Deep Dive into Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon - Introduction

The Pastors' College, established by Charles Spurgeon in 1856, focuses on training fervent preachers rather than academic scholars. Since its commencement, it has educated over 350 men, with approximately 300 remaining in the Baptist ministry, in addition to providing gratuitous evening education for a larger number of men intended for roles like city missionaries or colporteurs. The College does not create preachers, but rather provides further education to brethren who have already been preaching successfully for at least two years. Ideal candidates must possess piety, zeal, established Christian character, and "gifts of utterance," and poverty is explicitly not a barrier to entry. The ultimate objective is to equip ministers to be "wise to win souls," believing literary honors are secondary, or even perilous, if they divert attention from this primary life work.

The College is committed to “the doctrines of grace and the old orthodox faith,” explicitly rejecting contemporary “theological novelties.” Its financial model relies solely on the “free-will offerings of the Lord’s people,” requiring at least £100 every week to operate. Spurgeon himself contributes money and service gratis, deriving no personal financial gain, which bolsters his appeals for support. He asserts that training God-chosen ministers confers the greatest benefit on mankind, leading to the growth of churches, schools, and philanthropic agencies.

Spurgeon’s published lectures were submitted in response to requests from former students. The lectures’ style is deliberately colloquial, anecdotal, and humorous, given at the end of the week to engage students weary from “sterner studies” like classics, mathematics, and divinity. A tutor compared this approach to "sharpening the pin," giving point and sharpness to their learning. Spurgeon includes personal experiences intentionally, viewing his life story as his "most original contribution" for enforcing practical maxims. He advocates for a ministry that is "practically shrewd" and "natural in utterance," believing that "officialism" and "old affectations" must be replaced by "truth and life" and the "granite walls of reality." The Christian ministry demands a man’s "all, and that all at its best," condemning half-hearted engagement.

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