Learning to Proclaim: Inside the Preaching Club

Institute students on a weekly meeting of preaching club, alongside alumna Deborah Nava (second from right). The writer of this article is far right, Elijah Lovelace.

Since I was a kid, preaching has always been something I’ve felt drawn toward. It’s a kind of service I believe I’m called to. Outside of the classroom, though, there aren’t many spaces to actually practice it—and for good reason. You can’t just grab a mic and start preaching. When people gather, they expect to hear from someone who’s been tested, not someone still figuring it out.

Because of that, I had been asking the Lord for opportunities to grow.

In the fall of 2025, I overheard our President, Jeff Sherrod, share a desire to start a club where students could regularly preach to their peers and develop in this calling. I was immediately interested. By January, the club had launched, students joined quickly, and alumna Deborah Nava stepped in to sponsor.

The vision is simple: create a space where students can grow in their ability to handle and apply Scripture through discussion, accountability, and practice. We meet weekly for about an hour—workshopping sermon ideas, learning tools, and offering feedback. Throughout the semester, students also have the opportunity to preach in chapel, putting that work into practice.

“Preaching club’s been a consistent highlight of my week,” one student shared. “It’s been a really impactful and insightful experience. Between getting to hear from experienced preachers and just sitting down to write and brainstorm with friends, I’ve already developed a lot in my ability and am excited to continue!” — Tyler Worlow

Preaching, at its core, is proclamation. It’s the act of making known the goodness of God—through words, but also through the way a life is lived. One of my hopes for this club is that we would grow not only in formal preaching, but in recognizing that proclamation happens in everyday conversations and interactions.

That idea keeps bringing me back to Romans 1:8, where Paul gives thanks because the faith of the believers in Rome is being talked about everywhere. Their lives are saying something. Their faith is visible enough to be noticed.

“I’ve appreciated having an environment where I can be kept accountable to what I say and my goals in becoming someone who can speak about the word of God.” — Esther Bargatze

That’s what makes this space meaningful. It pushes us to take seriously both what we say and how we live. Over time, those two things start to align. Growth in Scripture begins to shape instincts, responses, and desires. At times, that lived reality communicates more clearly than a sermon ever could.

This is the direction we’re heading as a club—learning to speak the Word of God, while also becoming people shaped by it.

Over the past few months, I’ve been grateful for the chance to do something I love alongside people I love. I’m especially thankful for President Jeff Sherrod and Mrs. Deborah Nava, who have invested their time into us as we learn to steward this calling. Their guidance has helped us take preaching seriously—not just as a skill, but as a responsibility.

That’s what I’ve started to realize more clearly: preaching isn’t only something you step up to do. It’s something you become over time.