474. Slowly but Surely

There are many things in my ministry that felt like a distant dream years ago, but are now a reality. One of them is having multiple people in a preaching rotation besides me. Though I wasn't actively trying to make it happen, I now recognize that God has been "slowly but surely" raising up communicators in the church. First it was pastor Anthony, and then shepherds (and spouses).

Years ago, one of my mentors who used to be a church consultant visited our church to speak. After the service, he gave me a couple of pieces of good feedback, and one of them was the need to raise up multiple communicators in the church. Back then, I was busy improving my own preaching, so that didn't stick with me. But I did agree with his point that the church needs multiple communicators, so even if something happens to me on a given Sunday, someone else can preach. It didn't resonate with me then, but now I see its beauty and necessity.

We have already seen its benefits. During my sabbatical last year, in addition to Pastor Anthony, shepherds (and spouses) rotated in preaching during my two-month absence. I heard great feedback after I came back. So I have asked our shepherds to volunteer if they want to do it again this year, on the Sundays when I am not present. A few shepherds signed up to preach, and they will speak for the next two Sundays. Though I remain as the main communicator, I love that I get to empower other communicators. I feel so blessed that not only do we have a second strong communicator in Pastor Anthony, but also many shepherds who can be part of the preaching rotation.

I shared before that shepherds' preaching will not be exegetical but testimonial. Pastors have enough time to study the text and consult many resources to make it the main focus, but lay leaders don't have enough time to do so. They will choose a theme they feel convicted about during this season and use the text as supporting evidence to make their point. And as they must rely on their real-life examples to make their point, their preaching will be relatable and could be more impactful. As shepherds function as lay-pastors for their house churches, I believe they already live a very pastoral life and have what it takes to speak into our lives.