The Equipping Ministry, Student Workbook, SW15

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T H E E Q U I P P I N G M I N I S T R Y

The Ministry of Proclamation: Kerygma (Part 1)

Segment 1: Foundations of the Preaching Ministry

Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

The terms for preaching and its related terms are numerous in the NT, and regardless of the various terms used to translate “preaching,” “preach,” they all contain an element of announcing a message to an audience, to proclaim a message publicly. The preacher is a herald ( crying out news as a messenger ), an ambassador (a representative of Christ and his Kingdom), and a prophet (charged to get a message clearly and unchanged to a predetermined audience). Preaching focuses upon mixed audiences, is connected to the Gospel of Christ and evangelistic activity, seeks to win those who have never heard of the Good News of Christ , and is given publicly. Jesus and the apostles preached extensively through their entire ministries, and the Church built on this foundation and extended its meaning through their own theological perspectives down through history. Satanic interference may impede the Word, as may the moral and spiritual weakness of the preachers themselves, and the tendency to “major on the minors” in preaching themes. Absolute dependence on God’s power has been and will always be the key to effective preaching. Our objective for this segment, Foundations of the Preaching Ministry , is to enable you to see that: • The terms for preaching and its related terms are numerous in the NT, and regardless of the various words used to translate “preaching,” “preach,” they all contain an element of announcing a message to an audience, to proclaim a message publicly . • We can outline various models of preaching based on our readings and understanding of the usage of the terms in the NT. These models include our viewing the preacher as herald (one who announces a message on behalf of another as one crying out news as a messenger ), the model of the preacher as ambassador (i.e., one called to represent the Kingdom of God, as it were, in a foreign land), and the model of the preacher as prophet (“ Fed-ex delivery man ”), as one who like the prophets were charged to get a message clearly and unchanged to a predetermined audience.

Summary of Segment 1

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• The preaching ministry is distinctive among all the NT ministries of communication. These distinctives include its focus on mixed audiences ,