4 Things To Do After Preaching

The following is a guest post by Jeff Lovell.

Walking into the church parking lot on Sunday afternoon, my mind is swirling with everything that just happened – people I talked to, thoughts about my preaching, phone calls I need to make. If I’m not careful, I can feel overwhelmed and exhausted.

As a lead/teaching pastor, I’ve developed an important routine that helps me each week. It includes four actions I take after preaching every sermon.

1. Suspend Judgement

I can be my own worst critic. So, regardless of how I feel after preaching a message (great! horrible!), I suspend judgment until I’ve done the next 3 things. In the moment I could just be feeling a rush (or lack) of adrenaline, filtering through a particular person’s reaction, or misinterpreting how I felt about the message.

2. Rest

Most Sunday afternoons I make time for rest. I may take a nap, play with my kids, go for a walk, or anything that shifts my perspective and renews my spirit.

For me, preaching pours out a lot of physical and emotional energy (which I do happily) and I need to take time to rest and recharge.

3. Pray

I remember his grace and that I am a child of God.

I like people’s approval. I like to seek out what my wife or others thought about a message (was I funny? did that make sense? did this land the way I thought it would?). But, before asking them, and before diving into my own thoughts and reflections about the impact and quality of a sermon, I take time to pray.

I give God thanks for his power and the authority of his Word. I give thanks for the privilege of teaching others. I remember his grace and that my primary identity is as a child of God through Christ. I am not my performance (good or bad). I ask for his wisdom and discernment in reflecting on my teaching.

4. Reflect

Sometime on Sunday evening, more often on Monday, I will take time to reflect on my preaching. While I sometimes do a more formal review with others, this isn’t that. I’m simply reflecting on whether I was faithful to the message God was revealing thru the scriptures.

Did I communicate clearly? What worked well? What could be improved? Why? Was my love for Jesus obvious? How did people respond and what next steps did they take? What questions or issues remain to address in the future?

These 4 steps help me after every sermon. They give me perspective, renew my energy, and help me get better.

Do you have a post-preaching routine? What have you found helpful?

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About Jeff: Jeff Lovell is an imperfect Jesus-focused leader that loves people.

Often confused for an extrovert, he’s really just an introvert with good people skills. He is a big picture person, seeing possibilities in people and in leadership, and enjoying connecting people and pursuing our best together.

Jeff is a gifted and compelling teacher/speaker. His speaking will make you laugh (usually with him – sometimes at him), challenge and encourage you to discover deeper purpose and joy in life.

Jeff is a pastor, church-planter, instigator, constant learner and coffee snob. He serves as the Lead Pastor at Ezra Church in Stoughton, WI. He is married to Lori and they have 2 daughters, meaning Jeff has spent more money on pink things than any guy ever should.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/lovell.jeff
Website: http://jefflovell.me[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]