Dr. Chapell has served as President of
Covenant Seminary since 1994. He began teaching at Covenant Seminary in 1984 after ten years in pastoral ministry. Before becoming President, he served for six years as Vice President for Academics and Dean of Faculty. He is much sought after as a speaker in churches and conferences around the country. Christ-Centered Preaching has established him as one of the nation's most recognized teachers of homiletics. Dr. Chapell teaches the introductory homiletics courses and several practicums, giving every M.Div. student the opportunity to study under him.
From Bryan Chapell
The two words about which my ministry could be wrapped are authority and redemption.
In our day two opposing forces challenge the effective proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The first well-documented foe of the Gospel is the erosion of authority. The philosophies of subjectivism have joined hands with the skeptics of transcendent truth to create a cultural climate antagonistic toward any authority. Yet as the apostle Paul saw long ago, this release from Biblical standards inevitably makes persons slaves to their own passions and victims of each other's selfishness.
Our culture and the Church are desperate for dependable truths that address the brokenness of the world that this loss of authority accentuates. Such dependable truth flows from the Word of God as it is searched for the timeless principles that address the issues of our day, the concerns of our lives, and the destinies of our souls. As obvious as this solution may seem, its widespread adoption faces large challenges. Over the last two generations seeking truth in Scripture has been stigmatized (not always unfairly) as a blind retreat behind dogmatic defenses of doctrinal distinctives removed from ordinary life. The time has come for the redemption of Biblical expression from tradition-bound attitudes and communication-naive practices that needlessly burden God's people.
Simply reacting to the secularization of both Church and culture with moral instruction and pleas for societal reform is not the answer. If we act as though the cure for our world's sickness is simply human character correction or cultural criticism, we inadvertently promote a message contrary to the Gospel. Fundamentally and pervasively the Scriptures teach the inadequacy of any purely human effort to secure divine approval. We are entirely dependent upon the mercy of God to be what He desires and to do what He requires. Grace rules!
However well intended and Biblically rooted may be our instruction, if our message does not incorporate the motivation and enablement inherent in a proper apprehension of the redeeming work of Christ, we pursue and promote mere Pharisaism. Being faithful to the whole of Scripture not only requires that we establish God's requirements, but also that we highlight the pervasive redemptive truths that make holiness possible. We must learn to see all of God's Word as a unified message of human need and divine provision. Harangues for human striving are futile. Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing." True purity, spiritual confidence, and lasting joy flow from showing how His redeeming grace empowers all we must think and do. Consistent adulation of the mercy of God in Christ will produce the love for Him that is the power of our lives. My desire and purpose are consistent adulation of the wonders of Him.
Books by Bryan Chapell
You can purchase the following books by Bryan Chapell at the Covenant Seminary Online Store:
- Praying Backwards
- Christ-Centered Preaching, 2nd Edition
- Using Illustrations to Preach With Power
- Wonder of It All
- Each for the Other
- Promises of Grace
- I'll Love You Anyway and Always
- Holiness by Grace
Other books by Bryan Chapell:
- In the Grip of Grace
- 1&2 Timothy: To Guard the Deposit (with R. Kent Hughes)
Study Guides
Study guides are available in Adobe PDF format. In order to view PDF documents, you need Adobe Acrobat software. If you do not already have this software on your computer, visit the download page for this free software.
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- Communicating Christ Discussion Questions, Lessons 1-3
- Communicating Christ Leader's Guide, Lesson 1
- Communicating Christ Leader's Guide, Lesson 2
- Communicating Christ Leader's Guide, Lesson 3
- Communicating Christ Study Guide, Lesson 1
- Communicating Christ Study Guide, Lesson 2
- Communicating Christ Study Guide, Lesson 3
- Each for the Other
- Holiness by Grace
- Praying Backwards
- Praying Backwards (Leader's Guide)
- Promises of Grace (In the Grip of Grace)
- Wonder of It All (Part 1)
Sermons & Articles
Featured below are recent sermons by Bryan Chapell delivered during the chapel services at Covenant Theological Seminary as well as selected articles by Dr. Chapell.
- Funeral Service for Petros Roukas (MP3 format; right-click to download). This much-requested message is available here with the kind permission of the family of Petros Roukas.
- An Explanation of the New Perspective on Paul (Adobe PDF format)
- You Must Be Born Again (John 3:1-8) (MP3 format, right-click to download)
- Rainbow Chasing (Adobe PDF format)
- The Future of Expository Preaching (Adobe PDF format)
- Hear an interview with Dr. Chapell about his book Praying Backwards.
- Hear Dr. Chapell's 2005 Report to the 2005 PCA General Assembly.
Covenant Seminary's Ministry Resources contain a wide selection of messages and articles by/from Bryan Chapell. Any of these resources may be downloaded free of charge.
Featured Ministry Resources by Dr. Chapell.