Interviewing Mark Teske About the Preacher's Local Work
"Never discuss 'church problems' in front of your children."
Today’s interview is with Mark Teske.
I’ve known Mark for around ten years now - and I’m grateful for him and the encouragement he offers to his brethren, especially preachers.
I think you will benefit tremendously from his experience and thoughts.
How did you get started preaching? Did someone in particular encourage you to preach? Did you always want to preach, or did something happen to change your mind?
I began my professional life as an accountant in the hospital industry. During that time, I was honored to serve as a deacon for two different congregations. After a dozen years, I had reached my professional goals and was looking for something more for my life. I began taking courses through the Video Bible Institute (a part of World Video Bible School) and enjoyed the in-depth Bible study immensely.
At this time, I was invited to travel to Kiev, Ukraine to teach a two-week course at a school of preaching. However, when I asked for the time off to make the trip, my request was denied and I was told that the hospital could not operate without me for two weeks. This event pushed me over the edge and I was determined to preach full-time so that I could take advantage of such opportunities in the future. It was at this time that I realized that continuing the VBI curriculum (attending one class a day) would take me 7 years to complete.
Since I had already made the decision in my mind, it didn’t seem right to wait 7 years to make it a reality, so I began looking at preaching schools. When I began the process of raising support to go to preaching school, I was amazed and humbled by the good brethren that were willing to support me in this effort. There were several congregations that hadn’t known me that were generous with their support.
The kindness and graciousness that brethren have shown to me has had an impact on my work over the years. During times of discouragement, I remember what these good brethren sacrificed for me to be able to do the work that I do and those memories serve as an effective encouragement to me. I also feel indebted to the brotherhood – they have invested in me and I owe them my service as long as I am able.
How has your approach to preaching changed from when you started preaching to today?
My work has been rather unique in that I have never been a full-time pulpit minister. I served for two years as an associate and I have been involved in television ministry ever since. For several years I served as a part-time pulpit preacher for small congregations while I was working in television.
With this type of preaching work, I am blessed to be able to put in several weeks’ worth of study as I prepare for a lesson. As a result, I find that my study is much deeper than when I was teaching every week. I also appreciate preaching in lectureships, where I often find that I am assigned a topic that I might not otherwise cover and these opportunities help me to grow.
Who were some preachers who had the most influence over your development as a preacher? How did they help you to grow?
There are several brethren who helped me to learn some very difficult lessons through the things that they experienced. While the stories are theirs, their willingness to allow me to see their humility and the way they handled those situations have left lasting impressions on me.
I have also been greatly encouraged by several fine brethren. Wendell Winkler was a great encouragement as I was raising support to attend school and he continued to “cheer me on” as I began working. Dave Miller was a great instructor while I was in school, but has proven to be one of the best friends that a man could have in the years since then. Mike Vestal has been a dear friend that not only taught me much about the process of studying and preaching, but has been a great influence in the process of living the life of a man of God. Jim Dearman has been a great friend, a huge encouragement, and a mentor who has left a wonderful set of footprints for me to follow. I have been blessed by wonderful co-workers through the years – Steve Higginbotham, Eddie Parrish, Doug Martin, Bob Stapleton, and Robert Jeffries have all been a great resource for me. One of the greatest encouragers in my life has been JJ Hendrix, who checks up on me frequently and has proven to be one of the best friends that a man could have. I know that I’m leaving out several others that I am truly indebted to.
What would you say to a Christian man (young or old) who is considering preaching? How would you advise them to proceed?
I would strongly recommend that the man attend a reputable School of Preaching. This level of education will give you a verse-by-verse study of the entire Bible, which will provide a strong foundation for your future study. In addition to the text, you will gain knowledge in specific areas that will help you in your work – and the experience in actual preaching makes a big difference as a man gets started in the work. In a college program, your textual courses will cover only a portion of the Bible, leaving many sections of Scripture that haven’t been covered during the program.
If the man doesn’t already have a college degree, I would recommend that he go to a Christian college to round out his education after he graduates from the School of Preaching. Oftentimes, the classes that he took in the school of preaching will be credited and a degree can be completed in quick fashion. Christian colleges often have scholarships specifically set aside for these types of students.
If a man has a family, I would make sure that the family is strongly committed to supporting him in his work. Far too often, a man will quit preaching prematurely simply because his family doesn’t want to support him any longer. Even more tragic are the men whose wives divorce them simply because they “don’t want to be a preacher’s wife anymore.” In my experience, half of the men who quit preaching do so because of a lack of support from their family.
How would you encourage a less experienced preacher to keep going through the ups and downs of preaching?
When you’re going through school, pay attention to the “war stories” that the instructors tell. Try to put yourself in their shoes and think about how you would handle that situation. Far too often, I would come across a stumbling block that one of my instructors had warned us about…and I would have acted differently if I had recognized the situation earlier.
One thing that really helped me in my early days of preaching was to have a strong co-worker by my side. His experience helped me to avoid some of the pitfalls and provided encouragement to me during difficult times. I would strongly recommend that preachers take their first work as an associate so that they can have help during the first years of ministry.
As the years pass, having good relationships with other preachers in and out of the immediate area will be invaluable. There will be times when you are struggling with things at the congregation and will need advice from someone who is not a part of the situation. It is at these times that being able to meet with another preacher can help put things in perspective.
It is also important that you have a good working relationship with your elders. Far too often, the relationship between elders and the preacher becomes adversarial – and when that happens everyone suffers. When you start a work, spend time getting to know your elders and let them know that you consider yourself as a part of their team to minister to the congregation. Give them honest praise in front of the congregation on a regular basis. Make your interactions with them be times when you’re seeking to understand what they want you to do as a part of the team. During these interactions, phrase your requests of them in ways that show you have the spiritual health of the congregation as the underlying reason for your requests. Having this type of a relationship early, and built upon regularly, will allow for a great working relationship between you and your elders.
How did you connect with an older generation when you were young, and how did you connect with a younger generation as you grew older?
When I began preaching, a piece of advice that I received was incredibly helpful to me. An older preacher advised me to spend extra time to get to know both the older members of the congregation and the younger. These two age groups often need the most attention, and those who are between those two groups will appreciate you for spending time with those groups.
One thing consistently helped me to get through difficult days – making hospital and nursing home visits. These visits were appreciated, and I consistently walked away thinking that I had received more than I gave. Spending the time and being there for people in need is emotionally satisfying and helps to develop those deep, lasting relationships.
When I was in my first work, many older members of the congregation passed away during my time with them. The time spent with the sick and their families during their illness helps to develop strong relationships with them. Being there and helping them through the passing of a family member strengthened the relationships even more. Following up with the family members in the weeks and months following the passing made me like a part of those families. It has been nearly 20 years since I preached there, and I still have strong friendships with many of these families.
How has your appreciation for your brothers and sisters in Christ grown over the years? How would you advise less experienced preachers to think of their brethren?
A passage that is familiar to most young preachers is II Timothy 4:2. I’ve come to realize that one of the most important phrases in the verse is “with all longsuffering.” We need to be patient with our brethren, and gentle as we teach. Psychologists tell us that it takes 5 positive statements to offset a single negative statement or else our relationships will suffer. This pattern also holds true for the relationship between a preacher and a congregation. If we’re preaching more negatively than that, our relationship with the congregation will suffer. When our relationship suffers, our preaching becomes less effective. Too often, young preachers feel that they need to be “strong” in their preaching and they destroy relationships with their brethren in the process.
Preachers need to realize that after a lesson is preached on a topic, he should not expect everyone in the congregation to change their behavior immediately. Realize that the preacher’s responsibility is to preach the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), but he is not responsible if the listeners ignore the teaching. This even happened to Jesus on a regular basis! Don’t allow this to discourage you, show the patience that you have been commanded to have.
A young preacher needs to do all he can to get to know the congregation. After several years of working on relationships with members, you can begin to understand where the members are coming from. Individuals are dealing with burdens and issues that you haven’t even imagined. For instance, 1 in 5 women have been the victim of rape at some point in their lifetime – and 42.2% of those happened before they were 18 years old.[1] Even if you don’t know about the specific burdens that individual members are dealing with, the can affect the individual members in a very significant way. This ties in strongly with the patience that we need to have with the congregation – we don’t know everything that they’re dealing with, so don’t be quick to be critical with them.
[1] https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics/statistics-depth
How would you advise less experienced preachers to face conflicts in the Lord’s church? What have you learned from going through various challenges within the congregation?
There are three types of congregations – those having problems, those just getting over problems, and those about to face problems. It doesn’t matter where you are, there will be problems. An important part of the work of a preacher is to help the elders prevent problems, deal with problems and heal from problems. As a result, you need to be prepared for this aspect of the work and not allow it to discourage you.
One of the great tools to help you get through these times are your relationships. When others know how much you care for their souls, their families and the congregation it will give you influence to help in times of need. Once again, these relationships will help you in your work. Be a listener to all parties and avoid making commitments that support one side or the other. Once all of the information has been obtained, the best approach is to have private conversations with those who can make the necessary repentance and/or change. During those conversations, aim to get them to come to the conclusion of what they need to do rather than you telling them what to do – they’ll be much more likely to follow through and do what is necessary.
There are also problems that affect those outside of your local congregation. One great piece of advice that I received as a young preacher was to not attend every fight that you’ve been invited to. That’s proven to be great advice! One thing that I can guarantee about these situations is that you will never know all of the details of what happened. Far too often, Christians line up and take sides in an issue about which they don’t have (and never will have) a full understanding. It is foolish. “The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him (Proverbs 18:17).” And “He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him (Proverbs 18:13).”
While I was in school, a wise elder gave me some excellent advice. He encouraged me to avoid being set up as a “judge” in a matter. When someone comes to you for advice, be ready, willing, and able to give them book, chapter, and verse that applies to their situation. Rather than tell them exactly how that applies to the particulars of their situation, let them make that application for themselves. For instance, in a marriage, divorce, and remarriage question, the person that is seeking your advice may sometimes leave out important information about the situation that would affect your judgment of the matter. Many preachers have been burned by those who are “shopping” for an opinion that allows them to do what they want, and they’ll be quick to tell others that you agreed with them. An excellent answer could be, “Based upon the facts that you’ve laid out to me, I can see where you would come to the conclusion that you have.” You’ve done your part and can leave it at that.
How have godly elders helped you over the years? What advice would you give preachers who are facing the challenge of an eldership that isn’t all they are supposed to be?
During my time in preaching school, I served an internship with a local congregation. During that internship, the congregation was without a pulpit preacher and the associate was committed to multiple out-of-town obligations. This situation threw me “into the fire” during this time.
During this situation, the elders taught me much about the work of a preacher. One of the three elders was retired, and we spent at least one day per week together. During these days, he taught me much about spending time with brethren, getting to know their needs, and how to help meet those needs. He told me that my schooling was doing an excellent job of teaching me how to teach and preach, but he felt that his role was to help me grow in the “soft skills” of preaching – and he took it upon himself to give me excellent instruction during our time. I wouldn’t have been very successful in my first work without his training and encouragement.
A preacher needs to understand that no eldership is perfect, just like no preacher is perfect. They are men who can make mistakes, but God knew that when He established the leadership of the local congregation. Once again, patience is required with them as you would wish them to be patient with you (Matthew 7:12). Oftentimes, they have information about a situation that you don’t have and it can affect their decisions. Be quick to give them the benefit of the doubt and allow God’s organization of the local church to do what He has tasked them with.
A good preacher can help his eldership by focusing on and encouraging the eldership to focus on souls. In my experience, the most important verse for elders to understand is Hebrews 13:17, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” While the passage is addressed to the sheep, it explains that elders will give an account to God for the decisions that they make. This is a sobering thought for elders and should be continually on their minds – everything that they do needs to be motivate by a desire to save souls. Anything that you can do to help them in this manner is good for both them and the congregation.
Anything that a preacher can do to keep the elders on task of saving souls is helpful. While your role is to be in submission to them, you can influence them for the better. In doing this, you must keep in mind that oftentimes there are things that the elders are aware of that you may not be aware of. You owe them the benefit of a doubt – don’t be quick to make an accusation against an eldership (I Timothy 5:19). Remember that Matthew 18:15-16 applies to elders as well as members. If you think that one has sinned against you, go and talk to him. If you think that the entire eldership has sinned against you, go and talk to them. Treat them like you would want to be treated.
How has your prayer life developed over the years? What advice would you give younger preachers about prayer?
I had an instructor in school that recommended allowing the Psalms to be a model for your prayer life. I believe that this has been the best advice on prayer that I’ve ever received. Prior to that time, my prayers were hindered by what I thought God was “allowed” to do to answer my prayers. I no longer concern myself with His part of the job and instead concern myself with pouring out my heart to Him.
How did you try to balance your work and your family? What advice would you offer younger preachers with small children at home?
There is a tragic epidemic in the brotherhood – preachers losing the souls of their own children. This should grab the attention of every preacher – especially those who are new to the work. What a shame to spend your life working to save souls and then lose the souls of your own children.
I would recommend that you never discuss “church problems” in front of your children. They are often not equipped to fully understand and process the information and they can quickly develop a poor attitude toward the church. While some of this information will get to them anyways, be sure to let them know five good things about the church for every one thing that they experience.
It can also be helpful to involve your children in your work. I would often take a kid with me when I was making visits to the shut-ins or nursing homes. During the time that we spent together, the child got some one-on-one time with me, which was great for our relationship. Everyone involved was blessed by these visits. Those being visited always appreciated having well-behaved kids around and having a chance to interact with them. The kids would develop a relationship with these Christians and would be excited about getting a chance to visit with them. As my children have grown into adults, every one of them still enjoys interaction with older Christians and has developed a habit of visiting.
In the past two years, it takes two hands to count up the number of preachers that I know personally that have gotten divorced. This is quickly becoming an epidemic that is hurting the church by doing damage to congregations and taking men out of the ministry. Realize that your work is very demanding, and it can take a toll on your marriage. To do your work effectively, your marriage needs to remain strong and a positive aspect to your life, or your professional work with suffer along with your marriage.
Resolve to take the 2-2-2 approach to spending time with your wife:
Go out on a date every two weeks.
Enjoy a weekend together every two months.
Take a week-long vacation together (alone) every two years.
To stick to this schedule requires planning (time and money) and a strong commitment on your part to follow through. If you’re honest with your elders and congregation about your need to maintain a strong relationship with your wife, they can help you stick to your commitment rather than be a continual stumbling block. As a grandparent, the times that my kids spend together while we watch the grandkids are a great blessing to us, our grandkids, and our children and we’re excited to be able to help our kids in this way.
What Bible passage(s) mean the most to you in your life right now? How has it come to mean so much to you?
Luke 17:3–4: “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” While some are hesitant to forgive a brother unless he goes through a period of “penance”, this passage teaches that forgiveness is required of the Christian when the sinning brother merely says that he repents. Many would say to withhold repentance until the erring brother showed “fruits worthy of repentance” for an arbitrary period of time. There are many passages that teach the need to forgive others (Matthew 6:12-15; 18:21-35), but I have yet to find a single warning in Scripture that a Christian needs to be frugal in his forgiveness of others.
If you would like to say anything to younger, less experienced preachers that hasn’t been mentioned, please do so here.
The way a preacher leaves a work says much more about him than when he comes to a new work. Far too many preachers leave with their feelings hurt and damage the congregation, the eldership and the community by the way they depart. It’s tragic that the work that they strived so hard to do for the time they were there can be reversed by a few poor decisions. Strive to leave the work in better shape than you found it.
You may leave a work feeling that you have been wronged in some way. That may well be the case, but it never justifies causing division in a congregation. Consider the congregation in Corinth. It was filled with serious doctrinal and moral problems that cause strife and division. Yet Paul expressed his thankfulness for them (I Corinthians 1:4). He called them brethren even while he pleaded with them about their sins (I Corinthians 1:10) and ended the letter expressing his love for them (I Corinthians 16:24). There may be problems with a congregation, but you’ll get a much better response when you treat them with love as brethren rather than trying to punish them on your way out the door.
Mark Teske is the host/producer for Good News Today. This is a television program from the churches of Christ in a magazine format. You can read more about the work they are doing here.
Before I went to preaching school, Mark was one of my bosses at the Gospel Broadcasting Network. We also attended the Southaven Church of Christ together. Mark is one of the most encouraging people you will meet, and he has always been very kind in encouraging me in my work.
Well written and true. I look forward to more.