In changing times, one thing does not change: the quiet but insistent call of God to preach the gospel.

Yet there has been a widespread loss of confidence in the Scriptures and growing confusion about their message. As a result, our witness has often been muted, timid and unclear.

One of the greatest casualties has been the decline of bold, authoritative and powerful popular preaching. Many critics have predicted the total demise of preaching from church life altogether, since it is increasingly seen as an outmoded relic of a former age. The result of this loss has been a widespread leakage of spiritual power, declining numbers and stunted spiritual growth in many churches.

In the Autumn of 2003, at Westminster Chapel, we embarked upon a preaching school that sought to provide a remedy for this problem. It was simply called Preach the Word! My hope was that it would help raise the calibre, profile and effectiveness of authentic biblical preaching across every denomination and stream in the Body of Christ.

A wide range of outstanding teachers, preachers and communicators were invited to share their skills, wisdom and strongest convictions on a host of themes related to this great task, and a large number of delegates gathered each month to give them an enthusiastic hearing. The transcripts of these teaching sessions have been edited and distilled into this single volume, in an effort to reach and engage an even wider audience. These presentations will encourage renewed confidence in the importance of this ministry, and impart practical know-how in its development, both in beginners just 17 starting out on this call as well as those considerably more experienced in the work. Men and women of all ages, who are called to this task, will benefit greatly from this extraordinary collection.

Greg Haslam
Editor of Preach the Word!