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With A Little Help From My Friends
What happens when a pastor realizes his sermons are growing stale—and decides to ask for help?
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Editor's Note: This article is Part 4 of 6 in a series of articles, Using Video in Different Elements of Your Worship Service. He didn't want to admit it, but Pastor Harding was insulted. Betty's words, though soft spoken, had left a sting. "Pastor," she had said, "you know we love you and want the best for the church. We know that you try really hard. But we get a little tired of hearing the same sermon over and over." What made these words so difficult for Pastor Harding was that he trusted Betty's opinion. She was an important individual in the church. But she also truly cared about both the congregation and its pastor. He had heard and received other comments like Betty's in the past, but had largely dismissed them as ill-willed or uninformed. He had been trying for over a year to "update" his message delivery style by using drama, stage props, and visuals for support. He had even formed his own "sermon support" team: Karen, his secretary; Roger, one of the ushers, who was also an avid photographer; and Beverly, a librarian. Between Karen and Beverly, any historical fact that he wanted was at his fingertips. Pastor Harding was especially excited about Roger's large collection of Holy Land pictures—in fact, he used them in some way in nearly every sermon. "In nearly every sermon," he thought to himself. I guess it's true. I have been leaning fairly hard in one direction lately. Lots of history and lots of background. But I love that stuff, and I don't think I'd be any good if I tried to preach on topics I didn't care about. And besides, people need to be able to put the Bible in context, and … He stopped himself, realizing that he was rationalizing. He sighed deeply. "Well—what am I going to do about it?" Pastor Harding decided that it would be wise to talk to some of the other staff pastors first, so he set up a lunch meeting with Todd, the 39-year-old pastor of worship, and with Josh, the 25-year-old youth pastor. Pastor Harding figured that between the two of them he would get a picture of how at least two different age groups felt about his messages. At the meeting, Pastor Harding got down to business. "Todd, Josh: I need your help. I'm starting to come to the conclusion that my sermons aren't as effective as they might be. I'd like to get your opinions on what you think could be better." The two younger pastors glanced at each other uncomfortably; clearly, this topic was not what they had expected. "Guys," Pastor Harding continued, "I promise you that anything you say today regarding my messages won't be used against you in any way. As a matter of fact, I wrote and signed a note to the elders saying that I've asked you to be blunt with me. I need your honest counsel and guidance!" The three pastors sat in silence for a moment. Todd was the first to speak. "You're a good speaker, Pastor. The truth in your message is always there; it's just that you tend to focus on the historical side of that truth, rather than what it means to people today." |        
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