And I’m not referring to correcting a few members of his congregation; I’m talking about confronting most or allof the members of the congregation.
Here’s where I switch to the second person and address preachers directly.
It could have big ramifications, not only for you, but for your church, your future, your spouse and your children as well.
I have experienced this point of decision and lived to tell the tale, but I’m not going to tell you what to do. This is much too complicated for that, and much too dangerous as well. And I certainly would never want to tell you to not do something that the Spirit of God is leading you to do.
But I do want to give you some questions to ask and answer before you take the plunge. They are presented in no particular order and with only a few comments.
You’ll have to contact me if you want to hear the horror stories behind the questions.
(1) Have I thought and prayed about this long enough? It’s not a sin to get angry (Ephesians 4:26) but it’s a big mistake to preach angry words that you later regret.
(2) How important is this? Is it worth tearing up my church? Really?
(3) Is this the right time to be sharing this? The right sermon at the wrong time can be ugly. Are people going to completely misunderstand your words because of their proximity to current events?
(4) Is this the right setting for this? There are things that our men need to hear in venues where there are no ladies present and vice versa. Do our children really need to learn about “trans rights”?
(5) Am I the right teacher/preacher to be presenting this? There are some subjects which are best handled by an expert, a lay-person or that traveling evangelist who’s going to leave town next week.
(6) Have I earned the right to be heard on this important subject? If you’re in your first pastorate the answer is probably “no.” If you’re in your first year of your pastorate the answer is also probably “no.” Is this an area of life where your own conduct is questionable? Will I be perceived as being wise and knowledgeable enough to tackle this subject?
(7) How emotional am I about this? James says that “…man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:20). At the very least, is this subject so volatile that I should be writing out this sermon, word for word, and reading it carefully?
(8) How emotional is my church about this? Are they going to be able to hear me clearly or are they likely to react in ways that won’t be helpful for anyone?
(9) Why are my people so emotional about this? Don’t dismiss them for being too emotional until you find out why this subject is so important to them. There was a reason behind the Ephesian fury over Artemis [or Diana] of the Ephesians (Acts 19:28). What’s this really about?
(10) What does my spouse think about this? Am I not telling her because she’s going to stay home from church on this day or hide under a pew? Maybe you should wait until she’s “with you” on this adventure.
(11) Should I be naming names in this sermon? I don’t mean names of your church members, but names of other pastors, celebrities, elected officials, etc.
(12) Do my people have sufficient knowledge of the Bible or the issue under discussion to be able to understand me? It’s easy to speak on issues surrounding government, the modern day nation of Israel, eschatology, medical ethics or a myriad of other topics that require a lot of carefully delivered background information to be correctly understood.
(13) Am I bringing up too many issues in one sermon or distracting the minds of my hearers with unnecessary inflammatory comments along the way? Beware of those “throw away” comments that send your hearers minds careening way off track.
(14) Is this actually a matter that concerns only one individual or a small group of people? Maybe you could handle that loaded question privately, instead of publicly.
(15) Am I stretching – or grossly misinterpreting – Scripture for the sake of making my argument? It’s possible to use a proof text that you must later re-interpret when you teach the passage in its broader context.
(16) Is there a wise person either inside or outside my congregation whom I could talk to about this subject before I pull the trigger?
(17) What have my people previously heard on this subject? Did the “beloved pastor” who preceded you (for 45 years) take the opposite view of this? Did the last pastor lose his position over this?
(18) Why do your people believe as they do or behave as they do regarding this matter? Are your people carrying study Bibles that teach the view which you want to repudiate? Are you about to challenge the orthodox or typical views of your church’s denomination?
(19) Is this actually hurting the discipleship (the Christian lives) of my people, or do I simply want to show them that they’re wrong?
(20) How specific do I need to be on this matter? It’s possible to be so specific that you are irrelevant to most of your hearers or so broad that you’re not understood as being relevant to any of your hearers.
(21) Is there a way to share this with Biblical certainty as well as gracious humility?
(22) Have I done this before, like in my last six pastorates, with tragic results? Maybe you’re not the best guy to be doing this.
(23) I’ll end here: Have I prayed about this until I have become certain that I am doing the right thing by taking on the crowd (Romans 14:23)?
