Impressions

Since moving here to Indianapolis, Kevin and I have been attending a church plant on the west side. Two things we’ve really appreciated are the love of the congregation and the humility of the pastor.

Thursday night the pastor came over to talk with Kevin’s parents about how things are going and ask about their thoughts on his last series of sermons. (We haven’t been here long enough to really discuss the past series of sermons with him.)

I’ve never heard of a pastor specifically seeking out his congregation’s opinions of his sermons. Yes, many pastors regularly visit their congregation as a part of keeping the flock accountable. But, in my observation, rarely do pastors open themselves up to this type of critique.

In scripture, the Bereans were commended for searching scriptures to see if what the preacher said was true (Acts 17:11) – and all Christians should do that to make sure they are not being led astray by false doctrine. But, how rare is it for a pastor to specifically ask about your thoughts on his sermons?

I can imagine that, as a pastor, when you prepare your sermons, you feel strongly that you are speaking God’s word as He is leading you. You fear God – and not man – so, therefore, it doesn’t really matter what men think of your sermons. I can also imagine that many pastors don’t want to expose themselves and be vulnerable to criticism from laypeople. They probably get it often enough without openly seeking it out!

Anyway, I sat in on part of the visit and was really impressed with the humility and sincerity displayed by our pastor. I was impressed by the open dialogue and his willingness to engage in ideas and be teachable – even though he’s the teacher.