Episode 16: A Conversation with Wayne Woods

Episode 16 of the "View from the Pulpit” podcast, hosted by Ben Smith, focuses on the call of God to the ministry of preaching with Wayne Woods, pastor of Ten Mile Baptist Church, Alma, GA. In this episode, Woods shares his story of how God called him to the ministry after a career in the Navy, his understanding of the entire sermon being a gospel invitation, and how he employs an expositional approach to preaching in his church context.

Show Notes: “View from the Pulpit” Podcast, Episode 16: A Conversation with Wayne Woods

Episode Theme: A preacher’s preparation and the role of preaching in the church

In this episode of “View from the Pulpit,” host Ben Smith talks with Wayne Woods, pastor of Ten Mile Baptist Church in Alma, GA, about how God called him to the ministry, how he learned to preach, and the relationship between preaching and pastoral care.

Key Highlights:

• Call to Ministry: Woods discusses how God worked in his life to call him to ministry after a full career with the United States Navy and how the maturity he entered the ministry with helped him in his pastoral work.

• Learning to Preach: Woods shares lessons he learned in seminary and beyond on how to prepare a sermon and how to preach.

• All Preaching is Invitational: Sometimes, only the final conclusion of a sermon is considered invitational to respond to the gospel. Pastor Woods shares how every part of the sermon should be an invitation to the gospel.

• Making the Gospel Clear: Pastor Woods and Ben discuss the need to be graciously bold with a clear gospel message in every context, and as the culture grows more secular, there is a growing appreciation for the true gospel.   

Join Ben Smith and Wayne Woods for a straightforward discussion of the calling of God to preach, the power of God to use His word, and the joys and sorrows of faithful ministry.

Host: Ben Smith

Guest: Wayne Woods

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

• For more information and resources from Pastor Ben Smith, visit www.BenSmithSr.org.

• Follow Ben Smith on X at https://x.com/bensmithsr.

• For more information on Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA, visit https://cbcwaycross.org/.

Other podcasts by Ben Smith:

• All For the Kingdom is a weekly podcast of pastor Ben’s preaching ministry. https://www.bensmithsr.org/bensmith-allforthekingdom

• Sermon Shorts is a podcast of sermon clips that are 5 minutes or less. https://www.bensmithsr.org/shortspod

Wayne Woods is the pastor of Ten Mile Baptist Church, Alma, GA. He has served churches in Georgia and Alabama. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Woods served as a U.S. Navy pilot flying P3 Orion sub-hunters. After retiring from the Navy and working a few years in the private sector, Woods felt called of God to the ministry. On an Easter Sunday, Woods said yes to God and immediately made plans to begin his seminary studies at Mid-America Baptist Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee.

Wayne and his wife, June, have two adult children.

For more information on Ten Mile Baptist Church, Alma, GA, visit https://tenmilebaptist.com/

You can find videos of Wayne Woods’s preaching at the Facebook page of Ten Mile  Baptist Church https://www.facebook.com/tenmile.baptist

A special thanks to Jim Gibson for permission to use his recording of “Brethren We Have Met to Worship” for this podcast. You can find more information about Jim Gibson’s music and many other recordings at https://www.hickorycovemusic.com/.  

Music by Jim Gibson. “Brethren We have Met to Worship.” Songs of the South III, @2003 Hickory Cove Music.