This preaching tip was shared by Preacher’s Block co-founder, Hunter Bethea. If you’re interested in joining the most focused preachers in the world and getting these tips sent to your inbox every week, sign up here.
With both of our church’s pastors out for our denomination’s General Conference, we had to rely on laity, staff, and retired pastors to cover the 6 worship services over the 2 weeks we would be out. This got me thinking…
Welcome other voices in your pulpit. Other voices are able to speak to things you are not able to. Not only are they able to speak from different life experiences and perspectives, but there are just some things that are able to be delivered better by a layperson or a guest than that church’s pastor.
You can do this in several ways, including inviting guest preachers and empowering and equipping laity to preach. But if your church or denomination doesn’t allow that, there are still ways you can invite other voices into your pulpit: invite a layperson to share a testimony, ask laity their thoughts on something and share (with their permission) their responses, or read and quote people with different perspectives than you.
God speaks through a diversity of voices and, as shepherds of our flock, we have the responsibility to vet and share multiple voices and perspectives with our congregations.