Ministering Like the Master: Three Messages for Today's Preachers

by Stuart Olyott

Christ was not a boring preacher! 'How wonderful it would be," says Stuart Olyott in the introduction to this book, 'if Christian preachers throughout the world were ministering like their Master!' Drawing on examples of Christ's preaching from the Gospels, Olyott challenges preachers today with three features of their Master's ministry. Christ's style and method were not boring, but gripping. Christ's preaching was evangelistic. Christ's ministry was more than just his whole life was ministry. In a fresh, compelling and practical way, Olyott guides preachers away from some of the perils and pitfalls that could hinder their success. In so doing, he shows us just how essential Christ's example is to those who seek to minister in his name today.

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 14, 2003

Reviews

[Eliot Jones]

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[Zack]

This is a great little book addressed to preachers, but accessible to everyone.

Chapter one (focused on Christ’s Sermon on the Mount in Matt. 5-7) is about preaching method. In short, effective preaching is oral/aural in nature. It is spoken (not written) communication which must be well suited to hearing (rather than reading). It must be concrete and pointed, broken down into three parts: state, illustrate, and address. There is a lot of very helpful advice here that I am hoping I can implement in my own preaching to make it simpler and more oral/aural in nature.

Chapter two (focused on Christ’s words in Matt. 11) is a clarion call for preachers to be evangelistic in their preaching. In sum and substance, Olyott calls on preachers to imitate Christ in offering the gospel invitation to all men, understanding that only the regenerate will respond. There is a very fine example of such a call in this chapter (and the next).

Chapter three (focused on Mark 1) considers Christ’s life as exemplary for the gospel preacher, who must live as a minister in every aspect of his life.

[Gareth Davies]

Short, simple but very helpful book for all preachers. I’ve read this before but useful to return to it.

[Cole Stumph]

I thought the content of this book was good but I found it to be incredibly redundant. This book was only 90 pages but it realistically should have only been about 40. I did find the teaching outline presented in the first chapter to be useful and I will incorporate parts of this method into my own lessons.

[Timothy]

This is a short and simple book written clearly as a reminder of how our master Jesus Christ ministered, and how we may imitate him.
The first section is draws from the Sermon on the Mount to learn how Jesus preached. Stuart concludes that our preaching should have 3 areas: state - illustrate - apply where for applying, the hearers must be told: what to do, how to do it, and why they should do it.
This is a practical reminder of how sermons should be structured and the purpose of sermons.
The second section looks at Matt. 11, to show how Christ's preaching was evangelistic with these 3 points: 1. Point your finger 2. Bend your knee 3. Open your arms.
The third section reminds us that our Lord was not just a preacher. The task of a minister is more than just preaching. It also involves personal relations, knowing and talking to church members and members of the community, even those who are "untouchable". It is caring for others and identifying with others. It is praying. The conclusion, isn't that we have to do more, but repent and come to our God in prayer since it is from him where we get our strength to do all we need to do.

[Jonathan Klimek]

One thing that particularly challenged me in Stuart Olyott’s Ministering Like the Master was his final emphasis that our Lord was not just a preacher. I am naturally inclined to think about faithfulness in ministry primarily in terms of careful preparation, faithful exposition, and public preaching. Olyott’s treatment of Mark 1 reminded me that Christ’s public proclamation was accompanied by deeply personal ministry: He identified with sinners, endured temptation, made disciples through personal conversation, confronted evil, cared for the sick, maintained a life of secret prayer, and drew near to those whom others avoided.

This raised a searching question for me: Can a man be faithful in the pulpit and yet still fall short of ministering like the Master if his ministry is not also characterised by personal shepherding, prayer, compassion, and deliberate involvement in people’s lives?

I found Olyott’s emphasis both convicting and helpful. Preaching must remain central to pastoral ministry, but biblical pastoral ministry cannot be reduced to preaching. The preacher himself must also be present among the people he is called to shepherd.

[Brendan Westerfield]

This was a super helpful (and super short!) book about ministering as Christ did. It's a simple enough premise, Christ 1) was not a boring preacher, 2) was an evangelical preacher, and 3) was much more than simply a preacher.

I was remarkably challenged and helped by the first and third section, while the second one I found less convincing. Second section aside, this is perhaps the most helpful preaching book I've read. It's ripe with biblical examples of Christ's earthly ministry and practical advice for current and aspiring ministers.

Olyott's principles of "State-Apply-Illustrate" are the closest I've gotten to practical preaching advice from any book. Olyott recognizes that the worst thing to happen is for someone to hear the word and remained unchanged by it. Lord-willing, with the help of this book, a preacher can take real, meaningful steps in the right direction.

If section 2 was a bit better, this would be 5 stars.

[Parker]

This short book aims at drawing particular methods for ministry from the portrayal of Jesus in the gospels. The first two chapters focus on his preaching, while the last one looks at his broader work. Of the three chapters, I found the first to be most helpful. In general, though, I think the book suffers from the sort of obsession with bullet-points that seems to characterize so many preachers indebted to the Puritans. Main points, subpoints, sub-subpoints, etc. I've always thought this is an unnecessarily overwhelming way to present information. Still, this is a very short book, so it doesn't overstay its welcome.

[Giovanni Casimiro]

Stuart desafia todo pregador a aprender aos pés do mestre. Nosso Senhor não era um pregador que colocava as pessoas a dormir, Ele explicava, ilustrava e aplicava a verdade. Além, disso, Ele confrontava o pecado mediante a proclamação do Evangelho. Acima de tudo, Ele não era apenas um pregador, mas alguém que se compadeceu com pecadores, identificou-se com eles, orou por eles, curou-os, discipulou.

[William]

This little book is especially challenging for those who are pastors and preachers of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the book is written for them and about them. The opening chapter challenges the way pastors should preach and teach with many good practical insights. The second chapter is very pointed in the area of evangelism. The third chapter is a list of way the Savior ministered and applied to the ministry today. I found the final chapter to be very convicting and helpful.

[Will Bassett]

When pastoring in South Africa I picked up this book, I read it nearly all the way through in one sitting. It was immensely impactful. It further stoked the fire while keeping my direction on point. I loved how Olyott turns our eyes to Jesus as our example in ministry. Truly helpful and an exceptional small work.

[Sarah Bennett]

Brilliant!! Highly recomended to preacher young/old!

[Eleazar Maduka]

Short, practical and brilliant! All preachers (and those who hear them) need to read this.

[David Bissett]

Superb, concise and helpful words on our ministry task.

[Andrew Canavan]

Very good, encouraging, simple reminders for pastors to serve people according to the pattern set by Jesus.

[Michael Burchfield]

A simple yet helpful book for those who preach and teach.

[Rodrigo Santos]

Pequeno e excelente livro para todos aqueles que ministram a palavra de Deus. O autor vai abordar as formas como Jesus exerceu seu ministério; a leitura é bem edificante e nos confronta e motiva a ministrar como Jesus ministrou. Recomendo a leitura também do livro Pregação Pura e Simples do mesmo autor, para complementar essa leitura.

[Daniel]

Simple and magnificent, yet challenging.

[Simon O'Mahony]

This is a pleasant little book on the topic of preaching. Olyott identifies certain principles from the ministry style of Christ and calls preachers to follow suit.

The first chapter is an excellent introduction for new preachers to the nuts and bolts of a sermon.