August 19, 2024

When was the last time you sat across the table from someone who had food wedged between their teeth? Did you say anything, or keep quiet?

It's awkward to bring up, and the longer you pretend the spinach isn't stuck in the other person's teeth, the more awkward it becomes. When the power dynamic is lopsided, or when we don't have a lot of confidence in our relationship with that person, we might choose to say nothing at all.

But let's be honest: if you were the one with the food wedged between your teeth, wouldn't you want to know?

Of course you would--but unless it's a BIG piece of spinach, you'd have no clue.

There are only two options to get that sort of information: [1] look in the mirror, or [2] ask someone else.

Sometimes, it's not our teeth we need to check for wayward "spinach;" it's our sermons. (That lovely image comes from Pastor Aaron Damiani in today's video.)

Our delivery may fall flat without us noticing; the point we thought we made might have gotten lost in the details; our opening story might actually undermine the message in ways we hadn't considered; or maybe we have fallen so in love with our ideas about the text that we failed to faithfully represent what the Scripture actually says.

And sometimes, when those things happen, you might be the most clueless person in the room. The only way you'll find that spinach is to [1] look in the mirror, or [2] ask someone else.

In a future email, we'll explore option 1, but this week's resources focus on asking someone else for sermon feedback.

"Why We Preachers Need Sermon Feedback" The Gospel Coalition's Jason Seville offers 8 reasons why we should build formal sermon feedback into our preaching habits and 8 tips for doing it well.

Asking a fellow preacher for feedback on your sermon before you preach may sound risky, but the video "3 Preaching Bad Habits That Are Making Your Sermons Weak" (Modern Church Leader, 12 minutes) makes a strong case for having the courage and humility to do just that.

PS: If your gut reaction to this email is NO WAY, you aren't alone. Be prayerful and curious about why you responded that way. Past hurts, fears, insecurities, or mistrust (of colleagues or even your congregation) can make this process feel far too risky. If that's the case, then instead of plunging ahead with sermon reviews this might be a good week to talk with a preacher friend about why you don't want to do this at all.

I assure you, you aren't the only one.

What's the purpose of your preaching?

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.