Marks of Good Preaching - Accountability

To the Reader: If you have not already done so, please read the introduction to this series, ”Thoughts on Sermon Criticism”, before reading this article.

This is a follow up to “Christward”.

The following is admittedly a little different than we’re used to, but I believe it at least deserves a conversion.

Poorly prepared preaching has sadly become an endemic trait of Independent Baptists. Not all of them of course, but it is an undeniable trope about us. We often have preaching environments in which preachers are above all accountability, for whatever reason. There is no quality control mechanism. To even suggest the preacher have one would seemingly require an approach of two or three witnesses, a special committee, and maybe a lightning bolt or two. There is simply little to no accountability for poor preaching in our movement. And there is an unwritten rule that a preacher's preaching should simply never be questioned.

I'm not really discussing post-sermon critiques. That is called correction, and it is a whole different topic. I don't think just anyone should do that. It is rarely called for. Personally, I have only done that once in my life, and it was only because the preacher said something so unbelievably, demonstrably false and divisive that I was compelled to act immediately afterward. And it was someone I have a personal relationship with. If not, I would have let it be. But that is not what I'm discussing here. The accountability discussed in this article has more to do with careful preparation, pre-Sunday, as in, before the message has been delivered. Does the preacher seek out this accountability himself?

A pastor having preaching accountability like this is not always possible within the church, especially when a church is young. But pastors that have grounded men full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, especially if those men have stood behind pulpits before, should be encouraged to set these men up to graciously hold him accountable for less than careful preaching. Some have called this a “sermon application team”. This is one benefit of the idea of a plurality of elders. These men are there to ensure the preacher is doing the work - no lazy concordance sermons! Deacons or faithful men could be used as well. At the very least a pastor should have a mentor outside of his church to review his preaching beforehand.

This accountability should not be done in a way in which the men lord themselves over the pastor, but rather in a spirit of cooperation between the pastor and those select men. A pastor should desire this accountability. To have this means a pastor cannot be an easily offended man. He must be easy to intreat. He cannot be a tyrant or authoritarian. The personal relationship he has with these men must be of the best sort. And they must all be mature enough to disagree respectfully. They must be good at theological triage to know which things really need attention and which things do not at the moment.

The alternative to accountability is that, at best, a preacher would have carte blanche to be biased and undisciplined in his study. At worst, he could be a false teacher and get away with it. This is why I say that good preaching comes from a preacher that has accountability.

If possible, the preacher could even preach his sermons to these men in full in a closed session prior to preaching it publicly. This refines the sermon, and removes extraneous things. It also removes complex and convoluted applications, erroneous interpretations, extra-biblical commands, shoddy research, and man-centered opinions. It can even help remove fleshly attitudes of the preacher that may have crept in during his preparation. And then they can pray together for the message.

Interestingly, some churches that we would not agree with on several practical matters, often have very refined and well-prepared sermons. You'd be surprised! Often, it is because the preacher has a plurality of men that he discusses the message with in advance. So, why don't we do this in our Baptist movement? Well, the reason is very simple, and so is the solution. But I think there is a better chance of pigs flying than our movement adopting it. You'll have to read the next installment to see what it is. It will be out soon.

Helpful Resources:

Discipling and Developing Leaders Through a Sermon Application Team

Four Benefits of Inviting Evaluation of Your Preaching

Preachers Talk, Episode 9: On Giving and Receiving Feedback on Preaching

INTRO: Thoughts on Sermon Criticism

NEXT: (still in production)