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~ July 1, 2009 ~
 Criticism and praise are constants in the pastor's
work. I am not particularly fond of the former. It is my aim to need less of the later. A wise friend said it would serve the preacher well to develop a "praise deflation formula." The friend is a political journalist. Long ago he created such a method for measuring how much people liked his work. Because praise is "ladled out freely, praise inflation occurs," he says. I remember reading this and taking note. To survive, the preacher learns not to take the praise or criticism too seriously. Both can be misleading.
Working toward Sunday morning is always challenging. Constant is the image of the person in the pew. It is easy from my perch to read his/her lips. Flannery O'Connor spoke of a similar reader sitting beside her as she wrote, continuously muttering, "I don't get it," "I don't see it," "I don't want it." Some preachers have figured out how to ignore such an image; I have not.
Preaching is taxing because something more than ideas is being communicated. The preacher puts on the table his experiences, feelings and things that he cares for deeply. In doing this, the preacher is most vulnerable. One can understand why the need for praise is so strong. It might be compared to giving a gift; every giver wants to know what the recipient thinks.
Given the tricky nature of praise, the preacher must approach it with care. He might be well-served by a "praise deflation formula." What might that look like, I wonder? Someone may say she liked the sermon and had every intention to listen, but was distracted by something very important. Someone may say it was a great sermon and he was with you from start to finish, but can't remember what it was about. My friend says that the highest form of praise will go something like, "That was an outstanding sermon; I've been saying the same thing myself for years."
Seriously, no preacher can survive without compliments. The sooner he/she learns to assess the praise the better. It is a motivator. If taken too seriously, however, praise, like criticism, can be misleading. Fellow pastor Martin Copenhaver helps us here. He recalls a certain seminary professor saying, "We have too many preachers who want to hear their parishioners say, 'What a great preacher we have,' and not enough who long to hear them say, 'What a great God we have.'"
In time, I have come to see the sermon not as a crossword puzzle to be solved, but a part of a larger symphony called worship. With experience one learns to listen for the highest form of praise - to hear someone say, "God is good." With this in mind I must
go. It is Monday, and Sunday's coming.
Steven |
