Thank You Calvin Miller

Even though we rejoice when a beloved friend passes from this life into the presence of the Lord, from our human perspective we sorrow at their loss. That is the way I feel at the loss of our dear brother Calvin Miller.

Calvin passed away unexpectedly Sunday after complications from heart surgery. I was shocked – I had only recently been corresponding with him about upcoming articles for his regular column in Preaching, and he was scheduled this fall to speak for my Master of Ministry preaching class and then to preach in chapel for us at Anderson University. But all of our plans are dependent on the greater plan of the Father, and in His knowledge and providence He had other plans for Calvin Miller.

Calvin was pastor of the Westside Baptist Church in Omaha when I first wrote to him in 1984, asking him to become one of the original Contributing Editors of Preaching. He was the best-selling author of The Singer, one of the monumental Christian literary works of the 20^th century, and had led that Omaha church from 10 members to more than 3,000 during a 25-year pastorate. Yet over the years, whenever we had a chance to visit, he would thank me for allowing him to be part of that group, as if we were honoring him rather than the reality, which was that his presence blessed us and our ministry.

We became good friends over the years, though separated by many miles. He loved pastors – speaking to them and writing for them – and that shared mission linked our hearts. I recall being in his home years ago and seeing his great loves: his love of art and literature, his love for the American Southwest, and most of all his love for his wonderful wife Barbara, and for his children.

Once I was invited to provide an endorsement for one of his books, and in that brief text I referred to him as the “poet laureate of the evangelical world.” He loved that phrase – he didn’t think he warranted it but he was tickled by it nonetheless, and I noticed it showed up on the backs of several of his books after that! He kidded me about it several times, noting that I had given him one of his favorite endorsements. I’m glad he enjoyed it, but he was wrong about one thing: Calvin Miller was the poet laureate of the evangelical world, a pastor-poet whose love for Jesus and His Word and for the art of preaching made him one of the most captivating preachers of his day.

Calvin Miller’s newest book is called Letters to Heaven, and if you visit his website (www.calvinmillerauthor.com) you can watch a brief DVD in which he talks about the book. If I could write a “letter to heaven” today, I’d like to write Calvin to thank him for his friendship, his encouragement, and his faithfulness to God’s call on his life. Of course, he won’t have time to read it for awhile; he’s going to be busy sharing stories with a whole new audience.

Michael Duduit

Michael Duduit is founding Dean of the College of Christian Studies and the Clamp Divinity School at Anderson University. He also serves as Professor of Christian Ministry. He is the founder and still serves as Executive Editor of Preaching magazine, one of the nation’s premier publications for pastors. His email newsletter, Preaching Now, is read each week by more than 40,000 pastors and church leaders in the U.S. and around the world. He is founder and director of the National Conference on Preaching and the International Congress on Preaching. He has been a pastor and associate pastor, has served a number of churches as interim pastor, and speaks regularly for churches, colleges and conferences. He is author and editor of several books, including the Handbook of Contemporary Preaching, Joy in Ministry: Messages from Second Corinthians, Preaching with Power: Dynamic Insights from Twenty Top Communicators and Communicate With Power.