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The Voice of God in Test-driven Preaching and Pastoral Ministry: A Biblical and Biographical Adventure ( Paperback – Summer, 2026by Tony A. Rogers (Author)
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Preach the word (2 Tim 4:2). Three simple yet solemn words from the pen of the Apostle. A divine imperative reverberating from the throne of God, the very breath of Him who sits in majestic splendor. While those three words are simple enough, many fill their preaching ministries with what Qoheleth dubbed as everything under the sun. According to the Preacher, the outcome of a life like this is abject futility (vanity). It follows that a preaching ministry more interested in solar solutions instead of divine imperatives is subject to the same empty outcome. Some do everything but follow that simple command of 2 Timothy 4:2. They preach from the Word and about the Word, but what does it mean to preach the Word? For some, the art and science of preaching is a dry exercise better assigned to ivory towers. Often homiletical orthodoxy does not translate to homiletical orthopraxy. Like the church at Sardis (Rev 3:1-6), some preaching has a reputation for being alive, but sadly, it is dead. Consequently, dead preaching produces dead churches, dead denominations, and dead mission efforts.
About the Author
Dr. Tony A. Rogers is a seasoned pastor and operates Jeremiah 20:9 Ministries – A Ministry to New Testament Churches committed to the glory of God through Expository Preaching. With years of preaching and pastoral ministry experience, he seeks to minister to the church, his own church and to the men that God has called and will call into His glorious ministry. He is the Senior Pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Bowie TX and has just begun his nineteenth year. He has pastored three churches for the last thirty-six years and has been in ministry for fifty years.
He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society as well as the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He holds the DMin in Expository Preaching from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Dissertation: Enhancing the Skill of Sermon Introductions for Expository Preaching). He has served in many areas of Southern Baptist denominational life including chairman of the board of Criswell College in Dallas TX. He is the co-author of The Ministry We Need: Paul’s Ancient Farewell – the Pastor’s Present Calling (Resource Publications [Wipf & Stock], 2022) with his sons Jeremy, and Jordan Rogers. He is the author of over sixty book reviews for various theological journals including: Criswell Theological Review, Denver Seminary Journal, Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal, Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies, Journal of Dispensational Theology, Jurnal teologic (Baptist Theological Institute of Bucharest/University of Bucharest), Luther Rice Journal of Christian Studies, Midwestern Journal of Theology, Southwestern Journal of Theology, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology, Scottish Journal of Theology (Cambridge University Press, UK), The Journal of the Evangelical Homiletics Society, The Journal of Ministry and Theology (Baptist Bible Seminary at Clark Summit University), The online journal Jonathan Edwards Studies (Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University), The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, The Westminster Theological Journal, Themelios, Vox Reformata: Australasian Journal for Christian Scholarship, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary D6 Family Ministry Journal, Studies in Puritanism and Piety Journal.
Tony’s helpmate and greatest earthly blessing is the former Terrie Lynn O’Brien. They have been married for forty-five years. She is a homemaker extraordinaire, and proud pastor’s wife. They are the parents of three children: Jeremy (married to LouAnn), Heather (married to Robert Blake), and Jordan (married to Julia). They have fourteen grandchildren.
He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society as well as the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He holds the DMin in Expository Preaching from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Dissertation: Enhancing the Skill of Sermon Introductions for Expository Preaching). He has served in many areas of Southern Baptist denominational life including chairman of the board of Criswell College in Dallas TX. He is the co-author of The Ministry We Need: Paul’s Ancient Farewell – the Pastor’s Present Calling (Resource Publications [Wipf & Stock], 2022) with his sons Jeremy, and Jordan Rogers. He is the author of over sixty book reviews for various theological journals including: Criswell Theological Review, Denver Seminary Journal, Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal, Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies, Journal of Dispensational Theology, Jurnal teologic (Baptist Theological Institute of Bucharest/University of Bucharest), Luther Rice Journal of Christian Studies, Midwestern Journal of Theology, Southwestern Journal of Theology, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology, Scottish Journal of Theology (Cambridge University Press, UK), The Journal of the Evangelical Homiletics Society, The Journal of Ministry and Theology (Baptist Bible Seminary at Clark Summit University), The online journal Jonathan Edwards Studies (Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University), The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, The Westminster Theological Journal, Themelios, Vox Reformata: Australasian Journal for Christian Scholarship, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary D6 Family Ministry Journal, Studies in Puritanism and Piety Journal.
Tony’s helpmate and greatest earthly blessing is the former Terrie Lynn O’Brien. They have been married for forty-five years. She is a homemaker extraordinaire, and proud pastor’s wife. They are the parents of three children: Jeremy (married to LouAnn), Heather (married to Robert Blake), and Jordan (married to Julia). They have fourteen grandchildren.
He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society as well as the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He holds the DMin in Expository Preaching from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Dissertation: Enhancing the Skill of Sermon Introductions for Expository Preaching). He has served in many areas of Southern Baptist denominational life including chairman of the board of Criswell College in Dallas TX. He is the co-author of The Ministry We Need: Paul’s Ancient Farewell – the Pastor’s Present Calling (Resource Publications [Wipf & Stock], 2022) with his sons Jeremy, and Jordan Rogers. He is the author of over sixty book reviews for various theological journals including: Criswell Theological Review, Denver Seminary Journal, Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal, Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies, Journal of Dispensational Theology, Jurnal teologic (Baptist Theological Institute of Bucharest/University of Bucharest), Luther Rice Journal of Christian Studies, Midwestern Journal of Theology, Southwestern Journal of Theology, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology, Scottish Journal of Theology (Cambridge University Press, UK), The Journal of the Evangelical Homiletics Society, The Journal of Ministry and Theology (Baptist Bible Seminary at Clark Summit University), The online journal Jonathan Edwards Studies (Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University), The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, The Westminster Theological Journal, Themelios, Vox Reformata: Australasian Journal for Christian Scholarship, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary D6 Family Ministry Journal, Studies in Puritanism and Piety Journal.
Tony’s helpmate and greatest earthly blessing is the former Terrie Lynn O’Brien. They have been married for forty-five years. She is a homemaker extraordinaire, and proud pastor’s wife. They are the parents of three children: Jeremy (married to LouAnn), Heather (married to Robert Blake), and Jordan (married to Julia). They have fourteen grandchildren.
He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society as well as the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He holds the DMin in Expository Preaching from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Dissertation: Enhancing the Skill of Sermon Introductions for Expository Preaching). He has served in many areas of Southern Baptist denominational life including chairman of the board of Criswell College in Dallas TX. He is the co-author of The Ministry We Need: Paul’s Ancient Farewell – the Pastor’s Present Calling (Resource Publications [Wipf & Stock], 2022) with his sons Jeremy, and Jordan Rogers. He is the author of over sixty book reviews for various theological journals including: Criswell Theological Review, Denver Seminary Journal, Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal, Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies, Journal of Dispensational Theology, Jurnal teologic (Baptist Theological Institute of Bucharest/University of Bucharest), Luther Rice Journal of Christian Studies, Midwestern Journal of Theology, Southwestern Journal of Theology, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology, Scottish Journal of Theology (Cambridge University Press, UK), The Journal of the Evangelical Homiletics Society, The Journal of Ministry and Theology (Baptist Bible Seminary at Clark Summit University), The online journal Jonathan Edwards Studies (Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University), The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, The Westminster Theological Journal, Themelios, Vox Reformata: Australasian Journal for Christian Scholarship, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary D6 Family Ministry Journal, Studies in Puritanism and Piety Journal.
Tony’s helpmate and greatest earthly blessing is the former Terrie Lynn O’Brien. They have been married for forty-five years. She is a homemaker extraordinaire, and proud pastor’s wife. They are the parents of three children: Jeremy (married to LouAnn), Heather (married to Robert Blake), and Jordan (married to Julia). They have fourteen grandchildren.
From the Foreword
There is no shortage of books on preaching. But there is a shortage of good, interesting, and groundbreaking books on preaching. Tony Rogers’ new volume, The Voice of God in Text-Driven Preaching and Pastoral Ministry, is such a book. Written by a pastor with many years of preaching experience, this book combines biblical theology of preaching with biographical vignettes of biblical preachers taken from the pages of Scripture and also taken from preachers throughout history.
From Enoch in the Old Testament to Paul, Peter, and even the author of Hebrews of the New Testament, Rogers paints the picture of what preaching within Scripture looks like. He also treats us to the likes of Spurgeon and many others who teach us about the art and craft of preaching. The book concludes with several text-driven sermons, three from the Old Testament and three from the New Testament, culminating with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
—David L. Allen – Distinguished Professor of Practical Theology and Dean of the Adrian Rogers Center for Biblical Preaching, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary – Memphis, TN, and founder/editor-in-chief of Preaching Coach (preachingcoach.com), Dallas, TX
From Enoch in the Old Testament to Paul, Peter, and even the author of Hebrews of the New Testament, Rogers paints the picture of what preaching within Scripture looks like. He also treats us to the likes of Spurgeon and many others who teach us about the art and craft of preaching. The book concludes with several text-driven sermons, three from the Old Testament and three from the New Testament, culminating with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
—David L. Allen – Distinguished Professor of Practical Theology and Dean of the Adrian Rogers Center for Biblical Preaching, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary – Memphis, TN, and founder/editor-in-chief of Preaching Coach (preachingcoach.com), Dallas, TX
Endorsements
This book is a must read for every preacher. You will be encouraged, edified, and further equipped to fulfill your calling. This book is a must read for every discouraged preacher. You will be renewed, refreshed, and ready to run to the study and then to the pulpit once again. This book is a must read for every student of preaching. You will gain a greater understanding of the necessity, the nature, and the nuances of the preaching task. This book is a must read for every man who wonders if God has called him to preach. You will gain a clarity, a challenge, and a course of action that will aid in discerning whether God has indeed called you to preach! This book is a must read for every person in the pew. You will learn what to expect from your preacher, why you should respect your preacher, and why you should rush to your seat to hear your preacher take the Word of God, in the power of the Spirit of God, to speak to the people of God. In short, this book is a must read for you! We are all indebted to Dr. Tony Rogers for this great monograph!
—Mark Ballard – Chancellor/Founding President, Northeastern Baptist College – Bennington VT
—Mark Ballard – Chancellor/Founding President, Northeastern Baptist College – Bennington VT
Tony Rogers has given us book that is a passionate and weighty call to recover biblical literacy and restore the centrality of expository preaching in the church. Rogers argues that pastors must not dilute Scripture or replace proclamation with trends but instead let the biblical text shape both sermons and shepherding. Here is the uniqueness of this volume, it intertwines the prophetic gift with the pastoral responsibilities. Its strongest contribution is the way it grounds preaching in Scripture and then reinforces that case with biblical and biographical examples from across the Bible.
—Mac Brunson – Senior Pastor, Valleydale Church – Birmingham, AL
—Mac Brunson – Senior Pastor, Valleydale Church – Birmingham, AL
Tony Rogers has made the case for text-driven preaching, and he’s ‘brought the receipts’ directly from Scripture. Outstanding volumes have been written on the importance of preaching. But this book is a prophetic word for today! Far from being another technical volume on the mechanics of preaching, this book examines actual sermons recorded in Scripture and the lives of those who preached them. My passion for preaching has been rekindled!
—Anthony George – Senior Pastor, FBC Atlanta – Atlanta GA
—Anthony George – Senior Pastor, FBC Atlanta – Atlanta GA
Dr. Tony Rogers takes us into the study and shows us the doctrine of preaching. He also takes us to the OT and NT pulpits and shows us how the biblical preachers did it. A very unique and helpful volume.
—Jerry Vines – Pastor Emeritus, FBC Jacksonville – Jacksonville, FL; two-time President, Southern Baptist Convention.
—Jerry Vines – Pastor Emeritus, FBC Jacksonville – Jacksonville, FL; two-time President, Southern Baptist Convention.
This is not just another book on preaching. It is a call to faithfulness in pastoral ministry. Tony Rogers skillfully blends biblical truth, pastoral wisdom, and biblical examples to show what it truly means to shepherd God’s people through the faithful exposition of His Word. Few books so effectively capture both the heart and the substance of faithful preaching. I only wish I had a copy of this book when I was beginning my ministry. It grounds the sermon in the authority of Scripture while challenging the preacher to proclaim it with pastoral conviction. This book will not only strengthen your preaching but also deepen your conviction about why faithful biblical preaching matters. If you desire to preach and pastor well, this book is for you.
—Mark Howell – President, Northeastern Baptist College – Bennington VT. Executive Director, E2 Initiative.
—Mark Howell – President, Northeastern Baptist College – Bennington VT. Executive Director, E2 Initiative.
Tony Rogers has done a great service to the church in writing this book. I don’t remember the last time I read a book on preaching that so resonated with my heart and desire for what happens in the pulpit. And the way he connects everything to biographies of men throughout Scripture is not only helpful and encouraging but also makes the book fun to read. Amid everything else, Tony reminds us that the greatest teachers of preachers are the ones throughout Scripture. And that the Spirit and the Word are sufficient.
—J. Josh Smith – Senior Pastor, Prince Avenue Baptist Church – Bogart, GA
—J. Josh Smith – Senior Pastor, Prince Avenue Baptist Church – Bogart, GA
With biblical conviction and pastoral warmth, Tony Rogers provides a compelling call to recover the power and priority of Scripture in the pulpit and in pastoral leadership. This book will strengthen seasoned preachers, shape emerging leaders, and help all who read it to hear—and faithfully proclaim—the voice of God through His Word.
—Stephen Rummage – Executive Director-Treasurer, Florida Baptist Convention – Jacksonville, FL
—Stephen Rummage – Executive Director-Treasurer, Florida Baptist Convention – Jacksonville, FL
The Voice of God in Text-Driven Preaching and Pastoral Ministry is a prophetic and timely call to return to faithful, Scripture-driven preaching, grounded in the authority of God's Word. Dr. Rogers skillfully blends Biblical truth, pastoral wisdom, and real examples from Scripture, making this book both practical and inspiring for preachers and teachers alike. This book is not just another technical preaching manual, but it is a definitive book that rekindles passion for preaching by examining actual sermons and the lives of Biblical preachers, including Jesus Himself. This book is an indispensable resource that will deepen your understanding and practice of Biblical ministry. I wish I had the opportunity to have read this book early in my pastoral ministry. As a close relative and friend of Tony’s, I have had the privilege of knowing him his entire life, both as a family member and as a man of deep faith and conviction. Throughout our lives, I have witnessed his love for the Lord, his unwavering commitment to truth, and his steadfast devotion to his calling. I wholeheartedly recommend this author and book to you.
—William K. Thornton – Pastor and Chaplain – Lt. Col., USAF (Retired) – Ward, AR
—William K. Thornton – Pastor and Chaplain – Lt. Col., USAF (Retired) – Ward, AR
The Voice of God in Text-Driven Preaching and Pastoral Ministry issues a compelling call to recover the centrality of Scripture in both the pulpit and pastoral life. Tony Rogers skillfully weaves together a biblical theology of preaching with biographical insights from the pages of Scripture. By also integrating insights from trusted sources, he provides pastors and expositors with a strong resource that reminds us that faithful ministry must flows from faithfully preaching God’s Word with clarity and authority. Both seasoned pastors and aspiring preachers will find in these pages a timely challenge and a trustworthy guide for enduring, Word-centered ministry.
—Scott Pace – President-Elect, Provost, Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Ministry, Jim Shaddix Chair of Expository Preaching, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary – Wake Forest, NC
—Scott Pace – President-Elect, Provost, Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Ministry, Jim Shaddix Chair of Expository Preaching, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary – Wake Forest, NC
Hearing from God should be the goal of listening to preaching. Having God speak through preaching should be the goal of the faithful preacher. This is best accomplished by text-driven preaching because the sermon depends on what God is saying in the text. Allowing the biblical text to “drive the sermon” is the best way to arrive at the proper “destination” in every case. Dr. Tony Rogers has done a masterful job helping the reader along a journey that will lead to that ultimate end: hearing the voice of God in text-driven proclamation. To that end, this volume is sure to be a tremendous treasure!
—Kenneth Parker – Senior Pastor FBC Kearney MO; Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Counseling, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary – Kansas City MO
—Kenneth Parker – Senior Pastor FBC Kearney MO; Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Counseling, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary – Kansas City MO
With pastoral warmth and scholarly depth, Tony Rogers provides a rich volume that deserves a place in any pastor’s library. Throughout the book, Rogers plainly teaches the theory and practice of text-driven preaching so that a new pastor could learn and grow. However, don’t assume the book has no place for the seasoned pastor. Through pastoral insights and admonitions, experienced pastors would be challenged and encouraged in their affection for the role of pastor and the responsibility of preaching. In short, through substantial biblical evidence and variety of style, Rogers has produced a book that merits attention by pastors of all backgrounds and experience levels.
—William A. “Ted” Williams – Associate Dean of the Church Ministries, Assistant Professor of Expository Preaching, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary – New Orleans LA
—William A. “Ted” Williams – Associate Dean of the Church Ministries, Assistant Professor of Expository Preaching, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary – New Orleans LA
Tony Rogers delivers a clear and compelling call to restore the centrality of Scripture in preaching and pastoral ministry. The Voice of God in Text-Driven Preaching and Pastoral Ministry rises above a typical homiletics text, offering a theologically rich and pastorally grounded vision for proclaiming God’s Word with faithfulness and clarity. Drawing from Scripture, Rogers shows that true exposition is shaped by the text, empowered by the Spirit, and centered on Christ. In a time of growing biblical illiteracy and suspect preaching methods, this work urges pastors to anchor their ministries firmly in the authority and sufficiency of the inspired, inerrant Scriptures. It not only instructs the mind but stirs the heart, calling preachers back to the sacred task of proclaiming God’s Word with renewed urgency and confidence. I gladly commend it to those who desire to preach with conviction, clarity, and faithfulness.
—Stan Norman – President; Williams Baptist University – Walnut Ridge AR
—Stan Norman – President; Williams Baptist University – Walnut Ridge AR