Foreword by Sinclair B. Ferguson
Introduction

Part 1: The Glory of God and the Greatness of Preaching

1. Preaching, above All
What is God’s chief end in preaching?

2. Enjoying God
How do we enjoy God?

3. The One We Preach
Who is God?

4. By the Book
What do the Scriptures primarily teach?

5. Preaching Christ
What is Preaching?

6. All Our Days
What is the preacher’s chief end?

7. Confident of This
How can we rest in God’s power and purposes?

8. Called to Preach
Why do we believe that God called us to preach?

9. For God, for People
Why does God call us to preach?

10. Not a Square Inch
What else did God ordain?

Part 2: Jesus for Preachers

11. Sin
How did the first preacher sin?

12. Weakness
What’s the good news for struggling preachers?  

13. Knowing Jesus
Does Jesus love preachers?

14. For His Name’s Sake
Surely we preachers don’t have to suffer, do we?

15. Rewarded
Where does our reward come from?

16. This Solid Ground
But are we saved?

17. Lavish Love
How can we know we really are saved?

18. Holiness
How will we preachers grow?

19. Journey’s End
Will we ever stop preaching?

Part 3: Loving the Word

20. The Grace of Law
Must we preachers obey the Law, too?

21. Obedience
What ten things must every preacher know and do?

22. Love’s Choice
What does the first commandment teach us?

23. Image Rights?
What does the second commandment teach us?  

24. Our Honour, or His?
What does the third commandment teach us?

25. Stop!
What does the fourth commandment teach us?  

26. Respect
What does the fifth commandment teach us?  

27. Servant–Hearted Servants
What does the sixth commandment teach us?

28. Faithful Attraction
What does the seventh commandment teach us?

29. Give
What does the eighth commandment teach us?

30. True to His Word
What does the ninth commandment teach us?  

31. Resist
What does the tenth commandment teach?  

32. The Heart of the Law
What is the summary of the Ten Commandments for preachers?  

Part 4: Preaching with Conviction

33. Trusting Ministry
why should we believe in our preaching?

34. At the Cross
What happens when we preachers actually believe in Jesus?

35. The Courage of Our Convictions
How can we treasure preaching, even when we feel like no one else does?

36. Ministering Sacraments
Will we let the sacraments preach?

37. Take Them to the Water
Why do we celebrate baptism?

38. To Supper
Why do we share the pulpit with the Lord’s Supper?

39. Seek First
What is prayer?

40. Praying, for His Glory
Do we want God and his kingdom above all else when Sunday comes?

41. Trust Issues
Do we go home on a Sunday praying for God's will to be done?

42. Confession Time
What’s the worst sin we might commit in a sermon?

43. All for the King
Will we pray ourselves into a glad submission to God?

Scripture Index

“Our age is fixated on techniques. Yet the beautifully crafted sermon that exalts the preacher over Christ is actually the ugliest sermon of all. Adapting the wisdom of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, The Preacher’s Catechism draws us back to what really matters. But make no mistake: the result is profoundly practical. You can read it as a primer or dip in for fresh insight or inspiration. All the way, you’ll find plenty to inform, challenge, and encourage your preaching.”
Tim Chester, Senior Faculty Member, Crosslands Training

“The Preacher’s Catechism is a book from the heart that candidly reflects Allen’s own experience of the ups and downs of the preaching ministry. He writes in an engaging and fresh style that provokes thought. Here we find that preachers are ‘heavy lifters’ who need the ‘Monday gospel.’ This book will repay slow and reflective reading by preachers. It will foster the joyful obedience of a preacher, but also expose the activity of his flesh in all its ugliness. Take a little dose at a time and ponder it. Find in it pointers to the remedy for both pride and discouragement. I pray that the Lord will use it to bring down the proud in us all, and then to lift up the humble.”
Garry J. Williams, Director, The Pastor’s Academy, London Seminary; author, His Love Endures Forever and Silent Witnesses

“This book is entirely different from any other. It is directed at the preacher himself rather than the art and craft of preaching, and is all the more useful for it. For too long we have focused on the method at the expense of the man. Allen’s creative and content-rich volume goes a long way toward redressing the balance while marrying a familiar format with fresh insight. Every preacher of the Word of God will benefit from spending time in this volume and letting its lessons seep into his bloodstream.”
Adrian Reynolds, Training Director, The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches

“These warmhearted and practical devotions could also be titled The Preacher’s Comfort. Allen gets inside the pastor’s head and points him to Jesus Christ in a way that will soothe and strengthen many a weary preacher’s soul.”
Joel R. Beeke, Chancellor and Professor of Homiletics and Systematic Theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; Pastor, Heritage Reformed Congregation, Grand Rapids, Michigan

“We live in a Corinthian society, where preaching is regarded as foolishness by both the religious and the nonreligious. We also live in a quick-fix society, where even preaching is considered something that can easily be done. Lewis Allen’s ingenious book is an antidote to both of those perspectives—insightful, realistic, biblical, clear, and contemporary. I will buy it and use it with preachers I train!”
David Robertson, Minister, St. Peter’s Free Church, Dundee, Scotland; Editor, The Record; Associate Director, Solas Centre for Public Christianity

“Preaching is soul business, and the souls of godly preachers are under continual assault from the world, the flesh, and the Devil. In my last ten years of ministry, I have not read any resource that has so convicted and challenged my soul as has Lewis Allen’s The Preacher’s Catechism. His creative and detailed application of the theological riches of the Westminster Shorter Catechism to every area of a preacher’s soul and practice will continue to feed and protect my ministry for years to come. I will return to it again and again.”
Andy Davis, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Durham, North Carolina; Founder, Two Journeys; author, An Infinite Journey

“The weakness of much contemporary preaching stems not primarily from a lack of exegetical technique or presentational skill but from the inadequate spiritual preparation and flawed motives of the preacher. Lewis Allen’s new book will challenge preachers to ensure that they proclaim the Word of God with a prayerful desire to see God faithfully disclosed and glorified for who he is, out of a love for his people. Forty-three short chapters apply the core teaching of the Westminster Shorter Catechism specifically to preachers with clarity and insight. Any preacher who reads this book will be humbled, stimulated, challenged, and equipped for the glorious task of preaching, and encouraged to have a deep trust in the power of the Word and the sufficiency of God in this labor. The format is designed for preachers to read alone, perhaps as a daily meditation, but would also be ideal for use by preaching groups, ministers fraternal, or staff teams that want to improve the quality of their preaching.”
John Stevens, National Director, The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches

“Preachers often work hard to catechize others, but rarely think about being catechized themselves. This is an excellent resource to help us do just that, and I commend it warmly. It’s just the kind of book I will use with my preaching team.”
Robin Weekes, Minister, Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon