Congregations get the preachers they deserve

Mark Ashton and C. J. Davis reflect on Archbishop Thomas Cranmer's impactful contribution of the "Book of Common Prayer," and how the Anglican church today should apply the principles which sanctioned its writing.

We are often taught that we are to search the scriptures like the the people of Berea "day after day to see if our teachers/pastors were teaching the truth" (Acts 17:11). The question we have to ask ourselves as teachers and preachers of God's Holy Scripture: are we guilty of responding with anger if our preaching/teaching is pointed out to be not in line with Scripture? Do we, in our defence, spiritualise matters and hide behind "God told me so?"

How do we inspire others to love or value authority of God's Scripture? Only when we ourselves have a deep reverence when we approach the text, and seek to impart this love for wholesome spiritual food. 

O Lord, grant us a desire to meditate upon and preach your words as sensitively to the ancient and contemporary contexts. Help us rely and submit to you Holy Spirit, so that we will not add or subtract to the words of your Holy Word. We ask you to empower us to point others to surrender their wills to yours and to enjoy you forever. For Jesus sake, Amen.


From Pages 99-100 of Worship by the Book

...the experience of listening to the Word of God being taught ... will be a participatory experience. This is not to say that there must always be questions or discussion groups, but Bible preaching is not like an academic lecture or a performance. The Bible's own imagery suggests that the meal table is a better analogy for the sermon than the school lesson as we sit listening to the Word of God and "feed" on it together. That is why it is so important that, if at all possible, the members of the congregation have the Bible text open before them. It is why the most encouraging sight to see, while listening to a sermon, is not the preacher passionately gesticulating in the pulpit, but other members of the congregation listening attentively and poring over their Bibles to see "whether these things [are] so" (Acts 17:11 NRSV). It is why the preacher must make it clear to his congregation from time to time that his role is to teach the Bible faithfully and that it is their responsibility to check that he is doing so, "weigh[ing] carefully what is said" (1 Cor 14:29). It is why a preacher needs to be prepared to apologize to the congregation when further attention to a passage leads him to the conclusion that he has misrepresented Bible truth in some way in a previous sermon.

There are few more encouraging noises for the preacher than the rustle of Bible pages among the congregation when he announces his text. He should draw comfort from that, more than from sounds of approval for what he is saying during the sermon. A faithful congregation will draw faithful preaching out of their pastor. Conversely, it is very hard to persevere as a faithful teacher of the Word of God to a congregation that does not want to have it taught to them. To some extent congregations get the preachers they deserve, because preaching is a two-way process: the attitudes of preacher and congregation must unite in a humble hunger for God's Word... What matters is that Jesus Christ should be present—and he will be if his Word is being heard and obeyed.