I am soon to retire, and looking back upon preaching the gospel for more than forty years, I still find the task difficult. Therefore, I’ve chosen to borrow heavily from other preachers’ sermons.
It all began in my early days as a pastor. Preparing four messages a week (Sunday morning, Sunday evening, an adult Sunday school lesson, and a midweek service) quickly demanded more insights per month than I could generate. First, finding enough study time for four original messages is difficult even for skilled communicators, and I was inexperienced.
Second, exegesis and homiletic skills are frankly not my forte. I sweat blood and burn incredible amounts of time trying to come up with the preaching theme for a passage of Scripture.
My gifts and personality are suited for leadership, personal discipleship, and evangelism. I’m a people person, an activist, a change-agent. Knowing what our church needs to do comes easily for me. My ministry is most effective when I sit down with two or three men in a restaurant and talk about how to serve Christ and build his church.
Despite my lack of originality in preaching, my ministry has born fruit. I planted one church. Another one gave birth to twelve daughter churches during my ministry. I’ve led individuals to Christ, primarily through my contacts in Rotary and meeting men through activities like handball.
But I knew I still needed to deliver quality sermons on Sunday. So I bought and read every book on homiletics I could find. Some helped me more than others. I read commentaries, but that material didn’t preach! More and more, I found that I needed to borrow “preachable stuff.” And when I borrowed insights and illustrations from others, I was able to connect with listeners.
PLAGIARIZE ME, PLEASE
As a young pastor, I attended a conference at which Donald Grey Barnhouse was preaching. Afterward I overheard a young man say to him, “Dr. Barnhouse, I want to apologize. I have been preaching sermons from your book on Romans.”
In his strong preaching voice, Barnhouse replied, “Young man. You don’t have to apologize. That’s why we write the books. Better that they hear my good content than your stray thoughts.”
We all laughed, but I took a lesson from that. Barnhouse was right: I was doing my people a favor when I borrowed material from exceptionally gifted preachers. My goal wasn’t to impress anyone but to better minister to my congregation.
As I thought about it further, I realized that we all borrow most of what we preach. Our preaching style is likely a combination of respected role models. Our thought patterns are strongly shaped by mentors. Our approach to biblical interpretation probably comes from authors, professors, and peers. Our exegesis is aided by commentaries. And ultimately, our content is not our own; it’s from Scripture.
If soloists and choirs can lead worship delivering words written by someone else, why not the pastor?
Here is how I borrow from others with good conscience.
* I have to identify with the material. I preach others’ sermons if it is material that I could have written (were I as gifted), sermons that express my feelings. Since sermons reflect a preacher’s personality and life themes, many preacher’s sermons couldn’t come from my lips and sound like me. But I’ve found many sermons can.
* I personalize the sermon. I’m a born storyteller, and so I add my own illustrations. I will also on occasion change the structure of a sermon to fit my style.
I recently preached a sermon by John Maxwell, pastor of Skyline Weslyan Church in Lemon Grove, California, called “Givers and Takers.” I used Maxwell’s eight points, but I added a proposition and transition sentence to the introduction, as well as a cartoon from Parade magazine to the conclusion.
* I don’t lie. I never say or imply the borrowed material originated with me. I rarely give credit to the author, however, because I have found that doesn’t help listeners.
A lay person from another church once said to me, “My pastor recently came home from a conference, and at the beginning of his sermon he said, ‘I heard a message at least week’s conference that was so good, I felt you needed to hear it. So I’m going to preach it myself.’ That ruined the message for me. If the material is good, he should just preach it.”
I never tell another preacher’s story as if it happened to me. I preached a sermon by Don McCullough, pastor of Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, in which he told the story of a personal visit to Ghana. He said, “When I visited Ghana, I learned they don’t ask what church you go to or what your religion is; they ask, ‘Whom do you serve?’ “
When I preached it, I said, “In Ghana the only way they ask, ‘What is your religion?’ is to ask ‘Whom do you serve?’ “
Other times, if the illustration is obviously personal, I’ll say, for example, “Bruce Thielemann, a pastor in Pittsburgh, once told how … “
SERMONS FOR THE SHREDDER
The pastor of one church in the West preached a series of sermons that profoundly impressed his congregation, so much so that his board secretly decided to have the sermons published. They paid for the printing of two thousand copies and at a surprise party proudly unveiled the books to their pastor.
Small problem: the pastor’s sermons had come from a book written by a nationally known preacher. Upon discovering the fact, the board shredded the newly printed books.
Borrowing others’ sermons has limitations. If my ministry extends beyond the borders of my city and church or if I were to sell or publish the material, I would have to follow different practices.
Within the next year, I will preach my last sermon as pastor of this church, and I already have an idea what I will preach my last ten weeks. Eugene Peterson wrote a book called “Reversed Thunder,” a commentary on the Book of Revelation.
One of the book’s themes is “famous last words.” I plan to develop that idea for ten weeks: Famous last words about Jesus Christ. Famous last words about the Scriptures. Famous last words about the church. Famous last words about worship. Famous last words about heaven.
Do I feel bad about finishing my career with sermons based on someone else’s idea? Not at all. Peterson’s book has spoken to my heart, and I know his ideas will minister to my listeners. I’m more concerned about being effective than original.
Copyright (c) 1995 Christianity Today, Inc./LEADERSHIP Journal
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Copyright © 1994 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
