Preacher’s Personal Life

How Would Jesus Preach?

/ Peter Mead / 3 Comments

I have been impressed and helped by Explosive Preaching (written by Ron Boyd-MacMillan).  I’ll share a couple more highlights and then finish with a final review of the book.

Near the end of the book, MacMillan shares some tips for effective preaching from the example of Jesus.  I won’t go into detail in my words or his, but here is the list (to get the detail, buy the book!)

1.    Great preaching starts with great praying.
2.    Be the word you preach
3.    Mint punch lines and master the two-minute story.
4.    Try the open air
5.    To communicate the gospel, don’t just preach
6.    Remember to be revolutionary
7.    Get over crowds
8.    It’s OK to shock
9.    Preach by dying

Some of these are self-explanatory, others are probably only tantalizing if you’ve not read the book.  However, the concept is important – what can we learn from the preaching of Jesus?  Would you add to the list?  What have you learned about preaching from observing Him preach in the gospels?

Disturbing Feedback

/ Peter Mead / 6 Comments

Yesterday I made a passing comment about “disturbing feedback.”  Let me begin with yesterday’s example and then add some more.  They tend to speak for themselves.  Don’t be too encouraged when you hear these kinds of comments after your preaching:

“Ooo, I never would have seen that in that passage!”

“As ever, such a rich message.  I mean, real steak that, really rich.” (This could be good feedback, but it depends on whether they could chew the steak or not!)

“I’m amazed at the long words you know.”

“I can’t wait to come back next Sunday, I need more Bible in my life!”

“I really enjoyed that story you told about the German sailor in the storm during the war, I’ll never forget that illustration!”

“If only I had gone to seminary, then I’d be able to be as clever as you!”

“Don’t worry about finishing fifteen minutes late, the nursery workers said the kids were really burning up some energy in there!”

“If I knew my Bible like you do, then I wouldn’t need to keep going to the table of contents every thirty seconds to find the passages you were quoting!”

“Phew!  I’m out of breath!  What a journey through the whole Bible you took us on today!”

“You’re right, we do need to try harder to live better.”

“You tell ‘em, preacher, they really need to hear that!”

“I don’t suppose we’ll ever know what Paul meant in that passage, will we?”

“I like Jesus, shame he’s not around today to fix all our problems!”

“I’m with you, let’s be as good as we can and then we’ll all get to heaven!”

And how about this one, simply because I have to stop somewhere:

“I loved that quote – ‘By all means preach the gospel, and if necessary use words.’ – fantastic!  Now I know I don’t need to ever say anything, just live well.  Thanks!”

What would you add?  Not necessarily from personal experience, although if you have any . . .

Sneaky Landmines for Preachers

/ Peter Mead / 3 Comments

Here are a few sneaky landmines that we need to be very wary of  . . . what would you add as a warning to the rest of us?

Pride (I don’t need you) – Pride is a perpetual danger for all believers.  It can sneak up on us from such things as position (ecclesial titles), knowledge (earned degrees, reading, etc.), power and influence (good reputation, people pursuing us for input, etc.)  Pride is lurking constantly at the threshold.  We must beware of it.

Separation (I don’t connect with you) – Perhaps this is a fruit of pride, but it is a real danger for preachers.  Because of what we do and expectations placed on us by others or by ourselves, we can easily fall into the trap of going solo.  There are always risks that come from being vulnerable about struggles and weaknesses and failures and so on.  However, the risk of going solo is greater.  Many preachers struggle with loneliness in their spiritual walk and in their ministry.  Don’t go lone ranger.

Critical Spirit (I don’t like you) – It’s part of the package, par for the course, to receive direct or indirect hurts.  We can feel frustrated by response or lack of response.  Ministry and influence is a breeding ground for growing tension, frustration and hurts.  It is easy to “cope” by becoming critical toward others.  Beware!

What other landmines would you list as a warning to us all?

When Listeners Aren’t Satisfied – 4

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Taking some prompts from Boyd-MacMillan and blending them with my own thoughts, here are a few comments to prompt our thoughts on what to do when listeners aren’t satisfied:

9. Know your own inner landscape. We all have emotional baggage buried inside.  Criticism has a unique ability to slip through, stir up a deep wound and create inner turmoil.  It’s good to know what is going on inside, otherwise we end up taking a beating from external and internal foes.

10. Whatever the justification for the criticism, make sure it improves your preaching! While it may come in a package of intemperate rudeness, there may be a kernel of truth somewhere in there that will help you.  Don’t shrug off all criticism, for a sensitive spirit is critical to effective preaching.  However, be sure to have strategies in place so that rocket-propelled criticism grenades fired by immature or overly upset or “you touched a raw nerve” listeners do not take you out of the spiritual battle of ministry.

That’s not a complete list, but perhaps something is helpful there.  What would you add?

When Listeners Aren’t Satisfied – 3

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Taking some prompts from Boyd-MacMillan and blending them with my own thoughts, here are a few comments to prompt our thoughts on what to do when listeners aren’t satisfied:

6. Anonymous feedback is borderline useless. It’s too easy to blast away from the cover of anonymity.  It is better not to dwell excessively on ecclesiastical mortar attacks.  It is much better to seek out genuinely constructive feedback from trustworthy sources.

7. You don’t have to take the hassle. Remember that you have the freedom to pursue representing God and the gospel in another way, you’re not obliged to stay in the firing line as a preacher.  If you choose to take it because He is worth it, great.  If you feel the time has come to hang up your pulpit and serve in another way, go for it.

8. Strengthen yourself with the biblical giants. (I would add the great preachers of church history, but let me quote Boyd-MacMillan for this one…) “All of them dealt with carping criticism, misunderstanding and humiliation.  Let the experience lead you to a deeper appreciation of what Jesus endured to bring the gospel to each of us.  You might even end up thankful that you are not about to be crucified literally for your messages.” (p223)

Final installment tomorrow, I think.

When Listeners Aren’t Satisfied – 2

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Taking some prompts from Boyd-MacMillan and blending them with my own thoughts, here are a few comments to prompt our thoughts on what to do when listeners aren’t satisfied:

3. Remember that you answer to God. This is not to excuse bad preaching or oblivious ignorance of helpful critique.  This is to protect us from the unhelpful attacks that may or may not have anything to do with our preaching.  Obviously every sermon could have been better, but can you stand straight before God and give an account for the way you prepared in the time that you had?  Did you walk through the preparation by faith and do your best as a steward of the opportunity?  Our primary goal is to serve Him faithfully, not to please every nitpicker in the pew.

4. Prayerfully process feedback. This is true for praise as well as critique.  Process it prayerfully.  Ask what you can learn from it, and perhaps how you should pray for the source of it too (i.e. instead of getting all huffy about a personal attack, why not pray for the person who obviously has some deep hurt and tension within).

5. Remember that happy listeners may mean sermon failure. Our goal is not to make listeners happy with us.  Our goal is to faithfully present, explain and apply the Bible text to their lives.  What if the text convicts, or prods, or pokes, or makes downright uncomfortable? What if it shines a light in a dark place in their life and they don’t like what they see?  What if their dissatisfaction toward you and your preaching is a very positive sign of the word getting through?  Be careful not to misapply this, but sometimes knowing that listeners were offended by your preaching may be the best feedback that you are doing your job well.  Preaching is not about presenting yourself for a popularity contest (even if some churches make it feel like that!)

I don’t want to overwhelm with words, so I’ll cut it off for now . . .

When Listeners Aren’t Satisfied

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Preaching is complex. Take, for example, the matter of listener satisfaction. If they aren’t satisfied, it could be a good sign, or a bad sign. Likewise having everyone happy may mean something is wrong. So how do we navigate the issue of listener satisfaction, after all, dissatisfaction expressed is seldom water off a ducks back (for most of us). Taking some prompts from Boyd-MacMillan and blending them with my own thoughts, here are a few comments to prompt our thoughts. This is by no means a definitive list of thoughts, but it is a start:

1. Expressed dissatisfaction is often overstated. Many people find it hard to express dissatisfaction fairly. It’s as if something wells up within and then bursts forth, often with excessive force. Boyd-MacMillan says that Christians “often express criticism in apocalyptic terms.” Instead of simply stating, “I don’t like his style,” they will instead assert that “he betrayed the gospel of Jesus Christ!” It is a good skill to learn to tone down excessive criticism as well as excessive praise (“that was the best sermon I ever heard!!!” probably wasn’t).

2. Recognize that tension fired your way is often nothing to do with you or your preaching. People react to the innocent provocation of pet peeves, or the poking of raw nerves of various kinds. You may become the focus of the critique, but don’t take all critique at face value.

That’s enough for now, more to follow tomorrow. Feel free to comment from your experience and perspective.

What If You’re Not Ready?

/ Peter Mead / 4 Comments

It is so important to understand the text before you preach it!  I don’t mean just knowing what the big words mean.  I don’t mean just having a collection of exegetical insights to share.  I don’t mean even having a sermon vaguely based on certain parts of the text.  I mean really understanding what the text is saying – understanding it’s unity, it’s message, it’s point, it’s purpose, it’s role in the broader flow of thought in the book.  What if you’re not ready though?

Suggestion with several caveats to follow: If you’re not ready, don’t preach it.  Instead preach an old message again that you are confident is biblically sound.

Just think what an example that might be for the congregation!  “We were scheduled to be in Epistle XYZ 4:15-22, but I’ve been studying it over several weeks and still am not there yet – some passages take real work to really grasp!  So I’ll keep on studying, but for today, let’s look again at . . . ”

Caveats a coming!

1. Chances are, they won’t remember a message you re-preach.  But it would be honest to tell them it’s worth a second look at this old message rather than trying to “slip it through.”

2. Recognize that as a Bible student we never fully plumb the depths of any passage and as a preacher we shouldn’t really present all the plumbs either!  It takes wisdom to know the difference between “I’ll never fully plumb this passage” and “I haven’t grasped the fundamental unity and flow of thought in this passage.

3. It is in no way a good example if you simply started too late.

4. Whether you are a paid pastor preaching weekly, or an unpaid preacher preaching periodically, there is an element of commitment involved.  It will undermine your credibility if you follow the above suggestion more than very rarely!  (In fact, if you are only doing one section in a series from the same book, you can’t simply make the subsequent weeks shift by missing your section.  Get help earlier in the process and make sure you grasp the passage before you preach it, for surely you must preach it!)

5. It is probably better to take this post as a strong prod to really be prepared, rather than actually trying what I suggest!  (I’d be interested to hear if anyone has ever publically announced their need for more time to study a certain passage!)

The World’s Most Influential People

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Sitting on my desk is a recent copy of Time Magazine.  The main reason that I still get it is that they offered to almost pay me to receive it (that’s an exaggeration, before you start asking for details).  It is the edition with the world’s 100 most influential people.  Interesting collection of people from Obama to Sarkozy, Pacquiao to Nadal, Oprah to Palin and Michelle Obama to Rush Limbaugh.  A largely predictable list that doesn’t stir massive response from this sporadic Time reader.

However, I have one complaint about the list.  One person is missing.  The faithful biblical expositor.  Oh yes, Rick Warren made it on to the list after a year of critique from various sides.  I’m glad he’s on there.  But I’m thinking about faithful preacher at the normal church on 53rd and Main.  I’m thinking about the faithful expositor at 13th Presby-Bapto-Angli-Independent Bible Church.  I’m thinking about the unknown preachers I shared a week with recently in a country many people have not heard of.  I’m thinking about the relatively no-name preacher in a relatively unknown church somewhere.  Preachers like you.  Preachers like me.  Preachers who study the Word and faithfully, prayerfully present the meaning of the text and emphasize its relevance to the lives of their listeners.  Preachers who plug away for little or no pay (on earth), for little or no thanks (on earth), for little or no acclaim (on earth).

Only eternity will tell how much genuinely lasting influence has been exerted by the preachers who’ve looked beyond fame and position to serve faithfully in this vital ministry.  Unnamed preacher in unknown church.  Time missed you.  Eternity will not.  Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for you know your labour is not in vain in the Lord!

The Mastery Challenge – Rationale pt 2

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Here are the last three points of rationale for my list.  This follows on from the last two days of posts.

5. The brick wall approach urges book by book study – By definition it helps avoid the “mastery of preferred proof texts approach,” or the “selected doctrines based on preferred theology approach,” or other less than ideal approaches.  To be a real Bible man or woman, I’m convinced we need to really know the books of the Bible (i.e. verses in context!)

6. The brick wall approach taps into personal motivation – What do you want to study next?  Romans?  Revelation?  Psalms?  Esther?  Nahum?  This approach says go for it!  When the heart is in the task, the study is a delight.  When discipline alone is boss, then the tanks feel permanently empty.

7. The brick wall approach recognizes that study is never exhaustive – So you’ve done a few weeks in John, and for now you feel that is enough.  You’ve come to a point of closure, thanked the Lord, finished well and moved on to another book that is attracting you.  Does that mean you are done with John?  Of course not.  In a few months or years you’ll come back, motivated again, and you’ll go deeper and further.  By then you’ll be building on top of other bricks that have been laid in the mean time.  Perhaps a study of Psalms will bring John’s use of Davidic Psalms out in a fresh way, for instance.

This approach encourages success by generating achievable goals, by tapping into personal motivation, and by progressively building throughout life in a way that never suggests completion, but recognizes progress continually.

I could add more rationale, but I’ll leave it at that for now.  I’m not saying this is the only way, or even the best way, but I’ve yet to find an approach to Bible mastery that has tempted me to change my approach (or to change what I suggest when asked for my suggestions!)