The Preaching Ingredient
Gary Gulbranson
People usually see a professional counselor for psychological relief. People often go to a pastor for spiritual relief. This puts the pastoral counselor in not only a healing role but also a discipling role.
—Gary Gulbranson
My wife's father and mother used to attend our church. One Sunday night, as she had done many times before, my mother-in-law played piano in the service. Two days later she collapsed and was taken to the hospital, where the doctors determined she had a brain aneurysm. On Friday she died.
Although grieving with my family and congregation, I decided to preach on Sunday. My sermon, from the Book of Joshua, discussed the sovereignty of God. I related the message to her death and spoke openly about my own feelings.
Later in the foyer, I overheard a woman from the church say, "Well at least now Pastor Gulbranson knows a little about the pain some of us have gone through." At the moment I thought it was a cruel statement.
Later I thought about her comment. It was, in fact, a perception of me shared by a few others. Because of the standards I preached, some regarded me as lacking empathy.
Yet I shouldered a heavy load of counseling and relied heavily on my training in listening skills and empathy. I prayed for my counselees and took their problems home at night. Of those who came to me for counseling, I doubt if any would label me as critical or unaccepting.
It seemed, at least in the eyes of some, that Pastor Gulbranson in the office and Preacher Gulbranson in the pulpit had little to do with one another. And that perception undercut some of my effectiveness as their minister.
As a result of that experience, I began consciously to let my counseling strengths find greater expression in the pulpit. It has made a marked ...
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