Spurgeon’s Early Ministry

Charles Spurgeon was one of the most famous preachers in the world. But what was he actually like as a pastor? At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Spurgeon was responsible for a church that eventually grew to more than 5,000 members. And he was determined that it would never become merely a crowd gathered to hear a famous preacher. What did a Sunday morning under Spurgeon look like? How did a church of thousands know whether its members were actually being shepherded? Why did members receive communion tickets? What did it take to join the church? How did the elders practice visitation and church discipline? And what did Spurgeon actually do from Monday through Saturday? Resources Mentioned: Spurgeon the Pastor by Geoff Chang The Pastor in Prayer by Spurgeon Only a Prayer Meeting by Mark Dever Lectures to My Students by Spurgeon Prayer-Meetings by Spurgeon ——————— This episode is brought to you by the Spurgeon and the Word series from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thomas Nelson Bibles⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Read the Psalms, the Gospels, and Acts–Revelation with devotional insights for every chapter from Charles Spurgeon. The three volumes are available individually and as a box set everywhere you buy books and Bibles. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thomasnelsonbibles.com/spurgeon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ——————— What if everyone in your church, from pulpit to pew, could do in-depth Bible study with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Logos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small groups, family devotions, daily reading. That’s available now, and at the most affordable price you’ll ever see for Logos. Learn more about Logos for Church at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And if you like what you see, you can test it for 30 days completely for free. Again that’s ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ——————— Explore sermons, books, articles, and more from Charles Spurgeon at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spurgeon.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ——————— The Spurgeon Library is housed at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Midwestern Seminary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about graduate or doctoral programs at Midwestern, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.mbts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about undergraduate programs at Spurgeon College, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠spurgeoncollege.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. 

Charles Spurgeon was more than a preacher. Dr. Jeff Medders and Dr. Geoff Chang explore his care for the poor, the founding of the Stockwell Orphanage, and how Spurgeon held practical mercy and gospel proclamation together. Resources Mentioned: Spurgeon and the Poor — Spurgeon Library Spurgeon and the Poor — Reformation Heritage Books What Is the Mission of the Church? Spurgeon’s Orphanage: How One Woman Changed the World ——————— This episode is brought to you by the Spurgeon and the Word series from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thomas Nelson Bibles⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Read the Psalms, the Gospels, and Acts–Revelation with devotional insights for every chapter from Charles Spurgeon. The three volumes are available individually and as a box set everywhere you buy books and Bibles. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thomasnelsonbibles.com/spurgeon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ——————— What if everyone in your church, from pulpit to pew, could do in-depth Bible study with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Logos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small groups, family devotions, daily reading. That’s available now, and at the most affordable price you’ll ever see for Logos. Learn more about Logos for Church at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And if you like what you see, you can test it for 30 days completely for free. Again that’s ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ——————— Explore sermons, books, articles, and more from Charles Spurgeon at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spurgeon.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ——————— The Spurgeon Library is housed at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Midwestern Seminary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about graduate or doctoral programs at Midwestern, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.mbts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about undergraduate programs at Spurgeon College, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠spurgeoncollege.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. 

Charles Spurgeon didn’t carry his ministry alone. Dr. Jeff Medders and Dr. Geoff Chang tell the story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon—their unusual courtship, marriage, family, suffering, and the remarkable ministry partnership that lasted for decades. Resources Mentioned: Read Spurgeon’s sleep-written sermon: A Willing People and an Immutable Leader, preached April 13, 1856 from Psalm 110:3. Learn more about Susie: The Spurgeon Library’s “Susannah Spurgeon: A Faithful Wife” explores her support of Charles as well as the ministry she developed herself. Marriage and spiritual life: This Spurgeon Library article looks specifically at Bible reading and prayer in Charles and Susie’s marriage. Susie’s Book Fund: By 1877 alone, Susie reported distributing 4,967 volumes, including 1,950 copies of Lectures to My Students and 1,346 volumes of The Treasury of David. The Spurgeon Library Her lifetime total ultimately approached 200,000 resources. Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon by Ray Rhodes Jr. is the biography Geoff recommends in the episode. Yours, till Heaven: The Untold Love Story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon by Ray Rhodes Jr. focuses specifically on their marriage through fame, suffering, loneliness, controversy, and ministry. Spurgeon’s Autobiography was compiled after his death from diaries, letters, records, and autobiographical material by Susie and his private secretary. ——————— This episode is brought to you by the Spurgeon and the Word series from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thomas Nelson Bibles⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Read the Psalms, the Gospels, and Acts–Revelation with devotional insights for every chapter from Charles Spurgeon. The three volumes are available individually and as a box set everywhere you buy books and Bibles. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thomasnelsonbibles.com/spurgeon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ——————— What if everyone in your church, from pulpit to pew, could do in-depth Bible study with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Logos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠? Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small groups, family devotions, daily reading. That’s available now, and at the most affordable price you’ll ever see for Logos. Learn more about Logos for Church at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And if you like what you see, you can test it for 30 days completely for free. Again that’s ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ——————— Explore sermons, books, articles, and more from Charles Spurgeon at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spurgeon.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ——————— The Spurgeon Library is housed at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Midwestern Seminary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about graduate or doctoral programs at Midwestern, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.mbts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about undergraduate programs at Spurgeon College, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠spurgeoncollege.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. 

Charles Spurgeon was only 19 when a struggling Baptist church in London invited him to preach. He thought they had the wrong guy. Dr. Jeff Medders and Dr. Geoff Chang tell the story of Spurgeon’s move to London, the revival at New Park Street Chapel, the beginning of his published sermons, his Crystal Palace preaching, and the criticism that accompanied his sudden rise to prominence. Through it all, Spurgeon kept returning to the same calling: preach Christ. Whether God gives you a cottage or a Crystal Palace, make Christ known. Resources Mentioned: Spurgeon’s First Sermons at New Park Street Chapel The Fast-Day Service “Behold the Lamb of God” The New Park Street Pulpit Meaningful Membership at Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle Spurgeon and the Call to Pastoral Ministry ⁠———————⁠ This episode is brought to you by the Spurgeon and the Word series from ⁠⁠⁠⁠Thomas Nelson Bibles⁠⁠⁠⁠. Read the Psalms, the Gospels, and Acts–Revelation with devotional insights for every chapter from Charles Spurgeon. The three volumes are available individually and as a box set everywhere you buy books and Bibles. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thomasnelsonbibles.com/spurgeon⁠⁠⁠⁠. ——————— What if everyone in your church, from pulpit to pew, could do in-depth Bible study with ⁠⁠⁠⁠Logos⁠⁠⁠⁠? Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small groups, family devotions, daily reading. That’s available now, and at the most affordable price you’ll ever see for Logos. Learn more about Logos for Church at⁠⁠⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ And if you like what you see, you can test it for 30 days completely for free. Again that’s ⁠⁠⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ ——————— Explore sermons, books, articles, and more from Charles Spurgeon at ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spurgeon.org⁠⁠⁠⁠. ——————— The Spurgeon Library is housed at ⁠⁠⁠⁠Midwestern Seminary⁠⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about graduate or doctoral programs at Midwestern, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.mbts.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about undergraduate programs at Spurgeon College, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠spurgeoncollege.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. 

Before Charles Spurgeon preached to thousands, he taught children, handed out gospel tracts, and preached his first sermon to a handful of people gathered in a cottage. Dr. Jeff Medders and Dr. Geoff Chang trace the beginning of Spurgeon’s ministry—from a remarkable prediction made about him when he was only 10 years old to the night a 16-year-old Spurgeon unexpectedly found himself preaching from 1 Peter 2:7: “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious.” Spurgeon’s early ministry is a reminder to start where you are, use what God has given you, and trust the Lord with what comes next. Resources Mentioned: Christ Is Precious Christ Precious to Believers Spurgeon’s Autobiography, Volume 1 Small Beginnings: C. H. Spurgeon at Waterbeach The Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon Providence ——————— This episode is brought to you by the Spurgeon and the Word series from ⁠⁠⁠Thomas Nelson Bibles⁠⁠⁠. Read the Psalms, the Gospels, and Acts–Revelation with devotional insights for every chapter from Charles Spurgeon. The three volumes are available individually and as a box set everywhere you buy books and Bibles. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠thomasnelsonbibles.com/spurgeon⁠⁠⁠. ——————— What if everyone in your church, from pulpit to pew, could do in-depth Bible study with ⁠⁠⁠Logos⁠⁠⁠? Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small groups, family devotions, daily reading. That’s available now, and at the most affordable price you’ll ever see for Logos. Learn more about Logos for Church at⁠⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠⁠ And if you like what you see, you can test it for 30 days completely for free. Again that’s ⁠⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠⁠ ——————— Explore sermons, books, articles, and more from Charles Spurgeon at ⁠⁠⁠Spurgeon.org⁠⁠⁠. ——————— The Spurgeon Library is housed at ⁠⁠⁠Midwestern Seminary⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about graduate or doctoral programs at Midwestern, visit ⁠⁠⁠www.mbts.edu⁠⁠⁠. To learn more about undergraduate programs at Spurgeon College, visit ⁠⁠⁠spurgeoncollege.com⁠⁠⁠. 

How did Charles Spurgeon become a Baptist? Spurgeon grew up in a Congregationalist family and was sprinkled as an infant. But as a teenager, a Church of England clergyman challenged him to study baptism for himself. When Spurgeon opened the New Testament, he came away convinced that repentance and faith should come before baptism. So after his conversion, 15-year-old Spurgeon walked several miles to the River Lark and publicly professed his faith through believer’s baptism. Dr. Jeff Medders and Dr. Geoff Chang tell the story of that day, explain why Spurgeon said his baptism “loosed my tongue,” and explore how his convictions about baptism shaped his theology, church membership, preaching, and later controversy over baptismal regeneration. They also show one of the stranger artifacts in the Spurgeon Library: a bottle of water supposedly taken from the River Lark. Read the Spurgeon Library’s account of Spurgeon’s own baptism and how he arrived at Baptist convictions. ——————— This episode is brought to you by the Spurgeon and the Word series from ⁠⁠Thomas Nelson Bibles⁠⁠. Read the Psalms, the Gospels, and Acts–Revelation with devotional insights for every chapter from Charles Spurgeon. The three volumes are available individually and as a box set everywhere you buy books and Bibles. Learn more at ⁠⁠thomasnelsonbibles.com/spurgeon⁠⁠. ——————— What if everyone in your church, from pulpit to pew, could do in-depth Bible study with ⁠⁠Logos⁠⁠? Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small groups, family devotions, daily reading. That’s available now, and at the most affordable price you’ll ever see for Logos. Learn more about Logos for Church at⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠ And if you like what you see, you can test it for 30 days completely for free. Again that’s ⁠⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠⁠ ——————— Explore sermons, books, articles, and more from Charles Spurgeon at ⁠⁠Spurgeon.org⁠⁠. ——————— The Spurgeon Library is housed at ⁠⁠Midwestern Seminary⁠⁠. To learn more about graduate or doctoral programs at Midwestern, visit ⁠⁠www.mbts.edu⁠⁠. To learn more about undergraduate programs at Spurgeon College, visit ⁠⁠spurgeoncollege.com⁠⁠. 

Before Charles Spurgeon became the “Prince of Preachers,” he was a 15-year-old boy burdened by his sin and searching for the way of salvation. Dr. Jeff Medders and Dr. Geoff Chang trace the early influences that shaped Spurgeon—from growing up in his grandfather’s pastor’s home and reading the Puritans to the snowstorm that unexpectedly led him into a small Primitive Methodist chapel on January 6, 1850. There, an unknown lay preacher opened Isaiah 45:22 and gave Spurgeon the simple command to look to Christ. Jeff and Geoff explore how that moment shaped Spurgeon’s preaching, evangelistic zeal, and understanding of faith for the rest of his life—and why his story is a reminder that the power is not in the preacher, but in the gospel. ——————— This episode is brought to you by the Spurgeon and the Word series from ⁠Thomas Nelson Bibles⁠. Read the Psalms, the Gospels, and Acts–Revelation with devotional insights for every chapter from Charles Spurgeon. The three volumes are available individually and as a box set everywhere you buy books and Bibles. Learn more at ⁠thomasnelsonbibles.com/spurgeon⁠. ——————— What if everyone in your church, from pulpit to pew, could do in-depth Bible study with ⁠Logos⁠? Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small groups, family devotions, daily reading. That’s available now, and at the most affordable price you’ll ever see for Logos. Learn more about Logos for Church at⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠ And if you like what you see, you can test it for 30 days completely for free. Again that’s ⁠logos.com/spurgeonpodcast⁠ ——————— Explore sermons, books, articles, and more from Charles Spurgeon at ⁠Spurgeon.org⁠. ——————— The Spurgeon Library is housed at ⁠Midwestern Seminary⁠. To learn more about graduate or doctoral programs at Midwestern, visit ⁠www.mbts.edu⁠. To learn more about undergraduate programs at Spurgeon College, visit ⁠spurgeoncollege.com⁠. 

Why should Christians still read Charles Spurgeon more than 130 years after his death? Dr. Jeff Medders and Dr. Geoff Chang introduce the life and ministry of one of the most influential pastors in church history. They talk about Spurgeon’s remarkable ministry in London, how thousands of his books and personal papers made their way to Kansas City, and a few of their favorite treasures inside the Spurgeon Library. But this podcast isn’t about putting Spurgeon on a pedestal. It’s about learning from a faithful pastor who loved Christ, preached the gospel, cared for his church, and still has plenty to teach Christians and ministry leaders today. ——————— This episode is brought to you by the Spurgeon and the Word series from Thomas Nelson Bibles. Read the Psalms, the Gospels, and Acts–Revelation with devotional insights for every chapter from Charles Spurgeon. The three volumes are available individually and as a box set everywhere you buy books and Bibles. Learn more at thomasnelsonbibles.com/spurgeon. ——————— What if everyone in your church, from pulpit to pew, could do in-depth Bible study with Logos? Pastors, Sunday school teachers, small groups, family devotions, daily reading. That’s available now, and at the most affordable price you’ll ever see for Logos. Learn more about Logos for Church atlogos.com/spurgeonpodcast And if you like what you see, you can test it for 30 days completely for free. Again that’s logos.com/spurgeonpodcast ——————— Explore sermons, books, articles, and more from Charles Spurgeon at Spurgeon.org. ——————— The Spurgeon Library is housed at Midwestern Seminary. To learn more about graduate or doctoral programs at Midwestern, visit www.mbts.edu. To learn more about undergraduate programs at Spurgeon College, visit spurgeoncollege.com.