Every pastor must make his own decision about the location of his study area, but strong consideration should be given to the home-study concept. W. A. Criswell offered the following counsel:

Without doubt, and I cannot emphasize the conviction too much, the best place for the pastor's study and library is in a separated room in his home. The preacher who has his study at the church uses his finest morning hours to shave, bathe, comb his hair, tie his shoes, start his car, drive to the church, unlock his door, and look nice for any stranger who may wander in. I do not need my mind to be fresh and rested to comb my hair and tie my shoes. I can do those things when I have studied myself stupid.11

At no other time during the day will the mind be more rested and refreshed than in the morning, immediately after waking up. If this writer had his own ministry to do over, he would insist on having his study at home.

The preaching of the Word of God is the greatest responsibility God ever gave to a person. Preaching demands preparation. The preacher must prepare his heart and his mind. The preaching event becomes the grandest spiritual experience, both in the life of the preacher and in the life of the congregation, when spiritual preparation is finished. God is pleased, Heaven rejoices, Hell trembles, and the earth is blessed.

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Robert C. Pitman is Pastor of Kirby Woods Baptist Church in Memphis, TN., and teaches Preaching and Pastoral Leadership at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.

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1. Michael Duduit, ed., Handbook of Contemporary Preaching (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1992), 136.
2. Gilbert L. Guffin, Called of God (Boston: Christopher Publishing House, 1951), 37-8.
3. Jerry Vines and James Shaddix, Power in the Pulpit (Chicago: Moody, 1999), 46.
4. James S. Stewart, Heralds of God (New York: Scribner, 1946), 201.
5. Paul W. Powell, Building an Evangelistic Church (Dallas: Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1991), 82.
6. 0swald J. Smith, The Man God Uses (London: Marshall, Morgan, & Scott, 1932), 19-20.
7. John MacArthur Jr., Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry (Dallas: Word, 1995), 254.
8. Vines and Shaddix, Power in the Pulpit, 106.
9. Warren W. Wiersbe, Preaching and Teaching with Imagination (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 25.
10. Vines and Shaddix, Power in the Pulpit, 83.
11. Criswell, W. A., Criswell's Guidebook for Pastors (Nashville: Broadman, 1980) 68.

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SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Blackwood, Andrew W. Expository Preaching for Today. New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1953.
___. Preaching from the Bible. New York: Abingdon, 1941.
Bryson, Harold T. Expository Preaching. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1995.
Criswell, W. A. Criswell's Guidebook for Pastors. Nashville: Broadman, 1980.
Duduit, Michael, ed. Handbook of Contemporary Preaching. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1992.
Guffin, Gilbert L. Called of God: The Work of the Ministry. Boston: Christopher Publishing House, 1951.
MacArthur, John Jr. Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry. Dallas: Word, 1995.
Powell, Paul W. Building an Evangelistic Church. Dallas: Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1991.
Smith, Oswald J. The Man God Uses. London: Marshall, Morgan, & Scott, 1932.
Stewart, James S. Heralds of God. New York: Scribner, 1946.
Vines, Jerry, and Jim Shaddix. Power in the Pulpit. Chicago: Moody, 1999.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Preaching and Teaching with Imagination. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994.