5 Questions on Preaching with Michael Allen
Michael Allen is Senior Pastor of Uptown Baptist Church in Chicago, IL where he has served since 2005. Pastor Michael holds a BA in Biblical Studies from Trinity College in Miami, FL and a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. He serves on the Boards of Pacific Garden Mission and Moody Theological Seminary. He was born in Kingston Jamaica, saved in a Nazarene Church in Ft. Lauderdale, and called to preach at First Baptist Church, Ft. Lauderdale under Dr. O.S. Hawkins.
Pastor Michael has four children with his wife, Marilza, who is from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. He loves playing golf, tennis, SCUBA diving, and traveling. Follow him on Twitter at @ubcreal.
Q1: How long does it typically take you to prepare a sermon?
A. 15-18 Hours.
Q2: What do you ultimately want a sermon to accomplish?
A. Inform – Encourage – Convict – Move to action
Q3: What are one or two big mistakes people often make in preaching?
A. Fail to preach the text. Fear of man instead of fear of God.
Q4: How do you handle the gospel invitation and preach toward it?
A. Whenever the text warrants a call to the gospel I will give an invitation for unbelievers to place faith in Christ and then tell someone.
Q5: What advice would you give to preachers doing pulpit supply?
A. Learn as much about the flock as possible before preaching to them. And pray over and adjust message accordingly especially when preaching an old message.
