Many years ago, as part of my internship I was assigned a paper by J.W. Alexander (the son of Archibald Alexander, Old Princeton’s first professor) that made a profound impression upon me. It was on the subject of the minister’s personal piety, and I suppose up until the time I read it, I hadn’t really considered how important my own personal holiness would be when it came to my ministry and more importantly how fatal a lack of it might prove. I want, therefore, to share that same paper with seminary students and ministers who might be considering planting an old school church.

INTRODUCTION

One of the most important parts of successfully planting and pastoring a church, and something in which we are all prone to fall short is the realm of personal piety. Far too many church planters forget that one of the most winsome and compelling elements in any ministry is the wisdom and godliness of the minister himself. Often we are prone to try to circumvent the need for that godliness by relying on means and intellect, but if the congregation do not see that their under-shepherd is a godly man then regardless of what our intentions are what we are actually showing them is that gospel we preach is lacking in the power to actually conform people to the image of Christ. Many people observing an impious minister will see something very like an obese salesman peddling a weight loss program. A true minister should be able to repeat the words of Paul, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1) to his congregation without anyone being tempted to snicker.

Also, as Alexander reminds us below, nothing but true devotion to Christ will enable us to continue in the immensely difficult work of Old School church planting: “The truth is, such are the discouragements of genuine cross-bearing ministry, and so repugnant to the flesh are many of its duties, that nothing but true piety will hold a man up under the burden; he will sooner or later throw it off; and begin to seek his ease, or preach for “itching ears,” or phonographic reporters. It is an easy thing to go through a routine, to “do duty,” as the phrase of the Anglican establishment is; but it is hard to the flesh, to denounce error in high places, to preach unpopular doctrine, to labour week after week in assemblies of a dozen or twenty, to spend weary hours among the diseased and dying, and to watch over the discipline of Christ’s house. Nothing but an inward enjoyment of divine truth, and a reference to the final award, will stimulate a man to constancy in such labours. “

So to encourage you to the work of cultivating personal piety, here is the rest of J.W. Alexander’s advice to young ministers.