On the other hand, when these hearers think the preacher is unethical, or does not care about the congregation, or is careless in other arenas of ministerial leadership, they tend to resist the preaching. “It starts with your own life. I know I’ve heard too many stories of people who lost respect for people who were trying to lead them.” In the same stream of thought we hear, “Actions speak louder than words. If you’re walking around here and you’ve got all these little phobias and all this baggage you’re carrying, then you don’t need to be speaking God’s word” because (a) you can’t hear that word clearly and (b) other people are so distracted by your behavior that they are not going to listen to what you have to say. When asked what this listener would say to such a preacher, the listener replies, “I would just come right and say, ‘You know what? I think you need to de-baggage.’”
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A corollary is that preaching can help develop a strong pastoral relationship between the preacher and the congregation. One important way this phenomenon occurs is through pastors sharing their struggles with the congregation. One parishioner reports, “I was attracted to this congregation because the pastors clearly have some of the same problems we have. Sometimes when they’re at their very best, they’ll explain how they’re handling the problems, often with imperfect results.” Hearing such preaching inspired this listener to “just sit and talk” with the ministers and “to relate personal things that happen” which, in turn, further enhances the hearing of the sermon.
A number of suggestions do not occur as frequently as the ones just discussed, but are still expressed by multiple hearers and point to things preachers can take seriously.
Many listeners stress that they want preachers to prepare messages. Even those who encourage the preacher to be responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in the moment of preaching suggest that the preacher come into the pulpit with “a structure, an outline, and a plan.” “The preacher should not come with no preparation.” The first thing another hearer says when asked to name “one or two things . . . ,” is, “Do their homework and be able to clearly articulate what they learned.” Another person approaches each sermon with a commitment to listen. However, “The only time I may be turned off with a minister is when the minister is not prepared or is way off the subject. Then I lose interest.”
Humor is another characteristic that notches a positive response. “I love having humor in a sermon — not lots of silly jokes but some anecdotes are good catches to pull me in, especially if there is something that can relate to actual people and sort of make us laugh every now and then.”