Preaching Without Heart

Preaching with no heart has been a subject matter that has been burning in my heart for the last thirteen years since I have been privileged to minister to the people of God. It is evident that there is a mentality and a certain disposition among preachers that allude to the adage of every preacher for him or herself in this ever changing environment of ministry. This malady in ministry has persuaded me to think critically and theologically about the motives and drive of ministers whose life work belongs to “pulpit ministry.” As a minister of the gospel, I believe it would be a disgrace and a disservice to my calling if I did not raise critical questions concerning this particular subject of a preacher who in fact preaches with their hearts in the wrong place. The question that I want to propose is this: How can we minister sincerely to the men and women in the pews or chairs effectively if (we) preachers are portrayed as self-centered and egotistical ministers? I have come to the resolve that preaching should be God centered and not secularly and self centered!
I have discovered that we have several books that crowd the shelves of book stores as well as the viral ledges of E-book shelving on preaching techniques and styles to enhance the preaching moment; but there is a void of books that speak to the soul and well being of the preacher. Therein lie this humbling attempt to concentrate on the heart and motives for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Preachers have hesitated in making their calling sure. Just as sure as my Father, the Reverend Joseph Chapman would say “they went instead of being sent.” Based on the perspective of some preachers, preaching is analytical. As such, they have engaged in their intellectual and theological exploration but have neglected to marry the material with the integrity and lifestyle. The apostle Paul reminds us that preaching is not in word only but through the power of the Holy Spirit lest we be guilty of attempting to relieve and empty the cross of its power.
In order to minister to the souls of men, there must be a purity of heart as preachers seek to effectively share the gospel. In this book, I will share concerns that I believe have been hidden far too long behind the concealment of pastoral office doors, behind secluded places of secrecy, and the dark corridors of clergy’s hearts. Most clergy do not care to expose their true issues because they already know the consequences waging behind this type of transparency. In this text, we will catapult from those corrupted corridors of heartlessness and seek out methodologies to address these issues. I believe it is possible for clergy to be effective in their private personae as they are in their pulpit presentation.
This book is about a journey-- not a destination. Pointing towards self evaluation, if we dare to take the journey and deal with what Henry Nouwen calls our compulsive nature so we can increase the chance of wholeness in clergies wounded state. Nouwen suggest that “Compulsive is indeed the best adjective for the false self. It points to the need for ongoing and increasing affirmation. Who am I? I am the one who is liked, praised, admired, disliked, hated, or despised. Whether I am a pianist, a businessman or a minister, what matters is how I am perceived by my world. This compulsion manifests itself in the lurking fear of failing and the steady urge to prevent this by gathering more of the same- more work, more money and more friends.”(Nouwen 1981,22)
Clergy must become unified because we are all in this spiritual warfare together attempting to control these compulsions so that we are not corrupted and found guilty of preaching without a sense of heart. We have the reassures through the words of Jesus. He has already promised to remain with us. Jesus stated i will never leave you nor forsake you! Let us take the journey together so we can be transformed by the chapters to follow. I hope you are tenacious enough to make the journey. I am sure that you are!