Show Intro
I was recently blessed to join Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Dr. Danny Akin on campus to share a Diet Coke and an encouraging conversation about missions, expository preaching, and how to grow as a young pastor. In this interview, Dr. Akin shares wisdom he has gained from nearly 40 years in ministry and academics. He shares his experience being called into ministry and training as a young pastor, how to become a better pastor and leader through international missions, and how to improve as an expository preacher. I hope you enjoy this episode of The Growing Pastor Podcast!
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Show Highlights
1:01 – Dr. Akin shares his story of ministry and academics
5:36 – How Dr. Akin knew God was calling him into ministry
9:42 – Subjective experience in salvation and calling to ministry
11:06 – The need for conviction in pastoral ministry
12:25 – Two things the pastor needs (a hunger for God’s word and a desire to teach)
15:10 – How SEBTS prepares students to go to the nations
19:30 – Dr. Akin shares advice for taking your first international mission trip
22:21 – What is expository preaching and why is it so important in the Church today?
25:06 – How to avoid “boring” expository preaching
26:21 – Practical ways for a young pastor to grow as a preacher
28:35 – What are some ways in which seminary is uniquely equipped to prepare men and women for ministry?
30:10 – What are some ways in which local churches are better equipped to train leaders than a seminary?
31:32 – Resources for getting started with theological education if you can’t get to seminary
33:58 – How to find your own voice in preaching
36:05 – How pastors can teach in the church when they aren’t the primary preacher on Sunday morning
38:05 – Where to find teaching opportunities early in your ministry
Quotable Quotes
“No matter where you are, if you are in God’s will, that’s a good place to be. It may not be easy or comfortable, but it is the best place to be.”
“If you are going to pursue ministry, there needs to be in your heart a settled conviction that this is what God wants to do in your life. If you don’t have that, I don’t think you’ll go the distance.”
“When men are considering ministry, if you have no desire to study God’s word, I don’t think that God is calling you. If you have no desire to share the gospel with lost people, I seriously doubt God is calling you.”
“Things that once meant everything to me suddenly began to vanish from my radar screen. And things that I had never thought about before… suddenly those became my consuming passions.”
“Every time I go [overseas]… it re-energizes me for the work that I do here.”
“What you say is more important than how you say it, but how you say it has never been more important.”
“Adrian Rogers used to say of his preaching, ‘I milk a lot of cows, but I church my own butter.’ If you listen to a significant number of men, it is unlikely that you will begin to copycat any one of them.”
Links & Resources
DanielAkin.com
Dr. Akin on Twitter
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
SEBTS free online seminary classes
