Expositors Collective: Expository Preaching, Bible Teaching and Sermon Preparation

How to Help New Preachers Grow in Confidence and Clarity - Pilgrim Benham

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Mar 31, 2026

Pilgrim Benham, Dean of Students and professor at Calvary Chapel Bible College who trains future pastors and teachers, discusses preaching mentorships and generational discipleship. He highlights choosing worthy mentors, being a teachable mentee, and a practical rhythm of input, practice, and specific feedback. The conversation centers on multiplying faithful teaching across generations.

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ADVICE

Pick Mentors For Faithfulness Not Fame

Choose mentors who model faithful exposition and godly character rather than celebrity or fame.
Look for pastors who shepherd well, tell stories effectively, and live faithfulness at home and church.

ADVICE

Be A Willing Mentee First

As a mentee, adopt teachability, faithfulness, diligence, and humility before seeking a pulpit.
Pilgrim warns gifted but unteachable preachers should serve first rather than preach publicly.

ADVICE

Fix One Delivering Habit At A Time

Improve specific skills (pacing, body language, brevity) and pursue steady practice over perfection.
Pilgrim urges progress over perfect sermons and warns against perfectionism choking growth.

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Pilgrim Benham serves as the Dean of Students at Calvary Chapel Bible College, now located in Bradenton, Florida. In this role he helps train and disciple the next generation of pastors, missionaries, and Bible teachers, investing in students who are preparing for lives of faithful ministry and service.

In this session from the Expositors Collective training event in St Petersburg, Florida, Pilgrim speaks about the vital role of preaching mentorships. Whether these relationships are formal or informal, personal or within a group, he encourages preachers to intentionally invite feedback, guidance, and coaching from more experienced voices. Growth in preaching rarely happens in isolation. It happens when humility meets community, and when preachers are willing to learn from those who have walked the road before them.

Pilgrim also highlights the biblical pattern of ministry multiplication. Paul’s instruction to Timothy reminds us that faithful teaching is meant to be passed on from one generation to the next:

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also"

Upcoming Training Weekend

May 15th-16th, 2026 at Reliance Church in Temecula, California

Take advantage of early bird pricing until April 26th – only $120 per person!

The Expositors Collective is a network of pastors, leaders, and laypeople which exists to equip, encourage, and mentor the next generation of Christ-centered preachers.

What to expect:
In this interactive training weekend, attendees will hear insightful lectures, participate in Q&A panels, meet in small groups with a seasoned mentor, build ongoing relationships, and participate in a studying/teaching practicum.

Who should attend:
Christ-following men and women of all ages, ministry experience, and church backgrounds who are students of Scripture and desire to grow as teachers of the Word. Whether you’re a regular Bible teacher or have never taught the Bible in a public setting before, this training weekend offers invaluable tools to equip you in your journey.

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