The Whole Counsel of God: Why and How to Preach the Entire Bible

by Tim Patrick, Andrew Reid, J. Gary Millar (Foreword)

Good books on preaching are many. Great ones are few. I regard this one among the great.
--Robert W. Yarbrough, Professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

Expository preaching has been on the rise over the last five decades, with more and more pastors preaching carefully from the Scriptures. However, not all pastors make it their aim to preach through whole books of the Bible, let alone to preach the entire Bible to their congregations. But the people of God need the whole counsel of God to grow to full maturity in Christ. Authors Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid present the bold case for whole-Bible preaching and supply the necessary tools so that all pastors can progress toward this goal.

256 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2020

Reviews

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book with a very specific audience: expositional preachers who plan to be in one place for a long time. The goal is to get preachers to preach through the entire Bible over a 35-year span. This book is about all the details and planning necessary to achieve such a goal.

The book does have some good background material as well, such as the value of expository preaching, the need for flocks to be exposed to the whole canon of Scripture, the need to preach the OT redemptively, etc. I admire their vision and their willingness to do the hard work to make it a reality. I appreciate their refusal to get off track with things like topical sermons (their counsel is to never do them! At least not in regualar Sunday services).

At times their Anglican sensibilities annoyed me--have a skit in worship every now and then? make sure your services are of predictable length so that people can get to sports leagues afterward?? They also never even once countenanced the possibility of Sunday evening services, which would allow a pastor to finish in 17 or 18 years, not 35. And they probably chop up the longer books too much (so a series on Exodus becomes several mini-series on Exodus, with other series mixed in; according to their plan a church could conceivably be in 6 series at once!). And, a note to editors everywhere, "exposit" is not a verb. The verb related to "expository" is to "expound."

[Colby]

There is a line in this book which states: "Teenagers gift each other new worship music over the internet."

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always beneficial for a preacher at every stage of ministry to explore the finer points of his preaching craft. Preachers always have new things to learn and growth should be occurring throughout the ministry of a given pastor.

The Whole Counsel of God: Why and How to Preach the Entire Bible by Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid is a book that every pastor should have in his library. But it is unique in its purpose and scope. The authors do not intend to discuss homiletical methods. Rather, their aim is to establish long-term convictions in preachers that primarily involve preaching the whole corpus of Scripture.

Patrick and Reid challenge pastors to make it a goal to preach through each book of the Bible in thirty-five years. They admit that this number is arbitrary but at least it helps secure a workable goal in the heart and mind of the one who is called to proclaim the truth of Scripture.

The Whole Counsel of God makes a biblical case for preaching the whole Bible, includes suggestions for how to carry the challenge out and is filled with practical suggestions that pastors should consider as they set out to achieve this lofty goal.

I urge pastors to carefully weigh the arguments that Patrick and Reid present and to find deep encouragement in a book that is aimed at the heart of the shepherd. Pastors who consider these challenges will be served well and their congregations will reap a lasting benefit.

[Ben Emberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a really intriguing thesis as the authors argue for the value of setting the goal to preach the entire Bible expositionally over the course of a 35-year ministry. Honestly, I buy it. It will take careful and thoughtful planning, and I probably won't organize in the exact ways suggested. However, as a pastor just starting out in ministry, I believe this to be worthy of my consideration and have begun to contemplate how I might carry this out should the Lord give longevity in my current context.

"...the object of sitting under the whole counsel of God is not just to learn a million separate facts and points of application, but to have our minds transformed to think in God's ways about all of life." (pg. 231)

[Nathaniel Baum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read a book on the topic of preaching where the primary emphasis is on preaching all of the Bible (until now)! Very helpful thoughts and practical considerations for getting through all of Scripture during one's time as the pastor of a church. My main qualm with the book is the authors' Christocentric approach to interpreting the Bible.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence from preface: This book was motivated by our love for the Lord and his church. In writing it, we were driven by our twin convictions that the church is established and grown by the word of the Lord, and that the Lord is rightly honored when the church sits under his word. While none of this would seem to be in any way controversial among evangelical Christians, the sobering reality is that a great deal of the Bible—perhaps, in fact, the majority—is never preached to the people of God, even in evangelical churches.

The Whole Counsel of God: Why and How to Preach the Entire Bible is written for a very specific audience. It is written for a) preachers-still-in-training, b) recently graduated and newly hired preachers c) preachers with some experience. The authors are challenging preachers to make a long-term plan for preaching through the whole Bible--all 66 books, all chapters and verses. They insist that preachers need a long-term plan, a serious plan, that will see them through decades of ministry--presumably in the same church, the same congregation.

The authors believe that preachers are not preaching thoroughly through the Bible, every book, every chapter, every verse. The authors think that churches need to be taught and "fed" from the WHOLE Bible. There isn't one verse of Bible that shouldn't be fed to the flock and expounded on. The churches--and their ministers--need the balance that only comes from believing, knowing, trusting, applying the whole counsel of God.

So part of this one is about the need to preach from the whole Bible, and why the Bible is so essential to the health of the church. The rest sets out to be more practical and applicable. How exactly does one go about preaching and teaching the whole Bible. How does one lay out--plan ahead, schedule--sermon series thirty or forty years in advance?!?! How does one balance teaching from the Old Testament and the New Testament?
How does a minister prepare his heart and mind to preach through the whole Bible? to understand it? to preach it and teach it in a way that it makes sense to his listeners?

I am a reader, a reviewer if you're being generous. I love, love, love the Bible. I love the idea of listening to sermon series that take me through whole books of the Bible. (I don't look for this in a physical church; I don't necessarily look for this from just one teaching ministry.) I do believe that expository preaching is the best kind of preaching. I do believe that the church needs the whole counsel of God. I do believe that the teaching needs to be biblical. Preachers not reading in their own ideas and beliefs into the text, but faithfully interpreting the Scripture for what it is.

I am NOT a preacher. This book was not written with me in mind. It isn't really applicable to me.

For better or worse, many denominations do not have one minister that is there for the duration: A man of God who settles down in one church for decades--two, three, four, possibly even five decades. This book almost demands such a situation of job security--a pastor knowing that he'll be in that one church for his whole career. Is this realistic? Maybe. Maybe not.

I say for better or worse. There are certainly ministers that I've had for eight years that felt like they were there for twenty. And there have been times where I genuinely wished my denomination was different and didn't move the pastor after three or four years. It's hard for a congregation when the Shepherd is changed every three to four years. Visions and directions change--progress potentially lost. Conflicts seem inevitable with change being the only constant.

But really, let's be honest, many denominations wouldn't really go for this expounding the whole Bible--all chapters and verses--because it wouldn't be politically correct and socially acceptable. Liberalism isn't even subtly sneaking into our churches and denominations. It's quite proud and out and wanting the majority of the vote. I believe this starts with seminaries and universities. I believe by the time a preacher reaches the church, his or her mind is set and determined not to take the Bible so literally as the very Word of God itself.

So this book faces several different challenges for readers.

[Conrade Yap · Rating 5 out of 5]

One common question among preachers is this: "What should I preach?" As one who preaches regularly, this is a weekly encounter. Some would preach topically while others insist on going through a Bible book at a time, something we call expository preaching. There is the the Big-Idea Preaching, the Christ-centered preaching, the Gospel-Centered Preaching, the Expository preaching, etc. Many preach on the Bible with selected passages but few advocate for preaching the entire Bible. This is understandable from a length-wise standpoint, for the Bible comprises 66 books altogether. Reading through it alone is already daunting but to preach through it? This is exactly what the authors, Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid are convicted about. It is only through preaching the entire Word of God that listeners will be adequately fed. For many, the problem is not about desire but about even entertaining the possibility of preaching through the entire Bible. After all, just reading through the Bible is already a huge feat, let alone preaching it. The authors are well aware of this challenge and takes pains to explain that it is far more profitable to try than to be bogged down by details. In fact, they go further to show us how to preach through the entire Bible. This is perhaps the key reason to get this book.


In Part One, readers get to understand the fundamental arguments behind the reason for preaching through the entire Bible. If the Bible was written to be heard, surely the people needs to hear not just in part but in whole. In both the Old and New Testaments, we learn of how the whole Word impacted the people. There are explicit references to how the people were transformed because of the preaching of the Word. God gave the entire law through Moses. He revived the land of Judah through King Josiah who discovered the whole law as described in 2 Kings 23:1-3. Tracing biblical as well as Church history, readers get a broad overview of what happens when the Word of God was taken seriously. Lives were changed. Not only are we reminded about the rewards of reading the whole Word, we are told about the dangers of not doing it. Patrick and Reid show a deep understanding of the predicaments of many preachers. They know why some preachers flip back and forth between topical studies and book-by-book preaching. They point out the temptation toward "doctrinal-paradigm preaching" which uses the Word according to the preacher's fixed theological framework, instead of letting the Bible speak for itself. There is also the need to balance relevant preaching to biblical preaching. For one can be too relevant that we take the Bible out of context. In the same way, we can be too Bible-fixated that we bore our audience due to a lack of connecting with everyday reality.

Part Two goes into the nitty-gritty of what it takes to preach the whole Word. Before anyone attempts to preach, one needs to understand. Patrick and Reid give us some tools to do just that. They explain three conventional frameworks. There is biblical theology that aims to see biblical revelation not just chronologically but theologically. Put it another way, it is biblical revelation with a direction, to understand the Bible as God intended for us. Then there is systematic theology that synthesizes the theology according to the themes and subjects concerned. This also involves combing the whole Scripture to illuminate biblical truths. Finally, there is gospel theology that sees everything from the perspective of the gospel. This theological framework then subdivides the gospel further into three sub-categories: Christology; Atonement; and Eschatology. In simple terms, it is Christ has come, Christ has died, and Christ has risen. The authors show us how we can use these three theological frameworks in our preaching. Then comes the planning which requires time, balance, and grouping Bible genres. What is helpful is the subdivisions of the Bible:

Torah (17%)
Former Prophets (22%)
Latter Prophets (22%)
Writings (15%)
Gospels (10%)
Acts & Epistles (13%)

By understanding the subdivisions, we can proportionately plan our preaching calendar to emphasize what the Bible is telling us. There is a section that highlights the authors' disdain of topical preaching. This is something preachers would need to ponder over. Other features of this planning includes:

How to choose books from each theological paradigm?
How to plan a series?
How to tackle bigger books?
How to plan the preaching calendar with Church calendar in mind?
How to recognize natural divisions in the Bible and the use of Bible scholars and commentaries?
Estimating time and text per sermon?
Learning to deal with repetition
and many more.

Part Three shows us some practical considerations. We learn about keeping the Word central in all things. We consider the practice of these theological frameworks and how to best apply them in our respective contexts. We also learn about the unforeseen circumstances that might derail preachers' preaching plans. There are many good suggestions and ready to use ideas we could use. The authors also consider the context of the preacher as well as the congregation.

My Thoughts
This is one of those preaching books that uniquely equips us to preach the entire counsel of God. I have read books on big ideas, on Christ-centered, on biblical preaching, and so on. Many of them focuses on genres and how we can be faithful to the text according to the genre they are in. Some books also teach us on techniques, interpretive, and communication skills. Thus, I am glad that Patrick and Reid have given us thought and resources to aim to preach the entire Bible. At the least, we are encouraged to form a plan for preaching. In this manner, this is one of the best and most balanced preaching books I have read.

I appreciate the way the authors are able to summarize theological frameworks and make them practical for the masses. In seminary, students often study biblical theology and systematic theology separately. There is no one course that teach or show students exactly how to integrate all of them into one preaching paradigm. Even preaching courses tend to focus on exegesis, interpretation, and techniques for communicating. Having to preach the whole counsel is not something often taught. That is why I am happy to know about this book. Not only did the authors provide the theoretical and theological backing, they show us the practical considerations and the planning process. They were able to anticipate the criticisms, such as "doctrinal paradigm preaching" and topical preaching. They help us along with many diagrams and illustrations. In that way, they don't just tell us but to show us the way. In one book, we get a treasure of information and teachable material for preachers and aspiring preachers of the Word.

I am happy to recommend this book for all preachers, pastors, and Bible teachers.

Tim Patrick (PhD, Macquarie University) is principal of the Bible College of South Australia, an affiliated college of the Australian College of Theology, where he lecturers in theology and practical ministry.

Andrew Reid (ThD, Ridley College) is the inaugural principal of the Evangelical Theological College of Asia in Singapore. He previously served as the lead pastor of several churches in Australia and as lecturer in Old Testament, hermeneutics, and Hebrew at Ridley College Melbourne.

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Crossway Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[J. Rutherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

For many years I have had the thought that we as churches need to do better presenting the whole counsel of God in our Sunday gatherings. I have had many passing thoughts on the topic but have not had the opportunity or context to think them through to any great extent. I was delighted to discover that others have been thinking these things through and doing so with far more practical experience than I possess. I received The Whole Counsel of God by Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid as part of the Crossway Blog Review program. In this book, the authors argue that ministers ought to have it as their goal to preach through the entire Bible in a sequential, expository manner, and provide valuable guidance towards this end. This is a challenge that our churches must take up, but it is one that will stretch us in many different ways. I highly recommend The Whole Counsel of God to those leaders who are not yet convinced that this is necessary and for those who have the conviction but are intimidated by the scope of such an endeavour.
For those who have studied for the ministry, especially in Evangelical and Reformed contexts, much of the material will repeat what you read elsewhere (e.g. need for expository sermons, tying every sermon to redemptive history and the gospel, etc.). Taking the challenge of the book to heart, I think we can do it in a shorter time frame then Patrick and Reid suggest (35 years) and more effectively. They rightly observe that genre and passage length affect the shape of a sermon, so we need to be flexible if we are going to preach the whole Bible. However, looking past our own tradition—or at least our own time—I think we can bring more tools to bear in achieving the goal of presenting our congregations with “the whole counsel of God.” For one, Psalms are naturally better sung than preached. If we made it our moderate ambition to sing one or two psalms per week, we could cover the entire book of Psalms (though 119 will be difficult) in two or three years, so at least 10 times in their 35 years period. If we were to work on training better readers, as they recommend, and build up our congregation’s endurance for long stretches of text—as will need be done if we want to present the Word on its own terms—we could cover the entire Bible twice in 20 years, once preached and once read, including several iterations of the New Testament. If we committed to preaching a different Gospel from the week before Christmas to Easter (21 sermons with Good Friday and Christmas Eve), we could cover all 4 Gospels 5 times in those same 20 years. This would allow 2 roughly 16 sermon long sermons series a year, or longer if they included a weekend away with multiple sermons; this would allow each book of the Bible to be preached in 20 years, excluding the Gospels (if we preach them from Christmas to Easter). (To attain this number, I have divided several longer books into discrete sections [e.g. preaching Isaiah in 3 series] and grouped various New Testament epistles [Prison Epistles, Thessalonians and the Pastorals] and Old Testament collections together [the Megillot].) If churches with two services (like many here in Sydney) committed to preaching alternating texts in the morning and the evening (preaching the other services alternate reading), you could cover the entire Bible 4 times in that period; every book would be read twice and preached twice. Covering so much narrative and prophetic texts will prove challenging for many congregations used to conventional sermons, suitable as they are the Epistles more than narrative or prophecy.
However, it might offer the opportunity to work on alternative methods for communicating an applying God’s Word. Narrative texts, when read well, need little explanation. Instead, if they are truly read well (take a listen to the Streetlights Bible for an example of this), a lengthy reading of a text may only need a couple of minutes to orient the narrative to God’s plan of salvation culminating in Christ and to apply it to your specific congregation. The prophetic texts read well will be similar, though there is probably need for a summary of the point of the imagery and the application will take more work. Being free with the teaching, exposition, and proclamation aspects of a service (preaching being a combination of these three things) would balance out the inclusion of longer readings in such a project.
Do yourselves and your congregations a favour: pick this book up and take up its challenge. Get the help of someone administratively gifted if necessary but take the time to intentionally plan your preaching and teaching ministry for your time as a minister and even into the years beyond.

[Lucas Hagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were to tell you that I intended on preaching through the entire Bible, what would you think about that? You might think that I am completely crazy. You might say that it’s not even possible. You may think it’s a worthy effort and leave me with a simple, “Good luck.” In their new book The Whole Counsel of God, Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid propose this very idea, that preachers should make every effort to preach through the entire Bible over the course of thirty-five years.

Patrick and Reid are both experienced preachers in their own right, and their wisdom and expertise that they offer in this volume is indispensable, especially when considering a proposal that many would say is downright ludicrous. The structure of the book is rather simple, yet effective. There are three sections. The first section addresses the importance of preaching the whole Bible. It answers the “why?” question. The second section is primarily practical. It is titled simply “How to Preach the Whole Bible.” In this section, Patrick and Reid address the topics of how to plan out such a long-term preaching plan as well as how to choose what to preach when, and how to structure a preaching plan that includes all of Scripture. The third and final section is titled “Practical and Pastoral Considerations,” and addresses how to maximize the impact of such a preaching schedule, as well as some implications for a preacher and his congregation.

Put simply, I love this book. As I read through it, I was struck by how thoughtful Patrick and Reid are, specifically in how they address opposition and counterarguments. There was hardly a question that arose in my mind that was not almost immediately answered by Patrick and Reid. Their care and thought that went into this project is clearly demonstrated in the final product. The passion and fervor for God glorified through preaching of the Word is palpable in Patrick and Reid’s words. Read their words as they explain the core conviction of this book:

"The core conviction of this book is that the need for God’s people to hear the whole Scriptures read and explained continues today. A light, thin, hotchpotch diet of Scripture—even well-taught Scripture—is not what God wants for his people, and yet this is all that too many churches offer. This book is written to help pastors and teachers of God’s word make the fullness of that word known to their people over a lifetime of preaching. Our hope is that through such comprehensive preaching, God’s saints might be better equipped for their roles than Jephthah was—that is, that they might know the mind and purposes of God, and so be equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:17)" (p. 20).

Throughout this book, Patrick and Reid make a very convincing case that not only is making an attempt to preach the whole counsel of God admirable, it is necessary. If God’s people do not hear and understand the whole Bible, how are they to have a rich and complete understanding of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ? They cannot. Preachers should make every effort to equip their flocks with the best possible understanding of God and His Word.

However, Patrick and Reid are realistic. They understand that it truly may be impossible for one preacher to preach the entire Bible to a single congregation. Given how preachers tend to not stay at one church for thirty-five year stretches, it is highly unlikely that one preacher will have the opportunity to preach the whole Bible to a single congregation. However, this does not mean that a great effort cannot be made.

When a pastor begins ministry to a congregation, he should make every effort to see what has been preached to this congregation over the last ten years or so. Then, the pastor can see what has been taught to this congregation and ensure that they can hear and be taught Scripture that will be new and enriching. Patrick and Reid make a great point here. If you are a preacher and you are deciding what to preach next, while it may be helpful and even fruitful to preach through Romans for the third time in ten years, it will be even more fruitful to preach through Isaiah if the if it has never been taught to this congregation. That is because they will be exposed to new truths about God and His Word, rather than simply hearing the same ones packaged in a different way.

Patrick and Reid take the preaching of the Word seriously, and I am thankful for their passion and their drive to see Christians across the world hear and learn God’s Word in its entirety. Anyone who preaches or has an interest in preaching ought to read this book and consider how an effort can be made to teach the entire Bible. Even if one does not complete this task over one’s career, it is better to strive for a great and noble goal than simply settle for what is within one’s comfort zone. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

"So we would also like to leave you with Jesus’s charge as well as Paul’s commitment: feed his lambs, and do not shrink from declaring to them the whole counsel of God" (p. 227).

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Crossway for the purpose of this review.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I am passionately from a topical preaching tradition, for those who are within a similar tradition, the usefulness of this book is reduced not removed and would have a three star rating. The four star rating is for those within an expository tradition or those evaluating the expository style for their ministry. Expository preaching in this review, refers to preaching that preaches verse by verse through books of the bible.

This is a great book, thoroughly practical and with some introductory material as well as references when they reach the edge of the scope for their book. Introductory material predominantly defines three types of theology and their application within preaching. Practical concerns pervade the book which can be seen in the following ways: the authors actively provide solutions to deficits in expository preaching and hold topical preaching as legitimate but that expository is more in line with their theology; they combat problems applicable across traditions such as preaching for the internet rather than for a specific congregation and preaching for fame rather than for your congregation, among others. Whenever they introduce a new process for planning, they walk the readers through it to make sure that it's understood. Additionally, rather than solely focussing on planning for preaching, they point to specialist resources to ensure the book remains focussed and include a few ideas to begin revitalising planning. There's a chapter directed towards preachers personally so that their focus is on their life as well as their ministry. Their practical experience tempers any possibility of presenting a universal solution, ensuring that what is presented is a general approach to guide leaders to plan for their particular situation.

One of the issues they confront is the unity  between different ministries within a church, which they suggest to ensure by setting the scripture consistently across ministries. Additionally, they address concerns about content which they believe wouldn't be appropriate for children and youth ministries, although I don't believe that they do so sufficiently. Their thrust that the central event of the cross should be taught to children is important but the application of this to all passages is not well defended considering the biologically anchored poetry from Song of Songs and the explicit imagery of spiritual adultery, particularly in the prophets.

A concern I have with this book that I haven't observed in my other reading is the suggestion to not preach texts that aren't included in the earliest manuscripts. These include extended endings to Mark, the story of the woman caught in adultery from John and sweating blood from Luke. The omissions of the first two, especially when preaching through a gospel, would be quite clear and disconcerting.

On top of its application for expository preaching, there is some helpful information for bible reading and topical preachers can duplicate some of the application. For example, the authors' concern that certain sections of the Bible, in particular the Old Testament, minor prophets or Petrine epistles aren't preached as equally as other sections can be planned for within a topical preaching framework just as it can be within an exegetical framework. Depending on the quality of the figures, which were unfortunately omitted from the review copy provided, they may also be applicable to topical preachers. Topical preachers will additionally be challenged to ensure that their preaching doesn't amplify themes but covers them as evenly as scripture does, and doesn't find themes in the text where it isn't present.

 

I was provided a digital copy of the book through NetGalley, but all thoughts included are my own.

[Mark Drinnenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a call for preachers to teach the entire Bible to their congregations. I thought the best part of the book was in the first half where the authors lay out the biblical justification for making such a call. Their love and respect for the Word of God is evident.

Having made their case, they proceed with the more practical section of the book. Without giving away too much, their plan calls for a long term commitment to pursuing the preaching of the entire Word over the many years it would take to do such a thing. Rather than preaching through one Bible book followed by another book and another etc., they encourage preaching from all of the Bible’s major sections/genres each year. This results in a pastor being partially done with several books at once. In time, each book gets fully preached, all while the congregation is getting lengthy portions of the different literary styles in the Bible each year.

This system requires a large amount of planning, and the authors explain ways to do this, offering sample preaching plans to help understand the process. If you are a fly- by-the-seat-of-your-pants personality (as I can sometimes be) this may sound overwhelming, but it might be worth reading the book to see if this plan might help your series preparation, or at least spark some ideas of how some form of more formal organization might be beneficial to you.

The book lays out a very ambitious plan, inspired by the value of Scripture as God’s Word and the example of Paul in declaring the whole counsel of God to the Ephesian church.

[Kenson Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The preaching of the Word of God is one of the noblest tasks and one that requires more responsibility. We live in an age in which many Christian communities do not receive a healthy and good exposition of the Scriptures, due to various factors.

"The Whole Counsel of God" is a book that tries to be of help to experienced preachers like those who are just beginning. The authors' objective could be summarized as follows: Provide biblical foundations for preaching, provide ideas for the elaboration of sermons or sermon series, and finally, establish some pastoral guidelines regarding preaching.

This book is not a "how to lecture twenty-four hours" or to facilitate the homiletical process. No, the focus is to inspire the preacher to expose all of God's counsel. The authors say: "The Bible is God's means of communicating to all people the fixed things he wants all to hear" and "A full view of Jesus comes only from a full examination of the testimony to him in all of the Scriptures Moreover, a full view of how to think about and live the Christian life also comes only from a full examination of all the texts of Scripture"

Finally, the authors offer us good examples of how to make sermon series. Which I thought was wonderful. Truly a very good book about preaching.

[Bryan Yue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my review on the book: The Whole Counsel of God: Why and How to Preach the Entire Bible by Tim Patrick, Andrew Reid.

This book is suitable for someone or for a preaching ministry who is planning or evaluating their preaching schedule in order to serve the congregation a balanced portion of the Bible throughout a yearly cycle for the long term so that the whole counsel of God is preached. The authors suggested that this is possible and can be done in a period of 35 years.

This book offers encouragement to preach every part of the Bible and not just your favorites. It also provides concrete methods and preaching outline on how to do that.

The book is divided into 3 parts: The Importance of Preaching the Whole Bible, How To Preach the Whole Bible, and Practical and Pastoral Implications. Overall, this book is helpful for anyone who is currently preaching, or planning to preach regularly. In a systematic way to feed the congregation a balanced intake of the Word of God through the pulpit.

Crossway has provided a complimentary copy of this book through the Blog Review Program.

[Mike Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors challenge pastors to challenge themselves to preach through the entire Bible, at a paragraph level, over the course of 35 years. The rest of the book unpacks why that should be the focus of a pastoral preaching ministry and some detailed suggestions as to how to accomplish it.

The book shines in making the case that pastors, even ones that preach expository sermons, often ignore large portions of the Bible. It challenged me to consider preaching a variety of genres in my expositional series to teach my congregation that all of Scripture is profitable. The author also makes an interesting point to encourage pastors to balance out their annual preaching programs this way and diversify the material they preach over the course of the year, even if that means taking a break from a series or two and coming back later.

But the book is also filled with a lot of other thoughts. Some of which are good, and some of which are hardly related to the subject at hand. I came to this book wanting strictly a nuts-and-bolts guidebook to shape my preaching ministry, and found it to be that about 70% of the time.

All in all, it was helpful in shaping my preaching philosophy.

[Daniel Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow.

One of the most unique, compelling, and practical books on preaching I’ve ever read. I didn’t agree with every suggestion, but it has increased my resolve to preach through the entire Bible, God willing, over the course my ministry.

As preachers, have we unintentionally communicated to our congregations that some parts of the Bible just aren’t important because we never preach from them?

This book is worthy of being read.

It challenges us to put our beliefs to practice.

Yes, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for the church.

Yes, God’s Word is perfect and without error in every part.

Now, let’s put those beliefs into practice by preaching the whole counsel of God.

Let’s give our people every good Word that God has spoken.

[Mark D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not what I expected. However, I am thankful that I read it. In this book, the author challenges the pastor to preach the whole counsel of God. What he means by preaching the whole counsel of God is to preach every book in the bible. He lays out a plan to do just that. This book is a challenge to every pastor to consider the content of their preaching, and to think about the preaching schedule. If you have never considr preaching every verse of the bible, or if you currently have a plan to do so, this book will be a help to you. The author adds charts and calenders to help a pastor think through how he is feeding his sheep the whole counsel of God.

[Gene · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to books on expository preaching, The Whole Counsel of God should be one of the books on your reading list. The authors pack a lot of insight and experience into about 250 pages, and they include practical resources like a suggested preaching calendar. This is a book I can recommend for seminary students, pastors young and old, and Bible teachers in pretty much any capacity. I found it to be informative, insightful and bringing conviction to expository preaching.

*My thanks to Crossway for allowing me to receive a digital form of this book for review.

[Adam Joyner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book, incredibly encouraging, challenging, and instructive. As pastors we often claim that all of Scripture is vital and yet so much of our preaching reflects favoritism/preference toward select passages throughout Scripture. Patrick and Reid set out a very Biblically based argument and framework for pastors to truly work through preaching the "whole counsel of God." While I may not agree with everything they said, or would implement every idea they suggest, this book has helped shape my preaching in the future.

[Mike Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The evangelical world has no shortage of preaching books. Many are profitable and should be consulted early and often in one’s preaching ministry. Upon receiving The Whole Counsel of God: How to Preach the Entire Bible by Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid, I guessed that I would be reading much the same as I had in other conservative, evangelical preaching texts. I settled in, expecting a good defense of good preaching. However, what I read was completely different than my expectations.

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While Patrick and Reid do spend a good amount of time defending the necessity of expository preaching, the crux of the book is that “vocational preachers should work to preach the entire Bible to their congregations.” Instead of offering a defense of preaching, Patrick and Reid are seeking to reform the actual preaching program of a church. The occasion for the book arises out of a biblically-parched evangelical landscape, in which many preachers and preaching programs avoid preaching many sections of Scripture. The diagnosing question is this: “How can people know the fullness of God’s word unless it is constantly held up before them and systematically explained to them?” The authors seek to propagate a system that will challenge vocational preachers to “set themselves the goal of preaching through the entire Bible over a thirty-five year period.”

Part One of The Whole Counsel of God lays out the importance of preaching the whole Bible. The authors seek to define “preaching” according to what the Bible says about preaching. They also give a helpful, concise introduction to the canon of Scripture, which functions as a good refresher for the seminary-trained preacher. The third chapter of Part One is extremely helpful. In it, the authors give several examples of what it looks like to not preach the whole Bible. These are helpful descriptions, and widespread throughout our churches. The chapter closes with some consequences of not preaching the whole Bible. Again, these consequences need to be studied by preachers, as they are probably seeing these things in their churches.

If Part One is theoretical in nature, Part Two is supposed to be a practical approach. However, as I was reading, I thought Part Two to include too much theoretical material. The authors include a long-ish theological introduction, which seems a bit random. Chapters six, seven, and eight finally begin to unpack the big picture of planning to preach the whole Bible. The authors lay out their plan with several helpful diagrams and charts showing the divisions in the Bible and in each section of the Old and New Testaments. They show the vocational preacher how to plan, calendar, divide, and map out the preaching program, with a balance of each section of Scripture.

The final part of The Whole Counsel of God gives pastoral considerations to the whole-Bible approach to preaching. The authors give sound advice on how to keep the Word central in worship services, integrating other ministries with preaching, how to handle disruptions in the preaching program, and how to grow as a preacher.

The Whole Counsel of God is a strong book with a notable contribution to the preaching text landscape. I enjoyed reading the book and especially was helped by the charts and graphs. While the execution and practical considerations could have been stronger, I think Patrick and Reid lay out a good foundation for a new kind of preaching manual that others will find valuable. Preachers embarking on the (hopefully) long path of vocational preaching ministry should consult this book and seek to preach the whole Bible in their preaching ministry.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Crossway through their Blogger Review Program.

[Pastor Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Preaching Plan that makes sense

A wonderful aid for both seasoned and newer pastors for developing a preaching plan that encompasses the entirety of Scripture. The author makes a strong case for the centrality and necessity for the Word of God to be both the starting point and the primary focal point of the ministry of the church and it's pastor.

[Seth Channell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've struggled with how to approach preaching through larger books of the Bible because I didn't want to preach from the same book for 2-4 years. This book provides a helpful theological and practical vision for how to preach the entire Bible, without staying in one book for too long.

[Mark Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great preaching book on how to systematically work through preaching through all the Bible