How do you find your own voice as a preacher? Lawrence E. Aker III, senior pastor at the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, followed in the footsteps of two larger-than-life preachers. His predecessors, Dr. Sandy F. Ray and Dr. Harry S. Wright (who pastored at Cornerstone for a combined 56 years) were both powerful preachers. Dr. Gardner C. Taylor eulogized Dr. Ray as the "President of Preaching." Dr. Ray also opened the pulpit to an energetic young preacher who was often passing through town—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Wright was recently selected as a "Living Legend of Preaching."

In the midst of this rich legacy of renowned preachers, Lawrence is learning what it means to find his own voice as a preacher. The lessons he's learned along the journey are instructive for every preacher.

PreachingToday.com: What was it like for you to follow your immediate predecessor and mentor, Dr. Harry S. Wright, a beloved preacher known for his calm, authoritative, and powerful preaching?

Lawrence Aker III: It was definitely a two-pronged experience. On the one hand, he wasn't just my predecessor; he was also my mentor. For five years I worked under Dr. Wright as a staff member at Cornerstone. So for five years I was with him almost every day, making hospital visits, sharing meals, standing at cemeteries together, sitting under his preaching week after week. In those five years I had the chance to absorb his personality and his ministry DNA. I had and still have a profound respect for him and for his ministry.

But on the other hand, after I was selected to be the next senior pastor at Cornerstone, I definitely felt high expectations. Dr. Wright has been called a "living legend" of preaching. His predecessor, Dr. Sandy F. Ray, left an incredible legacy of pastoring and preaching—there's even a street named after him. Dr. Ray mentored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who referred to Dr. Ray as "Uncle Sandy." I stepped into the pulpit at Cornerstone after five decades of impeccable, top-of-the-line preaching.

So, yes, I sure felt pressure when I started at Cornerstone. At first I had to put into practice Paul's words: "Be imitators of Christ as I am an imitator." I watched Dr. Wright and tried to imitate him. I had to watch how he did things and why he did things. But eventually I also had to be like King David when he refused Saul's armor so he could put on his own armor. I also had to find my armor for preaching and put it on. In the final analysis, I couldn't be another Dr. Wright. I had to find my own voice in the pulpit.

How would you define what it means "to find your own voice" as a preacher?

Let me start with a personal story. After I had preached at our community-wide Thanksgiving worship service, a preaching colleague of mine, Dr. Gary V. Simpson of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ, named Gary came up to me and said, "Congratulations, Lawrence!" I said, "Thanks, but for what?" He replied, "I think you've finally found your own voice."

To me that implied that I'd finally found the freedom, power, and authority to let the Holy Spirit use me. It meant that I finally felt comfortable in my own skin as a preacher. I had learned so much from other preachers—especially my predecessors—but now I wasn't just mimicking someone else.

In the early stages of ministry (and especially preaching) we're looking for our identity in other ministers. So we mimic the people we admire. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I had so much to learn from Dr. Wright. Our people loved him for the way he told homespun stories and analogies from growing up on the farm. But I hadn't lived his life. I didn't grow up on a farm. I had to learn to stand in the pulpit and speak from my own life and my own experiences.

That early stage of preaching is like riding down the street with homiletical training wheels. It's okay for a season and it helps you find your balance, but the problem comes when you never outgrow those training wheels. Then you're just trying to mimic some other preacher's voice. At some point you have to remove the training wheels and learn to ride your own bicycle. When my friend Pastor Simpson congratulated me, he was telling me that I had finally learned to ride without the training wheels.

What did your mentor Dr. Wright do to help you to find your own voice?

He never wanted me just to mimic his voice. For instance, I distinctly remember what he said to me during our final time together before my transition from pastor-elect pastor to senior pastor: "Lawrence, this is your ship now. So let Sunday morning be your joy. Let that preaching hour block everything else out. Regardless of what you've been facing or what you will face next week, let your sermon be a time of renewal. Just stand in the pulpit and let God use you for that moment." Those words certainly freed me up to enjoy being myself in the pulpit.

How would you describe your voice as a preacher?

In one sense, it's still emerging because I'm still growing as a preacher and as a follower of Christ. Hopefully that's the case for every preacher. Your own spiritual growth and life experiences will continually shape your voice. For instance, when you go through suffering and then preach from your own pain, you have a deeper level of authority and authenticity. Now you don't just have to look through the S section of a sermon illustration book to find a story about suffering. The Holy Spirit has dealt with you in your suffering and so you speak from the depth of that experience.

But more specifically, I'd say that my voice is a combination of biblical exposition, cultural relevance, and a commitment to connecting with all four generations represented in our church community. I'm passionate that every sermon has something—a quote, a story, a movie or song reference, a historical event—that's relevant for each generation while staying true to the biblical text.

In some ways my voice as a preacher resembles the voice of a good journalist or narrator of a story. I was a communications/public-relations major in college, so I'm used to trying to describe ordinary events in a way that the reader or listener can actually see what's going on. Like a good journalist, I'm constantly searching for ways to make the story come alive with memorable word plays, titles, and metaphors.

You've mentioned that you put a lot of time into illustrating your sermons. How does your voice come through in the way you illustrate the text?

I'm always looking for hooks—those angles or images that help people say "Aha!" in regard to a biblical text. I especially like human interest stories, stories that show how to live the text in a particular setting. But every illustration should function like a window that helps people see into the meaning of the text. Somebody once said that the mind of a man is not a debating chamber but a picture gallery. So I'm always looking for fresh images to make the text relevant for people.

And once again, I'm passionate about looking for a range of illustrations that will eventually speak to all four generations in my church. I like to say that I'm trying to put something in everyone's area code. Not everyone will get the movie illustration. Not everyone will get the historical reference. Not everyone will get the celebrity quote. But at the end of the message, I'd like everyone to say, Wow, he was talking to me today.

What would you say to other preachers who are in the process of finding their own voice in the pulpit?

When you see someone else preach with power, someone who is tearing the house down, it's tempting to say, I need to be just like that preacher. We all struggle with that. But, first of all, I'd encourage preachers to trust that God in his sovereign purposes has uniquely entrusted you with certain gifts. Develop confidence in that truth. Have confidence to be who God has made you to be. Start praying along these lines: "Lord, I want to be your instrument so show me my voice as a preacher."

Second, I'd advise preachers to get a mentor or even some trustworthy people who are not pastors who can give you honest feedback about your preaching. That's a huge help. Don't be afraid of honest evaluations. If you get positive feedback, pay attention to how the Holy Spirit is using your preaching to bless people. But then also let people give suggestions on how you can get better as a preacher.

Third, listen to your own sermons. Buckle down and replay the game films. At times this will be painful. You'll probably find yourself saying, Whew, I can't believe I just said that! or Wow, why didn't I do that? But that will help you find your own path for preaching. You'll be able to identify your strengths and chart where you need to grow as a preacher.

In the end, it's great to learn from other preachers. We all need models and mentors. So listen to many different pastors, but then see what the Holy Spirit gives to you and stand confidently in what the Lord has for you.

Lawrence Aker III is the senior pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York.