I love pastors deeply, but I’m also afraid for them this weekend as they lead their churches. Here are some of those fears:
- Someone will corner them with a complaint just before they preach. I’m always amazed by people who have no sense of timing and no apparent recognition of the seriousness of preaching.
- Some will preach without prayerful preparation. That is, they’ll be preaching in their own power. We don’t need any more preaching like that.
- Some will miss the Word almost completely. They may start with a Bible text, but it’s only a launching pad into some other topic. In a moment when pastors could preach the Word, they won’t get there.
- Some church member will hurt a member of their family. I fear the word of a volatile church member will wound the pastor’s family—and the scars will be deep.
- Some pastor somewhere will be arrested for preaching. It happens, and it’s happening more often in some parts of the world.
- Someone will use the pulpit to take out his frustrations on a local congregation. He will have the microphone, and he’ll lodge his complaints publicly.
- Some will preach in one church while they long to be in a different one. It’s tough to preach well to one congregation when your heart is no longer there.
- Some will stand up publicly to proclaim the Word while they’re living in sin privately. I trust the anguish of that situation will be overwhelming for them.
- Some pastor who knows he should be serving on the mission field will deny that calling one more time. He’ll convince himself during the day that the needs of his community are sufficient to keep him where he is; at night, though, his missionary calling will keep him awake.
- Someone will use off-color illustrations and jokes in an attempt to be relevant to culture. He will cross lines, and it will cost him his credibility and support.
- Some will choose not to be prophetic even when the situation warrants it. Fear of man will keep them from speaking the truth in love.
- Some pastors will be fully comfortable preaching and leading churches that are reaching no non-believers. Their burden for the lost will be buried, and their comfort level with no conversion growth will be far too strong.
What fears would you add?
Some preachers share a pulpit with other preachers and may experience church members boycotting their sermons on the Sundays that they preach. Every Sunday they are faced with the prospect that more church members may join those who are boycotting their sermons. This happened to me after I sent a email to the congregation asking them to pray for everybody involved in a high school shooting, including the shooter and his family. My hope was God would move him to experience remorse for what he had done, repent, and seek God’s forgiveness. But apparently one member took it the wrong way. I also preached a lot about telling people about Jesus and inviting people to church.
No doubt Chuck, these are all good. But consider it from the other direction; Some preachers will pray through and get a word from God – and then be attacked because God’s word is in direct opposition to the 21st Americanized Church culture.
This is a different day in our country, I’m sad to say. While your thoughts are good and need careful consideration (and much prayer), there is a growing culture that is in the mold of 2 Timothy 4:3…