Ian Healy believed that one aspect of Shane Warne’s genius was that he always looked for feedback and who better to give it than his wicketkeeper, Healy.
The Trust makes available preaching mentors, men and women who have had many years of preaching and training experience to give feedback on preaching.
Mentors are available free of charge on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis.
Comments from mentees:
‘…mentoring is the hour each week when I slow down and sharpen the saw. I want to make sure I keep growing sharper in my preparation rather than getting dull over time’.
‘Preaching mentoring is one of the most valuable things I receive, I am a teacher of God’s people, as I am mentored, I have the privilege of being a learner myself’.
One of our mentors, Jenny Salt, adds her encouragement:
Preaching and Mentoring
Every now and then, a quote comes along that sticks with you—something that captures the reality of ministry in a way that resonates deeply. For me, one of those quotes came from John Chapman, who famously said:
“The first … years are the hardest.”
The first time I heard him say, “The first 20 years are the hardest,” I was stunned. Here was someone with such a reputation admitting that ministry was hard! I found it both refreshing and encouraging! Then I heard him say 25 years… then 30… then 35 and so on. That’s when it hit me (I’m a slow learner): for Chappo, every year of ministry was hard.
In other words, ministry is hard.
And preaching? That’s no exception. Sure, it might feel a little easier over time, but the struggle remains—approaching the text, wrestling to understand it, explaining it clearly, and applying it faithfully to the people God has entrusted to us.
So here’s the question:
How do we stay sharp as preachers?
How do we keep expounding God’s Word faithfully and clearly year after year? Or, to put it bluntly, how do we avoid getting lazy, stuck in a rut, or slipping into bad habits?
Feedback helps—but let’s be honest, most of the feedback we get sounds like:
“Thank you very much!”
Nice? Yes. Helpful? Not really.
One Solution: Preaching Mentoring
Mentoring is simply meeting with someone like-minded who encourages you to grow in Christlikeness. It can take many forms, but when it comes to preaching, mentoring zeroes in on the sermon and the preacher—with one goal:
Helping preachers grow in their ability to faithfully and clearly expound God’s Word.
In a mentoring session, the conversation might include questions like:
- Exegesis: Did the preacher identify the central idea (i.e. “subject”) of the passage? Was each part explained with enough depth?
- Structure: Was the sermon’s structure clear and true to the text?
- Application: Was the passage applied in concrete ways that reflect both the text and the hearers?
- Delivery: Did the preacher engage the congregation in a way that strengthened the message?
Mentoring also exposes us to different perspectives and styles. Every mentor brings unique strengths—and can be a helpful corrective to an approach of “one style fits all” preaching.
To quote Chappo, “The first 35 years (in my case) are the hardest.”
But here’s the good news: amid the challenges, there are like-minded mentors who will walk alongside us, encouraging us to think deeply about preaching and helping us grow. Yes, preaching can be challenging —but it’s also a joy. The privilege of opening God’s Word, seeing people grasp the gospel, and watching them grow in grace? That’s worth every “hard” year.
Jenny Salt
In 2026 if you would like to have a mentor use the Contact Form at the Trust’s website
We are glad to provide this resource.
David Cook.