Be an Example

by Floyd Chappelear
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 2, June 30, 1989

A mature man who had been preaching full-time for only a couple of years once told me that he picked five men to study before he began such work. He examined the work and lives of these five men to pattern himself to some degree after them. I was one of the five. With no false humility, I wondered what he saw in me that he deemed worth imitating. (I did not ask him.) However, he made me realize just how much I have consciously patterned my work on the lives of others. For whatever it might be worth, I would like to tell you what persons have set an example for me that I purposely have tried to duplicate. (I will give them in no particular order.)

One of my earliest examples was that of Tom Butterfield. As a child, I marveled at how he used his voice - almost like an instrument. I determined that I would try to use mine similarly. When you listened to Tom preach, even when it appeared that he was whispering, you could hear every word, and you held on to his thoughts because of his mastery over his vocal cords. Another preacher later counseled me to give up that "preacher tone" that he thought I had and "talk to the people as if you were carrying on a conversation." I felt that if I were carrying on a conversation, I should leave the pulpit and let others preach.

C. D. Plum taught me to mix with the audience before the sermon. I remember his greeting the people well and making them feel at home.

I picked up the habit of finishing my sermon on the floor from John Fant. I can't say why I like the practice, but I still do it.

L. J. Nicklas and Vic McCormick were two men who made excellent use of the chalkboard. (I imagine that Vic still does.) I have tried not only to write on the board but occasionally have illustrated my sermons with drawings. Perhaps my fascination with artistic overheads grew out of their chalk illustrations.

I moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, in my fourth year of preaching. It was there that I met and grew to admire Marilyn Bolyard. Until then, she was the best-prepared Bible student I had ever met. She taught me the need for preparation. I dared not go to class or preach a sermon without expecting her to challenge me if I said something out of the ordinary. I learned to back up what I said or not say it. I now have the blessed privilege of preaching for a whole congregation like her: Bible students who come prepared and challenge the teacher to be ready to teach and back up what he says.

I'll never forget the first time I heard Cecil Willis preach. What impressed me most was that he preached without "pearl diving" (the art of looking at one's notes). From him, I learned to prepare my sermons well enough to preach without notes in the pulpit. I still feel that if a preacher has had a week to prepare and has not learned the subject, how can he expect the audience to go away having learned anything in only one hearing?

Akin to that work of memory is the one I picked up from Olin Kern. When I lived in Ft. Wayne, and he lived in Marion, I discovered that he took the time to memorize his scriptures before each sermon. I did that for a while but do not always do it today. I should go back to that practice.

Speaking of Olin reminds me of what I imitated from his father-in-law, Franklin Puckett. As a very young preacher, I once wrote to Brother Puckett and asked him for help. He responded immediately and sent me his file (not copies) on the subject, asking me to take care of it and return it when I was done. Even now, I try to be prompt in answering requests for help from any young preacher who would seek it.

What are the three most important minutes in the sermon? Those consumed by the introduction. It is there that one gets the audience or loses it. There is none better at grabbing the audience than Bob Owen. I have tried to emulate his practice by developing strong introductions. I do not spend any time thanking the audience, etc., for such time is lost in getting their attention. Remember, first impressions can only be made once. If the first impression in a sermon is distracting and not attention-grabbing, the audience may be lost forever.

There has never been anyone better than Luther Blackmon at creating "windows" through
which the audience could see the thought. When he used an illustration, you could almost smell the calf as she looked forlornly through the three-strand-barbed-wire fence. Illustrations are important to me now because of him.

Hiram Hutto and Dudley Ross Spears have meant the most to me regarding setting an example of showing care in studying. Their careful analysis is the example I try to follow. Interestingly, in the past thirty days, I have called both of them to seek help with a passage of scripture. (This was written in January 1989.)

As a very young preacher, I traveled across the county to hear Ken Frazier preach. He impressed me with his ready references to alternative translations, so I decided to check difficult passages in more than one version. (My mother wishes I would duplicate his quiet dignity, but that is too much to ask.) Ken means so much to me that I named my firstborn after him.

I know nobody better at mixing scholarship with "down-home" ease than Harry Pickup, Jr.. When I first heard him preach, I was so impressed with his skill that it changed my basic attitude toward preaching. I say this not as a boast, but I no longer try to hide my vocabulary in preaching. Because oi him I now use some of those 25 cent words but will often define them with the first use.

There is one preacher I have tried to imitate but fail so miserably in the effort that it makes me sad. That man is Yater Tant. I know no better writer among us with the skill to create written images. I know one young man who comes close but doesn't quite get there. I wish I could write like Yater writes.

I will never forget entering a side room at the Florida College Library and finding Homer Hailey quietly studying the scriptures. I was impressed that, at his age, he still felt the need to study a passage as "simple" as the Book of Acts. I have learned better since then and hope to continue to follow his example.

Time will not permit me to name other preachers whom I have admired over the years. All have impacted my life, but these have caused me to consciously change some aspects of my preaching.

Now, having said these things, I will reach the necessary conclusion. We all need to be aware that others are watching and imitating us. We must be careful how we live and what we do; some young saint may follow us down whatever path we take. I think this message is worth considering. Remember that men are to follow the example of Christ (I Peter 2:21), and they will follow the example that each of us sets.