Recently someone said something that rubbed me the wrong way. I have to admit it bothered me some. And since it was on social media and I don't know the person all that well and it doesn't have life or death implications, I let it go. But It made me think and steadied my resolve for what I do. I don't want to quote the comment, because the comment isn't the point. The point of this post is my philosophy of being a preacher and my reaction to the comment. But so we can all be on the same page (because you don't live in my head), I'll give my own phrasing. The comment suggested to preachers that if we weren't going to bring up a certain issue that has been politically public, then we didn't have a worthwhile message that Sunday. I get the author's point. The political issue is important and the gospel has a message for this issue. However, after being offended about the post, I began to consider my first reaction and dwell on its implications. Although I didn't respond (because contrary to popular belief social media is not always the best way to communicate your ideas and thoughts), had I responded, I would have said something like this.
"My Sunday sermon has a different aim and call than the singular issue you have presented in your post. I do preach and teach messages on the issue you have brought up and I care about this particular issue. However, I preach/teach to a congregation...weekly...sometimes more than once per week. I preach and teach for the long view. Currently my messages are helping shape our community to a path of Christ and have been for 5 years. We look differently now than we did 5 years ago and I pray that through my preaching and teaching and leadership we will look even more different 5 years from now. So I may not cover this particular issue this Sunday. But I have before and will again and because I preach and teach weekly, my message this Sunday is still worthwhile because Salvation and discipleship is a process. One-hitter sermons are powerful and can strike the audience in just the right places. However, Jesus spend 3 years with his disciples and they saw much more than I will ever show my congregation. At the end of the 3 years, they still didn't get it and after 2000 years we still struggle with Christ's concepts. We may not get any issue right. But hopefully through my preaching and teaching we will get Jesus! And If we can get Jesus and His word and look more like him each day, then anything I have to say will be worthwhile...not because of me, but because of Him."
The Long View is important. I first heard this term in college. The idea was that as preachers who may come and go and be employees of the church, many times the elders/leaders/long-time members/board of directors have a "long view." They care about what happened before you came and will still be there after you leave. I chose that day to be someone who can commit myself to a church, so that I can have the long view with the other leaders.
I once took students to camp. At the camp every year the leaders of the camp would emphasize how this one week of camp would change students lives and that they would get more Bible in this one week than the rest of the year. As a full-time youth minister I was offended by this remark and idea. I worked hard all year long to teach my students the Bible and help them engage its concepts. The camp has a short view, because they have these students for a short time. Youth Ministers should have a long view, because they have these students all year and hopefully for multiple years.
If we are professional ministers, then we need the long view. We cannot teach everything in one week, one month, one year, or even one decade. We cannot lead and help shape others if we engaged a short time. And if we are preaching and teaching for our churches well, then we are providing an involved well-rounded teaching of scripture, Kingdom, social justices, spiritual formation, missional living...essentially Jesus! And we are doing this over the course of time. I think it would be a mistake to simply preach reactionary to everything we see come through the news cycle or our civic, national issues. These will continue to happen and it will be difficult, if not impossible to ground our churches in the foundations of Jesus. When we ground our churches in Jesus, then the appropriate reactions will come and we can be there to guide and counsel when it doesn't. And if your sermon calls for what is currently happening, then call for it. While we can't be reactionary to every cause or issue, we certainly cannot hide behind generalized foundations and not speak out against evil.
Preach, Teach, Follow for the LONG VIEW!
"My Sunday sermon has a different aim and call than the singular issue you have presented in your post. I do preach and teach messages on the issue you have brought up and I care about this particular issue. However, I preach/teach to a congregation...weekly...sometimes more than once per week. I preach and teach for the long view. Currently my messages are helping shape our community to a path of Christ and have been for 5 years. We look differently now than we did 5 years ago and I pray that through my preaching and teaching and leadership we will look even more different 5 years from now. So I may not cover this particular issue this Sunday. But I have before and will again and because I preach and teach weekly, my message this Sunday is still worthwhile because Salvation and discipleship is a process. One-hitter sermons are powerful and can strike the audience in just the right places. However, Jesus spend 3 years with his disciples and they saw much more than I will ever show my congregation. At the end of the 3 years, they still didn't get it and after 2000 years we still struggle with Christ's concepts. We may not get any issue right. But hopefully through my preaching and teaching we will get Jesus! And If we can get Jesus and His word and look more like him each day, then anything I have to say will be worthwhile...not because of me, but because of Him."
The Long View is important. I first heard this term in college. The idea was that as preachers who may come and go and be employees of the church, many times the elders/leaders/long-time members/board of directors have a "long view." They care about what happened before you came and will still be there after you leave. I chose that day to be someone who can commit myself to a church, so that I can have the long view with the other leaders.
I once took students to camp. At the camp every year the leaders of the camp would emphasize how this one week of camp would change students lives and that they would get more Bible in this one week than the rest of the year. As a full-time youth minister I was offended by this remark and idea. I worked hard all year long to teach my students the Bible and help them engage its concepts. The camp has a short view, because they have these students for a short time. Youth Ministers should have a long view, because they have these students all year and hopefully for multiple years.
If we are professional ministers, then we need the long view. We cannot teach everything in one week, one month, one year, or even one decade. We cannot lead and help shape others if we engaged a short time. And if we are preaching and teaching for our churches well, then we are providing an involved well-rounded teaching of scripture, Kingdom, social justices, spiritual formation, missional living...essentially Jesus! And we are doing this over the course of time. I think it would be a mistake to simply preach reactionary to everything we see come through the news cycle or our civic, national issues. These will continue to happen and it will be difficult, if not impossible to ground our churches in the foundations of Jesus. When we ground our churches in Jesus, then the appropriate reactions will come and we can be there to guide and counsel when it doesn't. And if your sermon calls for what is currently happening, then call for it. While we can't be reactionary to every cause or issue, we certainly cannot hide behind generalized foundations and not speak out against evil.
Preach, Teach, Follow for the LONG VIEW!
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