From the very beginning of our church plant I endeavored to preach no more than 40 times a year, and so I rounded out 2013 having occupied our pulpit 39 times. From my perspective, it was one of the healthiest things we did all year.
I’ve been around many pastors over the last decade who seemed to protect their pulpit with an iron hand. One mentor of mine said he’d never preach less than 48 times a year. I’ve also heard many a church member say something like, “He has to preach every week. That’s what we pay him for!”
Such sentiment, if left unchecked, will set your church on a trajectory of implosion. Let’s begin to chip away a that ticking time-bomb by considering four benefits of having other men occupy the pulpit.
4 BENEFITS OF HAVING OTHERS PREACH
Protects against senior pastor dependency.Regularly having other men preach creates a culture of shared leadership through shared proclamation. No longer is the senior pastor seen as the only resident Bible teacher. The theological acumen of other men bleeds through as they preach and the congregation will recognize their ability. For example, last year one of our members wanted to better understand the finer points of eschatology. He sought out a man – who was an elder candidate at the time – who had preached several times over the year and revealed himself to be theologically trustworthy and able. I love seeing and hearing such things happen!
If a pastor rarely steps out of the pulpit he loses an opportunity to delegate authority. Nothing builds godly authority in a local church like the faithful heralding of God’s word. Have your elders speak from behind the pulpit with some consistency, then sit back and watch the congregation’s joy in submission increase exponentially.
Provides regular weeks of rest.A pastor needs to have weeks when he is still in the trenches of ministry, but the glorious burden of sermon preparation is borne by another. On average, I spend one week every month out of the pulpit. When used rightly, those weeks are like jet-fuel for joy and longevity in ministry. The soul lightens on weeks like these and enables you to return to the pulpit with Spirit-wrought vigor.
Tests and trains future pastors. You will undoubtedly have men in your church that express a calling for pastoral ministry. Having them fill the pulpit does two things. First, it tests the reality of their ability to teach. Pastors must be able to teach (1 Tim. 3:2) and letting them ascend to the sacred desk functions like an “Exam on Your Calling as a Pastor.” Even if the sermon is a dud, a man truly called to pastor will offer many glimpse of hope during the “dudness.” Second, opening the pulpit trains men for faithful ministry. We want to send out men who are relatively seasoned in pulpit ministry. Your church’s pulpit is the saltiest place for that to happen.
Models expositional listening. This is a point of benefit I cannot overstate: your church will be immensely helped by watching you hear a sermon. Do you want your congregation to have expectancy in hearing God’s word? Do you want them to prepare diligently to hear it preached? Do you want your people to come with hearts ready to respond to God’s word? Having regular weeks out of the pulpit while still being in the congregation enables you to model all those things.
The fall is right around the corner and it’s quite likely you are planning to start a new sermon series. So plan to be out of the pulpit a few times and watch the church your church benefit spiritually.