This is part of a series called Faithful Shepherd Friday, which attempts to learn from faithful shepherds of Christ’s church laboring in obscurity.
Today’s faithful shepherd is Seth Springs. I had the privilege of meeting Seth in Louisville, KY when he served as an intern under Josh Green at FBC, Fairdale. We reconnected in seminary and I now have the great privilege of pastoring Hermon Baptist Church where Seth grew up. Get to know this dear brother and be sure to pray for him.
Where do you serve as pastor and how long have you been there?
Transformation Church in Waterford, MI. My family and I moved here from NC in 2018 to begin the work of planting. We had our official public launch on Palm Sunday, 2019.
How do you go about sermon preparation?
Whether we are preaching through a book or doing a topical series, I strive to preach each passage in a text-driven, expositional manner. I normally start going through the text devotionally on Monday and Tuesday, consult commentaries and other outside sources on Wednesday, have a full outline done on Thursday, and knock out my manuscript between Friday and Saturday morning. I also have a routine of going to bed early on Saturday nights and waking up around 4am on Sundays to spend time with the Lord and read through my manuscript one last time.
What book has impacted your preaching or pastoral ministry? Why do you think it is important for pastors to read this particular book?
As far as the Christian life and a vision for ministry goes, Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper was a game-changer for me. I want to live, worship, and minister in a way that makes much of Jesus now, and matters in eternity. As far a preaching goes, Tony Merida’s Christ-Centered Expositor was especially helpful in the area of moving from “a buckshot to a bullet.”
What figure from church history has been a source encouragement for pastoral ministry?
Adoniram Judson. I read his biography while at SEBTS and it rocked me in a way similar to when I first read Don’t Waste Your Life. Judson was a very gifted individual with many options, but he chose to spend his life in Burma, suffering for the sake of the gospel among a people he grew to love very much.
If you were speaking to someone new to pastoral ministry, what encouragement would you give?
Be real and be present. Don’t play the comparison game or try to be someone else. God knows the man He called. Remember, ministry is worship. Be real and be present, worshipping Him and loving others as genuinely as possible.
How can we pray for you?
That we would be focused, faithful, and fruitful. While church planting can be difficult, I love where God has us and I want to keep my hands on the plow.
Nathaniel R. Martin 