{"id":3203,"date":"2016-08-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-26T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2016\/08\/26\/7-pulpit-alternatives-for-desperate-church-planter\/"},"modified":"2016-08-26T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T03:16:08","slug":"7-pulpit-alternatives-for-desperate-church-planter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/7-pulpit-alternatives-for-desperate-church-planter\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Pulpit Alternatives for the Desperate Church Planter"},"content":{"rendered":"
In Nehemiah 8:4, we witness the likely birth of the preaching pulpit when Ezra the scribe reads the Scriptures “on a high wooden platform built for the occasion.” Since then, pulpits have continued to be an integral part of church history for thousands of years—unless, of course, you’re a church planter.<\/p>\n\n
Don’t get me wrong: I love pulpits. Nothing says “we take church seriously” like a hand-crafted piece of wood that retails for $2,500 (I have suddenly realized I’m in the wrong business). But as a pastoral resident working in a small church plant that meets in a 100-year-old high school, I’ve seen that having a pulpit is just not practical for us. It would have to be unloaded from our storage trailer, set up, and reloaded week-in and week-out—and as church planters know, adding a heavy, large, cumbersome hunk of wood and nails to an already-full trailer is basically asking for volunteers to conveniently “forget” their set-up volunteer coordination e-mail on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n\n
If there is anything we church planters are<\/em> known for, though, it’s innovation. We make do. We get by. We improvise. And when we’re short on pulpits, we find alternatives. With that in mind, here is a list of options for church plants and planters seeking a substitute for a typical pulpit:<\/p>\n\n
1. The Music Stand<\/h2>\n\n\nleosia niezgodka \/ Flickr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/p>\n\n
Pros: <\/strong>A stand-ard (get it?) for church planting; doubles as the worship leader’s stand; folds up nicely in storage.<\/p>\n\n
Cons: <\/strong>If all screws and knobs are not tightened on the stand, it will<\/em> sink when you or your Bible press down on it during your sermon. Some music stands just weren’t built to hold the ESV Study Bible.<\/p>\n\n
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2. The Oddly-Shaped Rusty Stool Backstage<\/h2>\n\n\nLauren Nelson \/ Flickr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/p>\n\n
Pros: <\/strong>Free, thanks to the theater teacher leaving it out by accident.<\/p>\n\n
Cons: <\/strong>Susceptible to high-school graffiti jobs. It would be wise to check for the latest relationship gossip or “I hate this teacher” scrawl before putting it in front of the congregation.<\/p>\n\n
<\/h2>\n\n
3. The Overhead Projector<\/h2>\n\n\nStephen Dann \/ Flickr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/p>\n\n
Pros: <\/strong>Everyone can see what you see; plenty of light for you to see your sermon notes; also relieves the person running your typo-ridden PowerPoint from the back computer.<\/p>\n\n
Cons: <\/strong>Also not conducive for setting a Bible on; could burn you if it overheats; bulb could explode; ridiculously short cord; may bring back haunting memories of sixth-grade English class to your congregation. (Okay, maybe this isn’t a good option at all.)<\/p>\n\n
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4. “The Armbar”<\/h2>\n\n\n2014uknz+ \/ Flickr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/p>\n\n
Pros: <\/strong>Doesn’t require storage; provides incentive to work out more (see “Cons”).<\/p>\n\n
Cons: <\/strong>Arm may go numb after holding same position for 20 minutes; also not suitable for holding a Bible, notes, a clock, glasses, and every edition of Strong’s Concordance<\/em> you own all at once.<\/p>\n\n
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5. The Simulcasted Pulpit<\/h2>\n\n\nE. I. Sanchez \/ Flickr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/p>\n\n
Pros: <\/strong>Pick whichever pulpit you want without paying for it; also doesn’t require storage.<\/p>\n\n
Cons: <\/strong>High likelihood of losing your “audience” to the other guy preaching on the screen. Even if you want to use a static image, you’re out of luck; there are exactly zero good stock images of pulpits online.<\/p>\n\n
<\/h2>\n\n
6. The Fold-Up Table<\/h2>\n\n\nGreenGlass1972 \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/p>\n\n
Pros: <\/strong>Could double as the Communion table; plenty of room for all of your materials (maybe not those concordances, though).<\/p>\n\n
Cons: <\/strong>Creaks and squeaks if pressed on; will probably be lost to another ministry area within weeks.<\/p>\n\n
<\/h2>\n\n
7. The Youth Intern<\/h2>\n\n\nvylip \/ Pixabay<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/p>\n\n
Pros: <\/strong>Great demonstration of the importance of serving the church.<\/p>\n\n
Cons: <\/strong>Will not work well if they are taller, or wider, than you; will cause John Calvin to turn over in his grave.*\n\n* May also be considered a Pro, depending on your theological persuasion.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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leosia niezgodka \/ Flickr<\/span>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/72577.jpg\")
Lauren Nelson \/ Flickr<\/span>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/72578.jpg\")
Stephen Dann \/ Flickr<\/span>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/72579.jpg\")
2014uknz+ \/ Flickr<\/span>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/72580.jpg\")
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