In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Picard relies heavily on the advice, thoughts, and personality of his second in command, William Riker. Often called Number One, Riker has a varied workload. Associate pastors can empathize with this relationship between captain and next in line. Associate pastors have a unique call from God to serve the local church and part of that involves the preaching moment. This paper looks at the role of preaching for the associate pastor. In the midst of the many things we do as “Number Ones’” for our congregations, can we affect vision and direction in our sermons?
