Saturday, March 10, 2012

The Doctor's Preaching, Teaching, Counseling Ministry

Summarizing what D. M. Lloyd-Jones' ministry looked like from 1943, when he became the sole pastor of Westminster Chapel after G. Campbell Morgan's retirement, J. I. Packer says:
He was the sole pastor for a quarter of a century, preaching morning and evening every Sunday save for his annual vacations in July and August. As in Wales, he lived at full stretch. Guest preaching during the first part of the week and pastoral counselling by appointment were regular parts of his life. On Friday night he taught publicly at the Chapel, for fifteen years or so by discussion, then by doctrinal lectures, and for the last twelve years by exposition of Paul's Letter to the Romans (Honoring the People of God: Collected Shorter Writings on Christian Leaders and Theologians, 81).
Notable, because of the common practice today with which it contrasts, is Lloyd-Jones' regular preaching and teaching and counseling ministry. With professionalization and a weakening of the ministry of the Word, today a pastor preaches or teaches perhaps half or a third so much as Lloyd-Jones did, and he hardly does any counseling at all, leaving that also to the professionals, most of whom haven't the foggiest idea how to care for souls.

Lloyd-Jones was clearly given to the Word of God and shepherding the flock. And he had no formal credentials to do so, having never done an M.Div. or the like. May God raise up more of his tribe.

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