At 20, He Was Pastoring 300 People With No Formal Training

About this sermon

Just two years after coming to faith, Greg Laurie took over a small Bible study in Riverside — and within a short time, found himself leading a congregation of 300, all without any formal seminary training. Greg reflects on how he built his theological foundation not in a classroom, but through the guidance of mentors like Chuck Smith and the writings of Spurgeon, Martin Lloyd-Jones, and other respected teachers of the faith, deliberately seeking out older, godly voices to learn from rather than peers his own age. That same hunger to learn from mature believers led to one of the most formative relationships of his ministry: years spent alongside Billy Graham, helping refresh his sermon illustrations as Graham's crusade ministry drew to a close and Greg's own was just beginning. Greg shares what Graham was truly like in quieter, personal moments — humble, unassuming, and reluctant to speak about himself — and how, almost without realizing it, teaching a small group of believers grew into a calling he never set out to pursue. Timestamps: 0:00 – Taking over a small Bible study at 20 0:44 – Seeking wisdom from older, godly mentors 1:07 – A season spent alongside Billy Graham 1:48 – What Billy Graham was like in private 2:11 – Writing "Billy Graham: The Man I Knew” 2:40 – Becoming a pastor without seeking the title 3:23 – Growing from 100 to 300 members 3:44 – Learning to lead through experience 4:08 – Before ministry: a young man who wanted to draw #GregLaurie #ChuckSwindoll #BillyGraham #ChristianMinistry #Faith 🌐 Sign up for Pastor Chuck's daily devotional and explore our various resources at https://www.insight.org ❔ Have questions about following Jesus or about the Bible? We'd love to help you. Please visit https://www.insight.org/connect/faqs/biblical-counseling 📲 Take Pastor Chuck's resources with you on our Insight for Living app! - Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/IFLappleapp - Google Play: https://bit.ly/IFLPlay 🎧 Listen to Pastor Chuck Swindoll on . . . YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLteVs-tVfPH8ffZKyrqgAJVXNbutlHyOd&feature=shared Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/IFLapple Spotify: https://bit.ly/IFLspotify TuneIn: https://bit.ly/IFLTuneIn PodBean: https://bit.ly/IFLpodbean Podbay: https://bit.ly/IFLpodbay 📻 You can also find the radio stations that are airing our Insight for Living broadcast at the bottom of this page: https://insight.org/broadcasts/station-finder 📱 Pastor Chuck Swindoll's social media: Facebook: https://bit.ly/SwindollFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuckrswindoll/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/chuckswindoll 📱 Insight for Living, the Swindoll's international Bible-teaching ministry, social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insightforlivingministries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightforlivingministries/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/IFL_USA 🤝 Insight for Living operates only on generous gifts and donations. We would be honored to have your support in providing this practical and accurate Bible teaching to those around the world. If you feel led to partner with us, you can visit https://give.insight.org/ or you can watch this video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga9nwCtp5bU Copyright © 2025 Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (CRS, Inc.) All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.

Topics

• Leadership