Preacher's Block

Hunter Bethea, co-founder of Preacher’s Block, shared this preaching tip. If you’re interested in joining the most focused preachers in the world, sign up here.

Several weeks ago, I mentioned Carey Nieuwhof’s podcast with guest Steve Cuss, author of the books Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs and The Expectation Gap. Steve Cuss said, “some people get their kicks out of kicking the leader.” (Mind-blowing, right?) There will be some people in your ministry (heck, you’re probably picturing them right now), who will kick you no matter what you do. As leaders, we try to win them over with better preaching, more thorough explaining, and maybe even giving them their demands. But we’ll likely never keep them from kicking us. So don’t invest time trying to prevent them from kicking you when that’s what they enjoy doing. Start setting strong boundaries with them—no one-on-one meetings, no replies to emails, not writing the sermon to appease them—and spend time with the people in your ministry who want to grow in their love for God and for those made in God’s image. You’ll find that your time is better spent there.