. Preachersneed toknow their context, their culture,

How Was the Sermon?


▼

Congregations have the right to hear a

voice from the pulpit that connects with the contemporary

situation.

Ithappensalltoooften.Afacultymemberisreviewingapoorsermonwith a student. Truly a poor sermon.The kind ofsermonthat leavesa listenersomewherebetweenconfused

andangry.Nothoughtfullistenercanreallyfigureoutwhatthissermonisaboutorwhereitisgoing.Thefacultyadviserhopesfor some honest feedback from a congregation about this ser-mon.But,alltoooften,listenersgivesuchasermonhighmarksonthewrittensermonevaluationform(enclosedwiththisissueofForum)thatthey’reaskedtofilloutwhenseminarianspreachintheirchurch.Thisisabigproblem.

Oneoftheproverbssays,“Faithfularethewoundsofafriend”(27:6). Someone who really cares will be honest, even whenthat honesty is going to hurt a bit. People filling out sermonevaluation forms do students a huge favor by being honest.Of course we shouldn’t be mean-spirited or unnecessarilyblunt. And we should try to balance critical comments withappreciative ones. But the sermon evaluation form is theplace to givehonest, forthright, even if critical, feedback.TheSeminary absolutely depends upon it for ourwork in helpingstudentsbecomebetterpreachers.

We at the Seminary understand thatlisteners feel abit sorry for these studentswhomayactuallybepreachingforthefirsttime.Obviouslyall seminariansarebegin-ners trying to find their voice (or maybeeven theirnotes!).But students alsoknowthey’re beginners. When students get thehighestmarks possible for the second ser-montheyeverpreached,asermontheythemselvesknowwasagroaner,thensermonevaluationshavelimitedvalue.

There is no significant growth without pain. Most peoplecanlookbackintheirownlivesandrecalltimeswherehonestfeedback,clothedinlove,ledtosignificantinsightandgrowth.Imaginetryingtobecomeagoodgolferbutneverhavingcoach-eswhopointoutamistakeinyourswing.

Honestsermonevaluationsfromthecongregationsinwhichstudentspreacharesomeofthemostvaluabletoolsforhelpingstudentsbecomebetterpreachers.Thanksforyourhelp!

Duane KeldermanCTS Candidacy Committee Chair

Faithful Are the Wounds of a Friend

Sermon Evaluation Form

C A L V I N T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

A community of faith. A center of learning. A life of ministry.

See sermon evaluation form included in this issue.




theshapeofthelivesintowhichtheywantto pour the gospel’s content.Where andhow is the gospel being challenged andquestioned and undermined today?Howare those peculiar challenges differentfromwhatwastruefiftyyearsago?

No, preachers never accommodatethe message of the gospel. But to makeeventhatunchangingmessageintelligibleto people today requires a savvy appre-hension of the context in which Christwill be encountered today. So preachersneed to read goodnewspapers andmaga-zines,explorethecontoursofmodernlifethroughtheworksofthoughtfulnovelistsand poets, be judicious viewers of televi-sionandfilms,andbewillingtolistentothe voices of even those whomay countas the church’s fiercest and nastiest crit-ics. Congregations have the right to hearavoicefromthepulpitthatconnectswiththecontemporarysituation.

Excellent preaching is life-changing.Thepreacherneedstopreachwiththe

expectation that something will happenasaresultofthesermon.Preachingneedsto be eventful.This sense of anticipationhastostartwiththepreacherhimself.Ser-mons never seek merely to impart infor-mation but carry with them the expecta-tion that if the sermon is biblical, if the

preacherclearlybelieveswhatsheissaying,if the message is spoken in a contextualwaythatwillbeunderstandabletopeopleinthe twenty-firstcentury, thentheHolySpiritisgoingtodosomething.

If people listen to this message withprayerful hearts and with a measure ofholy seriousness, their lives can change.Peoplecometothefaithforthefirsttimebecause of what they hear in sermons.Others recommit themselves to the faithafteraperiodofdoubtingandwandering.

Stillotherswhoareperfectlysolidintheirfaithwillfindtheirpulsesquickenedandtheir spirits uplifted by being remindedagainofpreciousgospeltruths.

These four standards of excellentpreaching provide churchmembers withsomepegsonwhichtohangtheirthoughtsaboutthepreachingtheyhear.Beingawareofthesecategoriescanhelpusmovefromsaying, “Nice sermon, pastor,” to sayingsomethingmorealongthelinesof,“WhatI like about your sermons, pastor, is thattheyaresorootedintheBibleandyetsoawareofhowScripturespeakstoustoday.”Orwecanmovefrom,“Thatsermondidn’tdomuchforme,”tosomethingmorelike,“Pastor,Ihaveahardtimebeingabletotellifyouareveryenthusiasticaboutthemes-sageyourself.”

In the Reformed tradition, preachinghas always occupied a central place inthe life of the church.That seemsunlike-ly to change, and so also conversationsabout preachingwill continue across cof-fee tables, around dinner tables, in thenarthex,andinthecouncilroom.Itisourhope that providing some guidelines forsuch conversations will help make thoseconversationsasfruitfulastheycanbetothebenefitofpreachersandcongregationsalikeandtothesingulargloryofthegreatGodwhosewondersweproclaim!

Even though theCenter forExcellence inPreach-ing (CEP) website is geared mostly for pastors,thereareanumberof resourceson the site that

maybeofinteresttoelders,deacons,andothersinthechurch.We encourage you to visit and explore the CEPwebsiteevenifyouarenotapreacher.

Whenyoucometothesite,noticeespeciallythesepagesthatarelistedonthemainmenuontheleft-handsideofthescreen:

“Conference and Seminar Listings”:• CEPkeepsarunninglistofupcomingeventsthroughoutNorthAmerica,includ-ingsomethathaveawideappealtoallchurchgoers,suchas“The Festival of Faith &Writing” and the annual “Sympo-siumonWorship,”bothheldatCalvinCollege.

“Podcast and Audio Sermons”:• CEPnowlinkstohundredsofoutstandingsermonsthatyoucanlistentorightonyourcomputer or download into an iPod or othermp3 player.Manypeopleuse these sermons formidweekdevotionsorasdiscussionstartersinsmallgroups.

• “Online Lecture Archive”: Calvin TheologicalSeminary maintains a large, diverse, and vibrantarchiveoflecturesthatcanbelistenedto(orviewed)online.

• “Discover Fresh Reading”: In addition to preaching-specific books like commentaries and sermon collections,theCEPwebsitefeaturesawiderangeofrecommendedchil-dren’sbooks,novels,memoirs,andbiographiesthatappealtoanyonewholovestoread.

“Resources for Congregations”:• On this part of the CEPwebsiteyoucanaccessseveralofthedocumentsreferredtointhisissueofForum,includingthenewSermonEvaluationFormandtoolstohelppastorsandcongregationsalikeplanoutthechurch’spreachingcalendar.

“Find Learning Opportunities”: • Among the itemson thisportionofthewebsitearetipsandideasforplanningspiri-tual retreats and other exercises designed to renew heart,body,andsoul.

If people listen to this message with

prayerful hearts and with a measure of holy seriousness, their lives

can change.

Resources for Congregations on the Center for Excellence in Preaching Website:http://cep.calvinseminary.edu




Ithappenedwithin the first year ofmyministry.Iwasnotpreparedforit.Nobodyevertoldmethatmyser-monsmightcomeupfordiscussionin consistory meetings! But here

wewereinthismeeting,andIdiscoveredthat the elders wanted to evaluate mypreaching.Theywantedto talkabout thevocabulary I used, how well I explainedthe text, how interesting itwas, andhowwell I preached the catechism! ItwasmyfirstyearinmyfirstparishandIwasfeel-ingveryfragileandquitedefensive.Iwenthomewounded.

ButtheeldersatLebanonCRCinruralIowa understood that they shared theresponsibility for providing good preach-ingforthecongregation.Whiletheyknewitwasmyresponsibility todo thepreach-ing, theyknew theyhadahand in it too.Apparently they understood that elders“overseethedoctrineandlifeof...thecon-gregation” (ChurchOrder, art. 25b), thatelders“shallregulatetheworshipservices”(art. 52a), and that if I had tobe faithful,theymustbetoo.

What happened in that consistoryroom from time to timewas jarring, butveryformative,anditsetmeonajourneythatgavemeamuchgreaterappreciationforthefactthatgood preaching takes good elders.Asthejourneycontinued,Icametorealizethatgenerallyyoucan’tpreachwellwithout theaidofgoodelders. Ifonlyalltheeldersofthechurchrealizedthat!

Itrequiredsomeadjustmentsandlearn-ingonmypart.Ihadtoovercomethenat-ural defensiveness it stirred up. After all,whointheworldweretheytothinktheycouldevaluatemypreaching?Ihaveacall-ingtopreach.Ihadbeentoseminary(andsome of them hadn’t even finished highschool).Butdefensivenessservesnogoodpurpose;itonlyshutsdownconversationsandabortsbenefits.

SoIhadtomovefromdefen-siveness toaccepting their com-ments and evaluations, albeit amite reluctantly for some time!I thenmoved fromaccepting ittowelcomingitbecauseIfoundit was so valuable. And then Imoved to a new stage of evensoliciting it, sometimes fromelders who seemed to thinkthiswasnottheirtaskandwerequiteresistanttotheidea.Intheyears since, I’ve wanted manyelderstogobackandhaveaconversationwiththosefirsteldersatLebanon.Asthemembership of consistories varied fromoneyeartothenext,Ifoundalotofincon-sistency in the commitment of elders tosharethistask.

At the same time, I had to changemyperspective on motives. I found it wasimportant todistinguishbetweencriticiz-ing and evaluating. When those elders

at Lebanon first opened up thesubject,Iassumeditwastocriti-cize my preaching. But over aperiod of time I learned it wassomething else: evaluation notformakingme feel inferior butfor aiding in my growth andin my striving for a better ser-mon. I could make that adjust-mentasIbetterunderstoodtheirmotives. They believed it wastheir calling before God to col-legially share the leadership of

the church with me and to lovingly aidmeinbecomingabetterpreachersotheycouldbefedwell.Ilearnedthattheylovedthecongregation,andtheylovedme,andwantedthebestforboth.

Thechurchneedsgoodelderslikethat!Elderswhotakeseriously their task to

“oversee thedoctrineand lifeof themem-bers of the congregation” (ChurchOrder,art. 25b) and to “regulate the worshipservices”(art.52a)willhavefourtasksthatarefartoooftenoverlooked.Thepreacherwhose elders take these tasks seriouslyand in a healthy Christian spirit will bewellservedandwillhaveamoreeffectivepreachingministry.

1. Assessment of the congregation. Wepreachersoften live inasomewhat

different environment than parishionersdo.Soit’softenverydifficultforustofullyunderstand what they are experiencing,what their struggles are, andwhat needstobe addressed inpreaching.Wepreach-ers move into the life of a congregationat a certainpoint in time,whereasmanyelders have been immersed in the life oftheircommunityformanyyearsandthusknow it better than we do. Each congre-gation has its own distinct personalityand character, and good preachers willbeawareof that.Whatare thekeyneeds

Good Preaching Takes Good Elders!

by Howard Vanderwell,

Adjunct Professor of Worship

Nobody ever told me that my sermons might come up for discussion in consistory meetings!




here? What are the trouble spots? Whatwill help this congregation listen well?What will destroy their ability to listenwell?Whatwillbuild trust?Because theyhave livedwithin the church communityandbecauseof thevisits theydo in theirministry, elders often have key insightsintoallthesequestions.

However, over the years I discoveredthatmanyeldersfinditdifficulttoarticu-late the unique marks and needs of thecommunity, so later in my ministry Ideviseda“SituationalAnalysisForm”thatelders could use. It gave them an oppor-tunitytopointtoissuesorneedstheyfeltpreaching should address, listing fortydifferent themes, issues, and doctrinesorganized in five different categories. Inaddition, they had opportunity to addother comments they felt were neces-sary for planning preaching. They wereinstructed to complete this form on thebasis of what they believed the congrega-tion needed most, not merely their ownpersonal preferences. I gave this to myeldersaboutonceeachyearandcarefullystudied the tabulated results. (A sampleofthisformcanbefoundinMalefytandvanderwell, Designing Worship Together, p. 171, and on the Center for ExcellenceinPreachingwebsiteunder“ResourcesforCongregations.”)

2. Instruction in Discernment. Mostofuspreachersfinditdifficultto

receive comments and criticisms objec-tively. We are often fragile. After all, asermonispartofoursoul,andwhenany-one comments on it in away that seemseven a little negative, we feel wounded.Consequentlyourresponsesarenotalwayssohealthy.Elderscanbeveryvaluable inhelpinguslearnhowtoreceivecommentsdiscerningly. First of all, elders keep usrealistic: the criticism is out there. Buttheyalsohelpusintheevaluationprocess.Whatdoweknowaboutthesourceofthiscriticism?Inwhatspiritisitoffered?Whatcanwe learn from it?What is behind it?Is this an isolated voice? How can weavoidbecomingreactionary?Howcanweremain positive? Are there other criticswho “fly under the radar” that we oughttoconsider?Criticismand feedbackneedtobeevaluatedandinterpreted,butrareisthepreacherwhocandoitallalone.

3. Participation in Planning. Forsomepreachers,planningaheadis

difficult.We don’t knowwhere to beginandwhattoselect.Theassessmentofthecongregation and its needs as explainedabovecanbeveryhelpful.Butthepreach-er who involves elders in the process ofplanning thepreachingprogram iswise.Preachersmustplanaheadsothatothers,particularly musicians and artists, canmake their selections,do theirplanning,and have time for adequate rehearsals.Therefore, elders must be involved earlyon in theprocess.Anyelderwho iswill-ing to participate in it will be a greatpartner to the preacher. What themeshould our Advent series have? Whatemphasis would be good for Lent thisyear? How do we take the assessmentsof the congregation that the SituationalAnalysisFormhasprovidedandturnthatinto a preaching program? What seriesof sermons would benefit the congrega-tion? If those decisions aremade by thepreacher alone, the process suffers frominadequateinput.

AtthebeginningofeachseasonIwouldpresenttomyeldersalistofsermonseriesthat Iwaswilling toprepare for theyearorseason.Thelistusually includedabouttwice as many as the preaching calen-dar could include.They eachmade their

selections on the list, and the tabulatedresults became the subject for discussionataneldersmeeting.Attimestheirchoic-esweredifferentfrommine,butIlearnedthatlisteningtothemwasverybeneficial.And I ended up preaching some seriesof sermons I would not otherwise haveselected—and found they were receivedverywell!

4. Evaluation of Preaching. Everybody evaluates preaching, but

most of it is done in the church parkinglotaftertheserviceandneverreachesthepreacher.Perhapsthat’sgood,formuchofitmay not be verywell thought out. Butwhenevaluationisdonethoughtfullyandcollegiallyintherightsetting,thepreachercan find it very helpful. Elders’meetingsought to regularly involve discussions ofpreaching, and it is vitally important tohaveestablishedapositiveatmospheresothat all know this is no time for attacksbut a time for all to participate togetherin an effort to grow. Elders will be intouch with other thoughtful membersof the congregation from whom helpfulandwiseevaluationscanbereceived.Theelders should regularly study and reviewthe Seminary’s statement on Excellencein Preaching (available at http://cep.calvinseminary.edu/facultyStatement.php).Eachmeeting,therefore,shouldhavealineontheagendathatgiveseachmembertheopportunitytomakecomments.However,it isusuallymorehelpful ifanevaluationsession is structured and if agreed-uponevaluation forms areused.TheSeminaryprovidesevaluationformsthatareusedforthe growth of students. Elderswill likelyfindthisformvaluableforuseintheirowncongregation.(TheformisavailableinPDFformat at http://cep.calvinseminary.edu/engageCongregation/sermonEvaluation/sermonEvaluationForm.pdf, anda copy isenclosedinthisissueofForum.)

It’salargetask,butifthepreachinginour churches is to be upgraded and keptstrong, we’ll have to increase our effortsto effectively train preachers in this all-important craft, and also to better trainelders to see this as part of their taskandencouragethemtopartnerwiththeirpreachers.

After all, good preaching takes goodelderstoo!

I learned that they loved the congregation,

and they loved me, and wanted the best

for both.




Here’ssomethingI’velearnedaboutmyself afteradozenyears in the pulpit: I careless about what peoplethinkofmysermons.

Let me explain: when I was a newbiepreacher, fresh out of seminary, earnest,hopeful, and oh-so-vulnerable, I felt likemyveryworthasahumanbeingrestedonwhetherornotpeoplelikedmysermons.Iwould standat thebackof the sanctuaryafter worship withmy hand out andmyheart exposed. If,while shakinghands, Iheard people say, “Nice job this morn-ing,”or,“Thanksforthatsermon;itreallytouched me,” I would breathe easy andleave church feeling that Iwasworthyofdivinelove.

If, on the other hand, the commentsweremorealongthelineof“Niceweather,”“Good morning,” or “Nice to see you,” Iwould know thatmy sermon hadn’t con-nectedandIwoulddoubtmyabilities,mycalling,andmyfaith.And—gasp—ifsome-onegavemeamoredirectcriticism,suchas,“Toomanyillustrationsaboutfootball,”or,“Areyouevergoingtopreachonsome-thing other than theOldTestament?” or,“Ididn’tgetthatatall,IhavelostmyfaithandamnowgoingtobecomeaBuddhist,”Iwould leavechurch,drivehome,putonmypajamas,andcurlupinthefetalposi-tiononthefloorofmybedroom.

Thankfully,noonehasactuallybecomeaBuddhistafterhearingmepreach.yet.

Now,however, Icanreceivea thought-fulcritiqueofmysermoninthemomentsafterworshipwithanobjectivitythatwaslackinginmyearlydays.Afterpreachingmorethanathousandtimes,Iholdmorelooselytomysermons.Iknowthatifthisonedidn’thititoutofthepark,GodstilllovesmeandIamstillcalled.Andif thesermonisahomerun,IamkeenlyawarethatitislessaboutmyabilitiesandmuchmoreaboutGod’swork.

SomaybeIshouldamendmyopeningstatement.Maybe it’s not that I care lessabout what people think of my sermons,

but that I no longer directlyconnectmy self-worthwith thereceptionofmypreaching.

But this is a hard move tomake, and it’s one most of uspreachers have to grow into. Istill don’t have it down, and asfriends of mine know all toowell, I can beatmyself up for aless-than-stellar sermon weeksafterit’sbeenpreached.

So if we preachers are so vulnerableregarding criticisms of our preaching,what’s a congregation to do? How cancongregantsspeakwiselyandwelltotheirpreachers about how the preaching min-istry can be improved? Here is a list ofsuggestions:

For congregants: 1. Remember that preachers are like

peaches: they bruise easily.AsurveydoneonCRCpreachersafew

yearsagonotedthatmostpreachersranktheir own preaching as Garrison Keillordoes the children of Lake Wobegon:aboveaverage.Thismay reveal an innateclergy delusion, but I think it’s also animportantremindertocongregantsaboutthe strength of the connection betweenpreachersandpreaching.Wepreachersseeasermonasanextensionofourselves.It’sourmostpublicworkofministry.WestillgetnervousonSundaymornings.Someof

us don’t sleepwell on Saturdaynights.We’renotaskingforpity,mindyou,butweareaskingforsensitivity.Knowthatwhenyoucritiquethesermon,itfeelslikeyouarecritiquingus.Sobewiseand gentle, as gracious as youaretruthful.

2. Do not critique the sermon immediately after it’s

preached.Iknow, Iknow:you’ve justheardhim

citeIsaiahwhenthepassageisinMalachi.Or she described Gnosticism as a third-centuryheresywhenreally itwasaroundmuchearlier.Orheusedanother illustra-tion from golf. you’re annoyed and youwantyourpreachertoknow.Now.

Instead,may I gently suggest that youtakeabreath,writeanoteinyourbulletin,and let him know later? Even the end ofthecoffeehourwouldbebetterthaninthehandshake line. A few minutes betweenthe benediction and your comment isn’tenough time for your preacher to absorbitwell.Waitseveralminutes.Waitaday.Ifyoureallywanttobeheard,andyoureallywant your preacher to change, presentyour thoughts to her at a timewhen shecanmosthearthem.Inherofficelater intheweekoveracupofcoffeeisbetterthanin the flurry of details sailing throughher brain on Sundaymorning right afterworship.

3. Do tell the preacher directly.Don’ttellyourcoffeegroup.Don’tvent

in the minivan. Don’t mutter it at thenextworshipcommitteemeeting. If yourpreacher has an area that needs to beimproved,tellhim.Tellher.

4. Be direct. Be clear. Be specific. Use examples. Instead of saying, “Could you please

stop talking about golf?!” you could say,“Inthreeofthelastfoursermonsyouhaveusedanillustrationfromgolf.We’reglad

Not at the Door:

Thoughts on When and Where to Talk about Sermons

Know that when you critique the

sermon, it feels like you are critiquing us.

So be wise and gentle, as gracious as you

are truthful.

by Mary Hulst, Professor of Preaching




that you enjoy this diversion, but manyofusdon’t.Canyouexpandyourpoolofillustrations?”

Instead of saying, “your sermons aretoomoralistic,” note that in the last fewmonthsthesermonshaveendedwithcallsfor thehearers tobe like someone, or bemoreofsomething,ordosomething,rath-erthanpointingtotheworkofGodintheworldandinvitingthemtobepartofit.

Aspecificcommentsupportedbygoodevidencecanmakeallthedifference.

5. Don’t speak only when the preaching is weak. When the sermon is better, say so!

When the illustrations connect, tell him.When the exegesiswas artfullydone, tellher. If every timeyourpreacher sees yousheknowsyou’regoingtohaveawordofcriticism,she’snotgoingtobeeagertoseeyou. If you balance your critiques withencouragement, you can create a goodconversationabout thepreaching inyourchurch.

For preachers:1. Let your spouse off the hook.

Marriages are complicated enoughwithout giving your spouse the role ofevaluatoreveryweek.Andbehonest,whatyoureallywantyourspousetosayisthis:“ThatwasthemostmovingsermonI’veeverheard.Itwassmartandfunnyandinsight-ful and broughtme into the presence of

God himself. It made me so honored—humbled, really—to be married to you.”That’snotgoingtohappen.Letyoureldersdotheevaluatingandletyourspousesim-plybeyourspouse.youmayneedtoweanbothofyouoffofthisifyou’vedoneitforyears,butIthinkyou’llbothfindSundaystobemuchmoreenjoyable.

2. “If there’s smoke . . . there’s fire.”yes, there are congregants who are

eager to pick us apart. yes, sometimesthey are critiquing us to work out theirownissues.Butifyouarereceivingregularfeedbackthatyourpreachingneedswork,listen to it. The style and substance youhad at a previous church may not workaswellhere.Thewayyoupreachedthirtyyears agomay notwork anymore. Listento what your congregation is saying andtakeitseriously.Preachingishardenoughwithout extra barriers of defensivenessandarroganceputupbythepreacher.

3. Teach your congregation how to listen.youmaywanttoteachanadultedclass

on the process of writing a sermon. youmay want to have a discussion at everyeldersmeetingaboutthegoalsofyourser-mons.youmaywant toreadapreachingbookwitha small groupand teach themwhatmakesasermondifferentfromalec-ture,forexample.youmaywanttobringinanoutsidespeakertoteachyourelders,congregants, or interested others how to

listenwell tosermons.Don’tassumethatpeople know what you are trying to doina sermonor that theywill catcheverynuance.Teachthemwhatyouaretryingtodoandseeifyourgoalsmatchtheirs.

4. Engage your congregation in the process.I have a colleaguewho enjoys “Brown

Bag and Bible” everyweek.He intention-ally choosesahandfulofpeople tocomeand sit with him and think about thepreaching text for that week. They offersuggestions, stories, and questions, andhe weaves those contributions into thesermon.WhentheycomeonSunday,theyare invested in the sermon and eager tohearit.Thispastorrotatesthemembersofthegroupeveryfewmonthstobesurethatallthevoicesofthechurcharerepresented.The process has led to a much greaterinterestinthesermonwritingprocessandinthepreachingevent.

5. There’s a Sunday in every week.Ifyouhitabloopsingle,ahwell.Ithap-

pens.Andifyouhitahomerun,ahwell.you still have to get up there and do itagainnextweek.Thehardestthingaboutpreaching is also its gift: you get todo iteveryweek.Don’tput all of your eggs inthisSunday’sbasket.Don’tputallofyourego in last Sunday’s sermon. Life is tooshortandthegospel is toocompelling toletouregosgetintheway.

If you balance your critiques with encouragement, you can create a good conversation about the preaching in your church.




Many people come tochurch each week tee-tering on the edge ofhopelessness. Some areon the verge of losing

their jobs. Others have fallen behind inmortgage payments and fear losing theirhomes. Still others know that the medi-cal condition they have been trying sohard to ignore probably signals some-thing bad. Marriages are falling apart.Addictionshave tightened their grip.Thefog of depression thickens.The gatheredcongregationwaits for aword of hope, aword from God, but too often sermonsfail to deliver what the congregation sodesperatelyneeds.

Somewhile ago the father of a friendwasdyingoflungcancerandyetstillman-agedtomakeittochurchweekafterweek.But at the time, the preacher was firmlylockedintoanextendedseriesonthebookof Job.Thismight seem fortuitous. True,as one who suffered, he identified withJobeasilyenough.Andheappreciatedthefutility of ill-conceived pastoral care onthe lips of Job’s three friends. But weekafterweek,asthepreacherworkedhiswaythrough Job, this dying man listened invainforawordofhope.Perhapshopewascoming toward the end of the series, buttheproblemwasthathewasdyingalittleeachweekandneededawordofhopeallalongtheway.

Pastoral need requires that sermonspreachboththewordofGodandthehopeof the gospel.Doing anything less is pas-toral malpractice. Preaching hope everynowandagainisnotenough.Fortunately,preaching hope and preaching a biblicaltextneverneedtoworkatcross-purposes.

TheBibleisfullofhope.Apersoncan-not help but notice that the larger storyline of the Bible moves from disaster tohope.Evilintrusionandhumanrebellion

setGod’sgoodcreationonapathleading to suffering, pain, anddeath. ButGod is not content toleave his ruined masterpiece toits own destruction. He prom-ises hope and eventually makesthe decisive down payment onthat promise in the death andresurrection of Jesus—a downpayment that points to the finalhealingofallcreation.Importantepisodes in the Bible also movefromdisaster tohopewithin thelargernarrative:fromenslavementtoexo-dus, from wilderness to conquest, fromcaptivity to restoration, from barrenness

tobabies, fromGoodFridaytoEaster,fromoldcreationtonewcreation.

Our approach to preachingatCalvinTheologicalSeminaryequipsstudentstolookforhopein the text and so to preachgrace in the sermon—becausethe message of the gospel isfinallyalwaysamessageofhope.WehavechosentousePaulScottWilson’s“fourpages”approachtopreaching(The Four Pages of

the Sermon,Abingdon,1999),anapproachthat places hope at the center of the ser-mon. The kind of sermons that Wilsonrecommendsusefourbasicmovesastheyprogress from trouble to grace. Wilsonuses the image of “four pages” to charac-terize the fourmoves that work to carrythesermonfromtroubletohope.

Inthefirstmove,“pageone,”thepreach-er identifies and presents what might becharacterized as trouble in the selectedbiblicalpreachingtext.Troubleinevitablyfocusesupon some sinorhumanbroken-nessresultingfromsin.Thesermonbeginsin thebiblical text, attending to theques-tions, issues, or events that have some-thingtodowithourfallencondition.Forinstance, a sermon onMatthew 19:16-30probably would feature a pious, wealthyyoungmanwithabitof anattitude.Thepreacher would present himwaltzing uptoJesuslookingforapatontheback.Thecongregationwouldwatchashisconversa-tionwith Jesus exposes hiswealth as hishighest priority and greatest love. Pageone closeswith the rich youngman sulk-ingaway,unwillingtochange.

“Page two” then explores how the sortof fallen condition that infected the richyoung man might appear in the worldof the listeners today. Here the preacheroffers examples of the same or a similar

The Move to Grace

by John Rottman, Professor of Preaching

Elders (and others) who encourage and guide the preacher need to

understand the priority of preaching hope.




trouble and explores its implications forthe listeners. The preacher might noticehowmany today exhibit a loyalty to andlove ofwealth similar to that of the richyoung man. These two trouble pages, apage of Bible and a page of application,constituteroughlyhalfofthesermon.

From here the sermon moves on togood news—hope. Hope always springsfrom God’s initiative in addressing thetrouble identified in the first half of thesermon. “Page three” moves back to thebiblical text looking for grace or goodnews. Sometimes finding this good newsrequires that the preacher move beyondthe immediate preaching text into thelarger text of the Bible. The good newsof thegospel is thatGodisnevercontentto leave his people in trouble or bereftof hope. Preaching hope means lookingpasttherichyoungmanashesulksawayfrom Jesus. Page three probably will fea-ture Jesus’ offer of hope: even though itis impossible for rich people to enter thekingdom,withGodallthingsarepossible.GodpromisesthekingdomtodisciplesofJesuswhowouldneverbeabletoenterthatkingdomthroughtheirownefforts.

“Pagefour”featuresthesavingactionofGodinourworld,anactionthatparallelsthe hope identified and explicated in thetext. In thisfinalpartof the sermon, thepreachergivesvoice to thewordsofGod,who speaks hope to his gathered people.God opens up possibilities of repentanceand love for people impossibly mired intheirwealthandmaterialism.Thepreach-erwillhighlighttheseeminglyimpossibleactionofGodbycitingstoriesortestimo-niesofthosewhohaveexperiencedit.

So“pagefour”inasermononMatthew19mighttellaboutmulti-millionaireTomMonaghan,thefounderofDominosPizza.TomdriftedawayfromGodwhilebecom-ing a fabulouslywealthyman.Heowned

theDetroitTigersbaseball team,hisownyacht and helicopter, a huge vintage carcollection, piles of antique furniture todiefor,andhishugepizzafranchise.ThenonestormynightashereadC.S.Lewisathis cottage, God called Tom back to thelovefromwhichhehaddrifted.TheHolySpirit promptedTom to begin to use hiswealth to serve God. He sold practicallyeverything—the pizza business, the cars,thehelicopter,theballteam—andstartedbuilding churches and orphanages whilefundingvariousotherkingdomcausesaswell.Heevensaidinaninterviewthathehopes todie broke and to assist asmanypeopleaspossibleinfindingGodandget-ting toheaven.Page fourpreachesaGodwho isactivenotonly in theBiblebut in

ourworld, bringinghope to thehopelessandsalvationtothedying.

Elders(andothers)whoencourageandguide the preacher need to understandthepriorityofpreachinghope.Theyalsoneed a way of talking about it togetherwith the pastor (as suggested in otherarticlesinthisissueofForum).This“fourpage”approachoffersawayofevaluatingsermons.Forinstance,ifthepreachercon-sistentlyspeaksonlyoftroubleandofourneedtochange,hemightbesaidtopreachonly pages one and two—and then thehopeofthelasttwopagesismissing.Orifthe preacher does a bang-up job present-ingthetext,bothitstroublingfeaturesandthehopeGodgives,butfailstoapplyittotoday, the sermonwill presentpagesone,two,andthree—butwillstopshortofthatall-important fourth page where God’spresent-day action shines through. Thelanguageofthefourpagescanhelpeldersandothers to talk about the essentials ofthesermon—whatwasmissingoranemicin the sermon, or, conversely, what wasdonewell.

As theysupervise thepreachingof theword, elderswillwant tobe encouragingatnearlyeveryturn.Thiswillmeannotingspecific features of the sermon thatwerehelpful, interesting, or convicting.Whenfeatures that arenot ashelpful appearorwhen important aspects of the sermonseem absent, the elders will want to bereadywithsuggestions forways inwhichthe sermon might be improved: “If youhadbeenable to showushowGodgiveshopetopeopleindangerofbecominglostin theirwealth, your sermonwouldhavebeen even stronger.” As elders learn thelanguage for speaking about what char-acterizes a good sermon, theywill provemuchmore helpful to their pastors.Andas they learn to help the preacher, thishelpsalsothewholechurch.

As they supervise the preaching of the word, elders will want to be encouraging at nearly

every turn.



Formation For ministry

Atown hall meeting to discuss theBelhar Confession was co-spon-sored by the CTS Student Sen-

ate and the Social Justice Committee onThursday, December 6, 2007, with SouthAfricanandAfrican-Americanpastorsasguestspeakers.

The Belhar Confession (named for asmalltownnearCapeTownwheregroupsofdifferent-coloredpeoplealllivedtogeth-er)wasdraftedinSouthAfricain1982bytheDutchReformedMissionChurchandapproved in 1986. It became a Form ofunity for the uniting Reformed Churchin South Africa along with the BelgicConfession,theHeidelbergCatechism,andtheCanonsofDort.

Willie Julius was in South Africawhentheconfessioncameabout.Henowserves asDirectorofCongregationalLifeat Madison Square Christian ReformedChurchinGrandRapids.Heexplained,“Iwasborn in SouthAfrica about the timethat apartheidwas legalized.Of the fourmajor groups in South Africa—whites(9%), Indians (2.5%), colored (8.9%), andtherestblacks—Iam“colored.”IgrewupintheDutchReformedMissionChurch—the church that adoptedthe Belhar around thetime I started in ministryinmyfirst congregation inKeetmanshoop,Namibia.”

JuliuswentontosayfourthingsabouttheBelhar:

Thisconfessionwasborn1.out of crisis—outof thechaos going on in acountryfilledwithracialtensionandconflict.Myseminaryyearsweredifficult—studyingforexamsandrunningfromteargas.Itwasa2. kairosmoment—amomentoftruth for the church. We couldn’t bequiet any longer about the injusticeand oppression. The church believedthat obedience to God ismore impor-tantthanobediencetoaregimewhichclaims to be Christian but separatesracial groups and allows people to bekilled.Theunityofthecountryandthechurchitselfwasatstake.

We needed to start with3.ourselves—repent of oursins first. For so long thechurch was part of thisregime and didn’t standup against the oppression.This confession says that,based on Scripture, every-oneisequalbeforeGod.Ifwe wanted to restore theunity in the country, weneededtoconfessoursinofbeingpartofthesystem.WewantedtostartinourownReformed circles of three denom-inations—the white Dutch ReformedChurch in South Africa, the blackDutchReformedChurchinAfrica,andthe colored Dutch Reformed MissionChurch—andthenbroadenout.Itwasanewdayinthelifeofthechurch.4.Therewasnewhopeinthechurchandin the country. We sang together forhourswhen ourDutchReformedMis-sionChurch accepted the BelharCon-fession.One songwe sangwas “GreatIsThyFaithfulness.”Julius explained that “after that year,

pressure started to build up fromwithinthe church and without. Six years later,

Nelson Mandela becamethe first black president ofSouth Africa. Our focusturnedtoreunitingthedif-ferent Reformed churchesin South Africa. In 1994the black and coloredReformed churches joinedin the uniting ReformedChurchinSouthernAfrica.They planned to start theprocess of uniting with

other churches in Africa, but the BelharConfessionbecamenotapointofunitybuta point of controversy. The white DutchReformedChurch in SouthAfrica is stillnot reunited with the uniting ReformedChurch in Southern Africa after twelveyearsoftalksanddiscussions.”

Jaco Hamman, professor of pastoralcare at Western Theological Seminary,grewupinthewhiteAfrikanercommunityinSouthAfrica.HetoldtheCTSaudience

that“theBelharConfessionisthereasonIamintheunitedStates. It convincedme that Icouldnotserveagovernmentthat oppresses people. WhenI was drafted I left the coun-tryandcameto theu.S.SoIam eternally grateful to theBelhar, because it has givenmelife.”

Hammanwas intheninthgradewhentheBelharwasdrafted.Aspartoftheprivilegedwhiteclass,hewasneverencouraged to read it. He told us aboutthree things he grappled with regardingtheBelhar,commentingthattheCRCwillhavetostrugglewiththemtoo.

The Belhar taught me that good theol-1.ogy can keep the tension between atheology fromabove andbelow.Theol-ogy frombelowmeans Ihave to listentothevoicesofwomen,peoplewhoarehomeless,peoplewhoareabused,whoare victims of a greedy corporate cul-tureandjobless,andsoon.Atheologyfrom above teaches eternal and time-less truths, and typically uses a lot ofabstractions.Butwecannotdotheologyonlyfromabove.Whenyou’reraisedintheReformed tradition, theology fromabove is always with you. The Belharprovidesatheologyalsofrombelow.TheBelharmademeapolitician.“Poli-2.tics” means “the shape of the city.”The Belhar wants to shape the cityaccordingtocertainprinciples—whereeveryoneworkstowardunityinChrist,wherereconciliationtakesplace,wherethe marginalized and oppressed areheard as justice is served. If you areconcernedaboutviolence intheworld,abouttheschismsinthechurch,aboutpower being abused, about economicinequality that creates another apart-heid,aboutthemarginalizedanddehu-manized, then the Belhar is your con-fession,becauseitpushesyouatexactlythoselevels.The Belhar gave me my humanity. I3.was a privileged white boy raised insuch a way that I truly did not knowhow to relate to people of color andpeople who were different fromme. I

CTS Learns about the Belhar Confession by Kathy Smith, Director of Continuing Education

Jaco Hamman

Willie Julius



had a deep-rooted fear of them and asense of unconscious superiority. TheBelhar exposed these deep-rootedthings inme that makeme inhuman.I slowly learned what it means to bea human being—how it changes howyouthinkaboutandseeGod.MyGodnowismuchmorecompassionate,andmore often askingme, “What are youdoing to root oppression out of theworld?” Today I wear this t-shirt thatsays “ubuntu.” It stands for a power-ful African philosophy: “I am who Iambecauseofwhoyouare.”Ifyouseethatallyour friends look likeyouandthinklikeyou,thenmaybeyouarelessa person because you donot have thefullness of created life, of personhood,aroundyou.How does this translate to church

groups thatwant to engage theBelhar ata deeper level? Hamman says, “There’sa difference between struggling withthe Belhar, adopting it, and living intoit. It’s difficult—especially in the area ofeconomics—to live into the Belhar. Itcould have consequences for equality inchurchbuildingsandpastors’salaries.Butchurcheswouldalsodiscovertherichnessofengagingtheother.ChurcheswhowanttowrestlewiththeBelharwilldiscoveranaccountabilitypartner.youcan’tembraceit and not look at the injustices aroundyou.WhentheDRMCadoptedit,thefirstthingtheydidwasconfesstheirsins.ThekindoflookingatyourselfthattheBelharrequires is very threatening and rarelydone.ButIbelievetheBelharConfessionis the most life-giving confession thatthe Reformed tradition has today. If wewrestle with the Belhar, wewill discovera theology frombelow,aworldwherewebecomepoliticiansandcreatecitieswherepeaceandjusticereign,andultimatelywewilldiscoveranewhumanity.”

Reggie Smith is pastor of RooseveltPark Christian Reformed Church inGrand Rapids. He remembers coming toCTS as a student in 1988 and watchinghis first CRC synod in 1989 in awe andhorrorastheydiscussedseveringtieswiththe Dutch Reformed Church in SouthAfrica.Hesaid,“IwasoneoftwoAfrican-Americans atCalvinSeminary. I listenedtoelderssayingwecannotbreaktieswith

ourwhitebrothersandsistersin SouthAfrica. I had to askmyself,amIreallycalledtotheCRC?WhyshouldIstay?Theanswer was that God calledme. The Belhar ConfessionsaysthatGodbuiltthechurchfrom every tongue and tribeand race and helps to regaintheconversationofwhatGodcallsustobe.

“In my D.Min. program at WesternTheologicalSeminary,IwastoldthatJacoHamman—anAfrikaner—would have tohelp me deal with some things in mypersonality. I had to ask: what can heteach me, an Afrikaner? In the unitedStates we’re in a context where we don’thave to do the hard things. But beingcalledasaministerof thegospelofJesusChrist means to count the cost, and docourageousthings—engageincourageousdiscipleship.Maybethewiderchurchcanteach us some things that the isolatedchurchdoesn’tknow.

“I’ve been a pastor in Grand Rapidsfor thirteen years, where people in thelocal interdenominationalministerialalli-ance are surprised that a black person

is a pastor in the ChristianReformed Church. ‘Isn’t thatthe church that is connectedwithapartheid?’theywonder.

“There’s a lot more to theCRCandalotmorethatGodhasforus—Ithinkthefutureis brighter if we engage indiscussion of the Belhar. It’sabout unity. The Forms ofunity are documents that

highlightourcommonalities—tellushowwe’re alike, not different. Where are wefinding the connections that show howmuchwehaveincommon?IntheCRCwearemovingawayfrombeingadenomina-tionthatsays,‘Isolationisourstrength,’toonethatsays,‘Diversityisourstrength.’

“AswetalkabouttheBelhar,Ihopewewouldseeitasourcalling,woulddaretobecourageous,andwoulddaretoseethatour future is larger in what we have incommonasopposedtowhatisdifferent.”

An audio recording of the town hall meeting is posted online in the Lecture Archive at www.calvinseminary.edu .Watch the Spring 2008 issue of Forumfor further discussions of the Belhar as we ask the ques-tion, “Why Be a Confessional Church?”

Speaker Encourages Youth Ministers at CTS

MarkDevries,founderofFam-ily Based youth Ministry,spoke at CTS on October 30,

2007, to120WestMichiganareayouthministers,pastorsandstudents.Aguestin the joint Calvin College and Cal-vinSeminarycourseonyouthministry,Devries dispelled myths about youthministry (“we need more ideas,” “wedon’t care about numbers,” “we’re dif-ferent,”“wedon’tplaychurchpolitics”)and encouraged strong, healthy youthministrieswithhispassionandhumor.

Devriesnotedthatmanychurchesare“stuckinunderinvestmentormisinvestment”when it comes to youth ministries. Churches will pay for building expenses andemergencies.Iftheirsteeplefallsoff,theywillcertainlyreplaceit;buttheyletkidsfallawayfromthechurchwithlittleresponse!Hewonderedwhetherchurchesarewillingto commit to a strong, healthy youthministry that requires, on average, an annualbudgetof$1000peractivekid,ratiosofonestaffpersontofiftykidsandanadditionalone volunteer to five kids. He called for churches to surround their young peoplewith a “cloud of volunteer witnesses” and provide well-trained and well-supported“relationshiparchitects”asstaffyouthministers.Afterall,thesekidsarethechurch’sleadersindevelopment.Hopefullytheywillbemoreconcernedforthepeopleinandaroundtheirchurchesthanthesteeplesontopofthem.

Reggie Smith

Mark De Vries



Formation For ministry

Hospitality, compassion,wisdom, and shepherding.These gifts come together

in Calvin Theological Seminary’speermentoring program for inter-national students. According toCTS student JoshHolwerda, “It issopowerful toseeGodatwork inaperson’slifeandtoknowthatweserve a God who reaches acrossoceansandotherdividestobridgehischildrentogether.”

At CTS students from NorthAmericagatherwithstudentsfromall over the world and find a pro-found opportunity for learningfromoneanotherinavibrantcom-munity of Christian believers. Tohelp those who are transitioningtoanewcountry,NorthAmericanstudents are encouraged to volun-teer as peermentors—friends andguides who serve Christ by wel-comingthesestudentsandanswer-ingtheirquestions.

Students are excited about theopportunity to come alongsideothers and share in their journey.Thisyear38 students areparticipating inthe peer mentoring program: 19 NorthAmerican students paired with 19 inter-national students. As these relationshipsdevelop, both individuals grow in theirspiritual formation as they learn abouteachother’s countries, churches, cultures,and families. For international studentswhooftenexperienceatimeofadjustmentand confusion when they first arrive intheunited States, knowing that they arenotaloneandthatsomeoneisprayingforthemistremendouslyhelpful.

Rev.RichardSytsma,DeanofStudentsand International Student Adviser, andIna DeMoor, Assistant for the Office ofStudentLife, established thepeermentor-ingprogram for international studentsatCTS. They also offer parallel programsfor international students to orient them-selves to a new academic environment.Forexample,peerproofreadingvolunteers,organized by CTS student Barry Stuart,are available to read student papers and

meetwithinternationalstudentsregardingtheirwritingassignments.understanding

and communicating in anotherlanguagecanbequitecomplicatedandoftenaddstoanalreadystress-ful transition. Another programenables Calvin College studentsto earn class credits by becoming“conversation partners” with inter-national seminary students andtheirspouses.Thesearejustsomeof the ways that the college andseminary community encouragesthegiftsofhospitality,compassion,wisdom,andshepherding.

Josh Holwerda shared the fol-lowing story fromhismentoringrelationshipwith Sung-ll Lee: “Itis always wonderful to sit downand break bread with someonefromadifferentculture.Thefirsttime Sung and I met was at ourhome for dinner with my wife.We had a great time filled withlaughter,butwhatwasmostpow-erfulwassharingourfaithstorieswith one another.” Sharing faithand building relationships arewaysCalvinseminariansprepareforalifeofministryandhospital-

itytothevarietyofpeopletheywillmeetandserve.

Seminarians Mentor International Peers

Sung-Il Lee is mentored by fellow seminarian Josh Holwerda.

Todd Farley Speaks at Fall Preaching Conference

Howdoesthelookonyourfaceaffecthowpeoplehearwhatyouaresaying?Doesyourposturesometimesconveytheoppositeofwhatyouaretryingtosay?Dr.ToddFarleyansweredthosequestionsandmoreattheFallPreachingConfer-

enceinOctober2007onthetopic“TheLivelySermon:RefiningSkillsforEmbodyingtheWord.”ApreacherandmimetrainedunderMarcelMarceau,Farleyshowedotherpreachershowtoembodythewordstheypreachthroughtheirentirepersons—facialexpressions,bodyposture,gestures,andmovement.Healsodemonstratedsomepro-foundandmovingwaystocommunicatethetruthsofGod’sWord.Thosewhoattendedappreciatedthecombinationoftheologicalinsightand“body101.”videooftheconfer-encesessionscanbefoundinthelecturearchiveatwww.calvinseminary.edu.

by Shannon Bernard-Adams, Administrative Assistant for the Making Connections Initiative

Rong (Lilly) Xie meets with her mentor, Stacey Armstrong.



“Thefulfillmentofmylife’sworkisto have it here at the seminary,”said Calvin College Professor of

ArtEmeritus,EdgarBoevé,whenhespokeabout his artwork hanging in the semi-narychapelhallway.

Boevéaddressedtheseminarycommu-nityandinvitedguestsonFriday,October24, 2007, and explained his lifelong pas-sionforbringingartworkintothechurch.“My life is fulfilled with the exuberanceandthewonderoftheChristian commu-nity that surroundsme.And as theHolySpirit has workedthroughme all theseyears, this artwork istheresult.”

Theartworkdonat-ed to the seminaryincludes “Men andWomen of the Bible,”a series of fiber arthangings of biblicalwomenas“TheScarletThread, The GoldenCord,” and bibli-cal men as “A GreatCloud of Witnesses.”Worshipers and art lovers can enjoy thebeautifully craftedhangings representing

Adam and Eve andmany other Biblecharacters. Thosewho enter the cha-pel are reminded ofand blessed by thelivesofallthosewho

havecomebeforeus to tellofGod’swon-drous works. The intent of the artworks

is to interpret the essential character ofeachpersonby texture, color, anddesignthrough diverse fabrics gathered fromaroundtheworld.

Boevépointedoutthat“weareallpartof that red threadorvein—theChristiancommunity that continues from Christ.Gold is the color of divinity and purity,andweareallentwinedinthegoldencordwhich is wrapped around us. The cloudthatledIsraelandElijah’ssmallcloudarebeautiful symbols.We are all under thatcloud—not its weight, but its inspiration.As we manifest the scarlet thread, thegoldencord,andthecloud,werealizethatwearetogetherasacommunionofsaintsas we worship God the Father, God theSon,andGodtheHolySpiritinTrinity.”

Also accompanying thefiberhangingsisaseriesofpaintingsofthe“SevenDaysof Creation.” visitors are welcome toenjoy the artwork by stopping by theseminary.For thoseatadistance, theartcanbeviewedatwww.calvinseminary.edu/worship/artwork/ along with descriptionsofthehangingsandpaintings.TheartworkisagifttotheseminaryfromWilliamandWillaBeckmanandfromProfessorBoevéandhislatewifeErvina.

Biblical Art Enhances Worship in CTS Chapel

RobertKnoorbeganserv-ing CTS as its seniordevelopment officer in

January2008.Hewillcontinuethegoodworkdone formanyyears by Richard Eppinga,who continues to serve CTSpart-time following his recentretirement.

Bob grew up in GrandRapids, Michigan, and gradu-ated from Calvin College in1989. He went to work as a salespersonfor a staffing company in Grand RapidsandultimatelybecameitsWestMichiganregionalvicepresident.Aftertwelveyearsin the staffing industry, Bob felt called

to change careers and enterthe world of development.In 2001, he began work-ing for the Hope NetworkFoundation, and served asits Executive Director untiljoining the CTS staff thisyear. Bob is a lifelongmem-berofLaGraveAvenueCRCinGrandRapids.

Reflecting on his newposition, Bob said, “The

Seminary is vital to the ongoing growthoftheCRC.Myroleistohelpensurethatfunding is available to support the semi-nary’sgoaloftrainingstudentstobecomevibrantchurchleaders.”

New Senior Development Officer Joins CTS Staff

neWs

Robert Knoor

Artist Edgar Boevé speaks in chapel

about his artwork.

Seminary Chapel corridor

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C a lv i n Th eol ogiC a l Se m i n a r y

A community of faith. A center of learning. A life of ministry.

3233 Burton Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 • 800-388-6034 • www.calvinseminary.edu

At Calvin Theological Seminary we’re helping form people for ministry. Hands-on ministry experience

is gained through supervised cross-cultural and congregation-based internships as well as ministry in

local churches. The goal is to form students for a ministry of forming others into Christ’s likeness.

“My internships have

allowed me to put what I

have learned to the test—

challenging things, and in

the process, allowing me

to gain experiential truth.

Ministry is something that

is done among people,

whether at seminary or on

internship.”

— Jeff Vandermeer,

M.Div. student

A community of faith. A center of learning.

A life of ministry.

How Was the Sermon? - Calvin Theological Seminary (internal

Documents

Transcript of How Was the Sermon? - Calvin Theological Seminary (internal