JD Greear doesn't prepare his own sermons

[ALAYMAN]

I could see getting assistance with background or secondary research, or as it appears Greear is saying, offering a variety of perspectives, to aid with sermon prep.

But the ministry of the Word is the pastor's primary function, and he should be able to interpret the Scriptures, organize, prepare, and deliver a sermon via the use of his own rhetorical skills, and we should expect him to do so without resorting to canned sermons or outlines. If he doesn't have the time, perhaps the church needs to find someone to free his time up from administrative duties; if he doesn't have those skills, he's underqualified for the job and needs more training.

Totally agree with this, and just to be clear, you're not suggesting from what you heard/read that you believe Greear is "resorting to canned sermons or outlines", right?

 

[ALAYMAN]

Take this with a grain of salt from a guy who, admittedly, has never preached a sermon in his life…but I thought preachers were supposed to dig through Scriptures, pray, and have the Holy Spirit direct the outline of a sermon. Obviously I understand the need to use outside resources, examples and inspiration, but the idea of “nothing new under the sun” is a bit of a surprise to me given the way in which I thought most sermons are formulated.

The idea of "nothing new under the sun" probably should be considered more in light of opposing the notion that a preacher should be able to just climb in the pulpit, flip the Bible open to a random place, glance at the passage that has fallen open and then let her rip. That sort of lack of preparation (under the guise of "being led of the Spirit") is foolish, but I've heard that sort of pablum claimed to be some sort of "fresh oil" anointing from on high. The manner of gathering resource(s), whether it is done personally and singularly, or directed by a trusted and Spirit-led team of elders/pastors is really immaterial so long as the pastor who is going to craft the message has poured over the theme/content/resources and put his own thoughts into the final message. Ironically, we just had a Gideon present his work a couple of Sundays ago and as soon as he began his presentation I could tell that the message was literally one he had memorized and regurgitated for every church he appears in. It didn't bother me, because it wasn't really a "sermon", and his information/story(s) were compelling, but if a pastor is merely reciting somebody else's words then it leaves very little room for the Spirit to direct and act through him, and squelches what old-timers call "unction", which I firmly believe in. Ironically, in the early days of my preaching ministry, before I realized any sort of calling, I would gather my own resources and do my own study, but since I was such a novice at public speaking I would type out my sermon verbatim and then rehearse it until I knew it by heart, then deliver it exactly as it was written. Those were hard time, not only for me, but also for those subjected to my "sermon", lol.

 

[Ransom]

Totally agree with this, and just to be clear, you're not suggesting from what you heard/read that you believe Greear is "resorting to canned sermons or outlines", right?

By the time I wrote this, it was already made clear that his "research assistants" were providing alternative perspectives. So no.

 

[Bob Jones V]

Totally agree with this, and just to be clear, you're not suggesting from what you heard/read that you believe Greear is "resorting to canned sermons or outlines", right?

I started the thread. I was a preaching pastor for 12 years. I know the amount of work it takes. I would always do the sentence diagramming in Greek or Hebrew. I did the word studies. I did the cultural, grammatical theological background studies. That is pretty much original. However, I know that I read commentaries. That could be considered someone else's work.

But to have another person whom I paid to go look for that stuff, do research for me and hand it to me, personally I think is weak. He is probably stretched so thin running a mega-church that he has to do that. But I also have a good friend who pastored a church of 4500 for 33 years who did all his own work. When he retired and started writing more books, he had paid staff to do work, and he always gave the credit.

I am a firm believer in the man of God working assiduously on the text of Scripture until it permeates his soul at the deepest level, then preaching it from the heart, as well as using his voice and mind. Maybe I am asking too much of those who rule over us in the Lord. And lest that sound arrogant, Hebrews 13:7 says that very thing. KJV Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

 

[ALAYMAN]

I started the thread. I was a preaching pastor for 12 years. I know the amount of work it takes. I would always do the sentence diagramming in Greek or Hebrew. I did the word studies. I did the cultural, grammatical theological background studies. That is pretty much original. However, I know that I read commentaries. That could be considered someone else's work.

But to have another person whom I paid to go look for that stuff, do research for me and hand it to me, personally I think is weak. He is probably stretched so thin running a mega-church that he has to do that. But I also have a good friend who pastored a church of 4500 for 33 years who did all his own work. When he retired and started writing more books, he had paid staff to do work, and he always gave the credit.

I am a firm believer in the man of God working assiduously on the text of Scripture until it permeates his soul at the deepest level, then preaching it from the heart, as well as using his voice and mind. Maybe I am asking too much of those who rule over us in the Lord. And lest that sound arrogant, Hebrews 13:7 says that very thing. KJV Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Yeah, I understand that the nature of having somebody else do your leg-work can subjectively be judged as not having enough ownership, but I think the way he explained it (referring to getting other people's perspectives that he wouldn't have otherwise thought of) shows a willingness to truly be "inclusive" and not a one-man show. Could this resource-gathering be abused by a lazy and/or lukewarm pastor/preacher? Sure, but that sort of evaluation of character is difficult to know, and the sort of lack of personal drive that might be involved with such a process could also be part of the end product of doing one's own research. It often can be observed in a preacher who gets into topical ruts harps on cotton-candy type themes.

 

[AverageJoe]

Yeah, I understand that the nature of having somebody else do your leg-work can subjectively be judged as not having enough ownership, but I think the way he explained it (referring to getting other people's perspectives that he wouldn't have otherwise thought of) shows a willingness to truly be "inclusive" and not a one-man show. Could this resource-gathering be abused by a lazy and/or lukewarm pastor/preacher? Sure, but that sort of evaluation of character is difficult to know, and the sort of lack of personal drive that might be involved with such a process could also be part of the end product of doing one's own research. It often can be observed in a preacher who gets into topical ruts harps on cotton-candy type themes.

I'll be honest here...I'm not a fan of Greear. Never have been and never will be. He was a bad president for the SBC and I wouldn't want his lack of leadership anywhere near me again. His abuse in the 2021 SBC national convention was terrible, blocking people from speaking or presenting amendments or motions, and his lack of respect for fellow preachers astounded me. I didn't get to go to the Convention in Nashville, but I got to see it on the live stream. I'll never trust him, I know this. But, I have to side with him on how he prepares his sermons if he's not violating any scriptural principle..

 

[Bob Jones V]

Yeah, I understand that the nature of having somebody else do your leg-work can subjectively be judged as not having enough ownership, but I think the way he explained it (referring to getting other people's perspectives that he wouldn't have otherwise thought of) shows a willingness to truly be "inclusive" and not a one-man show. Could this resource-gathering be abused by a lazy and/or lukewarm pastor/preacher? Sure, but that sort of evaluation of character is difficult to know, and the sort of lack of personal drive that might be involved with such a process could also be part of the end product of doing one's own research. It often can be observed in a preacher who gets into topical ruts harps on cotton-candy type themes.

That makes a lot of sense. I was at a conference where Greear was speaking, and the plenary speakers all had a Q&A at the end. The guy who organized the pastor's conference, pretty well known, and an absolutely gifted preacher said Greear was the best speaker on the docket. He pretty much preached an expository message, and he handled the text well, without looking at his notes. That says he has a sharp mind as well. I enjoy his speaking and was challenged. I may have been misinterpreting the article.