Doug Oss (class of 1980) will
join the AGTS faculty as director of the James River Center
for Expository Preaching in fall 2005.
As Paul faced
the end of his life, he knew he needed to leave words of
advice for Timothy. He advised his spiritual son about the
best way to respond to degraded culture (2 Tim. 3:1-13)
and the best strategy for leading followers of Christ to increased
maturity (3:17). He also instructed Timothy to maintain his
non-negotiable commitment to biblical preaching (4:1-2) and
sound doctrine (4:3). In doing so, Paul specifically addressed
the role of expository preaching (1 Tim. 3:1-4:5) and its value
in culture and the church. When times become turbulent and
numerous voices call people to many paths, there will always
be one source for centered, stable church leadership: God’s
Word. Paul’s solution to these issues, in his last words
to Timothy, was promoting the growth of the church through
biblical, expository preaching.
The current debate over postmodernism
in our universities points to the same issue. Cultural geography
shifts along the fault lines of the latest trends, and, in
short order, philosophical paradigms become specters of the
past. But the truth of Scripture—God’s
Word—endures forever. Expository preaching, then, is
all the more vital for today’s generation-in-flux, both
in raising a prophetic cultural voice and in leading the church
to grow in Christ. The James River Center for Expository Preaching
and the new Master of Divinity (M.Div.) concentration in expository
preaching are being designed expressly for that purpose.
Origin
Pastor John Lindell and the
leadership team at James River Assembly (JRA, Ozark, Mo.) have
long been passionate about the revolutionary effect of expository
preaching, which has produced growth in their church and has
infused a passion to see ministers educated and coached in
the skill set of Bible exposition.
Concurrently, AGTS had been
considering ways to place a higher emphasis on expository preaching.
Pastor Lindell’s idea
for an expository preaching center was readily accepted at
AGTS. After some time in conversation, the JRA and AGTS leadership
teams developed this unique partnership. JRA made a generous
financial commitment to jump-start the center and to launch
the new M.Div. concentration in expository preaching for fall
2005.
Vision
The vision of the center extends
in two related directions. The first is to provide a course
of study that fosters the development of exegetical and homiletical
skills, including the use of technology and multi-media to
enhance the presentation of the message. Our graduates will
have an approach to expository preaching that crushes the stereotypes
(e.g., boring and arid) and demonstrates that well-conceived
expositional messages are relevant, interesting and perhaps
even hip. In addition, built into the DNA of the program is
its focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in the event of preaching
and the results of that synergy between Spirit and preacher
in real life settings.
The second finds its realization
outside the classroom among people whose lives are impacted
by the leadership of our graduates. Embracing a pragmatic worldview,
today’s generation is
increasingly eschewing models of pulpit ministry that it perceives
as shallow or not substantially connected to Scripture and
to “real life.” As both believers and unbelievers
search for God and the truth about Jesus, they have developed
a strong appetite for all things real, including the full-on
substance of biblical truth. Therefore, leadership in the church,
and prophetic leadership in culture, will increasingly fall
to those who have developed the skills to preach the Word,
in season and out, correcting, rebuking and encouraging with
careful instruction (cf. 2 Tim. 4:1-5).
While circumstances
sometimes call for other approaches to preaching, and AGTS
does teach them, we strongly believe in expository preaching
and have great love and passion for it; therefore, we have
decided to provide graduate education for ministers who share
this passion.
The Assemblies of God Theological
Seminary and James River Assembly are passionate for the future
of our partnership in expository preaching. We want to partner
with you as well. We are optimistic that God’s word can call a generation
to follow Christ, and that biblical truth never returns empty.
This investment is, in the end, all about the lives that will
be revolutionized by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
