Pastoral Pitfalls: When Personal Convictions Get in the Way of Faithful Gospel Preaching

Having the pulpit week after week affords a pastor with a unique opportunity to address many issues he thinks are important. The pulpit is so much more than merely a place where a pastor delivers a sermon on a text of Scripture. It is a place where the preacher exerts pastoral leadership, announces and promotes new initiatives, and so much more. Yet pastors should be more than a walking bulletin board, and sermons should be more than advocacy pieces of a pastor’s personal convictions and positions on various issues. How can a pastor ensure that at the end of the day, the main thing—the gospel of forgiveness and salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ—is still the main thing?

When a Pastor’s Personal Convictions Become More Important than Preaching the Word

In his final extant letter, Paul reminds Timothy that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17 ESV). He goes on to charge Timothy “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:1–2 ESV). Paul’s exhortation is so simple and yet so profound: “Preach the word”—not the pastor’s convictions on a variety of social, political, or even religious issues. Why? Because it is only Scripture that is “breathed out by God”—divinely inspired—and thus supremely profitable.

In the hustle and bustle of ministry and the heat of the battle, it’s easy to be reactive rather than grounded in transcendent spiritual truth. In this social media age, we continually get goaded into responding to dubious assertions and inflammatory posts on various issues. We feel like we owe the world our take on the daily news and every brewing controversy, not to mention our commentary on the outcome of sporting events. We comment on politics, show we’re human, and can relate to others by posting on our favorite sports teams. But pastors have a higher and more sacred calling. If ninety percent of our posts are on American politics or college football (or basketball or baseball), what impression do we give to the people in our congregation? If this ratio reflects our hearts, what does that tell us about what we care about the most? Does the gospel not get lost in the shuffle in such a scenario?

What Can a Pastor Do to Avoid This Tendency or Get Back on Track?

As pastors and church leaders, we can invite our spouses and fellow leaders to keep us accountable. We can give them permission to remind us weekly—if not daily—that we must make preaching the gospel and the cross of Jesus Christ our overriding priority. I believe there should never be a sermon that fails to mention the cross, nor should we fail to articulate the gospel message clearly. In this regard, gospel-centered preaching is even more important preaching style or method— it is the gospel that must be the true litmus test of every sermon or Bible lesson. It may be difficult to remedy any such blind spot in yourself, but you should ask others—your elders, your associate pastor, your board of trustees in case of parachurch organizations—to keep you accountable in this area. Make sure a lack of gospel focus doesn’t become the Achilles’ heel in your ministry. That said, if we ever veer from preaching the gospel, we should quickly repent and get back on track, and God will honor such an unwavering commitment to gospel-centeredness.

Why Might This Be a Trap Pastors Fall Into?

There are many reasons why a pastor might get sidetracked in his preaching and other ministry. One reason might be a personal lack of focus and discipline. There are so many things that clamor for a pastor’s attention, and unless a pastor is committed to keeping the cross of Jesus and the good news of salvation uppermost in his mind, it’s easy to get swept away by people’s demands, the needs of the congregation or community, and salient issues in the general culture.

Another reason for losing focus might be a passion for a given issue, whether social concern, a current controversy, or various other worthy matters a pastor feels a strong pull toward. Passion, of course, can be an excellent thing, but passion needs to be tempered by restraint and subordinated to a pastor’s higher set of priorities. We need to be passionate about the right things. Are we passionate about the gospel? Or, in our heart of hearts, are we bored with the gospel and looking for greater excitement elsewhere?

Conclusion

When we step into the pulpit, there is a real danger of overemphasizing our convictions. Pastors, beware of allowing good things to become the main thing in your preaching and other ministry. No matter how “good” things are, whether serving the community, pursuing personal health, wealth, and prosperity, or maintaining long-standing ecclesiastical traditions, pastors must continually strive to center their preaching and churches on the gospel and biblical principles. Of course, many of these “good” things have their place within the framework of the gospel. But doing good for the sake of doing good is not the message. Anyone can “do good.” Even the best initiative falls flat if a church is preaching or doing any of these things without Jesus. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

©2024 Andreas Köstenberger. Used with permission.