Preaching That Matters by Carrell Lori J.;

Author:Carrell, Lori J.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1693427
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Unlimited Model

I like his question, and I look to the clergy I respect so much for the answer. Everything I know about spiritual depth of spiritual leaders, I have learned from clergy. Though this research demonstrates that the pursuit of spiritual growth by clergy can be discerned through increases in the transformative quality of their sermons, the paths pastors have followed to find such growth have been highly divergent.

Think about what it might mean to have such a passion for adventure or discovery that you choose to go into unexplored, dark, or even dangerous places. What commitment! What motivation! What bravery! Imagine yourself docking at the space station or submerging in an ocean-bottom crawler. One pastor took this task so seriously that he assembled his spouse, closest friends, and adult children to ask for assistance in choosing an arena in which he might grow spiritually. With little discussion, they reached consensus: he needed to address a lifelong problem with workaholism. In denial, this pastor asked if there might not be another more important goal, but they were firm. His addiction to productivity had caused pain for each of them. His subsequent deepening took years of prayerful effort and accountability.

As they determine to continue to grow so they might lead the spiritual journeys of others, many pastors have discerned their need to commit to personal, marital, or family counseling to deeply investigate individual and relational issues that require difficult change. In his book Leading with a Limp, professor and therapist Dan Allender describes a life orientation in which personal struggles are seen as wisdom-producing leadership assets rather than inadequacies.4 Managing—or simply surviving—painful circumstances provides depth that cannot be manufactured; the “remote preparation” of working through these difficult experiences can produce credibility, vulnerability, and connection. At the tenth-anniversary ceremonies of 9/11, the last person pulled from the rubble, Genelle Guzman-McMillan, found the courage to return to the site for the first time since that tragic day in 2001. In her emotional remarks this survivor said, “I know that part of the reason that I’m here is to tell the story.”5 Each person called to preach has a story, and part of the call is to allow the fullness of that personal story, including the painful personal struggles, to intersect with the spiritual leadership task of preaching. Denial isn’t deepening; facing the fears that accompany survival of all kinds will enhance spiritual leadership. Though personal and relational struggle need not be an ongoing focus of self-disclosure during the sermon, the depth of your inner journey will further your ability to communicate the complex connections among Scripture, self, Spirit, listeners, and communities. In her poem “Diving into the Wreck,” acclaimed poet Adrienne Rich provides a powerful metaphor for this deep submersion. Says Rich, as she urges us to go deeper, “You breathe differently down here.”6 Franciscan priest and author Richard Rohr, lamenting sermon superficiality, offers a similar urgent invitation: “Of course, clergy cannot talk about a further journey if they have not gone on it

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