Risking Your Job to Preach The Gospel? Two Questions to Ask First
Photo by Micaela Parente on Unsplash
It’s common to “preach to the choir.”
We often preach a message people already agree with—a message that reinforces what people already believe.
When we preach to the choir, we probably don’t feel vulnerable about the anticipated reaction: we expect more kudos than pushback.
But what happens when we preach against the choir?
There might be serious consequences to preaching into the issues of the day, like climate change, immigration and ICE chasing people down in our streets, and the culture of fear, power-over, and disrespect.
Even empathy is getting a bad rap!
What happens after preaching a message that will bring more pushback than kudos? More whisper campaigns than “bravos”? More risk of pushing us out of our jobs than pushing for salary raises?
And yet, The need is great to preach sermons filled with such moral courage and imagination that our sermons might actually get us fired.
Every preacher and parish is unique, but we are wise and faithful to consider the implications of risking position, even career, to preach into issues where we believe the very Gospel is at stake for believers.
In that light, here are two questions preachers need to ask themselves when planning to preach against the choir.
There is no right or wrong answer to these questions.
Question 1: Will Your Preaching Voice Be More Effective Inside or Outside the Church?
If you believe a Gospel of love, inclusion, dignity, respect, and justice need to be preached, then in what context will you have the most influence?
The formal authority of the pulpit carries a weight and reach that few other venues offer.
However, that formal authority can be constrained by the parish’s willingness and flexibility to listen.
If there’s too much disagreement between preacher and parishioners, you could be fired and lose the pulpit’s reach and impact.
Moreover, if you and the parish disagree so much you get fired, then there’s a good chance the next preacher they call will be in accord with their positions and they won’t hear an opposing view of the Gospel.
If you intend to preach one or a series of sermons that are incendiary enough your congregation might fire or push you out of your position, ask yourself whether your voice will be more effective inside or outside the parish.
Does that weigh into your decision? Should it? If inside, what does that mean for your message?
If you are fired, however, you may have more informal authority to move people outside the organization.
You might have more latitude to preach the Gospel in multiple contexts.
You may have more choices about how, when, and how often to preach your message.
Outside the pulpit, however, you’ll have less gravitas and no ready-made listeners.
You might have to spend your energy finding and building your audience.
And then you may find yourself preaching to the choir again by attracting listeners who agree with you.
How does this possibility influence your decision? Should it?
You are called to preach the Gospel.
Where is God calling you to preach it?
Where will your voice best be heard?
Question 2: What Happens If You Get pushed out?
There are urgent issues of suffering and injustice that need our preaching attention.
Unfortunately, many of these realities aren’t going to change anytime soon.
Because suffering and injustice are going to be around for the foreseeable future, we’ll have multiple opportunities to preach on them this week, next year, and the next decade.
We’re preaching a marathon, not a sprint.
The sad reality is this: if you think a message is likely to get you fired, and you believe you need preach it, you can probably get your personal ducks in a row first.
it’s not unfaithful to the Gospel to plan for what happens next.
After all, the Church may thank you sincerely for your courageous service to the Gospel—but appreciation alone isn’t going to pay your bills.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t preach what you feel called to preach, but it will lower the stress and mitigate the consequences if some things are planned for first.
For example:
How does your family feel about the ramifications of losing your livelihood? How might this affect their church relationships? What will you do about the family’s loss of income or the possibility of moving? Will your kids get bullied at school? Could your spouse also be fired or pushed out?
Would you want to move to a different church position? What are your prospects? Do you have other skills you could make a living at? What’s that job market like?
Do you have savings to rely on during the interim? How long will they last? Do you have people in your life to help you get by?
How will losing your position affect your health insurance? Do you have dependents (children or aging parents) for whom this is a hardship? Is their dependence on you a time-limited situation or long-term?
How will this affect you? Your spirit? Your sense of call? Your hopes for your overall ministry to those you serve? Your integrity? Who will emotionally and spiritually support you through this time?
Preach the Gospel! But even St. Paul had to make ends meet and, at times, fell back on his tent making skills.
What’s your plan?
Spiritual practices to support one another
This is an unprecedented time.
None of us has been through this before.
None of us knows how to respond to the ferocity of events so it’s understandable that many of us are feeling stressed.
Each of us is unique in temperament, personality, family responsibilities, and parish context.
Each of us will get some things right and other things wrong.
None of us walks in any other pair of shoes—or dons the preaching robes of anyone other than our own.
In other words, we need the spiritual practices of humility, and to trust that our fellow preachers are doing the best they can.
Towards our colleagues, we can:
offer the respect, empathy, and compassion we believe God asks us to offer everyone
support rather than judge one another as we make immensely difficult decisions
ask questions instead of jump to conclusions
And most importantly, pray for one another.
We’re in this together, for the long haul.