What happens when a generation of preachers rises up without mentors? In this energising and deeply personal talk, Rev Raymond L. Bukenya challenges pastors and leaders to take the biblical call to mentoring preachers seriously—for the health of the church today and the sake of gospel clarity tomorrow.

Drawing from Scripture, history, and personal experience, Raymond argues that preaching mentorship is not optional—it is essential. He diagnoses why mentoring is often lacking in African church contexts, explains what faithful mentoring should look like, and calls preachers to pass on both sound doctrine and godly character.

Along the way, Raymond shares colourful and memorable analogies—including one involving barbecues and pig ears—that bring this vital message to life. His passion for raising up the next generation of faithful preachers comes through every moment of this talk. Recorded in September 2024, Kampala, Uganda

Rev Raymond L. Bukenya is the team leader and a founding member of Tru Tangazo Uganda. He is passionate about proclaiming, clarifying, and affirming the truth claims of the Christian faith in an increasingly sceptical world amidst alternative worldviews, and trains and mentors others to do the same. He is a theologian, Christian apologist, and missiologist with training from Wycliffe Hall College (University of Oxford) and the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA), and holds a Masters in Missions from the University of Winchester. Raymond serves as a Theology Tutor with Calvary Chapel Bible College Kampala and The Shepherds Academy (an online theological college), where he teaches pastors, pastoral apprentices, and church planters. He is a family man, married to Lynn, and together they are raising seven children—four boys and three girls.

If you care about faithful preaching—whether you’ve stood behind a pulpit once or a thousand times—you’ll be challenged to pursue the kind of mentoring that shapes both the messenger and the message.

Register for our next in person training event

August 22-23, 2025

St Petersburg, Florida

Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg

https://expositorscollective.org/gatherings/

The Expositors Collective podcast is part of the CGNMedia, Working together to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and plant churches. For more content like this, visit https://cgnmedia.org/

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Donate to support the work of Expositors Collective, in person training events and a free weekly podcast: https://cgn.churchcenter.com/giving/to/expositors-collective

What does it look like when gospel renewal is forged through suffering and planted in the heart of a global city? In this conversation, Esteban Valenzuela, pastor of Raíces Madrid Evangelical Christian Church, shares his remarkable story of personal transformation, perseverance through false accusation, and the sovereign call of God that led him and his family to Madrid, Spain.

Mike Neglia and Esteban talk about the power of gospel renewal — not just as a theological concept, but as a lived reality. Esteban reminds us that the gospel is the cornerstone of Scripture and the Christian life, and warns against shallow repetition of gospel language without depth or clarity. They also discuss the challenges of church planting, how God works through weak sermons and weak preachers, and why having a clear message truly matters.

Join Mike Neglia and Brian Kelly at the upcoming CGN Ministry Conference June 22-25, 2025

This conference is designed for church leaders and their ministry teams to connect, collaborate, and grow together. Dive deep into John 13–17, The Upper Room Discourse, with our main session speakers, and attend workshops led by experienced leaders in key areas such as Lead and Senior Pastors, Executive and Associate Pastors, Women in Ministry, Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Worship, Small Groups and Care Leaders, Tech Teams, Administration, and Lay Leaders. Whether you’re a pastor, ministry worker, or volunteer, this event is for your whole team. Join us for an inspiring time of learning, fellowship, and renewed vision for the work God has called us to!

Register for our next in person training event

August 22-23, 2025

St Petersburg, Florida

Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg

https://expositorscollective.org/gatherings/

The Expositors Collective podcast is part of the CGNMedia, Working together to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and plant churches. For more content like this, visit https://cgnmedia.org/

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Donate to support the work of Expositors Collective, in person training events and a free weekly podcast: https://cgn.churchcenter.com/giving/to/expositors-collective

Before outlining a sermon or opening a commentary, Ed Compean begins with prayer. In this recording from an Expositors Collective training event in Uganda, he offers a grounded and practical walkthrough of sermon preparation that starts with dependence on God and flows toward a faithful final draft.

Drawing from years of pastoral ministry, including church planting and leadership training in Kenya, Ed shares the rhythms that shape his weekly approach to preaching. He explains why he handwrites the passage, how he draws on trusted voices from church history and the global church, and what to keep - or cut - on the “cutting room floor.” He also unpacks the value of a strong sermon introduction and how the classic “Explain, Illustrate, Apply” model still serves the preacher and the congregation well.

Whether you’re a church planter, a teaching pastor, or a developing preacher, this episode is a helpful and humble guide to crafting sermons that are rooted in prayer and faithful to Scripture.

Topics Covered:

• Why every sermon must begin in prayer
• Writing out the passage by hand to slow down and engage
• Learning from others who have been with God
• Managing time and knowing what to cut
• Crafting compelling introductions
• Structuring the sermon: Explain, Illustrate, Apply

About Ed Compean:
Ed Compean is the lead pastor of Shoreline Calvary in Morro Bay, California. Before that, he planted churches and coached leaders in Nairobi, Kenya. He now serves with the Cultivate Church Planting Initiative of Calvary Global Network and is passionate about seeing Jesus exalted through thriving local churches.

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com

The Expositors Collective podcast is part of the CGNMedia, Working together to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and plant churches. For more content like this, visit https://cgnmedia.org/

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective

Donate to support the work of Expositors Collective, in person training events and a free weekly podcast: https://cgn.churchcenter.com/giving/to/expositors-collective