Professor John Murray, of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, was a favorite at the Leicester Conference for Ministers in England. He had helped found the conference, and his influence was widespread. The established tradition at the conference was that Murray would take the final session. But in 1967, Murray wrote the following note to one of the conference organizers, Iain Murray: “If Al Martin is to be there, I really think he should be asked to take the three evening services you propose for me,” he said. “He is one of the ablest and most moving preachers I have ever heard. In recent years I have not heard his equal. My memory of preachers goes back sixty years. So, when I say he is one of the ablest, this is an assessment that includes very memorable preachers.” Life Story Albert N. Martin was born on April 11, 1934, in Alexandria, Virginia. He was the second of 10 children. Near the end of 1951 and the beginning of 1952, God began to do a real work of grace in his heart. Natively timid, he found a great boldness in confessing Christ as a teenager. Shortly after his conversion, he began street preaching. He saved his money for a Thompson Chain-Reference Bible and devoured the Scriptures. In 1956, he graduated from Columbia Bible College; was married to his first wife, Marilyn; and began an itinerant ministry. On one occasion, he preached at a chapel service at Wheaton College. After the service, an elderly man came up, took his hand, and simply said, “Thank you, young man. As you preached the text came to mind, ‘He was a burning and shining light.’ When you preached there was light and heat.” That man was Merrill Tenney, and the heat and light continued to burn for several decades. From 1962 until the end of 1966, Martin was the pastor of the Alliance Church in North Caldwell. In September 1967, the church reconstituted, embracing the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, and became Trinity Baptist Church, ultimately settling in Montville, New Jersey. Martin faithfully shepherded that congregation until his retirement in 2008. For many years, Trinity Baptist Church trained men for ministry at the Trinity Ministerial Academy. Martin’s pastoral theology lectures there were rich, and thankfully, he put them into print. Martin’s influence on several generations of preachers is undeniable. I’m one of many who benefited from his preaching, teaching, and friendship. Martin’s Influence In 1990, a fellow seminarian handed me a sermon by Martin on cassette. I listened and was gripped by the way the Scriptures were proclaimed and applied. This was powerful, persuasive, brink-of-eternity preaching. I was hooked. Martin’s influence on several generations of preachers is undeniable. Later, that same friend told me with great relish, “They have Al Martin’s Pastoral Theology Lectures in the library basement.” I checked them out and listened to them intently as I worked as a janitor. What days those were! Pushing my janitorial cart, my Walkman clipped on my belt, spare batteries in my pocket, and my heart filled with God’s Word. God used those lectures and sermons to feed me and shape me. When I decided to do a doctor of ministry degree at Westminster Seminary California in 1997, I knew I wanted to take Martin’s theology of preaching and organize, interact with, and supplement his material into book form. I wrote a letter to Martin, not wanting to run ahead without his permission. One morning, I was suffering from the flu, taking a hot shower. My ever-cheerful wife poked her head in the door and said, “Guess who I just spent the last 30 minutes talking to on the phone?” “Honey, I don’t know. I don’t feel. . .” I responded. “Pastor Albert Martin! Did you know we are both left-handed, and he was happy you married someone from New York! Don’t worry, he said he would call back on Friday at 1:00 p.m.” On that Friday at 1:00 p.m. on the dot, the phone rang and started a delightful friendship, which lasted all these years. Martin was one of the greatest influences on my life and ministry. It’s hard for me to express what he’s meant to me since 1990. He was a mentor and friend. His preaching was unparalleled. His sermons and pastoral theology lectures shaped me. His phone calls were sometimes funny and sometimes serious. One day, he called and said, “Brian, I just read Feelings and Faith. It is very good. It is going to bring some attention to you. You will get more invitations. Stay humble, my friend.” I never forgot his counsel. Lessons from Albert Martin 1. Love the children in the congregation. They’re the next generation of the church. Give them attention, talk to them, play with them, preach directly to them, become their friend. 2. Preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit involves the whole man—the mind, the body, and the emotions. Powerful preaching isn’t lecturing; it’s bringing the truth of God to each person, eye to eye and heart to heart. Powerful preaching isn’t lecturing; it’s bringing the truth of God to each person, eye to eye and heart to heart. 3. Love your wife. Martin tenderly cared for his first wife, Marilyn, during her battle with cancer. He wrote of that experience in Grieving, Hope and Solace: When a Loved One Dies in Christ. He also cared dearly for his second wife, Dorothy. On one occasion, my wife, Ariel, and I were going to visit the Martins. Martin called me that morning and said, “Brian, we were so looking forward to seeing you and Ariel, but Mrs. Martin is not having a good day. Brother, would you mind if we canceled today; she needs my attention, and I cannot in good conscience burden her with company today.” That phone call would be one of the most memorable. 4. Finish your race well. When Martin was preaching for us in 2000, a young man in his late 20s regaled him with all his spiritual growth and ministry involvement. Martin looked at him and said, “Young man, it is not how you start this race, it is how you finish. Not everyone who starts well finishes well. Finish well, young man, finish well.” On April 7, 2026, Al Martin finished his race well. He was a Great-heart to me. I’m happy for him that he crossed the river and entered the joy of his Master. I’m sure he heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”