Spring 1991

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Enveloping the immaculate grounds and simple stone buildings of Princeton Theological Seminary is a stately and steady hush. The aura of those historic structures indicates a deliberate, thoughtful, and enduring approach to ministry.

Thomas Long, Frances Landey Patton Professor of Preaching and Worship, continues the Princeton tradition of engaging in careful theological thought and addressing creatively the church's contemporary situation.

He's been described as "one of the premier writers and practitioners of the preaching craft." His book, The Witness of Preaching (see LEADERSHIP, Spring 1990 for a review) was named book of the year by Preaching magazine.

Princeton seemed like a good place to get answers to some tough questions about how preachers can determine their priorities, both for the individual sermon and for the preaching schedule.

LEADERSHIP editors Mark Galli and Marshall Shelley met with Long on a day cold and gray, which belied the conversation.

What's the hardest part of preaching for you?

So much of it. The actual putting of the sermon on paper, taking an insight from the text and hammering it into the sermon, I find toilsome. Write, rewrite. I can't say it like I want to say it. I've got to get this done by six o'clock tonight and nothing fresh is coming.

I also put undue pressure on myself to deliver the sermon well, with good timing and fine phrasing. I am often disappointed in myself as a preacher; in fact, I'm harder on myself than my theology would call me to be. I don't like that nagging feeling: I wish I'd been a more effective preacher today.

Theologically, what are you to be as a preacher?

I think serious preachers, preachers who give themselves to this task, need to learn how to forgive themselves for ...

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