Paul instructed young Timothy to “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). Again, in verse 5, he writes, “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” How exactly does one measure the work of a preacher? The preacher does not keep a record log of his work from day to day or even year to year. However, the work of an evangelist/preacher is one of the most valuable works in the kingdom of God.
How many congregations become stagnant or die because they do not have a preacher to fulfill the ministry of a preacher/evangelist? Let me impress upon you the work of a single preacher. In just the regular work of preaching duties, a minister will preach, on average, 100 sermons in a single year. In addition, he will often teach the Bible on Sunday morning and possibly Wednesday evening. That brings our total up to nearly 200 lessons taught in one year. His example and lessons are influencing a congregation that may consist of 50-100 people on average, and their influence expands beyond that many times over. If he visits just one brother or sister a week and has one Bible study a week, his influence has expanded still further, literally to hundreds of people in just one year as a gospel preacher.
Take that work and multiply it by 20 years or 30, even 40 years and beyond in some cases. Now, take a school like the Southeast Institute of Biblical Studies, formerly the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions. Since 1971, under the oversight of the Karns church of Christ, this work has been committed to the development of preachers to go into all the world. How many congregations send out just one preacher in 10 years? When you consider that Southeast has put out more than 430 preachers since 1971, each impacting their congregations, communities, and even the world as they spread the gospel, it is no less than visionary. Let me give a special thanks to the eldership at the Karns church of Christ for continuing this vision and to the members for their constant support and encouragement.