Tenth Annual Ministers' Convocation of Southern California

The following excerpts are taken from ad­dresses delivered early this year by Drs. John Sutherland Bonnell and L. Harold DeWolf at the three-day ministers' convocation sponsored by the ministry of Southern California, the Southern California and Southern Nevada Council of Churches, and the Southern Califor­nia School of Theology. Dr. Bonnell lectured on "Making Our Ministry Relevant" and Dr. DeWolf on "A Theology of Communication."

Quotes from Dr. John Sutherland Bonnell, pastor of New York Fifth Avenue Presbyterian church:

The Lack in American Preaching

There is too much take-it-or-leave-it preach­ing in America today.

The Sermon Appeal

One of the great lacks in American preaching is the lack of passion. We seem to be afraid of the emotions. Every address should contain an appeal to the intellect, the emotions, and the will, for unless the emotions are fired, the will will never be moved.

Compassion

With so much unhappiness, heartbreak, and tragedy in the world, the note of compassion must be always on our lips.

Spokesmen for God

We must remember that we are spokesmen for God and that our preaching is linked with the prophets of Israel. These men were forth-tellers and not foretellers as we now think of them.

The true test of great preaching is not elo­quence or well-chosen words. It is whether the listeners have heard the voice of God.

Forgiveness

God's forgiveness of sin should be a major note of our preaching People will not forgive themselves and will continue to punish them­selves until they are sure they have been for­given.

The Divine Call

Ministers should follow this work because God's hand has been laid upon them, not be­cause the work is congenial, or that it is suitable to their temperament.

Happy is the minister who can say, in some great moment of illumination, "I was ordained even before birth to be a minister."

Guilt

We work less, but we worry more, largely as the result of our unresolved guilt. This real guilt for transgression of explicit moral laws is the exclusive field of the ministers.

Counseling and Concern

In the area of counseling and spiritual heal­ing, we ministers have a vast opportunity for service today. We ought to be concerned with the individual.

(To be continued)