After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” He said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15 NIV).

As soon as Jesus was baptized by John the Baptizer, He immediately set out on His mission to proclaim “the good news of God.” He was sent by God to announce the kingdom and call people to repentance and faith.

You may be reading this because the Lord has sent you on the same mission to proclaim “the good news of God.” Maybe you have been proclaiming the good news for many years.

And you need some help.
Support.
Encouragement.
Motivation.

The Master Preacher is written for you. The Friends Preaching Initiative at Barclay College in Haviland, Kansas, was born out of a Lilly grant awarded in 2024 to study the current state of preaching among evangelical Friends in America. We want to offer support, encouragement, and
Spirit-led motivation to active preachers in the Friends Church.

You are invited to EXPLORE Friends preaching and vocal ministry through The Master Preacher. The blog will be posted every other week to access at your convenience.

The Master Preacher offers Friends preachers a resource for “Learning from Jesus,” who is the Master Preacher. That’s the aim. Several other aims come into focus. The Master Preacher will:

• • • • REVISIT Jesus’ teaching and preaching to learn from the Master.
      • INTERPRET and APPLY common homiletical principles while considering Jesus’ teaching.
      • CONNECT historical Friends’ thoughts on preaching and vocal ministry to contemporary needs
        and practices. 
      • ANALYZE and EVALUATE current practices and habits.
      • HEAR from Friends preachers, past and present.
      • DEVELOP effective, Biblically informed communication habits.

Join us at The Master Preacher.

ABOUT

Jeff Blackburn has been proclaiming Christ for over 43 years. He served Friends congregations in Indiana and Kansas. His most recent pastoral assignment was with Greensburg Mennonite Church, Greensburg, Kansas, where he enjoyed nearly 30 years of ministry before being called to coordinate the Friends Preaching Initiative in 2024. He works with aspiring preachers and ministry students on campus, often preaches in churches in the region. He developed three new courses for a preaching certificate offered through Barclay College, and he created a preaching lab for Barclay students to work on their communication skills.

Jeff grew up in small-town Indiana, attending Quaker Haven Camp every summer before counseling and directing camps. He is a graduate of Barclay College and Huntington University. He wrote for Adult Friend and The Fruit of the Vine (Barclay Press, Newberg, Oregon) for many years. Jeff enjoys music and singing, although he can’t read music very well. He continues to serve as the moderator for local schools’ spelling bees.

Jeff has written one book, Light at the End of the Funnel (Amazon, 2017) recounting the experience of surviving an EF5 tornado that devastated his town in 2007. He and his wife live in Greensburg where they are near enough to play with their grandchildren on a regular basis. The Lord put it in his heart to help train the next wave of preachers and to encourage active ministers to “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2).