Preacher’s Personal Life

A Mentoring Prod

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

I’ve written before on the critical subject of mentoring.  It’s easy as a preacher to be too busy to invest in mentoring relationships.  It’s also easy to miss the heart of what we are called to in ministry.  I’ve just started The Making of a Mentor by Ted Engstrom and Ron Jenson.  Pointing to Paul’s example in 1Thessalonians 2:7-12, they underline the importance of relationships in ministry.  I’d like to share their quote from Harry Stack Sullivan, an eminent psychologist in the field of interpersonal relationships:

“All personal damage and regression, as well as all personal healing and growth, come through our relationships with others.  There is a persistent, if uninformed, suspicion in most of us that we can solve our own problems and be the masters of our ships of life.  But the fact of the matter is that by ourselves we can only be consumed by our problems and suffer shipwreck.”

Two simple questions.  Who are you allowing to invest in you?  Who are you investing in?

Application: Specific Not Facile

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When it comes to the application of a message, there are many options.  One is to ignore it completely and leave it up to the Holy Spirit (not a good option since it’s part of our job as preachers . . . by this logic why do we preach at all?)  Another is to be vague and ethereal in application, positing plain platitudes (not a good option since people will affirm any attempt at application, but that doesn’t mean it made any difference in their lives).  Another approach, popular in some circles, is to always give a very specific action step in every message (again, this is open to question since some texts don’t lend themselves to facile or purely practical action steps, and listeners can grow burdened by the pressure of ever growing action lists).

So how do we make sure application is specific, without making the grandeur of God’s Word look puny by pathetic pedantry?  I would suggest that we make sure we are really understanding a passage as intended by the author, in all it’s beauty and power, before we start trying to come up with applications.  We have a tendency to leap to applications and then somehow make every passage into a “witness more” or “live better” kind of passage. Once you’ve come to a decent level of grasping the meaning of the passage, then you have a hope of good application.

It is always worth starting with the original recipients. What was the author trying to do in them by this act of communication?  If we can grasp that, then we are halfway to applying it today.  If the original intent was to motivate a specific action step, then ours might well follow suit.  If the original intent was to convince of a theological truth, then perhaps we should aim for the same.

Still, how do we earth the message in the lives of today’s listener?  How do we apply, whether it is to the heart, to the mind, and/or to the actions of the listener?  Remember that vague application will float around nicely in the vaulted roof, but it won’t change lives.  Think about yourself.  What is this passage specifically doing to me as I study it?  Think about specific individuals in the church.  What is the message of this passage looking to do in the life of Sarah the tired young mother?  What is it straining to do in the life of Harry, the retired retailer with financial worries?  What will it do if let loose in the life of Josh the recent graduate with no employment but a fiancee to make the future look bright?  For specific and helpful application, earth it in the lives of specific people.

Preaching – What Kind of Authority Is This?

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

In recent decades many churches have moved from having the Scripture preached with authority to a watered down “talk” so committed to connection and amateurism that it completely lacks authority.  While the “watery talk” may have proved ineffective in achieving anything other than a voluntary social club under the name of church, we need to think carefully about the authority that we have as a preacher.  Again, reading Al Mohler’s, He Is Not Silent, I see a brief list worth mentioning for your thoughts.

Three forms of false authority of which we should beware:

1. Professional Authority. The task of preaching and teaching the Bible is not a professional task identifiable by degrees and letters after the name.  While I would encourage many people to pursue the benefits of formal training, I never suggest that an academic qualification qualifies someone for ministry – the biblical standards are clearly spelled out, for example, in the Pastoral Epistles.  Some churches despise formal training (often out of bad past experiences with apparently arrogant graduates, and often because of insecurity among the present leaders).  Other churches simply ignore any higher qualification earned (which still seems a bit unfortunate considering what it takes to get through it!)  On the other hand, some churches honor the degree as if it confers authority for ministry, which is missing the point of formal training.  We don’t need to ignore or despise academic qualifications, but let’s not grant authority based on them either.

2. Positional Authority. Do you lead in the church based on your title?  This is also a false authority.  Positional titles in church hierarchies are not the source of authority in preaching.  This can come from the leader, or from the people in the church overstating the importance of a position.  Somehow some people derive security and even identity from revering the pastor, the minister, the vicar, the whatever.  But this is not the source of authority in our preaching.  Mohler points to Acts 17:11 and the noble Bereans’ response to the Apostle Paul – good example.

3. Personal Authority. This is the “small c” charismatic leader who influences by sheer force of personality.  Many churches fall for this, or create it for themselves.  Again, beware.  This should not be the source of authority in preaching.

We should preach with authority.  Not an authority based on professional qualifications, nor positional titles, nor personal charisma.  We should preach with the authority of God’s Word well understood, well explained, and well applied.  The authority is not in us, but it should shine through in our lives and our words.

Pastoral Periphery?

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Martyn Lloyd-Jones held preaching to be the highest calling.  Many pastors and church leaders consider it the central calling in their ever increasing list of tasks.  In reality preaching is only ever one part of a bigger package.  There may also be counsellor, crisis-management, events organizer, team coordinator, small group leader, tension diffuser, visionary leader, committee chair, leadership liaison, building project coordinator, public relations officer, and on it goes.

I’m not affirming or even condoning how much some church leaders have on their plate, but I do recognize it.  Monday morning may be a good time to reflect on the non-preaching aspects of the ministry coming up in the days and weeks ahead.  For those with a passion to preach there may be a tendency to neglect other aspects of our ministry and move from yesterday’s message(s) to next Sunday’s.  Perhaps our preaching could be strengthened by prayerful consideration of the other aspects of church life (not just the task lists, but especially the people involved).  Take some time to pray for others in the church and pray through what you know to be their concerns and priorities as they look at the ministry of the church.

As well as taking a break from preaching preparation, this will give greater sensitivity to the priorities God has given to others.  The benefits of the rest and the awareness, will also help your preaching too, so in a sense you’re still pursuing your “high calling!”

Where Is The Burden of Authority?

/ Peter Mead / 3 Comments

When we are preparing a message there are many ingredients.  Biblical explanation, various forms of illustrative support materials, a variety of means of communicating application, etc.  A question worth asking ourselves is “where is the burden of the authority in this message?”  By this I mean, what part of the message carries the authority of the message?  There are, again, various message components that can carry the authority.  These are all possible, but are not equal:

Authority Through Illustration – While most preachers will claim that the authority lies in the Biblical text, some will put the burden on an illustration that “drives home” the message.  This can be particularly effective if the illustration is especially touching, moving or exciting.  It can stir people who may yawn at the same old biblical content, but sit on the edge of their seats for the sensational story or anecdote.  But think carefully, while a powerful illustration may be helpful, are you putting too much weight on it?  What if the report you read of the revival in such and such a place turns out to be fraudulent or exaggerated?  What if the story so overwhelms the message that listeners lose the Bible bit in the flashing brilliance of the illustration?  In the end, what authority is there in that moving story?  What if a false teacher down the road had a more moving or more exciting story, would people be right to follow them instead of your Jesus?

There’s a weightier version of the same:

Authority Through Personal Experience – There is certainly great need for genuine testimony, both as an evangelistic methodology, and as sermonic support material.  However, we need to be very careful not to shift the burden of authority from the Word of God to the experience of me.  It can be a hard balance to find.  After all, you’ve experienced the power of this teaching in a contemporary situation.  People can be encouraged to know that this truth still works today.  Just look at what happened during my ministry in such and such a place.  Careful.  Be very careful.  The added weight of the personal experience can make such an illustration carry too much responsibility in the message.  It is certainly not wrong to use personal experience in preaching, I encourage it.  But I encourage it with a caution – don’t shift the authority from God’s Word to your own word.

Let’s prayerfully strive to never take away from the Word of God the authority for the message, either deliberately, or by accident.

Reflect, Record, Relax, Renew

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

Monday morning.  For preachers it’s the day after Sunday (I suppose that’s true for others too?)  Whether you are privileged to be in a paid ministry position, or privileged to have “normal” employment, Monday is an important time for a preacher.  My suggestion:

Reflect – Take a few minutes at some point to prayerfully reflect on yesterday’s preaching.  Whether you were the preacher, or a listener, or both (ie. two services), it is good to reflect on yesterday’s preaching.  My mind goes back to the three questions I’ve heard and used so many times in training sessions – (1) What did the preacher do well?  (2) What was the preacher’s main idea?  And finally (3), what one thing would you suggest the preacher could do to improve that message?

Record – How many helpful insights have been lost over the years like small toy cars under furniture?  It’s easy to relish them, then fail to hang on to them and they are gone.  I need to make a note of how well Josh did that first-person as Jude writing, um, Jude, sitting at the desk to write with the words appearing on the screen via simple but effective powerpoint, then standing to explain his thinking before sitting to write some more.  I need to make a note of how I failed to overtly link my message to the particular situation of that local church, but only spoke in broader terms of “the church” when “this church” would have hit home more directly.  I need to record those thoughts somewhere . . .

Relax – Unless you’re very diligent about Monday being a day off, this may not seem possible.  But in one sense, it is.  For those of us not in other employment, Monday can be a day to genuinely relax, or at least to deal with other matters – administrative, email, desk clearing kind of work.  For those who go from the frantic nature of Sunday to the hectic nature of Monday in the office (or on the site, etc.), it is still worth taking a mental break from the pressure of sermon preparation.  Don’t immediately get the adrenaline flowing by wrestling with the big idea of your next message.  Mentally, emotionally, even physically, we need to release that pressure and relax, even if only for a day.

Renew – Before diving back into sermon preparation, make it a goal to consciously renew spiritually.  Look to the Lord, dwell in His love, abide in Him, wait on Him, walk in step with the Spirit, etc.  Make it so the next sermon prep is not about getting things going spiritually again (that’s a sign of real spiritual peril), but rather make the next sermon prep an overflow of a close spiritual walk that births a fire in your spirit.

Mondays matter.  Have a good one.

More Reflections on the European Leadership Forum (ELF)

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On Saturday I shared a couple of reflections on the ELF in Hungary as related to preaching.  Here are a few more to ponder together:

3. Watch your language for second language listeners. In some ways I’d expect this to be obvious, but obviously it wasn’t for one or two speakers.  When there are people in the audience that are listening in their second language, watch yours. While they may understand the words, they may not be familiar with local figures of speech.  What does it mean that “the apostles made a killing on the God-fearers!”?  Always be aware of who is listening when you speak.

4. Affirm as well as rebuke. Along the same lines, actually reflecting on the same message, it is important not to simply generalise and rebuke without some affirmation too.  Perhaps the majority of your congregation never witness to anyone, but be sure to recognize that some do, whether or not they feel effective in doing so.  It is much easier to blast, it stirs and maximises effect.  But with any group, and especially an international group, be sure to affirm the good that is happening today.

5. Delivery matters. You cannot turn good content into a good talk without good delivery.  (At the same time good delivery will not sanctify weak content.)

I was going to complete the list today, but actually I’ll save the last thoughts for tomorrow.  As ever, feel free to comment.  I’d love to hear the reflections of those present at the ELF too.

Reflections on the European Leadership Forum (ELF)

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This week I had the privilege of attending the European Leadership Forum in Hungary.  This is an outstanding event that seeks to connect ministries and leaders across the continent via various “networks” that meet during the forum, then stay in touch in between.  The event was exceptionally well run.  A few random thoughts as far as preaching is concerned:

1. Evangelical Christianity is intellectually very robust. This is certainly not the only thing that we can or should say about the faith, but often we feel bullied into not believing this.  With strident new atheism on the march, as well as other belief systems, it is easy to slip into a fluffy Christianity that fails to stand for truth or present the evidence for the reliability of the Bible, the reality of the resurrection and so on.  I don’t want to shift this blog into an apologetic debate center (there are other sites with that focus), but as preachers it is helpful to be reminded of the robust core of the faith.

2. Leaders need to be reading at a higher level. In the busy schedule of life and ministry it is easy to slip into a low level of personal intake.  As a preacher you are an influencer, and therefore a leader, irrespective of title or position.  As a leader you need to be feeding on that which is deeply nutritious for your soul.  As a leader you need to be, wherever possible, pushing yourself beyond the level of those you influence: perhaps through your choice of reading materials, your level of sacred familiarity with the Word of God, your level of intimacy with the Lord, among other things.

I’ll keep this post short and save some other reflections on the forum for next time.  If you were there this week, please comment and share your reflections too.

Preaching and Pace

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The title today is surely misleading.  A few weeks ago I asked “What font do you preach in?” and received comments with suggestions on the best font to use for powerpoint.  Oops, it is a good idea to read the post before sharing your timely tips!  Nevertheless, I leave today’s title as it is.

I’m going to keep this post short.  Again, it is prompted by one of the last chapters in Explosive Preaching. It is prompted by the importance of preaching out of fellowship with God.  In the book a fantastic conversation is recounted, a conversation between the author and a Chinese pastor kept in solitary confinement for many years.  So much to benefit from that brief conversation – the notion of simplifying life (building a cell), in order to enjoy fellowship with God (the cell becomes a garden, and God becomes a friend).  But here’s the simple quote I want to share, a quote that may touch a nerve for many of us:

Fellowship pace is a lot slower than service pace.

Have we allowed ourselves to grow accustomed to “service pace” – cantering along and expecting God to jog along next to us?  Perhaps we need to make the necessary moves in order to free up the space and slow down to “fellowship pace.”  God walked in the garden with Adam, I suspect many of us are subconsciously wondering why He doesn’t jog in the busy city with us.  Pace and preaching.  Important to get this one figured out.

Is It Wrong to Desire Influence?

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

Most chapters in Explosive Preaching prompt me to think of several posts.  Hopefully Boyd-MacMillan will forgive my leaning on his book for ideas so often in recent weeks in exchange for my encouragement to others to buy it for themselves.  Chapter 28 in the book is a chapter that stands out as unlike anything I’ve come across in other preaching books (I appreciate that, as I also get feedback that this blog contains things not found in preaching books too!)

Success.

Is it wrong to desire it?  This chapter focuses on three very diverse preachers – Billy Graham, Martin Luther-King Jr and Robert Schuller.  The author writes, “They all became influential preachers.  But they all wanted to become influential preachers.  They were not modest in their desire for influence, nor bashful in the way that they sought to extend their influence.” (p237)

He goes on to write under several headings: the sermon, the person, the wave, the moment, the movement, the network, the event.  His conclusion, the lesson he learns from these men is “if you want to be an influential preacher, then don’t just preach a great sermon!” He sees their concern with reception and reverberation.  Reception refers to their making sure that their words were heard optimally.  Reverberation meant ensuring that their words would be heard long after delivery.

I suppose this is a matter of prayerful balance.  We desire to influence others as good stewards of the ministry that God gives us.  Yet we feel very uncomfortable at the suggestion that we should pursue influence (or “success” in any human measurement).  I know this post could prompt a strong reaction.  I suspect it may get a reaction that is unfair to the book that prompted the post.  I would encourage you to read the book.  I would encourage you to prayerfully wrestle with the issues raised in this post.  Fleshly or spiritual, a desire for influence is very real in most of us – let’s not ignore that, but rather prayerfully wrestle with the issue.