The Planters' College
My Column through Spurgeon's Lecture's to My Students
If you are involved in church planting or pastoral ministry, you should check out NewChurches.com. Here’s why it is a massive honor to serve as the General Editor:
New Churches is a resource website designed to equip and encourage church planters, church-planting teams, and sending churches. We have articles from contributors like Tony Merida, Trevin Wax, Vance Pitman, and J.D. Greear. We have regular columnists (Barnabas Piper, Ronnie Martin, Dan Steel, and more). We have free courses on preaching, planting, and more. And we have a new podcast that Griffin Gulledge said is a top weekly listen because:
You can also watch the episodes on YouTube.
And here’s what I wanted to let you know about today:
As the General Editor for New Churches, I wanted my regular column to go through Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students, with application toward church planters. Welcome to “The Planters’ College.”
The first article covers the column and where I want it to go. Today’s entry is a reflection on Spurgeon’s first lecture: The Minister’s Self-Watch.
The Planters’ College
Spurgeon was more than committed to planting churches, he loved being a part of this work. In 1881, Spurgeon wrote in his magazine, The Sword and Trowel, “It is my greatest pleasure to aid in commencing new churches.” Spurgeon would love our desire to resource, equip, and encourage church planters at newchurches.com. Spurgeon put much effort into this same endeavor.
Through his Pastors’ College, Spurgeon oversaw the ministerial training of about 900 men. He also helped plant around 200 churches in Great Britain. Alex DiPrima writes in his new biography, Spurgeon: A Life, from in 1865 to 1887, Spurgeon and his Pastors’ College students founded over half of the new Baptist congregations in England. And if that wasn’t astounding enough, Spurgeon planted 53 of London’s 62 new Baptist churches during this 20-year window. Men from his Pastors’ College left London to serve the Lord in India, China, Japan, Africa, Spain, Italy, the West Indies, South America, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Spurgeon said that the Pastors’ College was about the work of the Kingdom “by founding new churches.”
The Most Important Arena of a Planter’s Life
There are a few questions and cautions to consider here from Spurgeon:
Are you growing as a preacher? One simple area to start: Learn how to use your voice. Vary the volume, speed, cadence, and emotional range. Flat preaching is torture. Watch how you preach.
Are you reading theological books and commentaries? Leadership books are helpful, but don’t neglect to grow your heart and soul with solid works from the past and present. It will bless you and your hearers. Watch what you read.
Most importantly, are you tending to your own spiritual life? Planter, any neglect of your inner life and spiritual formation will not only weaken your ministry—it is slow-cooking a disaster. Spurgeon tells us, “For the herald of the gospel to be spiritually out of order in his own proper person is, both to himself and to his work, a most serious calamity.” This is true for two reasons.