Five Great Pastors
Ava Fournillier
November 12, 2012
Throughout history they have been many great ministers that spoke the word of God. So, what are the marks of a good church pastor? Most people would talk about a strong foundation of knowledge in the scripture, and a commitment to the Gospel. These are great answers, and those qualities will make themselves apparent from the pulpit in each sermon. The key to building and leading a healthy church is to be a good and healthy pastor (and leader). Apostle Paul outlines the essential qualities of a good and effective Servant of God. Though we do find many other useful traits elsewhere in the word of God, we will see only from this chapter (1Timothy Ch. 4) what Paul one of the greatest ministers of Jesus Christ wants to say about a good minister. So opinions may differ on great preaching. Many would say a great preacher consist of great leadership, or influence.
Great preachers are persons of great personal integrity before they are great pulpiteers. Also, great preachers have the shepherd heart, walk with the Lord, work hard and are passionate souls. Great preachers obviously have a passion to preach and are definitely anchored to the bible.
While there are many that might fit these characteristics, a few stand out to me. Dr. Freddie Haynes of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. For more than 28 years, Pastor Freddie Haynes has been serving the Dallas area through his church Friendship-West Baptist. Growing his ministry to over 12,000 members, Dr. Haynes believes in intertwining theology with sociology to meet the needs of his members. Not only that, he shares his words of wisdom every morning of the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show, where millions are blessed by his words. He is very influential by reaching out to so many people with the gospel. Influence is one of the characteristics that make a great preacher.
Since 2005, Dr. Raphael Warnock has been the spiritual leader of Ebenezer Baptist
November 12, 2012
Throughout history they have been many great ministers that spoke the word of God. So, what are the marks of a good church pastor? Most people would talk about a strong foundation of knowledge in the scripture, and a commitment to the Gospel. These are great answers, and those qualities will make themselves apparent from the pulpit in each sermon. The key to building and leading a healthy church is to be a good and healthy pastor (and leader). Apostle Paul outlines the essential qualities of a good and effective Servant of God. Though we do find many other useful traits elsewhere in the word of God, we will see only from this chapter (1Timothy Ch. 4) what Paul one of the greatest ministers of Jesus Christ wants to say about a good minister. So opinions may differ on great preaching. Many would say a great preacher consist of great leadership, or influence.
Great preachers are persons of great personal integrity before they are great pulpiteers. Also, great preachers have the shepherd heart, walk with the Lord, work hard and are passionate souls. Great preachers obviously have a passion to preach and are definitely anchored to the bible.
While there are many that might fit these characteristics, a few stand out to me. Dr. Freddie Haynes of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. For more than 28 years, Pastor Freddie Haynes has been serving the Dallas area through his church Friendship-West Baptist. Growing his ministry to over 12,000 members, Dr. Haynes believes in intertwining theology with sociology to meet the needs of his members. Not only that, he shares his words of wisdom every morning of the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show, where millions are blessed by his words. He is very influential by reaching out to so many people with the gospel. Influence is one of the characteristics that make a great preacher.
Since 2005, Dr. Raphael Warnock has been the spiritual leader of Ebenezer Baptist