Author: Peter Mead

Planks and Slices

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If you take a log, there are various ways to cut it. It doesn’t take much skill to hack at it and get it into chunks. But a skilled woodcutter can produce a beautiful slice showing all the rings. Or, they can produce a long plank of wood that reveals some of the grains working their way through the entire log.

Typically sermons are like slices. We take a unit of thought and seek to bring its impact into the lives of those listening. But there are times when we should be working with planks, and specifically, with tracing a grain or two through the whole book or Bible. Let’s probe issues of producing planks for the pulpit!

Today let’s think about working with a single book. Here are some thoughts:

1. Every book has grains working through it, and the best way to find them is to spend a lot of time in the book. Seems obvious, but if we preach after only spending time in a slice, we will miss the grains that are present. Be sure to read whole books multiple times.

2. Some grains will be more pronounced than others. It isn’t a competition between grains, but we should be alert to those that are real building blocks for a book. It would be a shame to spot the eschatological hope theme in Romans, but miss issues of justification, righteousness and faithfulness. In Mark a lot of comments go to the “immediately” and the “secret” themes, but we mustn’t miss the question of who is Jesus, or the issue of the cross.

3. Some grains will be located in a section, others will traverse the entire book. The theme of the eschatological city in Hebrews 10-13 is massively important for that section of the book, but it might not register in the earlier two-thirds. However the motif of forward momentum does carry the reader through the whole sermon to the Hebrews.

4. It won’t be possible to have every grain have impact in a sermon, so select carefully. For instance, in John’s gospel, themes abound including belief, glory, light/dark, world, truth, I am, the Spirit, abiding in, etc. To preach with all possible grains highlighted in any section will probably overwhelm listeners.

5. Tracing the grain can bring great variety to a series. Instead of just chopping a book into chunks, why not introduce and conclude with an overview that traces a particular grain through the whole. It will bring out a whole new dimension for people.

I’m pondering table fellowship in Luke, but also pondering how to not overwhelm with a theme that pops up in almost every chapter.

People and Passage

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I think it was Phillips Brooks who said something along these lines: He never went to his study and looked in the Bible without seeing his people’s faces running across his study.When he went out to meet his people, his study would beckon and he would see the Bible.

I suppose this could seem frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be.  If we engage the situation relationally then it can be a more exciting, rather than frustrating experience.  We read and study God’s Word to hear Him, we then continue the conversation as we engage with people, our lives intersecting with theirs, our prayer conversation ongoing.

The exciting potential is to bring God’s Word to the people, and to bring the people to God’s Word.  And remember, this isn’t about being a life mechanic, a drill sergeant or a success guru.  It’s about introducing people, and reintroducing people, to the Word of God who woos us to His Father.

As preachers we live in a tension between people and passages. This need not be a tension, but rather a glorious conversation.

Speech: More Than Pragmatic

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I wonder if some of us are missing something deeply significant?  Preaching involves spoken communication, but what is that spoken communication?  Is it a tool we use to transfer the information that we need to get across?  Or is it profoundly more than that?

I’ve heard preachers who preach as if their speaking is about the information transfer, but little more.  So that sense of personal detachment, or coldness, or distance . . . is that just a matter of poor delivery, or is there something more going on?

What I want to scratch the surface of is the nature of speech itself.  Here are some quick thoughts on why speech itself is more than a pragmatic tool:

1. The Bible doesn’t treat human speech as just a tool.  There is a massive emphasis on hearing God’s Word.  Our response to what we hear defines us.  Our integrity of action to what we confess is critical.  The tongue is a powerful organ in the body.

2. The Bible is a story of “did God say?”  The serpent offered humanity an autonomous alternative to trusting dependence on God.  We can be our own gods.  Why would we want that?  Because of a distrust in God’s spoken word, which is a distrust of His gracious character.  Ever since then the hiss of the lie has been an ever-present.  And the question has always been, who will trust the word of God’s promise?

3. The Bible presents us with a God who speaks.  Why don’t we see more from heaven?  We can’t fathom that perhaps our eyes are not the senior sense.  We fell by distrust of speech, we are invited to trust based on God’s Word (and He even made His Word visible to us in a Person!)  But this isn’t some pragmatic condescension of God for our sake, He is eternally a speaking God.  What constitutes the reality of the Trinity?  We would do well to let go a little of a metaphysical conversation of substance, and ponder more the biblical revelation of a God in eternal communion.

4. The Bible seems to see speech as central to what it is to be a person.  Now we’re probing a bit more.  For centuries we’ve been caught up in the idea of personhood as being about rationality, will-power and individualism.  We’ve seen it as an issue of separation, of hierarchy, of a will to power.  What if what we are is not best defined by our CV/resume (skills, capacities, education, even references from the most impressive people we know)?  What if what we are is defined by who we have true relationship with?  We inherently sense that reality, but our world denies it.  And what if relationship is, at its core, a matter of speaking and hearing, of a mutual indwelling through communication?

Okay, enough for today, but here’s the thought I’m nudging us toward.  What if preaching is profoundly more about speech than we’ve ever realised?  Our God is a God who speaks.  A God who has spoken.  And at the centre of Christianity is our heart response to what He says?

Preacher, Be Amateur!

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Never a fan of amateurishness in anything related to church ministry, I think we have to be amateur when it comes to preaching.  What am I saying?  Simple – if preaching is not done for the right love, it will be done for the wrong love, but love will drive our preaching.

Love for me is never good.  That is to say, preaching for the love of position, love of status, love of kudos, love of attention, love of affirmation, love of power, love of paycheck, love of significance, etc…all of this is sanctified incurvedness – which is not sanctified at all, it is sin.

Love for God is the right kind of love.  We love because He first loved us.  Our preaching should spring from the response of our hearts and lives to God.  Our love for Him should stir us to give of our best in order to please Him.  What the pulpit desperately needs is not skilled orators, no matter how great the content.  What it needs is true divines – those who know God personally, closely, intimately.

Love for listeners is entirely appropriate.  We become like whoever we love and worship.  So our love for Him should result in an increasing sharing of His values, including a love for the listeners.  That love should drive us not only to study His Word, but to seek to offer it to others for their good.  And we will do so not in a cold and detached professionalism, but in a warm-hearted, God-representing loving approach to ministry.

Love for the Word of God surely fits.  Just to reinforce what has already been said, let us never study the Word out of a requirement to prepare a message, but with hearts stirred to hear God there.  Hearing our God who has spoken and speaks in His Word is not some ministerial pragmatic issue – it is at the very centre of who He is and what we are called to.  We are made in the image of a communicating-relational God.  So we should passionately pursue His Word, inscribed and incarnate, for our hearts should long to know God.

And if that is what is meant by amateur – love-driven preaching… then I want to be an amateur for as long as I live!

Amateur: Not All Good

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To put it simply, the term amateur can be used in reference to something being done out of a love for it (rather than as a paid job).  Or it can refer to something  being done in a way that shows lack of skill, being done not very well.  Let’s ponder the latter today and finish positively tomorrow.

Amateurishness can be seen in various aspects of preaching:

* Lack of preparation, inadequate study and research, use of poor sources, surface-only work with the text, etc.

* Scattered (dis)organisation of content, poor logical ordering of content, lack of effort with word choices, etc.

* Poor delivery, excessive verbal pauses, um, any self-presentation that appears to be hiding the self out of nervousness (acting like a clown, for instance), etc.

I’m sure we could all list plenty of ways to preach in an amateurish fashion.  There is also the bigger picture of the whole service.  What people will enjoy in a group of 50 will be intolerable in a group of 250.  But there are two further points to ponder here:

1. Critiquing amateurishness is not to say there is no place for weakness.  We all have weakness and should preach in a state of weakness rather than prideful self-reliance.  What we might critique as amateurishness is more an issue of not preparing properly, or not growing into effective homiletical skill or delivery skill.  It is an issue of poor stewardship, not something that we should justify in some sort of reverse sanctification by extension process.  By all means let’s appear as fools and as weak to a world that is arrogant in its upside-down state.  But let’s let the gospel message itself be the “foolishness” and the “weakness” – not our own lack of good stewardship of the ministry we have the privilege of participating in.

2. Recognize who suffers from unnecessary amateurishness.  Here’s the strange thing.  When a preacher is genuinely very limited in skill, ability, knowledge, resources, time, etc., then the same perceived weaknesses are often unperceived.  But when we simply show a lack of commitment or passion for preaching, then we can’t rely on some loophole that guarantees God’s intervention.

Unbelievers will judge the gospel based not on the gospel, but on our demonstration of its value to us.  Believers will be frustrated and distracted so that the focus will be on the poor preacher rather than the wonderful biblical truth.  Amateurishness that flows from lack of effort both in the preparation of a specific sermon, and in the longer-term failure to grow in the ministry of preaching, is ultimately an issue of love – a lack of love for the lost, the believers we are supposed to shepherd, and for the Lord who gave everything for us.

Tomorrow we’ll think about the good side of amateur!

Perils of Professionalism in Preaching

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Yesterday I urged us all to pursue a “professional” preaching ministry in the sense of being well trained, well informed and well skilled. But there are negative associations with professionalism that I think we would do well to ponder:

1. Don’t be contractually defined. It is hard to stomach professional sports-persons haggling over how many tens of thousands they should be paid each week, and refusing to play until they get what they want. Surely it is worse to sense similar issues with preachers. Obviously the sums involved are considerably smaller, but the idea that a preacher will tell of the glorious grace of God with a smile as long as his own contractual terms are in place is simply wrong. It is difficult when there are employment contracts involved, but surely we preach because of something other than money (and hopefully others will recognize their role in making sure the preachers are provided for appropriately)?

2. Don’t be selfishly driven. There is nothing wrong with receiving finance in association with preaching. Whether it is a regular stipend, or a loving palm gift, we thank God for any funding given in association with preaching. However, the moment a mercenary attitude creeps in, something is broken. A preacher should be giving of themselves, giving themselves away in ministry. While they shouldn’t starve to death in the process, surely it should be others that are concerned to make sure that doesn’t happen. And when it isn’t a matter of starving, but moving to higher levels of luxury, a preacher concerned with what is received seems to be a preacher who has lost their true focus.

3. Don’t be self-reliant. Another aspect of professionalism that we must be wary of is the idea of self-reliance. That is, the loss of prayerful dependence on God and the loss of humility and perceived weakness. Even the most skilled and capable and gifted individual is still stepping out beyond their own strengths when they open God’s Word before a gathering of people. Let’s be sure never to lose that sense of utter inadequacy as we preach.

What else would you add, either positively or negatively in association with professionalism?

Preaching Professional and Amateur

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Some years ago there was a big fuss about whether professional athletes should be allowed to participate (even unpaid) in the Olympic Games. Now it is hard to fathom what some of the unpaid athletes are receiving in sponsorship, so the issue has faded. I think preachers should be both professional and amateur, but also neither. Let’s explore this:

Preachers should be professional in the following ways –

1. As well trained as possible. I am not making an absolute standard. It is impossible to do so. But preachers should take advantage of the best training that is available to them. Training will not make a preacher, but it can help.  In fact, a lot of resistance to training is born out of personal insecurity and/or pride. There is a lot that can be learned from others in terms of biblical study skills, homiletical practice and so on. Preaching with constructive feedback can be priceless. So whether the extent of the training available is taking advantage of free online courses, or a local seminar, or pursuing a mentor, or a Doctor of Ministry degree – surely we should take the privilege of preaching seriously and get the best training we can find and afford.

2. As well informed as possible. I wouldn’t want to visit a physician that is fully qualified, but hasn’t looked at a medical journal since graduating in 1956. There is something about remaining informed that is part of what it is to be professional. For preachers I suppose this means we should be readers. Voracious readers of the Bible first and foremost. Always going deeper, learning more, growing closer to the Lord. And also reading helpful books on preaching (there is no end to the stream of new ones, but search for those that will stretch, not just reinforce the same perspective you already hold dear). There may even be a magazine or blog that keeps you on your toes!

3. As well skilled as possible. The training and the study has a goal in sight. Here is the good side of professionalism. Being the best that we can be. We must never rely on ourselves. Ours is neither a sport nor a job. But surely we cannot please the Lord by choosing to be less than the best stewards of the opportunity to preach? Let’s continually bare our soul before Him and ask Him to help us do our part better and better – not for any credit to our account, but because we are so hungry to give everything for Him who gave His all for us.

Tomorrow I’ll ponder some of the perils of a professional mindset…

The Personality of the Preacher 4

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Last few in the list:

8. The Power Preacher – This person likes to be in charge, they naturally lead groups they find themselves in, and they always look for ways to influence others.  Preaching can be a bit of a no-brainer role for them in some settings.  Now there are massive connections between preaching and leading.  But there are also massive connections between our content and a non-worldly servant leadership model of the inverted pyramid.  This preacher will be able to communicate vision and may have people naturally respond to them.

But it is important to have people respond to the Bible, rather than just to the preacher.  Perhaps every personality type would do well to check their motives for preaching, but perhaps this type should do so quicker and more thoroughly than some others.

9. The Performer Preacher – Typically people-oriented, very extrovert and fun-loving.  Naturally enthusiastic and potentially highly engaging.  They like to be the center of attention in social situations.  This person will bring energy into the preaching moment.  They will bring enthusiasm and joy.  They will bring more emotion than some personality types could dream of expressing.  Some visitors will feel enthused, some regulars will excuse and enjoy.

However, this personality type needs to know that their personality will aggravate some others.  The energy will grate.  The emotion will be considered a false front.  The hype will be seen as a poor attempt to hide a lack of content.  This personality type can be perfect for some situations.  In every situation there needs to be care for content to come in the package of energetic delivery, otherwise the naysayers will be proven right.

10.  The Inspirer Preacher – Another natural communicator, with a natural ability to engagingly explain and apply biblical truth with intensity.  This person will be seen as a good preacher by others, whether or not the content is as profound as they give the impression that it is.  However, sometimes the intensity may seem to come with the public speaking, rather than from the power of the content.  This personality type needs to channel the same energy into their study as they naturally produce in their delivery.  They probably need to understand that some personality types will struggle to maintain the level of inspired intensity while listening to them!

11. The Visionary Preacher – Intellectually quick, they see a preferred future in most situations, and are able to communicate that sensitively and powerfully.  They may have energy for creative planning, but lack energy for maintaining the important routines in personal life and church life.  People in churches without clear vision and direction can feel starved of leadership.  This type of preacher can be a real blessing to such a church.

However, not every visionary statement can be followed through on by all listening.  This personality needs to be sure to affirm and to support and to encourage the present activities and routines, where appropriate, rather than only seeing the better future and continually presenting that.  People appreciate direction and vision, but they don’t do well being constantly critiqued and evaluated negatively.

I have deliberately avoided 16 types, for obvious reasons.  There could be many more than the 11 I’ve listed.  What would you add?  Perhaps more importantly, what are some of the features of your personality and how do they influence your preaching?

The Personality of the Preacher 3

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Here are some more musings on the multi-faceted complexity of our inner world.  How does your personality mark your preaching?

5. The Writing Preacher – A clear thinking and able wordsmith who can write with considerable natural talent.  They can’t imagine living in a non-literary age, nor living without books.  There are obvious pros and cons here too.  Preaching is also communicating, and being able to think through to a point of clarity is a key skill.  However, writing and speaking are very different communication forms.  Clear writing can lose listeners.  All of us need to learn to write messages in spoken English, rather than written English.  Alternatively, we need to not write our messages at all, but to plan them as spoken events.  That thought would set off some personalities, and not just the lovers of writing!

6. The Professor Preacher – This person loves and retains information.  They read, they memorize, they analyse, they store tons of biblical, theological and historical data.  What an advantage for preaching.  The ability to make links with other texts, to hold it all together in the mind, and to draw it all in from various sources without having to chase things from scratch.

But there is a downside.  Relevance might get lost.  Preaching is not a data dump.  Listeners may struggle to follow apparently tenuous connections, or just get tired of information overload.  The person with this tendency as a preacher will need to learn to cut and edit maliciously.  Most struggle to simplify messages enough.  This personality type will struggle more than most.  Listeners also would probably like to know the preacher beyond the obvious ability to handle and connect information.

7. The People Person Preacher – Great people skills are worth so much, and so complex to have to learn, but nice for those who are naturals!  Ability to connect, to interact, to feel comfortable, to tell stories, to be vulnerable, etc.  While a lot of preachers may be more introverted, the advantages of focused solo study can be balanced by difficulties in communication (or more commonly, in post preaching interaction).  The people person preacher can stand up and say the alphabet in a way that makes people feel warm and connected.  And hence both pro and con.

Tomorrow we’ll finish the series, but perhaps only start our ponderings!