THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘How I Became a Preacher’ (1902)

By E.L. Frazier 
Christian Standard
Oct. 18, 1902; p. 9 

I have held no great revivals. Never had more than sixty added at any meeting. Have had no marked experiences. Having nothing special to relate, I will tell something of how I became a preacher, and of my early experiences. . . . 

I think all my early life I was inclined to be a preacher, but was timid and a country boy, and held a very modest estimate of myself, and had no older friend near who helped me to discover myself. Fortunately, I married into a preacher’s family, and my father-in-law, S. F. Miller, encouraged me to preach. 

He often told me that I could preach and ought to preach. I began to think maybe I could. After a time I prepared a sermon, but was too timid to let any one know it, or to allow an announcement to be made that I would preach. 

This, the wise man who was seeking to bring me out overcame in this way. As we walked to the church each time he would say, “Well, who will preach this time, you or I?” My reply would be, “You may preach this time.” 

When the eventful evening came that I had my sermon ready, I had told no one of it. The usual question was not asked. Father Miller had broken me in to read and pray before his sermon, and on this evening when the time came to begin the service, he said, “Will you read and pray, or shall I?” I said, “You may.” He did so, and at the conclusion of the song following, he waited to see if I would take the stand. 

With great fear and trembling, I stepped upon the platform and delivered my maiden sermon, not forgetting a word of it. 

The church at Champaign was very weak, and was not paying for its preaching, and permitted me to preach now and then. 

Soon I began to send appointments to country churches and schoolhouses, being careful to let them know that I did not expect pay. 

The church at St. Joe was about nine miles away. I asked the privilege of preaching there, and it was granted, and when I got in one appointment, I made another. 

About this time, Rolla Martin, a good old preacher of the old type, came to St. Joe on his annual trip to hold a meeting. 

I attended the meeting, and when he decided to close the meeting at a certain time, I intimated that I could continue the meeting a few days, and timidly asked him to sug­gest it to the brethren. I could not see that he was doing it, and don’t think he did, he probably thinking the young man could not carry on his meeting. Then I worked up courage to approach the elders, and ask them to let me carry on the meeting Saturday and Sunday, as Bro. Martin would close on Fri­day. After some coaxing, they consented, and I did so and made one convert and bap­tized my first, Sunday afternoon, then rode home on horseback nine miles without changing my clothes.  

When I had gained some by practice, the church at Mattoon, Ill., was the first to think of me as a settled minister, and when they had sampled my wares, one of the elders approached me.  

He came at me this way: “How little can you live on?” Most of the churches that have approached me since have done some­thing like that. 

MARION, IND. 

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Here’s some biographical information about Frazier that appeared on that same page of Christian Standard.