Finding your voice large
Find their voice and developing it, rather than trying to imitate others, is the best path to success for new preachers, counsels the Rev. Ben Gosden. (Courtesy photo)
When you feel called to ministry — a calling where you find yourself drawn to the role of leading a church — preaching is usually at the forefront of your calling. It’s so primary in one’s calling into ministry that people will often cite preaching as one of the main reasons why they either do or do not want to lead a local church. If you ask a person on the street what a pastor does as part of their duties, I’d bet most would name preaching as one of the primary things. For better or worse, developing as a preacher is one of the first and primary things pastors worry about developing.
Preaching as a Reality Show
This got me thinking: If developing as a preacher were a reality show, which reality show would it look like? Many of us might think it would look something like “American Idol” or “The Voice” — a process of finding the start that lives in all of us just waiting to wow people from the pulpit. Our Boards of Ministries are some of the first judges who tell us if we’re ready to move on to the next level. And the people in our pews often serve as the judges who give us feedback on an ongoing basis.
But, if we’re going to tease out this analogy of developing one’s craft of preaching as a reality show, I’m not sure those are the shows that best fit the development process. Those shows assume you already know your voice and are just waiting for the right amount of feedback from others who realize how good you are. Developing as a preacher, if we’re honest, is much harder than just merely waiting for your “big break.”
It got me wondering if there was a better reality show to use as an analogy…one that touches on the mystery and wonder that is finding one’s true, authentic voice as a preacher…
The Masked Singer
FOX’s reality show, The Masked Singer, is based on the idea that you try to discover the identity of a masked singer as they perform and compete to make it to the next level. The very best singers are unmasked at the very end of the season revealing the winner. The competition part of the show doesn’t relate to preaching, per se, but I think the overall premise could.
What if a major part of developing one’s preaching skills is the process of working through the various masks we wear in pursuit of the real identity of who we are as a preacher?
Early in our journeys of development we try on different masks — our favorite professors or theologians; our favorite podcast preachers; or maybe the mega church pastor down the street or the preacher friends we envy most.
Those other voices are good, so we try them on like ill-fitting costumes as we get up and preach in front of others. It takes time, practice, and maybe some honest feedback to know that those others voices, while good voices, are not our true and authentic preaching voice. Preaching regularly, and over time, allows us to see how we’re just playing dress up by trying to sound and be like someone else. God calls us to be exactly who God made us to be — not some other preacher no matter how wonderful they are.
So, for all of those who are trying to find their voice as a preacher (even and maybe especially those of us who think we’ve already found it but might still be searching) here are 7 tips to help you on your journey for your true voice in preaching
1. Ground your preaching in your own spiritual life
You cannot preach something well that you do not struggle to find yourself. Preaching comes from your own spiritual journey. It follows that you cannot be an effective preacher if you are not actively engaged in growing in your own spiritual life. You’re a disciple, first, and a preacher, second.
2. Be okay with your voice as it is today
Love yourself right where you are even if you are not the preacher you want to be. Self-criticism is the kryptonite to your personal growth, even your growth as a preacher. If for no other reason, love yourself right where you are today because that’s exactly where God loves you
3. Read commentaries but read your own life and the world around you, too
This gets into the business of over-using other people’s voices. Commentaries are good — they’re necessary, even. But be careful you don’t use the voice of commentators too much lest you mistake them for your own voice. Cite your sources when necessary, but don’t be overly legalistic either. There’s a big, happy medium you can find between plagiarism and sounding like you’re reading an entire footnote section of a theological paper.
4. Record yourself preaching and watch it back with an evaluative eye
Yuck — nobody likes to watch themselves preach. But, again, this is where you need to watch with an evaluative eye that sees with grace — the grace to love yourself and the desire to grow in your craft. Watch for mannerisms that could be distracting, weird pauses, and note parts you could have probably cut. Most preachers could probably stand to trim their sermons more than add to them.
5. Remember that you’re preaching WITH, not TO, others
When you preach, look for ways you can frame your sermon with inclusive language to note to listeners how God is speaking to all of you. Too often preachers preach like we’re the conduit of God’s voice to the people. This puts the preacher in the strange place of mistakenly separating themselves from the community. When we stand to preach, we stand from among the people and our sermons should reflect our sense of togetherness as we all seek to hear God’s voice in our lives.
6. Find a weekly sermon preparation routine and be disciplined with it
I’ll tell you a secret about experienced preachers — this if often the part where we fudge the most. Life happens. We get busy. And we let the week slip by without good preparation for our sermon. This is also where we get tempted, no matter our experience level, to borrow too much voice from someone else because we’re crunched for time. Faithful preaching is most often a product of God’s Spirit and a holy reverence for self-discipline in preparation on the part of the preacher.
7. Pray about it
Do you pray before you preach? Do you pray as you prepare during the week? The longer I’m in full-time ministry, the more I’m realizing that prayer should be a constant practice for us as we lead, love, and prepare to preach.
Conclusion
I’m sure I’m missing something in this post, new pastor. Preaching is a craft that takes a lifetime to hone and cultivate. On the one hand, it’s a tall task that can be intimidating to undertake. On the other hand we know that it’s one of the most regularly things we’ll do in our leadership. So do it — faithfully and regularly. God will do amazing thing with you, through you, and sometimes in spite of you as you seek to be the best preacher God could make you to be.
Ben Gosden 2019
The Rev. Ben Gosden
The Rev. Ben Gosden serves as lead pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Savannah, Ga. This post is republished from his blog, Covered in the Master's Dust. To reproduce this content elsewhere, please contact the author via his blog.