Between the preacher and his goal of strengthening Christ's church stands a gauntlet of formidable obstacles. For example, life in a media-driven society pressures ministers to knead into their sermons equal parts content and entertainment, while short attention spans mean they have less than half an hour to strike the perfect balance. If the sermon's dull, the preacher will be called a bore; if it's too exciting, he'll be called a showman. No one should envy the preacher's vocation.
The good news is, you're in good company. I was encouraged by a little book published many years ago that confirmed for me that preachers have faced the same challenges since the very beginning. John Chrysostom's On the Priesthood, completed sometime before 386 AD, is the author's attempt to talk his superiors out of ordaining him for the ministry—John has read the job description, and he doesn't want anything to do with it. His reasons may sound familiar.
First, John hopes to avoid the priesthood on theological grounds, arguing that the responsibility is just too great. "Anyone entrusted with...the flock of Christ," John argues, "risks a penalty not of money but of his own soul for the loss of the sheep" (54). That would be reason enough, but he continues. While John has great respect for the office of the pastor, he suspects congregations don't:
In the first place, most of those who are under authority refuse to treat preachers as their instructors. They rise above the status of disciples and assume that of spectators sitting in judgment on secular speech making...For most people usually listen to a preacher for pleasure, not profit, like adjudicators of a play or concert. (127)
Pastors come to the pulpit every week "to lead their disciples, both by what they do and what they say, into the way of that blessed life which Christ commanded" (125), yet congregations have a tendency to miss the point by subjecting "their casual doings to a minute examination, assessing the strength of their voice, the expression of their face, and the frequency of their laugh" (101).
Moreover, John knew full well the frustration of hearing praises sung for the guest preacher:
How...can anyone endure the deep disgrace of having his sermon received with blank silence and feelings of boredom, and his listeners waiting for the end of the sermon as if it were a relief—whereas they listen to someone else's sermon—however long—with eagerness, and are annoyed when he is about to finish and quite exasperated when he decides to say no more? (135)
I recommend you take a look at John's reflections on ministry. The book is full of theological and devotional material that will be a great encouragement, with chapters 12 and 13 dedicated to the ministry of the Word in particular. Preaching in a secular, postmodern, and post-Christian society faces a unique set of challenges. Still, there's comfort in knowing that as much as times have changed, people remain largely the same. Take heart; you're in good company.
Posted by Brian Lowery at 3:07 PM on August 13, 2007
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Thanks for this post. Not sure how knowing that every pastor is miserable is encouraging, but for some odd reason, it is!
Posted by: jeff on August 22, 2007