G. Campbell Morgan—“A preacher come from God,” Part 2

^{Note: Dr. Sam Horn is host of The Word for Life radio program.}

by Dr. Sam Horn

But the point I want to make about him as a preacher is this … that we are all agreed that he was God’s gift to His Church. He surely was the supreme illustration of the fact that God always gives His gifts at the right time … When did he come upon the scene? It was immediately after those wonderful campaigns of D. L. Moody and Sankey in this country. There had been those great visitations of the Spirit. Men and women had been converted by the thousand. This great evangelistic movement had come into the whole life of the Church, and what was needed above everything else at that point was someone who could teach these converts. And “a man came from God” whose name was George Campbell Morgan; and he came at the critical moment, at the very right time when all those spiritual emotions and experiences needed to be harnessed and deepened and fostered. The evangelists had done their work; it was time for the teacher; and God sent him. —D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

His Messages

Without question, the secret to Morgan’s success as a preacher was his clear, powerful, and penetrating exposition of the Bible. He has been described as the “Prince of Expositors,” and given the preaching of his day, this description may well have been warranted. Morgan’s preaching was expositional in that he constructed sermons solidly on the text and its explanation. During his ministry at Westminster, the Sunday morning messages were a lengthy, expositional series of different books of the Bible. For example, he spent three years preaching through Matthew and two years preaching through Acts. Much of the material in his commentaries on these books was shaped by these messages. He rarely preached topical messages. However, many of his messages that are still available demonstrate that in reality, Morgan exposited the text by means of careful exegesis and then preached more of a textual message. He tended to do most of his preparation from the English text and frequently preached out of the RSV. Although he did use the original languages in his study, the primary use to which they seem to have been put was in providing word pictures for key terms in the text he was preaching. Nonetheless, his systematic verse-by-verse approach of preaching through a book of the Bible and showing its connections to the rest of Scripture was not done by many in his day and was of both interest and profit to his hearers.

His style in the pulpit was clearly didactic with strong emphasis on applying the lesson to life. His Friday evening lessons were an hour long and consisted of his outlining the book and placing the particular text in its broader context. Sometimes he outlined an entire book in one sitting. In addition to sound homiletical practice, Morgan made use of the latest technology of his day. He constructed his pulpit to accommodate a large, moving blackboard he used regularly in his Friday evening classes.

His work ethic was legendary. He rose early and studied for several hours each day. As mentioned earlier, he maintained a rigorous discipline when traveling, and much of his writing and studying was done on trains and in hotels. He read prodigiously and widely. One of the great secrets of his ministry was his secretary, Miss Winifred Howell. Early on in his ministry, he and Nancy were joined by “Winnie” who remained with them for life. She never married and traveled with the Morgans where they went. She dedicated herself to organizing and handling all the details of his ministry. She organized those who served as stenographers for his weekly sermons and handled the editing and publication details for his books. He could not have accomplished what he did without her. Although he was a born teacher, there is no question that his primary gift was in preaching. He is better described as a preacher who taught than a teacher who preached—as we can see in the following paragraph from one who heard him regularly:

Like many another, I have often asked myself what is the secret of Dr. Morgan’s preeminence and popularity as a Bible teacher? If I had to give it in one word, I think I should choose the term “dynamic”. But what are the factors which impart that distinguishing quality to his ministry? He loves the word “teacher”; but his lectures are far removed from the purely didactic. Teaching which is merely teaching may inform, but it does not inspire. And, let us make no mistake, the crowds flock to Westminster because first and foremost they find inspiration there. I agree, therefore, with the late Mrs. Herman in the opinion that Dr. Morgan is a great teacher because he is a born preacher.

His Mindset

Morgan was convinced that what the church of his age most needed was solid Bible teaching. To that end, he devoted himself to the systematic exposition of the Bible. In essence, Morgan occupied three roles in this endeavor. First, he was an exegete and gave himself to the study of the text. While one might wish for a deeper use of the original languages, Morgan must be taken in his context and evaluated in light of his opportunities. For one never having received formal theological education, this self-taught preacher gained what knowledge he had from long hours of personal Bible study. His stated practice on his sermon preparation was the following:

Two things are vital, first personal, first-hand work on the text, and then all scholarly aids obtainable. I never take down a commentary until I have done the first-hand work and have made my outline. To turn to commentaries first is to create a second-hand mentality. I speak freely, from a brief most carefully prepared.

Second, he occupied the role of an expositor and labored to reveal the text in his preaching. He preached systematically and practically. Normally his messages exceeded 50 minutes in length. Although his sermons were deeply biblical, they were more than simply explanation of the text. The explanation had a purpose, and that was to produce life change in the hearer. Therefore, his messages were intentionally application-oriented and were not just exegetical lectures. As his biographer stated,

Certainly he considered the preaching and teaching of the Word of vital importance, but he constantly reminded students that “the teaching of the Bible is a means to an end and not an end in itself.” The wisdom of the sacred writings must ever lead the way “unto salvation” and into service, evangelism, and then activity for Christ must be the goal of all Bible preaching and teaching.

The third role he occupied was that of educator. Morgan understood the value of teaching the text to others who could themselves preach or teach it to others. His Friday evening classes were filled with individuals, many of whom did not attend Westminster Bible Chapel but were preachers or teachers to other congregations. He consistently found ways to minister and teach preachers how to understand and interpret the Bible. His commentaries on the Minor Prophets and on Jeremiah are examples of how valuable this material was to preachers of his day who had precious little material on these books available to them. Likewise, his commitment to teach on the faculty of three different colleges during his life was driven by his vision to train another generation of young people. The material he presented in his preaching classes eventually became his book entitled Preaching. His basic premise was that expository preaching needed to be grounded in the truth of Scripture—it needed to be biblical. Good preaching also demanded clarity. Clarity in a message was achieved by unifying the message around a single theme or proposition, ordering and arranging that theme in logical and understandable divisions, and making clear progress toward a specific goal throughout the delivery process. Third, good preaching demanded passion. A good message wonderfully prepared was greatly weakened by poor or listless delivery. This simple method helped scores of preachers and ministerial students become better preachers.

His Method

Morgan developed and practiced an approach to sermon preparation that was taught to this reviewer in a homiletics course taught by Dr. Mark Minnick, pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church (Greenville, SC). The method consists of four stages that occupy the preparatory process in a fashion that is logically consecutive but in actual practice may occur simultaneously.

First, the exegete engages in the Survey stage. Here he is looking to discern the overall theme of the passage. In order to do so, he reads the text repeatedly. This reading of the preaching text is accompanied and often preceded by a repeated reading of the book in which the passage occurs. Dr. Morgan reportedly would not work on a preaching text until he had read the book where it was located at least 50 times in one sitting. While this may be a ministerial legend, he did comment on having read Exodus 40 times in one sitting before preparing his exegesis.

Having determined the theme, the next stage is the Condense stage. The goal in this stage is to condense the preaching passage to the primary statements that develop the theme. In essence, this stage is discovering the main points of the passage and is done by analysis and by examining the structure and flow of the sentences that comprise the paragraph. By the end of the process, the expositor has identified the theme and major divisions of the passage.

The Expand stage follows. In this stage, the exegete seeks to discover how each of the major lines or main divisions is developed by the text. What does the text say about each of the major divisions, and how are they developed? At the end of this stage, the expositor has discovered the theme, the major propositions or main points the passage is making about that theme, and the specific sub-statements that develop each major division of the theme.

The final step is the Dissect stage. Here the expositor examines every term and image in the context looking for information that might be useful in helping to add detail to the theme, main points, and sub-points developed in the prior stages. At the end of this process, the expositor has all the exegetical materials from which to construct his sermon. At this point, Morgan would consult commentaries to answer questions he still had about the text, to verify his conclusions, and to add ideas that perhaps had not occurred to him in the process.

Lessons from His Legacy

Morgan’s ministry contains many valuable lessons for contemporary Bible expositors. First, his life reminds us that failure is a part of God’s plan for those He chooses to use in great ways. Morgan never forgot the pain of being rejected by the Methodist ordination board. However, this failure caused him to determine to depend on God alone rather than on men for approval. He learned that men and situations are not always as they first appear. Furthermore, his life demonstrates that what initially may seem hopeless and useless may, in fact, become a powerful tool in God’s hand. This belief may explain in part Morgan’s tendency to choose or invest in opportunities that to others seemed hopeless or to see potential where others saw none. More than once, he envisioned the full potential of an opportunity and by the sheer force of his vision and faith compelled others to follow. In almost every case, great blessing and accomplishment resulted.

Second, his life reminds us that the minister must be first partaker of his vision. In every case where Morgan engaged in ministry that demanded sacrifice, Morgan led the way. He personally contributed large sums of his own money to every building project he initiated. He personally involved himself in the organization and oversight of every conference at Mundesley, even the last one at the end of his life. Morgan led by example, and his congregation willingly followed.

Third, Morgan’s ministry reminds us that great success is often accompanied by personal hardship and suffering. The loss of his daughter remained with Morgan throughout his ministry; yet it gave great power to his preaching, as seen in his commentaries where this event is referenced. His first ministry at Stone as well as the ministry at Cincinnati were difficult, yet they were an important part of God’s wonderful appointment for Morgan. Morgan had a saying that is worth repeating here— “Disappointment; His appointment.”

Fourth, Morgan compels us to study. The secret to his ministry in many ways was hard work. No amount of books, seminars, and resources can compensate for a poor work ethic. Morgan disciplined himself to study in the midst of a busy travel schedule and heavy administrative duties. Yet he took advantage of every moment and left a legacy born out of his study.

Fifth, Morgan demonstrates the value and necessity of team ministry. From his first days at Westminster, Morgan always had a consummate assistant in the work. His personal secretary stayed with him for over forty years. He chose Albert Swift and then Arthur Marsh as assistants. Later, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones came as his assistant first and then as his successor. This shared leadership allowed him to keep abreast of the work and cast the vision or initiate the work and then turn over its organization, development, and administration to others who served with him. His participation from then on was largely motivational and in the preaching/teaching parts.

Sixth, Morgan reminds us to cultivate deep friendships in ministry. Morgan initially met many of his friends during his itinerant ministry. He had a wonderful friendship with Gypsy Smith and named one of his sons after D. L. Moody. His friendships were deep and loyal as demonstrated in the BIOLA episode. Furthermore, his friendships crossed denominational lines, and he invited his friends to share in his ministry. This methodology was particularly true at Mundesley-by-the-sea. Each year the conference was held, the speakers were Morgan’s friends. He never forgot a friendship and never hesitated to cultivate a relationship by some unexpected act of kindness or generosity.

Seventh, Morgan encourages us that busy ministry does not preclude raising a godly family. All four of his sons saw something in their father that drew them to his call in life. All four became ministers. Space does not allow for great detail here, but two things account for this fact in addition to his godly life and prayer. First, Mrs. Morgan. Second, his constant and unbounded joy in the presence of his children. They were a true delight to him, and he was never happier than when he was with them.

Eighth, Morgan demonstrates the power of a pure and committed life. Morgan learned this lesson early on in marriage. Shortly after moving into their first home, Morgan invited his father for a visit. Upon completing the tour of the little home, Morgan’s dad observed that while it was lovely, there was nothing in the home that would indicate that anything but a moral person lived there—no one would have concluded by looking at where they lived that these moral people were believers. Morgan never forgot that lesson, and his life, his personal habits, and his home were always testimonies for Christ. This belief may explain in part his decision to wear the clerical collar in public during the week. He wanted to be clearly identified for what and who he was.

Ninth, Morgan teaches us the value of teaching teachers. His ministry expanded exponentially through the legacy he left for other expositors. Hundreds of teachers were trained in his evening Bible classes. Thousands taught their students and congregations the outlines they first learned from his blackboard. His books and commentaries are still in print today and have been used to great profit by expositors for more than six decades. Morgan saw beyond his parish and even beyond his times. And because he did, his ministry and legacy continue to bear great fruit, even though he has gone on ahead to his reward.

Tenth, Morgan is a testimony to the life-giving power of expository preaching. In an age where expository preaching is almost nonexistent and those who preach it are considered out of step with the culture, Morgan reminds us that the true need of the church is not for some new method or scheme to get more people to attend, but rather for the plain and powerful teaching of the Scriptures.

These are evil days. It is the age of rush, of movement, of effort. The old sacred art of contemplation and meditation is almost dead. It is the age when men and women are trying to live even within the Church by dissipating and exciting forms of so called religious services. The old solemn hours of quiet loneliness with God that made the saints of the past are almost unknown. We are carried up and borne forward before we know it on the characteristics of the time. When men and women come to me as they do sometimes and say we need in the Church to catch the spirit of the age and keep level with it, I say in God’s name, No! What we need is to be led by the Spirit of God, and that will send us against the spirit of the age and never along with it.

Morgan spoke these words in 1900 at one of the first conferences at Mundesley. His answer to the evil days was to preach the word clearly, expositionally, and exclusively. May the Lord raise up such preachers in our times.

Dr. Sam Horn is pastor/teacher at Brookside Baptist Church (Brookfield, WI). He received a B.A. in Bible, M.A. in Bible, and Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation from Bob Jones University (Greenville, SC). In 1996, Dr. Horn joined the administration of Northland Baptist Bible College (Dunbar, WI) and serves as vice president for ministerial training. While at BJU, he served as faculty member and director of extended education. He is an experienced pastor, conference speaker, and board member of several Christian organizations. He and his wife, Beth, have two children. This article is reprinted by permission of Brookside Baptist Church.