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Criticizing the Congregation from the Pulpit

Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **10/5/15 6:12 pm**

I'm talking about stuff like, "Half of you look like you've been baptized in lemon juice."

I was listening to an online Indonesian sermon of an old friend whose become a preacher, and I see a lot of this. Don't praise like God like, .... acts uninterested. Do it like this-- screams and acts excited. Half way through the sermon, say something about the congregation looking sad and tell them to say something goofy to one another to get them to smile.

When my wife went to Bible college (Bethel, COG in Indonesia, same denomination as my friend), they told people who did worship leading not to criticize the congregation.

For me personally, if people looked a little bored or lost while I'm speaking, hopefully I realize I need to change my tone of voice or something like that. I got a lot more of those looks back when I was struggling to speak in Indonesian than now in English.
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Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16509 **10/5/15 8:40 pm**

EL Terry used to say "uuuuhhhhhh you're a dead bunch!" He was saying it in humor and was an evangelist.

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **10/5/15 9:01 pm**

It is not good and gets old if said often. It can be good, if used with love to stir folk.
But it is really like the old joke when the preacher told the usher to wake some folk up, the Retort was you put them to sleep, you wake'em up. (I figured that was a Baptist church). Wink

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as a pastor

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1274 **10/6/15 8:34 am**

I always advise anyone getting on stage to be positive regarding the congregation. My current P&W leader(he posts on ACTS some) use to criticize the crowd for not responding to the music. I very lovingly told him not to do that. I have instructed preachers if your sermon gets heavy/hard that's fine but give them hope bring the sermon up at the end - don't let them leave only feeling beat up or without hope.

I have learned faithful members come to church after a long days work, dealing with a sick loved one, feeling sick themselves, tired, etc. but they still come to church. Should they be beat up because 50 other people are not there? --No. They should be encouraged/inspired/refreshed/empowered.

I learned a long time ago as a youth pastor - there are times when the people are simply not going to respond and that's okay. I might try to bring them out of it with a joke or something but usually, I just finish the sermon and move on. I love the people in our church and I understand sometimes they come to church to fulfill an obligation and I am thankful they do that.

Re: as a pastor

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16646 **10/6/15 9:15 am**

Re: as a pastor

Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology Posts: 5161 **10/6/15 9:27 am**

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 15570 **10/6/15 10:14 am**

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16646 **10/6/15 11:31 am**

Acts Mod Posts: 3346 **10/6/15 11:41 am**

I loved to hear EL preach but never invited him to preach at the church I pastored. He would say; "you bunch of dummies". I know he really did not believe they were dummies, but I did no want him calling my people dummies jokingly or otherwise. The pulpit is not the place for this.

I wish I would have learned at an earlier age to be more positive.

My wife once said to me. Listen to Dr. Walker, he is never negative.

My pastor is never negative and never talks down to anyone preaching or otherwise.
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Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **10/6/15 1:03 pm**

I once heard a Methodist, I think, say at some churches, they say people get more excited about a football game than they do about church, trying to get the people excited. He asked, "Who said church is supposed to be like a football game?"

I got a joke for you. There was a Methodist who always went to football games with his buddies and screamed really loud. One time, he went with his buddies and they asked him why he was so quiet. He said, "I started going to a Pentecostal church, and now I feel guilty if I get too excited at a football game."

I don't know why some preachers think the audience has to have a certain expression on their face when they are speaking. Is it unholy not to smile? I've got little kids. If they are in the room with me (for example, when we are singing), I'm trying to sing and praise the Lord while keeping one eye on a three-year-old, and another on the other kids. I have no idea what my face looks like during this time.

Usually, if a whole audience of people look bored when someone else is talking, I don't know if we can blame the audience. To me, that seems like a cue to do something different. For example, don't be monotone, or get on to another point.
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Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **10/6/15 1:24 pm**

The worst I ever recall hearing, aside from an Independent Baptist video on YouTube, was the song leader telling people they look like they'd been baptized in lemon juice. I don't remember ever hearing a preacher actually call people names. Calling the congregation 'dummies' is really over the line. I hope he wasn't preaching on that passage about calling your brother "Thou fool.' The audience reacts to what's presented to it.

I'm fine with an audience that doesn't hoop and holler and say 'amen.' I don't expect that to the Asian crowds I've spoken to. I went to a conference once at a big Charismatic church in Indonesia and there was an African man preaching and yelling and screaming. He was talking about how bad Paul was before his conversion and kept saying "Amen." As exuberant as this church was with their singing for an Indonesian church, Indonesians just don't tend to be the type to yell 'amen' or 'preach it brother.' It seemed to me that he was used to a loud African church, and seemed to be sweating bullets at the lack of response.

I would like to see people who appear to be paying attention. Nodding heads is great. Laughs or smiles at jokes and certain ironic comments are nice. But if I get boring, it's me whose boring and I need to change it up. They are just listening.

Increasing volume and energy can still be boring if there isn't much content behind the enthusiasm. I think it was someone here who posted a story about a preacher practicing in the woods who left a paper behind. Someone came up and looked at the paper and at one point it said something like, 'weak point, pound pulpit and kick leg."
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Re: as a pastor

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **10/6/15 8:04 pm**

Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **10/6/15 10:39 pm**

I find the practice of being told to tell everyone next to you something positive and maybe a bit silly or embarrassing a bit annoying if overused, like tell someone sitting next to you, "You look good this morning" or "Jesus loves you." My friend was doing stuff like that, mid-sermon. But that beats the preacher telling people how bad they look.
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Acts-pert Poster Posts: 15570 **10/6/15 10:52 pm**

Ole James Poe Jackson was one a the worst I ever heard bout callin folk names an makin negative comments while preachin. Son, at ole feller could tear it up when he got in a big way.

www.holiness-preaching.com/audio/MP3/Jackson,%20James%20Poe/Romans%20chp%2012%20v11.mp3