This is my “Preacher’s Trust” document from Backstory Preaching.
Go here to read the current version of my “Preachers Trust”.
See BackstoryPreaching.com and the book Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft by Lisa Cressman for more information.
The Preacher’s Trust is the preacher’s commitment to abide in Christ in order to be made worthy of the authority granted to preach the Good News.
The Preacher’s Trust is like the Prayers of the People. There are ten required categories, but the language and choices for each are your own.
The first five commandments of the Trust cover the backstory of our life and spirituality to “Be Good News,” and the second five integrate them into our craft to “Preach Good News.”
Quoting from Lisa Cressman’s blog post: “The Preacher’s Trust: A Practice for Becoming a Better Preacher” here are the ten categories of a preacher’s trust.
Spend time regularly with God apart from the need to pray “for the job” of ministry.
Spend time regularly reading, listening to, and asking questions about the Good Book—again, for your own sake, not just because your ministry requires it.
Discover perpetually God’s endless creativity. Let it spark your imagination and gratitude so you never take God’s gifts for granted.
Instead of being a box on the checklist, let sermon prep itself feed you spiritually. In that way, sermons are not a chore but a source of perennial joy.
We tell parishioners God loves them all the time, and we can cultivate that truth for ourselves, too. When we know God loves us, it spills forth into our entire ministries—and lives. Besides, when we know we’re loved, we know why we preach.
Know what makes for an “effective” sermon and let it serve as the model for every homily.
Whether the Good News is well received or not, preachers who practice courage and are ever deepening their relationship with God will preach the Gospel no matter what it costs.
We all know it’s unethical to plagiarize, but there’s more to it than that. We also need to take care not to cherry-pick verses, manipulate emotional heartstrings, or use the pulpit as our personal bully pulpits no matter how much we think we’re justified.
In addition to preaching conferences and books, what’s your plan to keep growing and getting better at this craft?
Although it may seem we prepare sermons alone, we’re actually part of a body of preachers who are accountable to one another and God to be trustworthy bearers of the Gospel.
For more info, read the book Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft by Lisa Cressman.