November 11, 2024

Most Cumberland Presbyterian ministers serve as "solo" pastors. The preaching and pastoring load is all yours. Blessed are the solo pastors who have a strong Session to lend a hand.

Many of you have a second job (or a third one!)--and some of you serve more than one church.

Your days are quickly filled by administrative work, pastoral concerns, hospital and nursing home visits, discipleship plans, outreach goals, budget issues, mission support, committee obligations, family time, that other job (or jobs)...and hey preacher: the toilet's leaking!

Before you know it, it's Saturday; and in less than 24 hours, you'll be doing the ONE THING on your to-do list that is yours alone: preaching a sermon to a congregation eager to hear a Word from the Lord.

It takes time and effort to preach a compelling sermon; and for busy (and often bi-vocational) pastors, "time" and "effort" are sometimes in short supply. 

I get it.

Your brothers and sisters in ministry get it.

But your congregation might not. We've all heard the old jokes about how "the preacher" just works one hour on Sunday...and we all know better!

That "disconnect" is why the Louisa Woosley Preaching Initiative's first two goals--equipping pastors to [1] preach compelling sermons and [2] reach diverse audiences--require a third:

Preaching isn't an after-thought, an "extra," or a luxury. Sermon preparation is not something to be shoe-horned in once we've done all the "important" work of the church--nor should it be the way you spend your day(s) off!

Proclaiming the Gospel IS the important work of the church.

It is the heart of the worship service.

It is God's calling on your life.

It is an essential part of discipleship. For some people in the pews, the sermon is the only encounter with God's Word they'll have all week.

Is preaching a priority in the church you serve?

Is preparing to preach a priority for you?

If your answer is YES, how do you know?

If your answer to either of those questions is NO, here are a few other questions to consider: 

"The sermon is how you speak to most of the people most of the time."

Barbara Brown Taylor encourages us to make the sermon our top priority, because the sermon accomplishes more ministry tasks than we might realize.

Have you cultivated the love of preaching, or have you allowed that love to be set-aside by busy-ness?

In today's second 2-minute video, Craig Barnes encourages us to rediscover our love for preaching--and to make it a priority.

Dear Preachers,

Preaching matters. It's work that's worth all the time and effort you put into it.

May God bless you with attentiveness, discernment, wisdom, and time to do that work this week.

--Rev. Jen Newell

As of this morning (Monday, November 11), there are 15 spots available for the Preaching Conference.

Pro Tip: If the form registration form won't let you continue to the next page, make sure all the (*) questions on that page have been answered.

The Louisa Woosley Preaching Initiative is a grant-funded program of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Our goal is to equip ministers and candidates for ministry to preach compelling sermons to today's diverse and often divided world. 

For more information about the initiative and our programs, visit our website.