Honing the Congregation to Be Attentive to Expository Preaching at First Baptist Church New Lebanon, Ohio

Abstract

This project equipped congregants at First Baptist Church, New Lebanon, Ohio to be attentive to expository preaching by implementing six simple biblical methods to listen better. Chapter 1 introduces the history and ministry context of First Baptist Church. Chapter 2 exegetes four passages of Scripture (Neh 8:1-12; Acts 16:14; Luke 24:25-45; Acts 8:4-11) to demonstrate (1) the importance and result of hearing God’s Word preached and (2) the need for listeners to rely on God for both the message and the grace to understand the message. Chapter 3 examines the doctrine, importance, and methods of expository listening from the preaching and teaching of history. Chapter 4 describes the project and recounts the way in which the project was administered and compiled. Chapter 5 evaluates the results of the project with respect to the stated goals. The end goal of this project was to hone the congregation at First Baptist Church to be attentive to the preaching of the Word in order to be motivated to strive for the upward call they have in Christ Jesus as responsible and fruitful Christ-followers.