Every preacher has encountered unplanned or unexpected interruptions while preaching—and I’m sure you can give examples if you’ve done any preaching at all. Here are four principles to help you when facing those distractions:
- You can ignore many distractions. It’s best to ignore most noises while preaching. The sudden cry of a baby, for example, should not interrupt the preacher’s exposition. In fact, most members expect their pastor to continue preaching, even if he must increase his volume. Ringing cell phones and message alerts fall into this same category. If the preacher becomes addled by every sound, he increases the likelihood of losing his hearers as they too become agitated. Ignoring distractions includes not calling attention to individuals who themselves are the source of distractions. Drawing attention to them only brings discomfort to the congregation and makes for unsettling worship moments.
- You can address some distractions with humor. For example, a frightening thunderclap jarring the auditorium on a stormy morning almost begs for the pastor to say something about hearing an “amen” from God. And, when the sanctuary illumines after a brief power outage, more than one preacher has uttered the phrase, “And God said, ‘Let there be light.’” Responses like these put listeners at ease and help re-capture their attention. You might also use humor to address odd interruptions difficult to ignore. Once while I was preaching, a bird flew into the sanctuary and stood on the altar! There was little I could do but look over at the bird and smile. While I might have tried in vain to continue preaching, that bird had everyone’s attention, so we just watched it briefly until it finally disappeared into the rafters. A little laughter eased us back into the sermon.
- You will need to address some distractions immediately. Naturally, the sound of a fire alarm or weather siren demands we stop preaching and follow protocol for exiting the auditorium. Similarly, if a member collapses or passes out, we should ensure proper care is given immediately. While volunteers offer aid or contact emergency medical services, the preacher should lead the congregation to pray. On a less serious note, you should quickly address the annoying “pops” or scratchy sounds from a faulty microphone. It may seem awkward to stop preaching for a moment to fix a microphone, but it is far more awkward to continue preaching as though it were not a problem—for both the preacher and the listeners.
- You should review all distractions later. While you might ignore many distractions during the sermon, you should address every distraction later in the appropriate setting. Discussing them in weekly staff meetings or with other church leaders is the best way to review the interruption and consider possible plans to prevent or minimize future distractions.
Pastors: What principles have you found helpful in dealing with distractions during the sermon? What distraction stories would you want to tell us?