Over the last couple of days I’ve shared a few confessions from a preacher, that I suspect are true of some or many other preachers too.  Feel free to disagree or resonate, just a quick four today:

9. Most preachers, at least now and then, question our own abilities and suitability for pulpit ministry.  Periodic genuine encouragement means more to us than we know how to show.  If this can be combined with genuine interest in us as real Christians (rather than stained glass saints), this makes for a powerful combination.

10. Many of the preachers that I know are somewhat introverted and carry quips and jokey criticism both deep down and long term.

11. Most preachers don’t feel perfectly qualified as exemplars of perfect character, and our fear of letting others down can tempt us to be false with our own reputation.

12. Most preachers are wide open to vulnerable conversation with both the spiritually mature and the new believer.  The people we might be inclined to fear are the spiritually immature that think they are mature, the people that can turn a community of love into a political battle zone.