A new homiletics program focused on equipping and developing pastors started at Taylor in January, spearheaded by Tim McConnell, director of the PREACH initiative at Taylor. The program meets online every other week and ends with a certificate of completion in homiletics.
The mission of the program seeks to develop pastors and produce knowledgeable ministers for Christ. Beginning in mid-February and ending in the middle of May, its cohort meets for a few hours on designated nights, said McConnell.
The homiletics certificate is given after a four-month online course taught by McConnell, culminating in a ceremony at Taylor University, as stated on the Taylor website. Although McConnell does a lot of work at Taylor and serves on President Michael Lindsay’s cabinet, his main job is serving as the lead pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs. He is well acquainted with Taylor, visiting often, and also speaks in chapels.
McConnell has a passion for the church and Taylor. The homiletics program unifies both. Historically, Taylor used to support preaching more directly, he said.
“We’re renewing a lot of that in our mission as a university,” McConnell said. “We want churches to know that Taylor University is on the side of the local congregation.”
The program core is focused on engaging Scripture more deeply and developing practical skills, like delivery and conclusion of a sermon. Students will also listen to other participants' sermons for encouragement and improvement, McConnell said.
Although it consists of discussions and sessions, the program is not academic and is focused on developing pastors at a professional level. McConnell saw a need for feedback from other pastors to grow, which played into the creation and design of the cohort, he said.
“There’s an old adage from Abraham Lincoln, that if I had four hours to cut down a tree, I would spend three hours sharpening the axe,” said McConnell. “A lot of times pastors are so pressurized with the needs of taking care of the congregation and being in their community that their axe feels dull.”
McConnell wants the time in the meetings to build up the pastors and encourage them. It is meant to help them become better pastors by becoming confident in the skills God gave them, McConnell said.
The program ends with an on-campus meeting with Greg Dyson, campus pastor and the vice president for spiritual life and intercultural leadership at Taylor. They will also experience a day in the PREACH lab on campus.
This year's cohort of five members started the four month journey by meeting online a few weeks ago on Feb. 12
In the first section, the group talked about Alistair Begg’s book “Preaching for God’s Glory” and how the word of God is central to every sermon, McConnell.
Although the first cohort is under way and off to a good start, McConnell saw some potential problems as it continues, he said.
“One of our biggest challenges is to let people know that this opportunity is there and available and will be a benefit to them,” he said. “And so, as much as we can do to share with churches and pastors that we know, that there’s a resource that Taylor University has for them, the better it will go for us.”
Taylor plans to continue the cohort in the upcoming years, with a12-member cap on the class.
