Preachers "Stealing" Sermons

For several years, while I was still in the full time ministry, I was part of a small group of pastors who met every week to discuss our upcoming preaching task. We had agreed to use the same Bible passage every Sunday. When we met, we were responsible for bringing some insights about the passage and/or a helpful illustration.

I still remember how one pastor in the group was upset about the meager ideas the rest of us brought. He always came with a three-point outline of the passage and some ideas for "fleshing out" the outline. Although the rest of us were not very impressed with his material, we were impressed with the work he was putting in on the assignment. We were impressed, that is, until his last time with us before he moved to another congregation in another town. He told us that he had been using a sermon service, which provided him with a full sermon every week along with illustrations and ideas. He said he got up about 4:00 a.m. on Sunday morning and put together his sermon for that day. He also said that his congregation seemed to appreciate his sermons.

Granted that he wasn't stealing sermons and, in fact, he seemed to be putting some of his own ideas into the weekly sermon (otherwise, why get up at 4:00 a.m.?), but at the same time, it wasn't his sermon.

I remembered this pastor when I was reading a book recently. The book, Franchising McChurch (see details below), discusses the current widespread efforts on the part of many pastors and congregations to reduce the Christian faith to an exciting, palatable mix that will attract people to their congregations and keep them there. One approach is to eliminate anything-such as sin and judgment-that might offend people or make them feel uncomfortable. Another approach is to use sermons that are "good," meaning sermons that have a high degree of quality to them. "Bad" sermons are those that might be seen as poor in quality.

How do you ensure that all sermons are "good?" You find published sermons of great preachers and you use them as your own. This isn't new. G. Campbell Morgan was a well-known Bible expositor and preacher from another generation. Whenever he came to preach at conferences in different cities, he would receive letters asking him not to preach certain sermons because the letter-writers had already preached them as their own sermons.

David Yonggi Cho, pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea, known as the world's largest church with approximately 800,000 members, admitted in an interview that he had never preached an original sermon during his decades of leading the congregation. Instead, he preached "word for word messages from either Billy Graham or W. A. Criswell." Criswell was a long-time pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. The reason why Pastor Cho did not preach original sermons? "I can't afford to not have a home run each weekend. I don't trust my own ability to give completely original messages." (Cited in McChurch, page 110)

I could give other illustrations of what I consider to be a problem in today's church. I also realize that there are some pastors who do not mind when other pastors use their sermons. As Pastor Rick Warren of California's Saddleback Church puts it, "If my bullet fits your gun, then shoot it!" (Cited in McChurch, page 115)

My concern is more fundamental and theological. First, I believe that each pastor is first of all called by God to theministryministry.

Second, I believe that when we are called to a particular congregation, we are called as persons who have that unique set of gifts and skills. If the idea of call has any meaning at all, God has placed each pastor in the place where that pastor's gifts and skills are needed. I think of a couple of pastor friends of mine who were terrible as preachers and yet their congregations appreciated them. Who knows what God has in mind in placing a particular person in a particular congregation? Do not assume that all congregations need a "home run" every Sunday!

Third, each congregation is unique and needs to be addressed in the sermon as a unique congregation. The use of "stolen sermons" or non-original sermons suffers from a failure to take that into account. The pastor who claims to be too busy to spend time on Bible study and sermon preparation needs to take a look at the priorities of the ministry.

Fourth and perhaps most important, the use of someone else's sermon denies the preacher and the congregationthe fruits of a pastor struggling with the Bible text in order to see how it is relevant to his or her congregation.else'situal growth on the part of every Chcongregationtherom the work of studying and interpreting and applying the Bible to one's life and work. An old saying sums up the problem: "It's not how many times you've been through the Bible that matters; it's how many times the Bible has been through you."

If the Church is to be effective in the modern world, it cannot turn its back on the Bible. Rather, pastors must take seriously the exhortation of the Apostle Paul to his colleague Timothy, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction." (II Timothy 4:2) Paul continues in the next verse with the warning that the day will come when people will reject sound doctrine and will gather people who will teach them what their "itching ears want to hear." That day has come. The Church is facing an identity crisis and is too often turning to efficient methods rather than standing on the foundation of the Word of God as expressed in the Bible. Busy or not, the pastor has a charge to apply the Word of God to the congregation at hand. The credibility of the Church is at stake.

Source:

Thomas White and John M. Yeats, Franchising McChurch (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009).