Preacher’s Personal Life

Vast Trouble

/ Peter Mead / 4 Comments

Permit me to persist in quoting from James Stewart’s, Heralds of God, although only briefly this time (p190):

“Preaching,” inquires Bishop Quayle, “is the art of making a sermon and delivering it?” – and he answers his own question: “Why, no, that is not preaching.  Preaching is the art of making a preacher and delivering that.  It is no trouble to preach, but a vast trouble to construct a preacher.”

I suspect this is a tension every homiletics instructor feels deeply.  It is possible to instruct the method of passage exegesis, sermon formation and effective delivery.  But what does it take to form a preacher?  Surely that is a lifetime work of God Himself.  A couple of comments to ponder:

Are you a preacher, or do you just preach? That is to say, does your life live up to the ministry you give from the pulpit?  Are you continuing to grow, to be shaped, to pursue maturity while resting in God’s work to shape you into the image of His Son?  Have you been so committed to studying preaching and ministry and hermeneutics and theology, but lost direction in your personal spirituality?

Are you pouring into the lives of other potential preachers, even long before they ever preach? Again I raise the issue of mentoring.  How can we claim to be involved in biblical ministry if we do not actively pursue opportunity to mentor others?  A preacher is not made in the course of a training course, although I affirm the value of good training as a good steward seeking to fan into flame the opportunity and gifting God has given.  A preacher is made in the course of a lifetime.  Let’s look with a long-term, strategic view . . . how can we invest ourselves into others?  It’s not ultimately about skill formation, but character formation, spiritual formation, life.

Let me encourage all of us to look for ways to help others develop in the necessary skills required for preaching.  But let’s also look with a greater goal, for ways to help shape the lives of those who can then minister (in whatever form) to others.  This is the vaster trouble, but surely the greater goal.

Tragedy

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

I’d like to quote from James Stewart’s classic, Heralds of God (p20).  After this quote, I will only have the briefest of comments to share:

If you as preachers would speak a bracing, reinforcing word to the need of the age, there must be no place for the disillusioned mood in your own life.  Like your Master, you will have meat to eat that the world knows not of; and that spiritual sustenance, in so far as you partake of it daily, will strengthen your powers of resistance to the dangerous infection.  Surely there are few figures so pitiable as the disillusioned minister of the Gospel.  High hopes once cheered him on his way: but now the indifference and the recalcitrance of the world, the lack of striking visible results, the discovery of the appalling pettiness and spite and touchiness and complacency which can lodge in narrow hearts, the feeling of personal futility – all these have seared his soul.  No longer does the zeal of God’s House devour him.  No longer does he mount the pulpit steps in thrilled expectancy that Jesus Christ will come amongst His folk that day, travelling in the greatness of His strength, mighty to save.  Dully and drearily he speaks now about what once seemed to him the most dramatic tidings in the world.  the edge and verve and passion of the message of divine forgiveness, the exultant, lyrical assurance of the presence of the risen Lord, the amazement of supernatural grace, the urge to cry “Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel” – all have gone.  The man has lost heart.  He is disillusioned.  And that, for an ambassador of Christ, is tragedy.

Amen.

Other Low Times Factors

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Yesterday I began a response to Peter’s comment regarding low times in ministry.  It is not at all uncommon for those giving out to get into situations where they are empty themselves.  Yesterday I wrote about the prevention that can be done via good spiritual relational habits.  I wrote briefly about curing a situation where the coldness has come in.  Much more could be said, but here are three further factors to consider:

Spiritual Warfare. The enemy targets specific people at specific times.  There is a spiritual warfare dynamic that we must not ignore.  It could be that there is a spiritual warfare component in a time of discouragement or “coldness.”  This is not always the primary issue, so directly addressing it and focusing on it cannot always be the primary cure.  However, it is no coincidence that those seeking to build up other believers and see people saved from the kingdom of darkness face a whole variety of temptations and difficulties in life and ministry.

Divine Distance. I don’t like that title, but I can’t think of a better one right now.  It seems that there are times when God is very clearly active and overt in His dealings with us.  There seem to be other times when He may allow us to go through some form of dryness . . . perhaps because of the positive benefits of trials of various kinds in respect to our spiritual growth and maturity (Rom.5, James 1, etc.)  I’m not going to develop this theologically here, but simply recognize that negative situations could be spiritual warfare related (solution?  Look to God in prayer).  Or they could be God trying to get our attention (solution? Look to God in prayer).  Seems safe to me to allow any circumstance, whatever the cause, even cause unknown, to allow that to push us back up close to Him.  May be we need greater sensitivity to let any prod push our eyes upward?

Mundane Matters. Times of spiritual dryness may be attacks, or God trying to get our attention, or personal drifting in our relationship with God.  However, they could be indicative of other issues too, often quite mundane.  Getting enough rest?  Sleep?  Weekly break?  Exercise?  How’s the diet?  Any stresses in other areas of life manifesting in this one?  Worried about something else?  I remember Bill Hybels talking about his own struggle at one point and trying to fix it by spiritual disciplines, but then discovering that it wasn’t at root a spiritual issue, but an emotional and physical one.  As he put it, there are several dials on the dashboard, we need to be aware of all of them.

Other factors and suggestions?

spiritual warfare

divine distance

physical complexity

Low Times?

/ Peter Mead / 3 Comments

The site received a comment from another Peter today.  Let me quote, respond and perhaps you’d like to join in?

I was wondering do you ever go through low times during your preaching?  It feels like sometimes I am preparing sunday school lesons and bible study classes for the youth at my Church and then when I preach I spend a lot of time studying, but then there are times where I just feel low.  Kind of like I am spending so much time trying to help others that I feel empty myself.  Any sugggestions on getting through these kinds of times?  I probably didn’t even ask that well but just wondering if you ever go through times like this?

In a word, yes.  I think all preachers, indeed, all believers, go through times where they feel spiritually dry in comparison to other times.  So much could be said about this, but I’ll leave plenty of space for others to add their comments.  A couple of thoughts from me:

Prevention rather than just cure. This kind of situation can be partially prevented to avoid it happening so often.  There is a danger that comes from relying on ministry preparation for personal spirituality.  I am not of the opinion that we should separate ministry preparation from devotions to the extent that one is cold and professional, and the other personal.  Ministry preparation should be working in us before it comes through us to others.  However, to lean on this giving out can easily push us over a point at which we are not ministering out of the overflow of a full personal spirituality, but from an emptying tank.  Good relational habits are important – not cold disciplines in which boxes get ticked in a daily diligent diary of dutifulness, but healthy interaction with God in a daily love relationship . . . reading His Word, communicating with God in prayer, responding to God in worship, etc.  As well as the vertical relationship, we also need to recognize the value of genuinely stimulating horizontal relationships.  All of this can go so cold in ministry . . . a growing distance from God and a lack of genuine relationship with others that is spiritually stimulating (much easier to just give, give, give).

Cure too. Is there a cure to spiritual dryness?  In simple terms I would suggest repent, return and respond.  Repent of your sinful tendency to lose sight of the relationship, return to the fullness of what it means to be in Christ, in relationship, (not through a duty-driven behaviour that tries to fix things from the outside in), all in response to His love for us.  We love because He first loved us, so we often need to expose ourselves to the attractive power of that love demonstrated on the cross.  Solutions that are focused on ourselves seem to be missing the point.  We go dry because we lose sight of Him, so looking to ourselves is not the solution.

Other reasons? There can be multiple factors related to this critical issue.  Tomorrow I’ll raise a couple more . . . anything you would add?

Put Your Feet Up?

/ Peter Mead / 3 Comments

Do you have a few teachers you would have been delighted to have studied under personally, but didn’t?  I do, and near the top of that list would be Howard Hendricks.  I’ve been blessed by some of his disciples, but at the moment am enjoying listening to some of his teaching.  Here’s an old quote he used from the president of Yale addressing the board of the great institution:

Ladies and Gentlemen, if I don’t spend time every day with my feet propped up on the desk, dreaming about what Yale ought to be, you need to fire me because I am no longer the leader of Yale – I am simply a pathetic manager of the institution.

Please don’t get upset if you happen to like being a manager of something, but please get the point.  Leaders need to spend time thinking and dreaming of what the ministry, institution, church, and even family, ought to be.  I suspect that in the busy-ness of ministry and life many of us are falling considerably behind in our think-time, as Hendricks would put it.

Let’s be very wary of a preaching routine, and a ministry routine, that lacks time to think and dream.  Sanctified prayerful dreaming is an element of true eternity-shaping ministry that I sense is lacking in many today.  Let’s make space and dare to dream, then ask God.  He is able to do abundantly beyond all that we ask or even imagine . . . with many of us that is not even half a challenge.  Let’s consider putting our feet up so that we can be leaders, and because it’s exciting to see God being God!

Examining the Extent of Explanation

/ Peter Mead / 3 Comments

Biblical preachers should study to a higher level than they preach.  In the days, or even weeks, that we have to study a passage in anticipation of preaching it, we should probe and study and push and delve.  The study should incorporate all appropriate study methodology (appropriate to the genre, to the text, to our own abilities and skills).  The study should also appropriately consider the input of others (a variety of “experts” in printed form, or in real conversation if you have access).

The result of all that study should be more fodder for explanation than you have time to preach.  Even if you could cram it all in, what about emphasizing the relevance for today’s listener in terms of application and support materials, etc?

It is an important skill to learn to limit the extent of the explanation given in a sermon.  I suppose the best measure I’ve come across is what Donald Sunukjian said . . . “as much as necessary.”  That is in no way a negative comment on explanation (like I might say “let’s have as much vegetable as necessary in a meal, but unlimited meat”).  It is a comment demonstrating the high value that needs to be placed on emphasized relevance.  In Sunukjian’s terms, “explain as much as necessary, then apply, apply, apply.”

So how do we determine the necessary extent of explanation (and background information, demonstration of exegesis, etc.)?  A couple of key values come to mind, you may add others too:

1. A commitment to serve, not to show off. Every preacher faces constant temptation from insidious pride.  It is so easy to show off all the study you’ve done, all the skills you have, all the extra information you’ve gleaned.  Value service rather than display.  Value people over performance.  We all need to make sure our motivation is as much “for their sake” as possible, and as little “for my sake” as possible.

2. A sense of personal security, rather than insecurity. Insecurity abounds in the human race.  If our antenna are attuned we can spot it all around us, all the time.  An insecure preacher (for personal reasons, or as a result of criticism, etc.) will try to establish their right to be preaching in various ways.  One is to demonstrate excessive exegesis to undergird their ministry (and even personal worth).  A secure preacher is not concerned with how they look, or even if they’ll be criticized, but is concerned primarily with pleasing the Lord as they handle His Word for the sake of His people.

Let’s examine the extent of our explanation.

Perhaps the Greatest Test?

/ Peter Mead / 6 Comments

We all know that some moments are more challenging than others.  What would be the greatest test of your ministry as a preacher?  Would it be to preach with your preaching professor in the pew?  Would it be to preach with a famous preacher visiting to hear you?  Would it be to preach as a stand-in guest preacher for someone famous (when listeners are expecting him, but get you instead)?  Would it be to preach with a loved one present who does not know the Lord?

Perhaps the greatest test of a preacher is not preaching, but not preaching, if you see what I mean?  Let me put it this way.  Perhaps the greatest test of you as a preacher has very little to do with your observed ministry in the pulpit, but a lot to do with what is unseen.  What if your listeners could watch you behind closed doors?  What if they saw how you treat your spouse and your children?  What if they could see the “real you” when no eyes are looking?

The truth is that we whisper-preach with our words, but we megaphone-preach with our lives.  I’m keeping this post short.  Today I’ve scheduled a day-off … handling school for the morning to give my wife the day off, and then something all together this afternoon.  Now the rubber meets the road!  Forget exams and big events and special sermons and ministry . . . perhaps today is the greater test!

The Heart of Who We Are and What We Do

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Spiritual formation is the heart of who we are and what we do.  We spend our time helping people allow God into their lives to form their spirits.  We encourage others to make space for God.  Yet we so often fail to heed our own advice.

These are the words of Chuck Sackett, reflecting on re-entering pastoral ministry after a quarter of a century teaching in a seminary.  Allow me to quote further from his article on preaching and pastoral ministry, the lines leading up to the above quote:

For approximately fifteen years I met with a small group of professors for spiritual formation.  We studied together, prayer together, laughed and cried together, celebrated and commiserated.  To this band of brothers I owe my spiritual sanity.

Spiritual formation takes time and discipline.  Spending time with God requires. . . spending time.

Ministry concerns; sermon preparation and marriage counseling; vision development and staff relatonships all command your time and attention.  A segment of your day given to Scripture, prayer, meditation, journaling, solitude, silence (you name the discipline) is a luxury you feel you can ill afford . . . so you move on from the important to the urgent.  And in the meantime your soul withers and dies.

So we come back to the initial quote – spiritual formation is the heart of who we are and what we do.  But do we take our own advice?

A Rather Poignant Visual

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Apparently we live in an age where people need the visual.  The visual is not only on our televisions in the evening, but on the screen in front of us all day at the office, and now on the screen in our hands as we commute in the train.  We are bombarded by the visual everywhere we look.  Apparently this is so patently obvious that self-appointed experts in “people today” are always quick to point out that people need something visual during the sermon too.  After all, something that is only heard has little to no chance of being remembered, according to the same experts.

Consequently it is equally obvious, to these experts, that the only way for preaching to succeed today is by use of powerpoint.  I suppose we could express deep appreciation that God has blessed us to live in the only generation with such capability!  In reality, people have always valued the visual, in every culture, in every age.  So was it unfair to only allow the invention of powerpoint in these last days?

I don’t intend to negate the value of powerpoint or similar software here.  I would graciously point out that in the business world, in education and apparently, even in the military, there has been a pulling back from powerpoint in recent years (especially in the final third of presentations where there is nothing like face-to-face communication for the final thrust and appeal).  Powerpoint can be used well in preaching, I believe that, even if I haven’t often seen it.  Rather than unthinking commitment to powerpoint, I would urge us to ponder David Larsen’s warning over triangulation in communication.  Technology is not bad, but it can so easily move sermon-time into circus-time and show-time on the one hand, or into over-intellectualization and de-emotionalization on the other.

Believe it or not, this is not a post about powerpoint.  It’s a post about the visual.  Preaching has always been a visual as well as audible communication form.  Two important ways spring to mind:

1. As we preach the Word, images form. Good preaches paints pictures in the heart of the listener.  They hear what we say and they see what we mean.  Better, they hear what God says and see what He means.  They enter into the narratives, they see the truths, they see themselves living out the reality preached.  Good preaching is full of images, irrespective of our use of powerpoint.

2. As we preach the Word, they see us. This is nothing to get excited about in a vain sense, but it is powerful.  Far more powerful than any clip art or projected photo.  Despite well-intentioned prayers before sermons, listeners do see the preacher, and that is part of God’s design.  Truth through personality.  God’s message through His messenger.  We communicate with our words and tone, but also through our body language, gesture, expression.  We communicate with our words, but also with our lives.  We are, as David Larsen put it, a rather poignant visual.

Lone Ranger Preacher?

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

Apart from all the spiritual dangers inherent in journeying alone in ministry, there are implications for preaching too.  As preachers most of us naturally fall into a lone ranger approach to sermon preparation.  The time constraints in ministry, the tendencies of personal temperament (many preachers are introverts, it seems), and often the background of training and observed behavior all push us into a solo approach to sermon preparation.  While some things must be done on our own in prayerful solitude with the Lord, we should proactively engage with others too.  Alternative perspectives strengthen preaching on every level.

While it is still technically a solo exercise, take stock of your reading.  Do you read things from different perspectives, or always the same old familiar authors?  It is easy to become comfortable in reading and lose the glorious benefit of being stretched, challenged, provoked, and perhaps even incensed!

Take stock of your preparation process.  Do you actively engage with others as you prepare sermons?  I’m not saying any of us can do all of these every week, but here are some ideas.  Obviously your spouse, if you have one – the perspective of the opposite gender can really help.  Other preacher or preachers?  Perhaps in your church (perhaps ones you are mentoring or being mentored by), or perhaps in another church – time spent talking through two messages together will probably benefit both of you more than spending that half hour on your own message alone!  A feed-forward group?  That is a group of people brought together to specifically share input for forthcoming preaching – could be content, could be support material, could be giving you insight into how differently people think on an issue, etc.

Being a preacher may be a solitary calling in some ways, perhaps lonely at times, certainly a regular overt entry into spiritual warfare, but is that all?  Let us not forget that God has brought us into communion with His people as well as Him.  Let us not forget that we need others just as others need others.  And let’s remember that what is true of us in life and ministry is also true in preaching – let’s not be lone ranger preachers.  Let us rather strengthen ourselves and our preaching by exposure to greater perspective.