…to get down to where they are you've got to humble yourself and, in this case, a negative self-disclosure that is humorous can enhance the identification with an unfamiliar audience. For example, I often say to an unfamiliar audience, "I heard some of you say that you listen to me on the radio. I appreciate that. In fact once I spoke in Shelbyville, Kentucky and a woman came up to me afterwards and said, 'I've been listening to you on the radio for two years and I came tonight to see what you look like.' I said, 'Well what do you think?' She said, 'I had to put my head down the whole time. I couldn't believe that voice was coming out of that body!'" If you are a stranger to the audience and hear this self-deprecating story, then you might say "maybe this guy is not all pumped up about himself." So in this sense, a light, humorous disclosure with negative valence can be beneficial.22

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Russell is correct that, in certain situations, self-disparaging humor can serve to enhance audience connection. However, confessions that expose our issues or weaknesses should be avoided when we preach to those who do not know us well.

Credibility

Preachers who are regular pastors of churches are free to disclose at more intimate levels. According to Kisner, the two key variables that allow for more self-disclosure are the preachers' familiarity and, more importantly, their credibility with the congregants. However, Kisner points out that timing and valence are also critical factors in the familiar parish. For instance, if a preacher's credibility has been damaged, an early, forthright confession could restore a degree of that diminished ethos. However, high credibility preachers are wise to use stories with a negative valence, regardless of the timing. These stories can reveal the preacher's "healthy humanity," and can enhance sermons as they help congregants see the preacher as their peer. Here Kisner offers a general recommendation for parish pastors with established credibility: Stress the negative.23

Growing up at Crescent Hill Baptist in Louisville, Kentucky, I witnessed firsthand the effectiveness of stories with negative valence in the preaching of Claypool. His high credibility enabled him to confess questions, struggles, and despairs in a way that elicited a powerful response from the congregants. Claypool's confessional approach is not appropriate for every message. (Indeed, Claypool does not recommend using personal stories every Sunday.) Autobiography remains, however, an option for preachers whose story might engender authentic pathos with listeners.

Frequency

Just as frequency of personal stories can reveal poor motivation, so also can it foster poor identification. Overexposure places too much attention on the preacher rather than the sermon. Frequent self-revelations of weakness can reduce the significant place of the preacher as role model. Rather than being an example, the preacher becomes an excuse for the listeners to brush off their own weaknesses.