Every pastor feels the relentless demand for new sermons. Sometimes Sundays seem like they happen every three days instead of every seven. Preach “a winner” this weekend, and before you know it, another one needs to be ready. How did our predecessors make it when they regularly preached on Sunday nights as well as on Sunday mornings?
Would you believe that for parishioners, what often seems unrelenting is the persistent challenge to be more and to do more, spiritually speaking? It’s like there’s a pitiless prodding for them to be dedicated to Christ and His Church in so many ways that, after a while, they just can’t keep up. There aren’t enough hours in the day or days in the week to accomplish what following Jesus apparently requires. “Not another sermon, please. I’m still working on the demands from the one you preached a month back about Jesus’ concern for the poor and the powerless!”
So what’s the balance point between this relentless demand for new and challenging sermons vs. the presented expectation for our hearers to be more Christ-like and to do more Kingdom-wise?
This tension only finds a solution when pastors and church members are consistently in dialog about what’s being heard, how quickly it’s being absorbed, and how much time is needed to put the truth and the expectations of sermons into practice. Are you regularly feeling your people out regarding how they are doing?
Are they showing signs of spiritual exhaustion? Do they need a month of sermons that are little more than “nice going, gang”? And what about an “I’m proud of you” message every so often?
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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.
