As a pastor, the ministry to which the bulk of my time is devoted is the preaching/teaching ministry. My goal is to share a God’s Word in a relevant and interesting way. However, this is not my only ministry. With time being so valuable, it is important to have good resources in place to aid in the research, preparation, and delivery of a sermon. I am always on the look-out for inspiration and help that would allow me to better do what I have been called to do. One such resource is Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook, Volume 3, edited by Dr. O.S. Hawkins, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas and President of Guidestone Financial Resources. Dr. Hawkins pulls together outlines, examples, and advice from many of today’s well-known preachers, seminary professors/presidents, and Bible scholars in a beautiful collaborative work. Contributors to the book are:

Daniel L. Aiken, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Mark L. Bailey, President and Professor of Biblical Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary
Matt Carter, Pastor of Preaching and Vision, Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX
Steve Dighton, Senior Pastor, Lenexa Baptist Church in Lenexa, KS
David Epstein, Senior Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, New York, NY
JD Greear, PhD, Lead Pastor, The Summit Church
Jeff Iorg, President, Golden Gate Seminary, Mill Valley, CA
James MacDonald, Senior Pastor, Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, IL
Adrian Rogers, Pastor Emeritus, Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN
K. Marshall Williams, Pastor, Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA
Jim Henry, Pastor Emeritus at First Baptist Church, Orlando, FL

I was hesitant to pick up this book. Because it contains sermon outlines, I was not sure what kind of message it may send. Dr. Hawkins states in the beginning how this book should be used. He writes, “It is not designed as an ‘easy fix’ for late Saturday night sermon preparation. Rather, it is a sourcebook designed to lay alongside all your other tools of word studies, exegesis, commentaries, prayer and analytical thought that goes into a fully developed and crafted sermon.” This sourcebook also contains a DVD with all the notes and outlines that are printed inside. Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook is about 600 pages long and contains far more material than can be used in a single year. At the end of the book, Dr. Hawkins has included sample forms and suggested further reading in the form of essays. As he does every year, Dr. Hawkins has put out a great work that will be asset to preacher and other ministry leaders. A word of caution is due here. At one time in my life, I worked for a construction contractor. He had one simple rule which he was passionate about. His rule was that tools were to be used for their intended purpose only. Those who utilize this book should take great care that is serves as a means of inspiration and does not become a liability which brings reproach upon the preacher or the church which he serves. Great work. I will be looking forward to volume four.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”