A Christ-centred ministry: Mbewe

I’m sure many of you already know well Conrad Mbewe of Kabwata Baptist Church, Lusaka, Zambia, the man a.k.a the African Spurgeon.  There’s an example of his preaching and a statement of his mission here (1 Cor. 2 – Christ Crucified) and his sermons to Kabwata are here.  There’s an interesting interview here where he speaks, among other things, about:

• The priority of preaching
• Saying one thing
• The danger of prayerlessness
• The temptation to use the Bible to say what you want to say
• Being yourself in preaching

Just on that last point – perhaps it’s worth underlining Mbewe: ‘Avoid imitation like a plague... I do not want them to become little “Conrads”.’  It was said of a famous London church that all the curates who served under its eminent senior pastor became little versions of their mentor down to dress and accent.

In one church culture we might feel that our preaching must have a sonorous liturgical almost-sing-song quality.  In another the model of preaching is the intimate fireside chat or the TV chat show.  In yet another it is felt that preaching must have the authentic tone and blow-your-hair-back volume of the anointed-Man-of-God. 

Phillip Brooks argued that preaching is truth through personality.  By this he meant “Every preacher should utter the truth in his own way” – we mustn’t become little Conrads.  But even more importantly, what Brooks particularly meant by 'truth through personality' (as Austin Tucker has argued) is that preaching is (or should be) The Truth (Jesus Christ) preached through godly personality - i.e. the gospel preached by a man of “character, of personal uprightness and purity... in deep possession of the faith and hope and resolution which he is to offer to his fellow men for their new life”. 

One of the best ways to grow in our preaching is indeed to listen to good preaching but let’s make sure that what we are looking to follow is their faithfulness, their passion for Christ and their love for the flock.