Do you 'open up your pulpit'?

Amen! 3 times in 2 years as an intern is very little!

As soon as I knew I was called to preach at age 18, the pastor--my Dad--let me preach on a Wednesday night. I said everything I knew in 15 minutes!

 

Mt Vernon Baptist Church has a very nice facility that is only about 5 years old, and is definately not on a dirt road. What are you talking about??? </font>[/QUOTE]That wouldn't by some long shot chance be Mr. Vernon Baptist of Vienna, GA, would it? Way out in the country?? They support us. </font>[/QUOTE]Not accoeding to his profile

 

Hmm, wonder how many Mt. Vernon Baptist Churches out on country roads there are in the South?

 

As a pastor, I very seldom was asked to relinquish my pulpit to anyone I did not know, except during Black History Month, when our church's Education Committee would often press hard for speakers of their own choosing. (You have not HAD a church conflict until you have tried to argue that Ash Wednesday and Lent take precedence over using EVERY Sunday in February for Black History Month!). But it was not only that I was stingy with the pulpit, and not only that I wanted quality and not untrained meandering in every service, but also that I was a series preacher (that's "series", but if you want to spell it "serious", that's all right too), and too many guest preachers on random dates play havoc with trying to develop continuity.

We generally had several persons in preparation for ministry, but I did not give them Sunday mornings until they had had some training and/or there was an occasion for which their contribution would be appropriate. Preaching is not the only arena in which ministerial candidates need training, and I found that teaching and organizing ministries was also good exposure for them.

 

Another thought along this line ... one poster mentioned opening his pulpit to persons of like faith and order. I personally am not completely opposed to stepping outside those boundaries (the preacher for my installation service 20 years ago was a good friend who was an Episcopal priest), but I have been intrigued at the tendency in African-American churches to call on preachers from a wide range of traditions, even Roman Catholic, to fill their pulpits. It feels as though "negritude" is the criterion rather than doctrine.

I would appreciate replies by any BB members who are African-American. Full disclosure: the church I served was 90+% African-American, but I am Caucasian.

 

My church is in a Mt. Vernon "area" that isn't even incorporated.

 

Amen! 3 times in 2 years as an intern is very little!

As soon as I knew I was called to preach at age 18, the pastor--my Dad--let me preach on a Wednesday night. I said everything I knew in 15 minutes! </font>[/QUOTE]I had to talk to the man who mentored m the other day and he asked me a question...

When you taught the kids, did you have to work any harder to make sure they could understand it, than you would have for adults?

He observed that my first sermon was dry and accademic, at about a college level, the second was much better at H.S. level, and most got the point, the third was very good and nobody left without the point.

So, he had a plan, while I wanted more pulpet time. He said he taught new preachers to preach to everyone.

 

Interesting way of mentoring. Evidently it suceeded with you. I kind of like it, though I would not do it the same way. At any rate, we do have to learn to put the bread on the shelf where all can reach it.

I trust God will give you many more years of fruitful service for Him!