Aspiring Preachers Guild
My endeavor is to bring out of Scripture what is there, and not to thrust in what I think might be there. I have a great jealousy on this head; never to speak more or less than I believe to be the mind of the Spirit in the passage I am expounding.
Charles Simeon
Purpose & Goals
The purpose of the Aspiring Preachers Guild is to fill the pulpits of Canada with competent, godly men who will faithfully and effectively preach God’s Word.
The goals of the Guild are twofold:
- To become a known and trusted resource that churches and denominations look to when trying to identify their next pastor.
- To become a seedbed where aspiring preachers can hone and sharpen their skill as expositors.
Organization & Responsibilities
The Guild operates under the umbrella of Maple Avenue Baptist Church in Georgetown, Ontario, but it exists to serve all Word-loving churches and denominations.
The leaders are:
- Jim McDonald, Director
- Yuta Seki, Convener
- Other experienced preachers, Guest Convenors
The Director’s role is to promote the Guild through networking, to organize all details for the Guild’s regular operations, to connect with and mentor the men involved, and to assist and advise the Convener.
The Convener’s role is to choose the book, identify homiletical areas of focus, select the preachers, facilitate the meeting, and to invest in the preachers by providing helpful and pointed feedback.
Meetings
Currently we are holding two sessions each year: Fall (September-December) and Winter-Spring (January-May).
Meetings take place on a weekday evening from 7:00 to 9:45 p.m. The dates for the Fall 2024 session are: October 28, November 18 and December 9. Meetings are held at Maple Avenue Baptist Church in Georgetown, Ontario.
Meeting 1 – Group work on the book chosen for that session; teaching on homiletical area of focus for that session. The areas of focus are topics like sermon introductions, use of illustrations or preaching narrative.
Meetings 2-3 – Three men preach for 15 minutes on an assigned passage and each receives 20-30 minutes of feedback from the group but especially from the Convener. The meetings also include instruction on the homiletical area of focus.
There will be three preachers selected for each session. They will each be given two preaching assignments during the session and are expected to treat their sermons with the utmost seriousness. Others are welcome to attend provided they meet the prerequisites. Attendance increases the likelihood of being selected as preacher at a future session.
The preachers for each session are selected based on experience, capability, and commitment to the Guild.
Prerequisites
Anyone who aspires to preach is welcome to attend and participate in Guild meetings provided they meet the following three standards:
- They must be committed to attending all 3 meetings of the session.
- They must be supported by their local church. This includes the Senior Pastor affirming their aspiration to preach and their involvement in the Guild. It also means they must be serving in their local church.
- They must affirm both the Doctrinal Statement and the three Doctrinal Distinctives of the Guild.
Doctrinal Statement (WEA)
We ask all attendees to affirm the Doctrinal Statement of the World Evangelical Alliance. Additionally, we ask them to affirm three Doctrinal Distinctives.
To view the above mentioned statement and distinctives click the link below:
Note: This is the Doctrinal Statement of the WEA. To view Maple Avenue Baptist Church’s Doctrinal Statement, please click here.
Referrals
When a church or denomination requests that we refer someone to them, all such requests for referral will go through the Director. He will communicate with the Convener and the attendee’s Senior Pastor.
Recommendations will only be made when all three agree that the man in question is ready to take on the role being considered.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact Jim McDonald, Director.