4000 Riverdale Rd. Memphis, TN 38115 P. O. Box 757800 Memphis, TN 38175

(800) 843-2241 (901) 757-7977

Email: socinfo@uu.edu

Website: www.uu.edu/centers/olford

CCERTIFICATEERTIFICATE ININ EEXPOSITORYXPOSITORY PPREACHINGREACHING

HHANDBOOKANDBOOK

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TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS

Page 3……………………………Program vision and goal

Page 4……………………………Belief statement by Stephen F. Olford

Page 5……………………………Getting started/Program overview

Page 6…………………………...Application/Institutes

Page 7……………………………Workshop/Assignments and exams

Page 8……………………………Book review/Course reviews/Completion

Page 9……………………………Fellowship of Preaching/Project description

Page 10…………………………..Project description (cont) /Annual

ceremony

Page 11…………………………..Institute descriptions

Page 12…………………………..Institute descriptions (cont)

Page 13…………………………..Faculty and Staff

Page 14…………………………..Program checklist/Contact information

The Certificate in Expository Preaching Program is independent of

any other program offered at the Stephen Olford Center, but may be

taken in conjunction with other programs.

No other program requirements may substitute for those required in

the Certificate program.

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THE EXPOSITORY PREACHINGTHE EXPOSITORY PREACHING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

The Stephen Olford Center at Union University

The Stephen Olford Center at Union University is dedicated to the pursuit of

rightly dividing the Word of God and to promoting expository preaching. We passionately believe in the living power of God’s Word to transform lives. Our mission and our desire is to provide biblical instruction and practical training to equip men and women to “rightly divide” the Word of truth in the power of the Holy Spirit.

There is a famine in our land. Across America there is a parched landscape

of Christian hearts that lack the Word of God. Current research suggests that less than 10% of Christians possess a solid biblical worldview. Teachers, preachers and leaders need to know how to proclaim God’s Word to their congregations, classes, and small groups in order to restore the Word of God to its proper place in the Christian heart. Through biblical preaching institutes, workshops, distance learning options, the new Ministry Research Library, professional development workshops, and other educational opportunities, the Stephen Olford Center at Union University is committed to the person who seeks to be equipped for the mission of rightly dividing the Word of truth. The Certificate Program Vision:

This program provides intensive teaching and training in the art of

expository preaching. The goal is to encourage and equip expositors of the

Word of God to “rightly divide the Word of truth” in the power of the Holy

Spirit. Also, the program seeks to form a fellowship of preachers who are

willing to commit themselves to a ministry of faithful Biblical exposition.

Our goal:

We seek to equip participants in the Certificate program to accurately teach and

preach the Word of truth in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is our prayer that

our practical and biblical instruction will be used by God to touch your life and

impact your ministry. We seek to encourage and equip faithful servants of Christ

who have a desire to see lives changed by the power of God’s Word.

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Dr. Stephen F. Olford

This Certificate in Expository Preaching Program is independent of

any other program offered at the Stephen Olford Center, but may be

taken in

conjunction with other programs.

No other program requirements may substitute for those required in the

Certificate program.

I believe that the expository

preaching and teaching of God’s

infallible Word, in the power of the

Holy Spirit, concerning Jesus Christ

as Savior and Lord, is the ultimate

hope for

humanity’s justice in the world.

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CERTIFICATE in CERTIFICATE in

EXPOSITORY PREACHINGEXPOSITORY PREACHING

GETTING STARTED: 1. Complete and submit the program application to our office.

Applications are available for downloading from our website or by calling our office to have one sent to you (You can attend institutes without submitting the application, but early submission is encouraged.) A $25 application fee is to be submitted at the time the application is submitted.

2. Identify the institute you would like to attend. The institute schedule is available online.

3. Register for the institute. If you are taking the course for academic credit, obtain the appropriate information and forms from our office.*Note: We highly recommend taking “The

Essentials of Expository Preaching” first before other institutes in order to understand the foundational teachings presented in our courses.

4. Read Anointed Expository Preaching by Drs. Stephen and David Olford. (see explanation on page 7 and 8.)

I. Certificate Program The Certificate Program at the Stephen Olford Center at Union University is designed to develop faithful Bible expositors, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, motivated to bring glory to God, and committed to rightly dividing the Word of Truth, based on the conviction that the accurate, authoritative, and anointed proclamation of God’s Word is the God-ordained means of effecting God`s mission in the world. The program provides an atmosphere that is conducive to personal, spiritual growth and specific gift development. By providing an environment of accountability and feedback, the certificate program is a unique opportunity for those in ministry.

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A. Application Process Each candidate is asked to complete an application providing information about his/her personal, spiritual experience, basic doctrinal commitments, and approach to expository preaching. This may be completed after attending Institute events, but must be completed before the candidate is considered an official part of the program. The individual is not officially accepted into the Certificate Program until the Application and related documents are completed. A $25 fee is required to accompany the application.

B. Institutes Note: A $25 fee per institute will be assessed for this program

Required: Essentials of Expository Preaching Strengthening Expository Preaching Preaching for Spiritual Growth Evangelistic Expository Preaching Practical Preaching Workshop- Must be onsite Electives: Leadership by the Book Dynamics of the Church Other approved training events Either Essentials or Strengthening is required to be onsite. The other onsite requirement is the Practical Preaching Workshop. In summary, there are four required core courses, a choice of one elective, and The Practical Preaching Workshop for a total of six institutes. Use of the library is available during all institutes. Candidates are encouraged to attend all courses on our campus. The value of being with other like-minded learners is hard to measure. However, we realize that this is not possible for all participants, so the participant is allowed to take some of the courses via distance learning.

One of these two institutes must be onsite

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C. Practical Preaching Workshop The candidate will preach an expository message and be critiqued during the Practical Preaching Workshop. A complete manuscript of a message must be submitted with the registration for the Practical Preaching Workshop. A complete manuscript of (another) message (to be preached at the Workshop) must be submitted on arrival at the Workshop. The candidate will write a personal response to the critique process before the end of the Workshop.

D. Assignments and Exams The candidate is required to read the book, Anointed Expository Preaching, by Drs. Stephen and David Olford and complete a book review of the book. (See page 8 for details of book review requirements.) This is to be done before the candidate participates in the Practical Preaching Workshop. Course work for each institute will consist of a course review. Please see item F. for a description. The candidate will complete an exam covering the primary principles of the Institute instructions. This will be done as part of the Practical Preaching Workshop event. The Practical Preaching Workshop will be the completion of the program. Upon successfully passing the Preaching Workshop and all the other requirements of the program and within a reasonable time following the successful completion of the Practical Preaching Workshop, the participant will be notified if he/she has been approved for the certificate. Upon approval, the candidate will receive a certificate of completion for the Certificate in Expository Preaching Program from the Stephen Olford Center at Union University.

All requirements of the program should be

completed in three years or less.

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E. Book Review

The Certificate Candidate must submit a comprehensive (5-6 page)

“review-critique” of the textbook, Anointed Expository Preaching.

This review-critique should include: 1) a presentation of the

primary themes of the book, 2) a concise overview of the structure

and content of the book, 3) at least six direct quotations (two from

each of the three major sections of the book) with an explanation

and response to each quotation, 4) a personal assessment of the

distinctive emphases of the book, and 5) personal comments

concerning some aspect of the book with which you strongly agree

or disagree. This assignment should be typed and all quotations

should be referenced clearly and accurately. The assignment

should indicate both an understanding of the book and a personal

engagement with the content of the book.

F. Course reviews

A review of each institute must be completed before the

participant leaves the campus, or if the participant is taking the

institute via distance learning, the review should be turned in at

the end of the course with all appropriate notes and materials.

These reviews are open-book exams which serve to reinforce the

material presented at each institute. The reviews will be

evaluated by the faculty and given a pass/fail grade.

G. Completing the program

Upon successfully passing the Preaching Workshop and all the

other requirements of the program and within a reasonable time

period following the successful completion of the Practical

Preaching Workshop, the participant will be notified if he/she has

been approved for the certificate. Upon approval, the candidate

will receive a certificate of completion for the Certificate in

Expository Preaching Program from the Stephen Olford Center at

Union University.

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II. Fellowship of Preaching

Following completion of the Certificate Program requirements, the candidate may choose to complete a further step to become a Stephen Olford Fellow in Expository Preaching. In order to be considered a “Fellow”, the candidate is required to complete a research project on some aspect of expository preaching, using the resources of the Stephen Olford Center library. The completed project is to be accompanied by an appropriate expository sermon related to the specific subject of the research project.

Once this project is completed and approved, the individual will then

be inducted into the Stephen Olford Fellowship of Expository

Preaching.

Research Project

To become a “Stephen Olford Fellow in Expository Preaching”, the candidate must complete a research paper in the field of expository preaching utilizing the Ministry Research Library featuring the T. S. Rendall collection. Also, an expository sermon manuscript, dealing with a Biblical text and truth related to the subject of the research paper, will be submitted with the completed research paper. The research paper will deal with an approved subject of interest to the candidate. A one-page typed proposal will need to be submitted . This proposal must present the subject of interest, the type of research anticipated (books, other resources), dates that the candidate would need to be at the Stephen Olford Center, and the goals that the candidate has in doing the research. (A three-day minimum at the Stephen Olford Center is required as a part of the completion of this paper.) Also, a total time-frame for the research process and the completion of the paper needs to be stated. The subject addressed must be related to expository preaching, but it may be Biblical, theological, historical, biographical, or practical in nature.

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The paper will take the following form (in general):

1. Define and describe the subject, provide reasons for the research, clarify goals to be achieved , and outline the approach to the re- search. 2. Review relevant literature, other resources, and background information. 2. Present original Biblical study and related original research of the

subject. 3. State conclusions from the research, and implications for the practice

of expository preaching today. 4. Relate implications and applications of your learning to your own life

and ministry. 5. Sermon manuscript dealing with a text and truth related to the

subject researched The length of the paper is not as important as the quality of the research and the clarity of the presentation in the paper. Depending on the type of topic, the paper could be 20 to 30 pages, not counting endnotes, bibliography, and the sermon manuscript. So, the total project should be no more than 50 pages. (Longer papers may be approved when the proposal is approved).

Details concerning the actual submission of the paper will be handled individually, with the paper being submitted to an assigned reader at the Stephen Olford Center. The paper will either be accepted with little or no changes, or if it is determined that the paper needs further work, it will be returned to the candidate to be corrected and resubmitted for approval.

On the basis of the satisfactory completion of the research paper (preceded by the completion of the Certificate Program), the candidate will become a “Stephen Olford Fellow in Expository Preaching.”

III. Annual ceremony

The Stephen Olford Center at Union University will seek to have a yearly ceremony at which all who have completed the requirements of the Certificate program will have an opportunity to be acknowledged publicly and receive their certificate. For those who have completed the requirements of the Fellowship of Preaching portion of the program, there will be an induction into the Stephen Olford Fellowship of Expository Preaching as well.

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Institute Descriptions Preaching Institutes Essentials of Expository Preaching Is a call to the faithful exposition of God’s Word in a day when preaching and teaching often lack biblical content. Those seeking to develop their expository preaching and teaching ministries will receive practical and personal training that will help in the preparation and delivery of messages and lessons that “rightly divide the word of truth” in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Strengthening Expository Preaching Takes you deep into different genres of the Word of God and will address how to improve specific aspects of sermon development and delivery. The purpose is to help participants develop deeper and richer message content while maintaining homiletical clarity and simplicity. Expository Preaching and Spiritual Growth Focuses on the transformational purpose of preaching. Emphasis will be given to applying the Word of God in such a way as to lead the people into spiritual growth, maturity and activity. There is much immaturity in the church today. How do you encourage people to move from immaturity to maturity? Preaching should be an important part of that process of growth and discipleship. The Essentials of Evangelistic Preaching The purpose of this institute is to ignite evangelistic zeal and to equip participants to faithfully proclaim the Gospel. Special attention is given to the content of the Gospel message, the preparation of evangelistic messages, and to the essentials of evangelistic proclamation and invitation. Guidelines for follow-up work, discipleship training and biblical church growth round out the course. Practical Preaching and Teaching Workshop

This special and intensive workshop offers a small-group atmosphere designed to improve the teaching and preaching skills of the participant. In addition to instructional sessions dealing with important aspects of incarnational communication and delivery, the participants will gain practical experience in preaching a message and receiving constructive feedback and critique. Prior to the workshop, each participant will be required to submit one sermon manuscript. They will bring another message to preach during the workshop.

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Institutes on Leadership Leadership by the Book This institute is designed to present and explore Biblical principles related to Christian incarnational leadership. The personal life, development, and qualifications of the leader will be discussed. Critical and relevant aspects of leadership practice will be studied. Such issues as leadership training and developing leadership in the local church will be addressed. This Institute is applicable to those in the local church context, but it is also relevant to those who want to engage with Biblical truth and principles related to leadership practice and skills. Dynamics of the Church: Renewing Life and Ministry This institute will help you to take a fresh look at the local church. We will examine together what the life and ministry of the church is all about and what God’s design and desire is for His church. We will consider the true, spiritual dynamics that are necessary for authentic life and ministry to be experienced in and the through the local church

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Dr. David L. Olford

Dr. Stephen F. Olford (1918-2004)

Dr. Ken Easley

Dr. Ted S. Rendall

Our staff and faculty members are dedicated to serving and providing you

with a top-quality learning environment. All are highly qualified

individuals possessing years of experience in ministry and education. Each

person who teaches in our institutes strives to exemplify the life of Christ

in their own life and ministry. We are privileged to have them teach at our

institutes. You will enjoy the guest speakers who will join us for the

various institutes. They will be announced prior to the institutes.

Dr. Frank Anderson

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CERTIFICATE PROGRAM CHECKLISTCERTIFICATE PROGRAM CHECKLIST

Institute Date Attended Course Review Reading Report

Essentials

Strengthening

Sp. Growth

Workshop

Leadership

Evangelism

Elective

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