Page 140 - Homiletics I Student Textbook

“dump trucking” on the congregation. They back up the truck and dump a huge load of information
on them, leaving them without understanding. And finally, a preacher demonstrates poor
communication skills by teaching the congregation information that has nothing whatsoever to do
with the subject matter and may be worthless to the congregation.

It’s not hard to be a lousy preacher. All you have to do is quit working
on improving how you communicate to your congregation, become
self-centered, and learn to just not care. A lot of preachers are quite
successful at becoming lousy preachers.

4. Lack of care for their congregation.

Preachers can communicate to their congregation that they don’t really
care about what they think or feel. Those preachers keep a distance
from their congregation. It does not take the congregation long before
they see that their pastor really does not care. They see their pastor as
one who has a job to do and does it with minimal effort. So, most of
the congregation respond to this attitude with a like attitude; “You
don’t care so I don’t care.” The result is that very little learning will
take place between a preacher and the people who are distant relationally. The foundation for learning
is built on relationships. The congregation will be motivated to learn from a pastor whom they know
loves them, cares, and really wants them to learn.

A lousy pastor keeps his distance from any intimate relationship with the congregation. As a result, the
congregation will not learn much from a pastor with this posture.

5. Knows everything from their lofty position.

A lousy preacher may have an exhaustive knowledge about the subject
he teaches, or at least he thinks so. When asked a difficult question that
he might not know, he shoots some “hot air” answer in the place of “I’m
not sure of that. Let me do some study and I’ll get back to you.” The
congregation pick up quickly that the preacher just does not want to
admit that he does not know and puts on a show instead. Congregation
see through the hypocrisy in a minute. The congregation then lose trust
in the reliability of the information presented by that preacher. It shakes
the foundation under the student’s faith in the preacher.

If you want to be a lousy preacher, just have a “I know it all” attitude.
Everyone will see through your front and know you really don’t know it
all. No one does!

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