The Center for Pastor Theologians Journal
The Center for Pastor Theologians Journal (formerly the Bulletin of Ecclesial Theology) is published bi-annually by the Center for Pastor Theologians. The essays contained within the CPTJ are drawn from the papers presented at the Center’s theological symposia for pastors. As such, each volume of the CPTJ focuses on a single theological theme relevant to ministry and the life of the church. Spanning a wide ministry context (rural, urban, small church, mega church) and the breadth of evangelical denominational affiliations (Baptist, Anglican, Wesleyan, Reformed, Lutheran, Independent, etc.), the majority of our contributors are evangelical theologians and scholars whose primary vocation is pastoral ministry. It is our aim that the CPTJ models robust ecclesial theology — theology that is born out of a parish context and driven by parish questions and concerns.
Views of the contributors are their own, and not necessarily endorsed by the editorial staff or the Center. The CPTJ does not accept essay contributions outside the Center’s four pastoral fellowships.
Print editions of the CPTJ are available for purchase at GlossaHouse and on Amazon. Free digital downloads of CPTJ essays are available below. Indexing available in Christian Periodical Index, owned by the Association of Christian Librarians and produced by EBSCOHost.
Current Volume
Essays on a theology of the word
Volume 12.2 | 2025
Renewing evangelicalism requires faithful preaching of the word. Though evangelicalism centers the sermon, it does not have a robust theology of preaching. Because of this, non-theologically driven methods often shape the church’s preaching, resulting in preaching that is formed by techniques borrowed from the culture.
Our response to this is to cast a vision for a more robust theological account of preaching for evangelicalism that is rooted in the doctrines of the Word, the Spirit, and the Church. The essays in this volume arise from the reflections of our community on a theology of the Word and preaching. Through these reflections, three themes have taken on central importance in our thinking. First, the Word of God is always God’s Word. God is the initiator of his Word; God ever remains the Lord of his Word and is therefore the proclaimer of his Word. God sends his Word, and he never gives that Word over to humans for us to possess and make our own. Second, the preacher, before being a preacher, is a hearer of God’s Word. If preachers are to be faithful proclaimers, they must only proclaim what they have first heard, submitting to what they hear and humbly offering what they’ve heard to the church. Third, the church also is a hearer of the Word. Christian formation, individually and as a community, occurs under the hearing of the Word of God as confronts his people, calls them to obedience, and comforts them by his presence.
