Proclaimer Blog
Keep going, Mr Preacher. Perhaps we can help?
I was reminded on a recent conference about a story from Steve Farrar's book Finishing Strong. I think there are better books for evangelicals on this subject. Nevertheless, this is a powerful story. Here are a few excerpts:
Billy Graham wasn't' the only young preacher packing auditoriums in 1945. Chuck Templeton and Bron Clifford were accomplishing the same thing – and more. All three young men were in their mid-twenties. One seminary president, after hearing Templeton preach one evening to an audience of thousands called him "the most gifted and talented young man in America today for preaching."
Bron Clifford was another gifted 25 year old fireball. In 1945, many believed Clifford the most gifted and powerful preacher the church had seen in centuries. People lined up ten and twelve deep outside the auditorium trying to get in. Later in 1945, when Clifford was preaching in the chapel at Baylor University, the president ordered the class bells turned off so that the young man could minister without interruption to the student body.
Graham, Templeton and Clifford. In 1945, all three came shooting out of the starting blocks like rockets. You've heard of Billy Graham. So how come you've never heard of Templeton or Clifford?
Just five years later, Templeton left the ministry to pursue a career as a radio and television commentator and newspaper columnist. Templeton had decided he was no longer a believer in Christ in the orthodox sense of the term. By 1950, he wasn't even in the game and no longer believed in the validity of the claims of Jesus Christ.
What about Clifford? By 1954, Clifford had lost his family, his ministry, his health…and then his life. Alcohol and financial irresponsibility had done him in. He wound up leaving his wife and their two Down's Syndrome children. At just 35 years of age, this once-great preacher died from cirrhosis of the liver in a run down motel on the edge of Amarillo.
In the Christian life, it's not how you start that matters. It's how you finish.
It's all rather numbing, isn't it? It's why we believe our preachers conferences are so important. They are designed to keep people going, not just in preaching (though that is a key focus as it is a key focus of ministry), but in our Christian walk generally. This Spring we'll be joined by a great line of experienced preachers to help out. Won't you join us too and work, under God's grace, to avoid the fall of Clifford and Templeton? Book here for senior ministers conference and here for younger ministers conference.