“Preaching Which Builds the Church” by Alex Montoya

I was having a look through the Shepherds’ Conference of 2018, and came across an interesting talk by Alex Montoya, called “Preaching with Passion: Preaching Which Builds the Church”. I enjoyed listening to it, and my aim here is not to criticize it, but to make a brief comment. The talk is addressed to pastors, or prospective pastors, and is advising them, with good humor, on how to be more effective preachers. At 43:58 minutes into the video he makes the following comment:

“Go to chapter 4 ... of 2 Timothy. He said not only preach with authority, preach with boldness .... Listen to me, he preached the word ... be ready in season and out of season … reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction. You know, that calls for boldness.”

He is commenting on Paul’s advice to Timothy in the following passage:

2 Timothy 4:

2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

The word “boldness” does not occur in that scripture. It is a word that he has added to it. The word that is actually used is “all longsuffering,” which some might even consider to be the opposite “boldness”—at least as some Evangelical preachers seem to understand it. There is another scripture, however, that does talk about boldness in preaching; and it is found in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon also has some good advice to give on good preaching. It is as follows:

Alma 38:

10 And now, as ye have begun to teach the word even so I would that ye should continue to teach; and I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things.

11 See that ye are not lifted up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not boast in your own wisdom, nor of your much strength.

12 Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.

There is lots of great advice in there on how to be a good preacher; but the one that I particularly like to focus on is the instruction to “use boldness, but not overbearance”. There are too many Evangelical preachers who confuse “boldness” with “overbearance”. They shout at people, and speak with a loud, even intimidating voice, and sometimes even issue “commands,” and generally adopt an “overbearing” attitude, thinking that they are being “bold,” when they are just being “overbearing”. That is not conducive to good preaching, and it turns people off. The heathen think that they shall be “heard for their much speaking” (Matt. 6:7); these guys seem to think that they shall be heard for their “much shouting!” That doesn’t work. It might have worked 200 years ago, but not today. To preach with “boldness” means to speak the truth without fear; it does not mean shouting at people, and adopting an overbearing attitude. Preachers who talk like that, very often it is because they don’t really have anything useful, constructive, or substantive to say, and make up for it by shouting at people instead. Very few people nowadays are fooled by that kind of stuff. The Book of Mormon has given them the best advice: “Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love.” Isn’t it amazing how the Book of Mormon always wins! 😀