How to Share the Preaching Load
January 1, 2000
I learn by coaching
I love to preach, but sermon preparation has never come easily to me. Worse, outside of the occasional comments from my congregation—"Good sermon, Pastor!" or "I really liked that story about … "—there was no one who could offer constructive feedback. Consequently, Mondays were usually filled with nagging feelings of inadequacy. I learned to deal with this over the years through experience and prayer. But many younger pastors struggle with "I wonder how I'm doing" week after week.
Some time ago, I was talking on the phone with Jeff, a longtime friend and a young pastor fresh out of seminary. I heard echoes of my early struggles in his questions: "When do you block out study time?" "How do you move from text to sermon?" "Where do you find good illustrations?"
Suddenly, I had one of those "Aha!" moments. The familiar passage in 2 Timothy came to mind: "And the things that you have heard from me … commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2:2, NKJV). This was not simply an exhortation to be involved in discipling others. Paul, a preacher, was charging two other preachers, Timothy and Titus, with the responsibility of preparing others to preach. In a sense, they were to be "preacher coaches."
I asked Jeff if he'd be open to a "sermon coaching" relationship. He could send sermon tapes and manuscripts for me to evaluate, and then we could discuss them and address any questions that might arise.
Jeff was eager to start. It has been about a year since we began, and our experiment has been a boon for both of us.
I've since developed mentoring relationships with two other pastors besides Jeff. They each say it's helpful and encouraging to have a seasoned pastor, who's ...
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