John Owen: Five Qualities Every Preacher Should Have

Faithful preaching has never been measured merely by eloquence, personality, or even theological precision. Throughout church history, the men God has most powerfully used have recognized that preaching is more than delivering information; it is the work of shepherding souls with the crook of God’s Word. That conviction shaped the ministry of seventeenth-century pastor and theologian John Owen. In his sermon “The True Nature of a Gospel Church and Its Government,” Owen considers the qualities that should mark every faithful preacher. While his language reflects another era, his concerns remain current, reminding us that effective ministry requires personal holiness, spiritual wisdom, pastoral care, and genuine love for God’s people. “Sundry things,” Owen writes, “are required unto this work and duty of pastoral preaching.” Here are the specific requirements he mentions, along with part of his explanation for each: “Spiritual wisdom and understanding in the mysteries of the gospel, that they may declare unto the church ‘all the counsel of God’ and ‘the unsearchable riches of Christ[.]” … The generality of the church, especially those who are grown in knowledge and experience, have a...