It’s not an easy conclusion to come to, but it’s the right one. Pastors need to be convinced that their listeners are a better judge than they are of the effectiveness of their sermons. My guess is that this statement didn’t go down all that well. But, it’s important to think this through.

Ask a preacher how beneficial a given sermon is, and most often, his or her response will be quite different from the average pew-sitter.

Let me add a second tough statement. Parishioners are also better than their minister at knowing what their own spiritual needs are. The gap between the average pastor’s life—where his or her greater amount of time is given to spiritual matters—is markedly different from that of the average congregation member, whose responsibilities are much more diverse.

Once you are convinced about these matters—that listeners are a better judge of your sermons than you, and they’re also better than you at knowing what their spiritual needs are—you will wisely seek their input in your sermon-preparation and sermon-evaluation process.

It only makes sense. Disagree with what I’ve written, and the chances are that you will continue following a policy of doing your own sermon preparation and sermon evaluation mainly without their help.

So, in which category do you fall? Do you actively seek the help from the members of your congregation, or do you pretty much ignore them?

In preparation for this coming week’s sermon, have you talked with anyone about this topic, or phoned anyone, or emailed anyone for their input, or has your sermon preparation been done exclusively on your own?

If the latter is still your situation, how might your normal pattern be adjusted in the coming weeks?

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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.

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This past Sunday, I was once again made aware of how preaching is more of a miracle than we generally realize. It was my privilege to attend church with someone who was hurting spiritually. Where we went was his choice. I had never been there before and neither had he. His pick of a place was made on a recommendation from a friend of his.

If I had preached a sermon based on the needs of the friend, I could hardly have been more on-target than the message given by the pastor of this small (less than 100) congregation. It was as though someone had filled him in regarding my friend’s needs. The pastor had not only chosen an appropriate text to preach, but sometimes literally the very words he spoke touched the needs of my friend. It was uncanny.

If I explained this experience to a nonbeliever, such a person might call it mere coincidence. But my belief is that in answer to this pastor’s prayers for divine help during his sermon preparation—and my prayers for where to take an acquaintance to church but not knowing a place to suggest that was near his home—the Holy Spirit acted in a way that was beyond what mere humans could orchestrate. God not only answered our prayers, but met my friend’s need to hear “a word from the Lord” that would speak into his heart in a spectacular fashion.

I relate this incident because I believe the Lord is actively pulling off such miracles Sunday after Sunday. And, only eternity will reveal the whole of what He is doing time and again, all around the globe.

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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.

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