The Peril and Promise of Preaching: Setting Your Course 7.14.2022

    In the corner of my study, there is an old-fashioned kneeler. On the kneeling bench, there is a Charlie Brown throw that cushions my aging knees when I pray there. On the prayer shelf, there is a big, large-print Bible which is always opened to 2 Timothy 4. When I pray there on Sunday mornings the focus and content of my prayers, in that spot is my call to preach the Word. I pray other prayers throughout the morning.  While I open the building, I pray for other preachers and their congregations. I pray for the Church in all its catholicity. When I kneel in my study before I read, interpret, and preach the Scriptures my prayer then is focused on preaching. 

    You may be the greatest leader ever bred, but your primary call is not leadership. You may tell the greatest jokes ever laughed at before a live gathering of humans. Yet, you are not called to be a comedian. You may be the most capable numbers cruncher, or present plans so vividly prepared that they can be visualized. Yet tracking statistics and creating grand strategies is not your job. You are called to preach. The earlier in your ministry you make that your focus and the more resolute you are in describing this focus to others the better you will be at the task and the less vulnerable you will be to the definitional whims of others who would change your focus. 

    Paul’s ministry exhibited visionary planning, exemplary leadership, and a wit that he himself discounted. It was all in pursuit of the call to proclaim the gospel. The following sums up much of what motivated him:

Ephesians 3:7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,” (Ephesians 3:6–8 ESV)

A minister. A minister with a mandate. To preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. Though you may drink continuously from the well of scripture, on the last day you serve, the moment you prepare and preach that final sermon, you will still not have searched out the last drop of truth from that unsearchable treasure trove. In this essay, I want to make some practical suggestions for how you and I can introduce and continuously remind our co-leaders exactly how we approach this glorious task. 

Setting Your Course

    You set the course. You are the one called by God and gifted for this ministry. You are equipped to do the work. It begins at the beginning. Be upfront and insistent about your ministry roles. I discussed ministry roles last week and if you so choose you can use those categories. If not, make sure that you define your own ministry in such a way that preaching and all the work that preaching requires are at the center of your ministry life.  How you view ministry needs to be how you do ministry, so long as it’s Biblical. 

When Hired

    I have the outline from my interview for my present ministry. It contained questions based on my understanding of the Biblical Roles of Ministry. My questions were organized by those roles. It was not happenstance or shoot from the hip. I asked the Elders with whom I was going to serve, the local particulars I needed to know so that I could perform my ministry to the best of my gifts and abilities. I explained how my ministry roles worked, how I planned, and how I pursued ministry. 

    When it was their turn to ask questions, I reframed those questions within the scope of those roles. Nothing random. No miscellaneous. No off-the-cuff. No riffing. Interview this way and then execute this way. Every year when I am reviewed, I map the various areas of the matrices onto this table of roles. If there are problems or misunderstandings everyone can figure out exactly what role addresses the problem or misunderstanding. 

As Executed

    You cannot expect your co-leaders or congregation to respect your vision for ministry if you cannot, will not, and do not execute it yourself. Never get tired of saying “this is what I do!” “This is my mission.”  I know that many, if not most Churches require something beyond a resume when they are interviewing ministerial candidates. Some call it a Vision Statement. Others call it a Philosophy of Ministry. Whatever you call it, however you think about ministry—be it Vision or Philosophy—this needs to be how you do ministry!

    You need to be focused on the preparation and presentation of sermons. There are a lot of good things we can do in ministry. Most of these lesser goods have the cumulative effect of siphoning away time and energy for the primary task. Yes, there are emergencies, but fewer than one might think. Yes, there are times when issues surface or someone suffers injury or loss. Deal with it. Extend the love of Christ. Be present in the moment, but don’t extend the moment beyond what is necessary. Don’t allow those good things to sap the energy that you will need to preach at least 50 times a year. 

    If you execute your ministry the way that you say you are going to execute your ministry people will grasp your vision. If you are constantly redefining your roles and recalibrating “what you do” people will become confused, and you will be worn out. Set the course and stick to it. That allows you to be flexible when you really need to be. 

Evolving

    I have made no secret that my interpretation of scripture requires me to put preaching as the first of my roles. During my present ministry, preaching has come to encompass a more significant social-media presence, writing, and weekly blogging. When I report these activities, I make it clear that these are preaching and teaching activities. That is how they fit within my ministry roles and determines how ministry is scheduled. 

    I have also noticed over the last several years that I need to review my own previous work more often in the past. Simply because there is more of it. I performed a funeral last week for a wonderful godly lady from a previous ministry. One of my first tasks, in this instance taking about an hour, was to review my most recent funeral sermons in that community. Then I compared those messages with what I had preached for recent funerals in Grayville. Why? Because I did not want to repeat myself before the same audience. I wanted to make sure that I used material that was fresh even if I was reworking something previously written. 

    If you have preached for a while, you are likely confronting this same phenomenon. It takes me less time to write a sermon but more time to “prepare”. My preparation has evolved because from year to year I want to be able to demonstrate growth as a student of scripture and as a preacher. The best way to track this growth is to review past work. Next year I will preach from Mark for the third time in the last decade. There will be quite a bit to review. 

    If you have not set the course for your own ministry, if you have not established reasonable boundaries and executable roles you will not be evolving, you will be flailing. When pressure or change comes into the life of your congregation you need to have a solid foundation from which to encounter that pressure and comprehend the change. If every day, week, month, and year is different you are not growing, you are just repeating the same experiences. Everyone who wanders may not be lost, but it has been my experience that many of them are! 

    Staying on track and growing throughout ministry is what helps you to get through the tough times. Again, Paul reminds us that the journey of ministry is, satisfying if we understand our own limitations and the opportunities we have when we remain focused.

 “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, Philippians I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13–14 ESV)

 It’s better to be a craftsman at one thing, than a mediocrity at many.