Expositors Collective: Expository Preaching, Bible Teaching and Sermon Preparation

John Whitaker believes that every sermon should have a purpose and a point - because we aren't just teaching the Bible, we are teaching the Bible to people.  
In this session (recorded in 2025 at our St Pete, Florida preacher training event) John speaks about the need to hone our homiletical skills so that we can connect with our congregations as complicated individuals, rather than a block of abstract "listeners."  Homiletics is the study of how to effectively communicate the message of the Christian faith through preaching and teaching. It involves understanding the biblical texts, the needs and concerns of the audience, and the use of language and other communication techniques to convey the message in a way that is meaningful and impactful.
 
John is passionate about connecting people with the life-changing message of the Bible. 
 He loves to bring the Bible to life and connect it to your life, so that it helps you live the life God created you for.

John enjoys his life too...
 
When he’s not preaching or teaching, you might find him at a local coffee shop meeting with and encouraging other local ministers. Or you could find him hanging out at home with his wife and partner in ministry, Louise, his closest friend for 30 years.  Or perhaps you’ll find him throwing the ball for his dogs. 
 
He loves Mexican food, a quiet day in the woods, his family, but most of all John loves to help people see how God’s word speaks to their life and his greatest thrill in life is to see people come alive to the joy of walking with God honestly, humbly, and transformationally.

Want all the technical details about John?
John is a preacher, teacher and pastor. He holds theology and ministry degrees from Boise Bible College, Cincinnati Bible Seminary, and a doctorate in preaching from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary - the only reason for all of that is to help bring God's word into the lives of people more effectively.  John has been serving in ministry for 30 years. He has served as a Professor of Preaching and New Testament at Boise Bible College for 19 years. During that time, he also helped plant a church in Kuna, Idaho, where he led the adult education ministry and preached for 11 years. He has taught classes for Eternity Bible College and taught and preached in various places around the country and the world. Most recently, he served for nearly 4 years as one of the teaching and campus pastors at The Pursuit, in Boise. 

Recommended Resources: 
 https://www.johnwhittaker.net/
The Listener's Commentary: https://www.listenerscommentary.com/ 
free Mini-Course Deepen your Bible reading and prayer time : https://www.johnwhittaker.net/courses

Connect
For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Preachers do not merely need to understand the gospel accurately. They need the gospel to function at the centre of their hearts, their sermons, their pastoral ministry, and their lives.
Mike Bullmore joins Mike Neglia to discuss his new book, The Heart of Preaching: The Functional Centrality of the Gospel in the Life and Work of the Preacher, published by 9Marks with a foreword by D. A. Carson. Drawing on 25 years as the founding and senior pastor of CrossWay Community Church in Bristol, Wisconsin, Bullmore reflects on how the gospel shapes sermon preparation, delivery, application, pastoral ministry, and the inner life of the preacher.
The conversation explores what it means for preaching to be governed by the content and intent of Scripture, why preachers must not separate divine and human authorial intent, and how to give people the full gospel rather than a reduced version of it. Bullmore also speaks about the mentors who shaped him up close, including John Piper, D. A. Carson, C. J. Mahaney, and Greg Waybright.
In the second half, Mike Neglia asks Bullmore for advice on preaching through the challenging book of Revelation. Bullmore offers wise counsel on moving forward with confidence, even when every interpretive question has not been settled.
Mike Bullmore holds a PhD from Northwestern University and now serves in various venues training the next generation of faithful pastors. He lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with his wife, Beverly.

The Heart of Preaching: The Functional Centrality of the Gospel in the Life and Work of the Preacher : https://www.crossway.org/books/the-heart-of-preaching-tpb/

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Matt Shantz
Lead Pastor of Central Community Church in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, and host of the Deep Thoughts podcast.

When a preacher quotes someone from the pulpit, what are they actually endorsing? How do churches move beyond wishing for more Bible teachers to intentionally training them? And what kind of feedback has the power to reshape a preacher's ministry for decades? In this thoughtful and practical conversation, Mike Neglia sits down with Matt Shantz, Lead Pastor of Central Community Church in Chilliwack, British Columbia, and host of the Deep Thoughts podcast, to explore the questions that shape a lifetime of faithful preaching. Together they discuss the ethics of quoting voices outside our theological tradition, the sermon critique that pushed Matt toward greater gospel clarity, the surprising benefits of handwritten notes, and why preaching is often far more exhausting than most people realise. Matt also offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Central Community Church identifies, trains, coaches, and releases new Bible teachers through initiatives like their Preaching Lab, creating a culture where developing communicators is part of the church's DNA. Whether you're preparing this Sunday's sermon, mentoring emerging preachers, or simply trying to grow in the craft and calling of Bible teaching, this conversation is filled with wisdom, humility, and practical encouragement for the long work of ministry.

Deep Thoughts Podcast: https://thedeepthoughtspodcast.wordpress.com/

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

A great sermon doesn’t begin with a microphone—it begins with a voice that has been forged in obscurity.  

In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Pastor Ryan Marr of Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg invites listeners behind the scenes of that often hidden process, tracing the slow, sometimes painful work of *finding your own teaching voice*. Far from offering quick tips or performance tricks, Marr insists that true preaching is where life and doctrine collide, producing a message that not only informs but transforms both preacher and hearer.

Drawing from the pastoral epistles and years in the pulpit, Marr describes the journey of discovering how God has uniquely wired you to communicate, then submitting that voice to scrutiny, feedback, and refinement. He urges teachers to ask unsettling questions—“Am I right on this topic? How can I grow?”—while relentlessly sharpening their words so that the **headline is always the story of Jesus**, not the personality of the preacher.

But the heart of his message is not technique; it’s dependence. Marr argues that the most compelling preaching comes when a flawed, still-learning teacher chooses to **listen to God’s voice**, relying on the Holy Spirit more than eloquence. Along the way, he speaks candidly about fear, conflict, and the vulnerability of saying hard things from the pulpit, and he makes a surprising claim: what people remember most is not a perfect outline, but a preacher who **genuinely enjoys God**.

For anyone on the long road of learning to teach the Bible—whether you’re nervously preparing your first sermon or refining your fiftieth—this episode offers a bracing, hopeful reminder: your voice is worth developing, not because it’s impressive, but because, in God’s hands, it can help others see Jesus more clearly.

For information about our upcoming training events visit ⁠ExpositorsCollective.com⁠ 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

A great sermon doesn’t begin with a microphone—it begins with a voice that has been forged in obscurity.  

In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Pastor Ryan Marr of Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg invites listeners behind the scenes of that often hidden process, tracing the slow, sometimes painful work of *finding your own teaching voice*. Far from offering quick tips or performance tricks, Marr insists that true preaching is where life and doctrine collide, producing a message that not only informs but transforms both preacher and hearer.

Drawing from the pastoral epistles and years in the pulpit, Marr describes the journey of discovering how God has uniquely wired you to communicate, then submitting that voice to scrutiny, feedback, and refinement. He urges teachers to ask unsettling questions—“Am I right on this topic? How can I grow?”—while relentlessly sharpening their words so that the **headline is always the story of Jesus**, not the personality of the preacher.

But the heart of his message is not technique; it’s dependence. Marr argues that the most compelling preaching comes when a flawed, still-learning teacher chooses to **listen to God’s voice**, relying on the Holy Spirit more than eloquence. Along the way, he speaks candidly about fear, conflict, and the vulnerability of saying hard things from the pulpit, and he makes a surprising claim: what people remember most is not a perfect outline, but a preacher who **genuinely enjoys God**.

For anyone on the long road of learning to teach the Bible—whether you’re nervously preparing your first sermon or refining your fiftieth—this episode offers a bracing, hopeful reminder: your voice is worth developing, not because it’s impressive, but because, in God’s hands, it can help others see Jesus more clearly.

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective