Ask a Professor is a blog in which questions about ministry, theology, and especially preaching are submitted by readers and answered by Alyce McKenzie, Wes Allen, or a guest writer invited from the Perkins faculty or staff. If you would like to submit a question, please email .
A sermon on a text from the Hebrew Bible does not have to mention Jesus, for one very simple fact; the Hebrew Bible is a crucial part of the Gospel. Without it fully functioning in the understanding of the Gospel of Jesus, there simply is no complete understanding possible.
How do I preach to people when I am struggling with my own faith?
Doubt is key to growing in the faith. God and God’s ways are mysterious enough that there is always need to doubt our finite faith.
How does a preacher preach to a congregation that is theologically different from him/her?
How does the preacher protect a dedicated prayer and devotional life? What practices are best at making space for the Spirit, even though she is unpredictable and uncontrollable?
Burnout among pastors is very high with many leaving the ministry within only a few years after graduating from seminary. While there are numerous reasons for such burnout, I am convinced that one of the biggest ones is that with all of the tasks of ministry, it is difficult to find time for sermon preparation much less for a devotional life.
© SMU Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence
