Top Posts 2016

Articles

Be a Man and Preach!

October 31, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
It was Sunday night, June 11, 1989. I was asleep in the guest room of the late Dr. Roy Allen of the Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Detroit. My rest was pleasantly interrupted, however, when Pastor Allen knocked on the door to tell me my father was on the phone. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was to talk to my dad. He had been hospitalized the previous week. It was the first and only time in my life that my father was ever admitted into the hospital. I was concerned about him. And I missed him....
Podcast

#038: Keys to Effective Sermon Outlines [PODCAST]

August 19, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Welcome to episode #38 of The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, I want to talk to you about basic keys to effective sermon outlines. Here are ten practical tips to help you be more effective in developing sermon outlines... Let the text shape the outline. Preach the text, not the outline. Support the main idea of the sermon. Practice unity in your outline. Keep it moving. The simpler the better. Maintain balance. Use sub-points carefully. Don't overdue alliteration. Put application in the outline. Question What do you...
Podcast

#037: Helpful Hints for Guest Preachers [PODCAST]

August 12, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Welcome to episode #37 of The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, I want to talk to you about the advice you would give a guest preacher…  Be clear about the pastor's expectations. Respect the occasion. Observe time limits. Avoid controversial subjects. Say, thank you. Ask permission. Be conservative. Participate in the worship service. Be on assignment. Questions What do you think? What do you think makes an effective sermon conclusion? What are the keys to concluding a sermon properly?  Recommended Resources On Preaching by H.B. Charles Jr. On Pastoring by H.B....
Interviews

Hensworth W.C. Jonas Interview

August 8, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Hensworth W.C. Jonas is the Presiding Elder of the Eastern Caribbean Baptist Mission in Antigua and Barbuda. The ECBM consists of three local churches: Central Baptist Church, Tyrell's Baptist Church, and Covenant Baptist Church. Jonas is also the Principle of the Baptist Academy, a leading school on the islands that educates from kindergarten through high school. He is also the author of the book, Dancing With Idolatry. Introduced through a mutual friend, I have had the privilege of preaching for Dr. Jonas on several occasions. He has also ministered at the Shiloh Church on several occasions.Though he wears multiple hats, Hensworth Jonas...
Articles

So What is Your Vision for this Church?

August 1, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
So What is your vision for this church?  I was not asked this question at my first church. I was the son of the former pastor. I had grown up in the church. I was only seventeen-years-old. They assumed I did not have a vision plan for the church. Or that I did not have vision worth sharing. So they never asked. When I met with the pulpit committee of my present church, however, pastoral vision was a big issue. The committee had no real interest in me becoming their pastor. Yet they still wanted to know, “So what is...
Podcast

#034: Preaching As A New Pastor [PODCAST]

July 22, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Welcome to episode #34 of The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, I offer ten helpful hints for preaching as the new pastor of a local church...  Make preaching a top priority. Do not neglect your sermon preparation. Plan your preaching. Introduce your congregation to series preaching early. Do the work of an evangelist. Don’t take it personally. Be a church historian. Love your people. Preach for tomorrow, not about yesterday. Avoid unnecessary controversy. BONUS SUGGESTION: Make haste slowly. QUESTION What advice would you give to a preacher who...
Interviews

Jasper Williams Jr. Interview

July 1, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Jasper Williams Jr. is one of the most well-known, greatly beloved, and most imitated preachers in the country. The son of a preacher, Jasper Williams trusted Christ and began his public ministry as a six-year-old boy. While attending the Morehouse College in Atlanta, Williams was called to pastor the Salem Bible Church. He has now served the Salem congregation for more than fifty years. During the early years of Jasper Williams’ ministry at Salem, the Lord open doors for his preaching to be heard throughout the country and around the world. Most notably, Williams was a pioneer whose messages were recorded...
Articles

Shooing Flies in the Pulpit

June 27, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
I had a strange experience recently. As I preached our 7:45 Sunday worship service, a fly buzzed up to the pulpit. He landed near my Bible. He jumped on the microphone. He sat on my sh oulder. That thing was everywhere! The little fly was a big distraction. I have preached in many churches where a lot of distracting things happen in the service because of open windows. But there are no windows in the church where I serve. So I thought, “Where did this thing come from?” More importantly, I hate bugs! Loathe them. Any of them. All of...
Interviews

Stephen John Thurston Interview

May 19, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Stephen J. Thurston has been the Pastor of the New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago for thirty-seven years. He succeeded his father, who pastored the church for twenty-two years. Thurston’s grandfather, the founding pastor of the congregation, served the church for twenty-two years. A graduate of the historic Bishop College in Dallas, Pastor Thurston is known for his strong pulpit ministry. A well-respected leader, Dr. Thurston is the former President of the National Baptist Convention of America. In the following interview, Pastor Thurston discusses his Christian testimony, pulpit work, and pastoral ministry. Enjoy! Did you find this interview helpful? Join the conversation...
Podcast

#032: Seven Ways To Become a Better Preacher [PODCAST]

May 6, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Welcome to episode #32 of The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, I want to talk about seven ways to become a better preacher... Start early. Read repeatedly. Observe carefully Dig diligently. Read widely Write clearly. Pray fervently. Questions Are you growing in your preaching? What steps are you taking to intentionally develop as a preacher? Recommended Resources Doctrine that Dances by Robert Smith Jr. On Preaching by H.B. Charles Jr. On Pastoring by H.B. Charles Jr. Announcements The National Conference on Preaching | May 17-19, 2016 | Washington...
Articles

Faithful Preachers are Forgetful Preachers

April 7, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
My big brother, Kevin Willis, was there to hear me preach my first sermon, at the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. I was a boy preacher, eleven years old. It was some years before he heard me preach again. Kevin was in town to preach a meeting. He was scheduled to preach at 3:30. And I had a preaching engagement later that evening. Of course, I went to hear my brother preach. And he came to hear me after he his meeting. I was "on" that night. I preached one of my "sticks" - a familiar sermon I had...
Podcast

#030: How I Prepare to Preach

April 1, 2016
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Welcome to episode #030 of The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode of the podcast, we will discuss 11 ways I prepare to preach.     11 ways I prepare to preach...... Pray Read and reread the text Do observations Read translations Perform word studies Do cross references Study context and background Review commentaries Develop a sermon skeleton Write a sermon manuscript Prepare sermon notes QUESTIONS How do you prepare to preach? What helpful tips would you provide to other pastors preparing to preach?  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES On Pastoring by H.B. Charles Jr...