More than a hundred ministers, teachers, and students who were seeking to become better preachers of the gospel attended the two-day preaching lectureship on January 17-18, 2019.
This year, AIIAS invited Dr. Karl Haffner, PhD, senior pastor of Kettering Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ohio, USA, and mission strategist for Kettering Health Network. To name a few, he discussed in detail topics on the Ten Commandments of preaching, the nuts and bolts of sermon preparation, how to preach so people will listen, and making the Bible central in one’s preaching and personal life.
Haffner is a well-known speaker in various Seventh-day Adventist gatherings. He has developed a unique preaching style drawing in his listeners with his engaging and often light-hearted, yet very deep approach. He has also authored many books, including No Experience Necessary, No Greater Love, and The Cure for Soul Fatigue. Plus hundreds of articles published in a variety of journals.
“Just be who God created you to be. Try not to be anybody else,” discussed Haffner. “Be really clear on what you’re trying to say. Our effort must always be directed in getting to know Jesus and to live in Christ. The Bible is not against effort. Our effort must always be focused on getting to know Jesus as a friend and personal Savior.”
During the two-day lectureship seminar, attendees were given numerous advice and recommendations on preaching techniques that are applicable in different contexts and were given ample time for group discussion. Haffner also shared his personal discipline of how he goes about preparing sermons and how to preach, communicate, and understand the gospel.
“Those of you who have been in my classes know how important centrality of Christ is in our preaching and our lives. You can understand how thrilled I am that pastor Karl is here to give us insights and share with us his heart for God, teaching us how we can become better communicators of the gospel.” Aivars Ozolins, chair of the Applied Theology Department.
The Preaching Lectureship is an annual event that was started in 2016 out of a felt need to provide opportunities to those who are involved in preaching ministry to improve homiletical skills. This event was made possible through the support of the Southern Asia-Pacific Division ministerial department, the North Philippine Union Conference, and the Central Luzon Conference.
“These preaching lectureships have been a means to get more Christ-centered techniques and methods. I also enjoyed blending some of the techniques I’ve learned during the lectureship with the ones I’ve developed throughout the years,” shared Aias Cabaça, a Master of Arts in Religion student from Angola.
“Sometimes we forget that theology is not enough to save people. Salvation is not by knowledge. It is about transformation and power. The message that we have is powerful enough, but the challenge that we face today is in the messenger. May the Lord help us to be the kind of people that can make this great message succeed.” closed Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez, dean of the Theological Seminary during his remarks.
Aside from AIIAS students, attendees of this year’s seminar were representatives from the following institutions: Romblon Adventist Mission, Cavite Adventist Mission, Adventist Hospital Davao, and elders and members of the churches around AIIAS. Join us again at AIIAS for the 5th Preaching Lectureship on January 16-17, 2020, with Pastor Mike Tucker, speaker/director of Faith for Today, a North American Adventist Television Ministry. Kindly wait for further announcements to be posted at www.aiias.edu.
