Our first experience with a preaching camp (in 2009) brought to our attention the power of peer coaching. We had provided seasoned coaches for all of the young preachers and we also brought to the camp a different speaker each day.
But by far the most powerful element of that camp was the influence and inspiration that each of these young preachers exerted upon the other young preachers at the camp. Long after we old preachers went to bed these young preachers stayed awake advising, coaching, helping, mentoring and inspiring one another as they prepared to preach the next morning. We expect the same sort of dynamic at all three preaching camps this year.
This past week I experienced again the power of peer mentoring. I traveled to Birmingham Alabama to meet with 6 other preachers with whom I have been meeting for almost 20 years. We are all Baptists; we are all preachers; and we are all teachers, some full time and others of us part time. We spend 48 hours together, most talking and eating; but because it is March, we also watched a little basketball (Kentucky and Alabama) and played a little basketball.
But mostly we talked and listened. We shared stories from life, family, church, and school. We talked about the challenges we faced as well as the opportunities. Over 2 decades we have shared the normal spectrum of life experiences: hiring and firing, children and grandchildren, success and failure, faith and doubt, life and death.
One year ago, Philip Wise died. He was in many ways the power and personality of our peer group. He was diagnosed in May of 2008 and died in March of 2009. He was 60 years old. We missed him terribly as we gathered in Birmingham.
But during our gathering we presented to his widow, Cynthia, the first copy of our book of essays, written with Philip and dedicated to his memory. It is called, FOR FAITH AND FRIENDSHIP. Each of us, and a few others who could not make this 2010 gathering, wrote chapters reflecting on our work as ministers and our experience as friends. My chapter is entitled, “On Meeting Again an Old Friend: Reading C. S. Lewis After 30 Years.”
I have a few copies of the book and we are selling them for $12 each. I will be glad to sell you one but I tell this story mostly to raise up the importance of friends: ministerial friends with whom you meet to laugh and play, speak and listen, read and write, pray and hope. These men are my mentors, my coaches, my advocates, my encouragers, my friends. I hope each of you has a group of people like this. It makes life and work–including preaching–more blessed and more successful. Such a group is the grace and mercy of God.