Bishop Timothy J. Clarke is the Senior Pastor of First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio. Bishop Clarke has received numerous honors and degrees for his service to the church and to the community at large which include: Master in Ministry, (Southern California School of Ministry, Los Angeles, CA); Doctor of Divinity (Mid-America Bible College, Oklahoma City, OK); Doctor of Law, (Southern California Schoolof Ministry, Los Angeles, CA); Doctor of Humanities (Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, OH); and Morehouse College Board of Preachers Inductee. Bishop Clarke is the author of seven books, including Signs of His Coming and Celebrating the Family: Lessons from the Book of Ruth. Bishop Clarke and his lovely wife, Lady Clytemnestra Lawson Clarke of Teaneck, NJ are the parents of two adult daughters.
Tim, can you tell us just a little bit about yourself and your church?
I was born in NYC and grew up in Far Rockaway. I have been married for 33 years and my wife and I have two daughters, a son in law and a grandson, who is absolutely perfect.
I have been at First Church of God for 28 years. And in those years, we have grown from less than one hundred members to 5000. First Church belongs to the Church of God reformation movement that has headquarters in Anderson, Indiana. And we are also part of the National Association of the Church of God (NACOG).
What does your week of sermon preparation typically look like?
Because I tend to do series preaching my sermon preparation time is actually rather lengthy in that I take the month of August off and try to outline sermons for the rest of the year and then in December look at sermons for the first half of the year.
Monday night I look at the text and write out any new ideas and thoughts that I may have, Wednesday I do an outline and on Thursday send the info to the staff for the bulletin, Thursday and Friday are writing days.
What one advice would you give to pastors who would like to grow in their preaching gifts?
I think that some of the things that preachers can do to grow in their pulpit work and their preaching ministry is to first, find your own voice, then be yourself, and thirdly, stay fresh spiritually.
Do you have a book recommendation for preaching?
Preachers and Preaching by D. Martyn Lloyd Jones, Between Two Worlds: The Art Of Preaching In The 20th Century by John Stott, and Certain Sound Of The Trumpet - Crafting A Sermon Of Authority by Dr. Samuel Dewitt Proctor.
How have you seen God move in your church and in Columbus, Ohio in regards to racial reconciliation?
The work of racial reconciliation is an ongoing and often frustrating one. And yet, in spite of that reality, we are seeing the hand of God at work in partnerships and relationships with sister churches that allow us to show the world a new face of the church. Diversity of membership, intentional inclusion, and planned times of fellowship have all helped us grow in this area.