Do You Mind?

Preachers visiting my church on their vacation time can expect to sit back and listen!! And if I visit my wife's home church on vacation--I sit with her in the second to last pew from the back where her brother, mom and dad usually sit--and I enjoy the sermon being preached! It doesn't offend me if the preacher doesn't invite me to preach that day--and it shouldn't offend the visiting--vacationing preacher if I do not invite him to preach that day!

 

Unless of course--the vacationing preacher happens to be Adrian Rogers, Junior Hill, or Fred Luter!

 

This is a hot issue in these parts because some yahoos think that if they stroll into a church with a Bible under their arm they should be given homage, have attention drawn to themselves, allowed preach, given the floor, whatever. Not going to happen where I serve. I am responsible for God's people under my care. I'm not about to throw any Joe Blow up into the pulpit. And we're not at church to honor man, but to worship holy God. So I don't feel I have to make myself scarce or put the spotlight on someone just because they show up.

Spurgeon was once approached by a preacher and said "Mr. Spurgeon, God told me that I'm to preach at your church this Sunday." Spurgeon quickly replied "Sorry sir, God hasn't told me that, so you're not!"

 

I have never asked a visiting preacher to preach. Not because I wouldn't, but because it has never happened under the right circumstances.
The "right circumstances" would be:
1. Not only would I have to know them, but I would have to be familiar enough with their preaching to feel it suited the service they were present for.
2. I would have to be sure from my knowledge of their preaching that they weren't going to say anything out of line, anything embarassing, or that would be contradictory to our general beliefs.
3. I would have to have a sense of leadership from the Lord in the matter. (most important)
4. It would depend also on the willingness of the preacher to preach. I will preach when asked, but I am just as happy, when on vacation or visiting another church, to simply sit back and be blessed by someone else. (When you are responsible for every service, it is nice to enjoy one for a change. )

Just a note added: Preachers who are visiting should not ask the host pastor to allow them to preach. I recently had a man visit from a church I only knew about. He spent his whole time here (all Sunday) literally begging me to let him preach. Needless to say, he didn't.

IMHO,
CC

 

It would never occur to me to ask someone to preach who had not been invited to do so several weeks in advance.

I do think it is important to have other voices from the pulpit. In addition, women still don't get as many opportunities to preach in baptist circles as they should, so I've always made it a point to keep my pulpit open to female clergy who have not yet found churches.

I do remember the backhanded compliment one member of a church gave me. She said, "[our last pastor] never invited someone who was a better preacher than him to come preach; but you do it all the time." If someone else is going to be in my pulpit, I want to make sure that the congregation gets the best I can find - even if I think they're better than me.

Joshua

 

You're too much, Joshua!

 

If it's someone I know well, I know their theology well, and I know their character well, I don't worry about it. Otherwise, it just isn't going to happen. There are some people I know whose character is wonderful but their theology is way off. They're not preaching here. And there are some doctrinally sound people (Mentally) whose character is just way too suspect. They're not preaching here either. Some may think that's snobby, but I have a responsibility for the instruction from the pulpit. I owe it to my dear people to see that they are not harmed from the pulpit.

By the way, I am also careful to humbly apply these same standards to myself.

 

Amen. Spurgeon often cautioned his students against this.

 

<<Abby peaks her head in>> SOrry,I know this is a pastor's forum, but I just had to coment.
Amen Brohter Tom. I really liked you post above about having a responsibility to your congregation.
~Abby
<<Abby slips out again>>


[ August 29, 2002, 05:08 PM: Message edited by: saved by grace 1999 ]

 

The Good Lord has not yet given me a flock to serve. However, from time to time I am left in charge of services when our pastor is away. If there was a minister visiting and I knew him to be sound, i would certainly ask him to share the time with me.

On the other hand, often times I am the visting minister in the congregation. I go to worship my God. If the pastor of the church does not use me, no problem. I sit back and enjoy. If he asks me to speak, then I do. I have never asked when I was visiting, nor would I.

Primitive Baptist, generally are eager to share the pulpit with a sound ordained Elder. God usually blesses everyone involved when this happens.

Changed like Saul,

Elder Chris Foslom

www.pbsermons.org

 

I don't think I would ever have an uninvited visiting preacher preach for me. When I am on vacaion, I do not want to be asked to preach. I need the preaching myself. I will, however, call on them to open in prayer or close the service in prayer.

I agree that one must have the leading of the Holy Spirit before allowing anyone to preach to the flock.

I know of one preacher who finances his vacation each year by preaching for his "friends" and getting a nice love offering at each stop. I just can't bring myself to abuse the honor of preaching like that.

I have had preachers, once they found out I was passing through, ask me if I wanted to preach for them. My response is always, "If you feel like that is how God is leading, otherwise, I would enjoy hearing you. I need some good preaching now and then."

 

Bro. Robert

I haven't had a pastorate for a few years because of health issues, but in days gone by I would invite anyone to share the time or take all of it, if that was the desire of the church. Some folks came by today to ask if I might consider a church that currently is without a regular pastor. I've never been to that church and it is some distance from where we live, so will have to be pondering and praying about that one.

In Appalachia among Primitive Baptists, it is usual for the members of the church to make the preaching arrangements. This would be only the pastor(s), if that were all that were present, but that isn't usually the case. Most times one will be chosen to open with Prayer, song and a few remarks, two or three to preach and the pastor to be last on the docket. Most of the time the ministers are mindful of the time involved, the distance folks have travelled to get there etc.

 

Under no circumstances would a "visiting" preacher be permitted to preach, unless he (note the masculine gender there, Rev. Joshua ) was someone who had already been invited to do so (pre-arranged). In addition to this, as a general rule the preacher who is invited should be one who is known to be a man (note the masc. gend. again) of integrity, sound doctrine and ability to preach/teach.

Rev. G