Preaching from the gospel was the theme at this year's third annual Stand and Deliver Conference at Parkes in the Central West of NSW.

Stand and Deliver is a conference designed to equip the great force of lay preachers who are increasingly the backbone of bush churches.

One of these is Peter Kelly, currently leading the Presbyterian parish of Trundle, Tullamore and Tottenham. Mr Kelly is a home missionary, which means he is not ordained but doing the job of a regular minister. He entered full-time ministry from working previously as an agricultural engineer, and identifies conferences like this as key in encouraging ordinary people to be passionate about preaching the Bible faithfully.

"It is exciting to see preaching workshops coming into rural areas and I have used the workshops as a way of introducing others to methods I have found so useful," Mr Kelly says. "Realising that there are many others in the immediate area who are engaged in the work of biblical preaching is a great encouragement."

The "immediate area' is in fact very large geographically from Tamworth to Griffith and drawing from many small towns in between.

Stand and Deliver is the brainchild of Bruce Bennett, minister of Orange Evangelical Church and formerly an archdeacon in the Armidale Diocese.

"I spent eight years as a lay preacher with virtually no input from anyone," explains Mr Bennett. "When I entered Moore College I was determined to use my training to encourage lay preachers."

Likewise Mr Kelly attests to the importance of good lay preaching. "Increasingly, small country churches cannot afford to support full-time ministers, or at least spend significant periods without a minister.

"The health of the local church depends on consistent, faithful preaching of God's word, which I believe is most effectively done by members of the local body," Mr Kelly says.