View from the Pulpit
View From the Pulpit: Exploring the Heart of Expository Preaching
Discover why expository preaching is central to the life and health of every church with Pastor Ben Smith. Each episode features conversations with pastors, church leaders, and members, exploring the role of expository preaching, the work of preparing and delivering sermons, and the impact of faithful preaching on the congregation.
This podcast is about preaching—but it’s not just for preachers. Whether you sit behind the pulpit or in the pew, View From the Pulpit will help you understand why expository preaching is vital to the church and how it strengthens the faith of every believer.
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Episode 34: A Conversation with Dr. Danny Cochran
Episode 34 of the "View from the Pulpit” podcast, hosted by Ben Smith, with guest Dr. Danny Cochran. In this episode of View From the Pulpit, Pastor Ben Smith sits down with Dr. Danny Cochran, longtime pastor, author, and former editor of The Christian Index. Together, they reflect on Dr. Cochran’s decades of ministry, the lessons learned along the way, and the challenges facing churches today.
From his early call to ministry to his leadership in preaching, writing, and denominational life, Dr. Cochran shares wisdom, encouragement, and a pastor’s heart for serving God’s people faithfully. He also offers a perspective on how pastors can navigate cultural change while staying anchored in biblical truth.
Episode 32: A Conversation with Dr. Jerry Vines
In this episode of “View From the Pulpit”, host Ben Smith talks with Dr. Jerry Vines, who is often credited with "literally writing the book on expository preaching". Dr. Vines recounts his personal journey from topical preaching in his early ministry to embracing expository preaching and how this shift transformed his approach to teaching God's Word. He shares his three-step sermon preparation process—investigation, interpretation, and application—and discusses the importance of "passion-driven preaching" where the preacher's emotion reflects the passage's pathos. Throughout the conversation, Dr. Vines offers profound wisdom for young and seasoned pastors alike, emphasizing the primacy of preaching and the necessity of a strong devotional life.
Episode 31: A Conversation with Brad Waters
In this episode of “View From the Pulpit”, host Ben Smith talks with Brad Waters, pastor of First Baptist Church, Hazlehurst, GA, about preaching the transformative power of the Gospel, driven by an urgent love for lost souls. Waters shares his unique approach to the pulpit, heavily influenced by his early exposure to "camp meeting" style preaching. The conversation explores Brad’s commitment to making every message an invitation for decision.
Episode 30: A Conversation with Dr. Heath Lambert
Episode 30 of the "View from the Pulpit” podcast, hosted by Ben Smith, with guest Dr. Heath Lambert, pastor of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL. In this episode, Dr. Heath Lambert reflects on the unique experience of pastoring First Baptist Church, which boasts a remarkable, nearly 100-year history of strong, expository preaching. He shares how he navigates the significant legacy of his predecessors, embracing God's unique plan for his own ministry rather than attempting to replicate others.
Dr. Lambert delves into the intensely challenging period of leading his church through a major transition, which he also chronicled in his podcast "What Happened at First Baptist". He details his unwavering commitment to protecting the pulpit during this time, ensuring that sermons remained faithful to the biblical text despite immense personal and congregational pressures, including his own health crises. He shares powerful testimonies of God's grace and encouragement that sustained him and his family through these trials. The conversation touches on the distinction between faithfulness and fruitfulness in ministry, especially when dealing with declining attendance, and how God uses difficult seasons to refine and strengthen the church.
Episode 14: A Conversation with Clint Pressley
In this episode of “View from the Pulpit,” host Ben Smith talks with Clint Pressley, senior pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC, and the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, on how he has strived to grow continually as a preacher and how he prepares to preach each week. Pressley also discusses the state of preaching among Baptist pastors from his perspective as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Episode 3: A Conversation with Jarrod Everson
In this insightful episode of “View from the Pulpit,” host Ben Smith engages with Jarrod Everson, the pastor of Deenwood Baptist Church in Waycross, Georgia, to explore the vital role of preaching in today’s churches.
Episode 2: Introduction to View From the Pulpit: Why a podcast about preaching?
Ben Smith introduces View from the Pulpit by explaining why the church must recover a biblical understanding of preaching. Drawing from his own story, he reflects on lessons learned about conviction over education, substance over performance, and faithfulness over crowd size. In this foundational episode, Ben casts a vision for a podcast devoted to strengthening the church’s love for the faithful proclamation of God’s Word.
Introducing View from the Pulpit
Why does preaching still matter?
In this introductory episode of View From the Pulpit, Pastor Ben Smith explains the purpose of the podcast and why faithful biblical preaching remains central to the life of the church. This episode sets the foundation for thoughtful conversations about preaching—its place in worship, its responsibility to the congregation, and its role in God’s ordinary means of grace.