Pastoral Ministry

Podcast

#092: Practical Shepherding with Brian Croft [PODCAST]

September 21, 2019
By H.B. Charles Jr.
  Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, I interview Brian Croft. Croft is Senior Pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church and Founder of Practical Shepherding. He is also the Senior Fellow of the Mathena Center for Church Revitalization at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and has written or contributed to over twenty books on pastoral ministry. He is married to Cara, and they have four children. I am most encouraged these days by men who have a high view of the church. I am especially encouraged by...
Podcast

068: Using Someone Else’s Sermon Material [PODCAST]

March 29, 2019
By H.B. Charles Jr.
  Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, I want to talk to you about using someone else's sermon material. We've all done it. We've been in a jam and used someone else's work. But this visited place should not be a place where you reside. How do you avoid living off of someone else's sermon material from week to week?  Take your call to preach seriously. Guard your integrity. Recognize you are not original. Give credit where credit is due. Make it your own. Do not...
Articles

Commitments of a Great Commission Church

February 25, 2019
By H.B. Charles Jr.
  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20   The Great Commission is the mission of the church. Christ commands us to make disciples by proclaiming the gospel and calling the lost to trust the crucified and risen...
Articles

What Was It Like to Pastor at 17?

February 18, 2019
By H.B. Charles Jr.
  There I am, preparing to speak. Someone introduces me, who does not know me personally. So he reads from my bio. Two things capture the congregation’s attention. First, my name – H.B. Charles Jr. “Just in case you’re wondering,” he says, “H.B. does not stand for anything.” I am going to be asked about that later. Usually, I simply answer, “What can I say? My father did it to me. And I did it to my son.” Then the second, bigger details comes up. “H.B. succeeded his father’s forty-year pastorate at the age of seventeen, a senior at Los...
Articles

Celebrating 10 Years as Pastor and People

November 14, 2018
By H.B. Charles Jr.
“So, how did you get from Los Angeles to Jacksonville?” I am regularly asked this question. I give the same answer each time: “The Lord dragged me to Jacksonville kicking and screaming.” This is no dig at Jacksonville or the church I serve. It is an honest statement about how my pastoral transition to Jacksonville took place in 2008. I was born and raised in Los Angeles. In a real sense, I was born and raised in a local church there. My father pastored the congregation for 40 years. More than a year after his death, I was selected to...
Articles

Being a Special Nobody

August 27, 2018
By H.B. Charles Jr.
  Because of his sinful disobedience, the Lord fired Saul as King of Israel. He then sent the prophet, Samuel, to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem, to anoint a new king.  Jesse presented to the prophet his sons he thought would make a good king. But when Samuel turned his horn over their heads, the oil of God did not fall on any of them.  When Samuel saw one particular son, Eliab, he was convinced he had found his man. Eliab was straight out of central casting. He walked and talked and looked like a king. “Surely, this must...
Articles

Have You Been With Jesus?

August 6, 2018
By H.B. Charles Jr.
A friend and I talked about a conference we both attended, during different years. I told him about the year I attended. Then he told me about the year he attended. As he listed the speakers he heard, I asked about a particular name. I knew of this man’s ministry but had never heard him speak.  I inquired, “Can he preach?” My friend answered affirmatively and emphatically. “He knows how to handle the text,” my friend expanded. “And you can tell he’s been with Jesus.” The conversation ended there, because I did not say anything else. I could not. I...
Interviews

Steve Gaines Interview

July 5, 2018
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Steve Gaines is the Pastor of the historic Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, where he has served since 2005. He has led several congregations over more than thirty years of pastoral ministry. Gaines is also the immediate past President of the Southern Baptist Convention (2016-2018). Steve Gaines is soul-winning pastor, faithful preacher, and prayer-driven leader, whose leadership, counsel, and preaching a sought-after by many. He is also the author of numerous books, including... Pray Like It Matters by Steve Gaines  Share Jesus Like It Matters by Steve Gaines Pray Like This edited by Steve Gaines When God Comes to Church by...
Interviews

C.J. Mahaney Interview of H.B. Charles Jr.

November 21, 2017
By H.B. Charles Jr.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time with my friend C.J. Mahaney at their annual Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference.  This interview is a snapshot of our time together and provided me an opportunity to share from my heart some key points that I believe will be beneficial to preachers and pastors in every stage of their ministry.  Enjoy!! 2017 Pastors Conference :: Q & A with H.B. Charles & C.J. Mahaney from Sovereign Grace Churches on Vimeo.
Interviews

Donald L. Parson Interview

November 16, 2017
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Someone wrote a perfect description of Donald L. Parson on social media... “Donald Parson is your favorite preacher’s favorite preacher.” Indeed, Donald Parson is one of the great preaching voices of this generation. Many young preachers – myself included – have been mentored from afar by the preaching of Donald Parson. However, no one can imitate him. If you catch someone trying, it is immediately obvious. His clarity, vocabulary, imagination, voice, and delivery are uniquely him. However, unlike some over the years, Parsons has not changed his message! I remember buying my first tapes of Donald Parson at the National Baptist...
Articles

Thank GOD for Cutting It Straight 2017

September 26, 2017
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Guest Article by Pearl Winslow In 2014, I had the privilege of attending the inaugural Cutting It Straight (CIS) Expository Preaching Conference, hosted by my friend H.B. Charles Jr.  It was absolutely phenomenal! It quickly became a mandatory date on my calendar, as it gave me an opportunity to hear from a diverse combination of  some of our multiethnic elder statesmen, young word-centered up-and-comers and some names I didn't previously know, but was so glad to have heard. Each year, CIS gradually grew. Not only did it grow numerically, it also grew in the richness of its content. Additional tracks...
Articles

2017 Cutting It Straight Day 2 Recap

September 21, 2017
By H.B. Charles Jr.
The Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference is still underway on the campus of the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville, FL. Yesterday Bryan Loritts, Derrick Thomas. David Helm and Maurice Waston preached the word of God and we enjoyed wonderful breakout sessions throughout the day. I pray that you have been richly blessed and that you leave encouraged and inspired to “Cut It Straight”. We are excited about what God has in store for us for today. Shuttle service from the Omni Hotel and Hyatt Hotel to the church campus will be provided throughout the day. Lunch will be provided today after the first Breakout...