Growth in Community

A Short Word, October 2025

“Too often I have gone into the pulpit with an exegetical talk rather than a targeted argument aimed at the congregation before me,” Pastor Paul Rees says. To help himself grow, he came to Chicago from Edinburgh to train for three weeks in the Chicago Course Summer Intensive alongside nine other pastors.

What made training with the Chicago Course on Preaching so beneficial? It was the radical candor of his fellow preachers in the feedback they provided each other. “Everyday was full of stimulation and encouragement to strengthen each of us to make progress in our preaching,” says Paul. He was “provoked towards getting clearer on main ideas, transitioning between points (the moves!), and seeking to persuade the congregation of a main point.”

Paul took what he learned and is applying it in his hometown. Since getting back to Scotland, he has also set up a preaching group with other senior ministers. Now they are encouraging growth in one another through radical candor. Please pray for Paul and the many other pastors around the world seeking to grow as preachers in community.

In Christ,
Jeremy Meeks
Director of the Chicago Course on Preaching
Charles Simeon Trust