Style Or Substance?

It will challenge and encourage gospel ministers to press on with the task of preaching Christ, embrace weakness and guard against the temptation to compromise … It will help church members to appreciate authentic ministry and resist the seductive attractions of false teachers …

In an age in which substance often gives way to style, we urgently need teaching like this, which builds convictions about the nature and power of authentic gospel ministry and spurs us to stick with it.

I warmly commend this volume to those whose privileged task it is … to proclaim ‘Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake’. (2 Cor. 4:5)

Most of my stress in ministry is because I have begun to imagine that it depends on my performance. This book has driven me back to the fundamentals and reminded me where the true power lies. It is … desperately relevant in our culture.

These expositions … are full of sane, sound, biblical instruction. I commend them highly, both as examples of faithful word ministry and as a necessary reminder that all lasting ministry will prioritize substance over style.

… a timely book! William Taylor is a skillful expositor of God’s Word and brings into the light the profile of a true Christian minister with piercing accuracy and practical application. After reading this book, you will be convinced that God’s design is to use weak, broken jars of clay by his Spirit to transform the lives of others and accomplish his divine purposes.

This book is based on sermons by William Taylor on 2 Corinthians, and, as a weak pas­tor, a weak gospel proclaimer, leading a church that is weak by the world’s standards, I found it a tremendous encouragement to ‘be confident in the “weak” min­istry of gospel proclamation’. I would recommend it to anyone in ministry. The book confronts those who seek short­cuts, or those who look to methods rather than the gospel for transformation - but it also gets under the skin of those who already agree with its major premise that substance is more important than style.

This is a readable book. It contrasts the boastful but shallow facade of Paul’s rivals at Corinth with the deeper substance of apostolic gospel ministry. It is a timely reminder that the problems at Corinth are still alive and causing as much havoc now, as then. In the words of the authors, ‘Paul is adamant that we should stick with the real thing, for only the unchanged message … will have the power to change the heart and work lasting change. Everything else is surface froth’ (p.63).

William Taylor is the minister of St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, London. Previously he was an officer in the Royal Green Jackets.David Dargue started out his training as an accountant, however has been serving Christ Church Newcastle since 2014. He is currently the minister at Christ Church, Gosforth.