September 19, 2024
I remember one Sunday leaving a church service and asking a close friend for feedback on my preaching. The friend said, “Maybe you’re called to teach instead of preach.”
My friend was only confirming what I knew. The sermon didn’t go well, and it was my fault.
I wish I could say that is the only time I had a “preaching fail” but, unfortunately, it was not. There have been many others since then.
One helpful routine when preaching does not go well is to reflect on the sermon and think about what happened. In most cases, my struggles with preaching can be found in one or more of the following failures:
1. Failure to practice: I, like many preachers, practice my sermons. I always have and I still do today. I preach my sermon out loud by myself two or three times before I preach it to a congregation. This discipline assures me that my message is clear, coherent, concise and that I am spiritually prepared to say what I believe the Lord wants me to say. When I fail to practice the message, my preaching often rambles on and may miss the point.
2. Failure to conclude: Sometimes I have a hard time landing the plane so to speak. The odd thing about this failure is that I can see it in others more clearly than I can see it in myself. While listening to preaching many of us have been able to recognize when a preacher missed one or more good opportunities to conclude his message. It is important that we know when to wrap up the sermon.
3. Failure to check my heart: Many of us have heard a sermon and wondered if the preacher was aiming that message specifically at someone in the congregation. I, regrettably, have been guilty of this failure in the past and have never seen God honor it. The best thing we can do is to pray through those relational issues to the point that we are either in a posture of forgiveness or we know what steps God would have us take to address the matter.
4. Failure to prepare: There are weeks in the rhythms of local church ministry where sickness, funerals or unexpected ministry demands will pull a pastor away from his normal sermon preparation routine. Most preachers discover that God is gracious during those unique times and provides what is needed for the message. It is when we presume upon the grace of God and make a habit of taking shortcuts in our preparation that we get in trouble. A failure to prepare in the study will show up in the pulpit.
5. Failure to connect: Each preacher must remember that we are delivering God’s Word to a specific group of people. We are preaching to mothers and fathers, the elderly and the young, who are experiencing challenges in their lives. These men and women need us to help them connect God’s unchanging word to their present circumstances.
6. Failure to preach: A running commentary on a portion of Scripture does not qualify as expository preaching – it is a Bible study. Preaching must deliver information, but it must also include inspiration. I once heard Pastor John MacArthur say that preaching should include teaching, and teaching will probably include preaching. Those of us who preach must labor in prayer with God as we prepare the message until we have a sense of urgency about communicating that message to the congregation.
7. Failure to invite: While not every sermon is an evangelistic sermon, every sermon must share the gospel and invite lost sinners to respond. Jesus invited others to come to Him and receive the gift of eternal life. So must we.
I am by no means an expert on preaching and strive to be patient with myself and others in carrying out this biblical responsibility. When I experience preaching fails, it may take a day or two to recover, but I soon discover that God is gracious and brings good out of these experiences.
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Todd Gray is executive director-treasurer of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. This commentary first appeared in Kentucky Today.
