Pre-Converts Shaped My Preaching

“Agnostic seekers who visit churches don’t want meaty preaching.” “Un-churched people tend to venture into those churches that preach a watered-down Gospel.” “Our church preaches the truth so we don’t have a lot of seekers and new believers.” Have you ever heard a churchgoer, maybe one who attends your church, spew out assumptions like these? The mindset behind these assumptions is warped and reveals a lack of interaction with pre-converted agnostic seekers.

To my shame, I have held some of these assumptions. Then, God began to lead a large number of pre-converts into the life of the congregation I served as pastor. My assumptions were demolished. I spent lots of time interacting with these spiritual explorers. They taught me so much about how to preach. In fact, I would venture to say that nothing shaped my preaching more than the influx of seekers God brought into the life of that church. As I looked into their eyes and listened to their hearts during and beyond the preaching event, I sensed them conveying:

“Don’t just give us life-application that will help us with our marriage and finances; Give us God.”

“We can handle the hard questions of life, so please refrain from overly simplifying and neatly packaging complex issues.”

“We want you to be a person of integrity, but we also want to know you are one among us and not one above us. If you are the spiritual hero of every story you share, you will seem inaccessible.”

“Be honest about the bad news and we will hear you when you proclaim the good news. Don’t sugarcoat life. No one in the real world experiences life as a bed of roses. If you suggest that you do, we will conclude you are a liar living in la-la land and stop listening to you.”

“We don’t want purposeless humor and anecdotes strung together to entertain us; we want to encounter Christ in the moment your words are spoken.”     

“Show us that you know us. Voice our questions and concerns. Voice our disappointments and dreams. Voice our heartache and hope. But show us you know God too. We crave both contextual relevance and theological substance.”

Does a Pastor Really Need a Distict Superintendent?

Young pastors in a denominational system need a certain kind of district superintendent. While a pastor agrees to serve a particular local church, she/he also joins a district of churches. I used to under-value the role of a district superintendent expressing thoughts like, “I don’t need or want a paper-pushing, policy-shaping district superintendent looking over my shoulder” and “a washed up pastor-turned-district superintendent has so little, if anything, to offer a young and energetic pastor like me.” And then I experienced a district superintendent who wore the role with such wisdom, grace and vigor that my mind was forever changed. This DS (district superintendent) provided services that profoundly and directly shaped me and indirectly but significantly impacted the local church I served.

Supplication: The DS faces with St. Paul “daily the pressure of concern for all the churches.” This “pressure” drives the DS to pray for the churches and the pastors under his/her care. The ultimate drive of the DS is to get past the administrative paperwork, policy making, and procedural protocols to a posture of prayer. The bottom line is that DSs who consistently and passionately pray for their pastors, shepherd those pastors well. If you are called to be a pastor to pastors, go ahead and begin to contact those pastors and pray with each of them over the phone.

Support: The DS can be a buffer between the local church pastor and her board. When there is conflict, the DS steps in not to take sides but to build a reconciliatory bridge. The DS celebrates the faithfulness and fruitfulness of the pastor in the presence of the board. If the board is stingy when it comes to compensating the pastor, the DS steps in with the facts like “churches of your size in this region pay their pastor twice as much as you pay yours.” When the pastor experiences some sort of personal crisis, like the death of a loved one, the DS provides the ministry of presence. Pastoral ministry can be lonely and is almost always rigorous. A supportive DS can ameliorate some of the challenges that pastors face.    

Strategy: Good DSs are constantly reading, observing and discussing best practices for the local church. They are building a storehouse of strategies to help the local church pastor when needs arise. They are not merely focused on where the church was or even is but where the church is heading. They are able to insightfully analyze the trends in culture that should be adopted and/or confronted. They are resource gatherers whose primary focus is to help the local church pastor lead faithfully and fruitfully. They spend more of their time on vision and strategy then on “administrivia,” though the latter must be done by someone for the sake of efficient stewardship.  

Stop-Gap: A stop-gap is an improvised and immediate fix that can suffice until a long-term solution is identified and secured. Most young leaders, or at least this use-to-be young leader, wanted to go from problem to solution without considering some of the incremental steps needed to get there. When the local church is bursting with growth, we think “let’s build a new sanctuary.” A wise district superintendent advises “let’s add a service or two and raise funds to build.” When there is minor conflict the pastor commits with full force to “confront that guy head-on and excommunicate him from the local church,” the DS advises “why don’t you fast and pray past the heat of the moment and then respond with a spirit of reconciliation.” In other words, a DS helps the pastor, at times, get past the latter’s plan A to identify a plan B or C that is more realistic and sustainable.

It may seem odd that someone like me, who has never been a DS, would postulate what it takes to be an excellent DS. The little I know concerning what it takes to serve effectively as a DS comes from observing a DS who served so well. Harry F. Wood, former DS of the Penn-Jersey District of the Wesleyan Church, offered the supplication, support, strategy, and stop-gap I needed as a young pastor serving in his district. I used to think that the best thing a DS could do for a pastor was stay out of her way, until I experienced a DS who embodied the role so valiantly. Thank you, Harry. Thank you, Lord.

Tweets Worth Blogging

Here are some of the favorite tweets I tweeted:

Christ died not to make us happy but to make us holy so that holiness becomes our greatest happiness.                 

The Church is frightening and frustrating but formative.

If the tree grows taller than the roots go deep, you might as well yell "timber."                 

Preacher try building a sermon on plot not points. Your people will love you for it and you will have a blast.                 

If human affirmation is the fuel that keeps us going in ministry we will eventually run out of gas. Get your kudos from God.                 

In a world full of egotistical self-promotion, people need to see selfless God-devotion.                 

Using words to change lives through preaching is sort of like taking a knife to a gunfight. But God can do a lot with a knife.

Thanking God for yesterday purifies the soul today and fuels hope for tomorrow.

Preach to inspire not merely to inform an American church that is well-informed but uninspired to embody what she knows.

Disciples are made through silence, solitude and slums not merely programs, projects and performance.

Do you ever feel as if the wave of your life is being carried by an ocean of grace almost too powerful to resist?                 

"Confession and forgiveness are the concrete forms in which sinful people love one another." Henri Nouwen                 

Christians grow most when they are thrown out on a limb and forced to rely on God as if their life depended on it.                 

When you say I do to Christ you get the Rachel you want (Christ) & the Leah you don't (Church). The only way to get Rachel is to love Leah.

Preachers- a sermon is compelling enough to preach if it's theologically substantive and contextually relevant. Anything else is just a talk                 

Lord, apply your powerful hammer and gracious chisel to the stubborn stone of my heart so that I become what you created me to be

Lord, break the dikes that dam the torrent of grace from flooding the soil of my soul.

"Best practices" for Christian ministry are rooted in biblical, theological and historical foundations not in methodological pragmatism.

 

I used to hate leading meetings...

Many pastors admit that the most draining part of their job is leading administrative meetings with the staff, board, and congregation. Pastors have so much to do. They prepare sermons and lessons, counsel couples and visit the sick. Meetings sometimes seem like a meaningless waste of the pastor’s time. I remember how, for the first 10 years of my pastoral ministry, I complained often about meetings. “I want to impact lives not build budgets and prepare policies. If I only had an executive pastor, who likes these sorts of things, my life would be a whole lot easier and my ministry more fruitful.”

After the first decade of ministry I decided that since there’s no getting around the task of leading meetings, I might as well make the most of them. The following question changed how I approached every meeting I led: What kind of meeting would I and the people I lead most want to attend? The answer to this question changed everything for me and, I hope, for the people I led. The meetings I enjoyed attending included focus, food, fun, and faith. So, I figured it might be wise to let these very elements guide the meetings I lead.

Focus: When I viewed meetings as a necessary evil, I focused on planning an agenda that required limited forethought and early adjournment. We would discuss reports and look at our watches, while the strongest personalities hi-jacked the meeting. At some point I took responsibility for the meeting agenda, making sure we focused our attention on the issues that mattered most. Budgetary adjustments become an opportunity to prioritize the vision God had given us. Ministry reports became an opportunity to praise or petition God. The agenda items we discussed were overtly connected to the values and vision God birthed in our faith community. A focused meeting means keeping the most important thing the most important thing.   

Food: It seems so shallow, I know, but food adds something, other than calories, to a meeting. When people eat together, they are more inclined to view themselves as a team or community, and not merely as a board or committee. Perhaps this is why the Jews, and Scripture, focus on the significance of table fellowship. For some reason, when people start passing, reaching, munching, and sipping, they begin engaging, thinking, listening, and dreaming.

Fun: The fun-factor may seem shallow, but it matters. Local church meetings, if they are focused on the things that matter most, demand the very best from all participants. Fun can make the demands more tolerable. Try some fun ice-breakers that get people sharing and laughing with each other. A low-risk ice-breaker might involve asking the group to respond to questions like: What is your most embarrassing church moment? What volunteer ministry in the church would be most torturous for you? You could also shoot for some high-risk fun by setting up a game of Twister. The point is, invite the participants in the meeting to experience a little fun. Fun opens the doors of the human soul in a way that cultivates deep and honest interaction.  

Faith: This may seem counter-intuitive, but most every local church meeting should lead to decisions and initiatives that leave people convinced that “unless God shows up we are dead meat.” In other words, meetings should lead to action that requires faith. Staff, board, and congregational members want to attend meetings that matter. They are longing for leaders to bring before them a meeting agenda that is God-sized. The local church meeting should not feel like ho-hum “business as usual” when so much is at stake. Will the action steps that flow out of your meeting elicit faith in God from participants? If not, then dream bigger!       

The next time you lead a meeting, remember this: Food and fun can foster the focus and faith that lead to fulfillment and fruitfulness.

A Thoughtful Review of Preaching Essentials

Dr. Dwight Moody received a vision, some years ago, to encourage, equip and empower young preachers to proclaim the Gospel of Christ with all that is within them. So many of our brightest and best young people do not see preaching as a viable vocation through which to transform society. Dr. Moody wanted to do something about that trend and indeed he is. The Festival of Young Preachers is coming to Indianapolis in 2014. If you know of any gifted young preachers with a call to preach, send them to this event.

Dr. Moody has reviewed and recommends my book, Preaching Essentials, to aspiring young preachers. Here is his kind and thoughtful endorsement: http://www.academyofpreachers.net/2012/10/16/new-book-preaching-essentials/

Preaching Tip: Create Contextual Connectors

While your historical and literary exegesis of a particular biblical text will not change much, unless you develop new skills for deeper digging, the context of the people to whom you preach is always changing. The contemporary context, then, should have significant bearing on how the biblical exegesis is shaped and delivered through the sermon. Using language that contextually connects with the specific people to whom you preach is the difference between a mediocre sermon and a great one.

Contextual connectors are those tactile, imagistic words strategically placed in sermons that earth the values of God’s kingdom within the realities of the listener’s life. These connectors avoid conceptual generalities that can only be heard in the ear but not seen in the mind’s eye. One of the ways to discern the level of your contextual connectivity is to ask yourself regarding the last sermon you preached: Could I preach this sermon to any group, regardless of the age, ethnicity, socio-economics, and education level of the group without changing any of the sermon’s language? If the answer is “no” then you’re on the right track. If you answered “yes” then the following exercises can help you connect with the diversity of people to whom you preach.

-Pray the sermon through the church directory: Once you have an idea of the focus (what the sermon will say), pray the focus through the church directory. As you look at the pictures or names of people, pray the sermon focus into the specific situations of peoples’ lives. This practice prevents the sermon from becoming generalized pie in the sky and grounds the real Gospel in the realities of the real people to whom we preach. Words and phrases will surface that connect to the specific people in your preaching context.  

-Consider contextual circles: With your sermon focus in mind, prayerfully reflect upon the following questions: How does this sermon intersect with my life? How does this sermon engage the hopes and hurts of the Church? How does this sermon intersect with the needs of my Community, Nation, and World? Carefully pausing to exegete your circles of context (personal, church, community, nation, and world) will only accentuate the power of your biblical exegesis.

So, let’s say you’re preaching from Genesis 3 about the fig leaves Adam and Eve used to cover their sin and shame. The fig leaves also became a barrier to the intimacy they craved with each other and with God. What are the fig leaves we use to cover our nakedness that keep us from the intimacy we crave? Well, the fig leaf should change based upon the context of the specific group to whom we preach. If you’re preaching to teens, the fig leaf might be popularity and possessions. If you’re preaching to white collar, well-educated people, the fig leaf might be accomplishments. If you’re preaching to rural farmers, the fig-leaf might be land and livestock. If you’re preaching to senior citizens, the fig-leaf might be wealth. You get the idea. The context should shape the sermon.  

The best preachers are the best listeners. Through conversations with the people and with God, the preacher has listened long and hard to the hopes and hurts, dreams and disappointments of the people. The listening preacher is the one who can proclaim Christ with pinpoint profundity on Sunday morning.

 

Want to Improve Your Preaching? Find a Preaching Coach

The business world has caught on to the concept of coaching. Many middle and top level executives now hire a coach who will help them reach their potential in the corporate world. Many of these coaches get paid big bucks for their services. People who want to get in shape hire a coach as well, usually called a trainer. Some of my friends who like to golf and want to reach their full potential in hitting that little white ball into the slightly larger hole several hundred yards away, hire a coach too. Many are willing to go to great lengths, incur significant expense, and devote lots of time to being coached toward their potential.

I wonder how many preachers have a coach. According to my observations, not many have a preaching coach. Yet, preaching has more potential for eternal impact than business management, fitness, and golf combined. What is more, utilizing the services of a preaching coach can be low cost or even free of charge. So then, why do so few preachers have a coach? The answer, in my estimation, is simple. We don’t like it when people critique our baby, our sermonic baby that is. The sermons we preach, unless we take shortcuts and download them from pastors.com, are born from the DNA of our soul. The sermons we birth are really a part of us, like one of our children. And we preachers will do most anything to avoid hearing someone suggest that our sermonic baby is not as cute as we think she is.

Get over it, preachers! There is too much at stake when it comes to preaching for us to worry about our fragile ego. Ministry is perfectly designed for the crucifixion of the ego, and this is especially true for the minister who happens to preach. Those preachers whose best sermons are before them and not behind them, usually have some sort of preaching coach who critiques and commends their sermons. Have I convinced you yet? If so, here are some practical ways to benefit from a preaching coach.

-Recruitment: A preaching coach can be another pastor who serves with you on staff, a thoughtful lay person in your church, a homiletician who teaches preaching, or an effective preacher from another congregation. The key when it comes to recruitment is to find someone who is mature and secure enough to both critique and commend your preaching. If someone is either critique-happy or commendation-sappy, they should not be recruited as your preaching coach; that coach will only give you half of what you need.

-Structure: Meet with your coach at least once per quarter. You buy the lunch or breakfast, but meet in your office as opposed to a public setting. You should give your preaching coach some sort of feedback guide, like the one found in Preaching Essentials pp.196-197. Listen to or, preferably, view the sermon with your preaching coach. Then, following the sermon, graciously remind the preaching coach how much you value their honest feedback. Simply listen to the feedback of your coach. If you interrupt and get defensive or try to explain yourself, you will seriously diminish the potential for substantive feedback. If you must respond, it should only be to gain clarification on something your coach says. While your coach is giving you feedback, you will want to take copious notes. This will serve you well in the future as you look back at your notes from each session to see patterns of strength and weakness in your preaching.    

-Follow-Up: After you meet with your coach, set aside a day to prayerfully process the feedback. As you prayerfully reflect, consider what steps you need to take to improve the areas in which you are deficient and to maximize the areas in which you are strong. What can you add to your weekly homiletic process that addresses the feedback from your preaching coach?

Get started. Have fun. Find a preaching coach today. You and the people to whom you preach will be so glad you did.

Lenny