"Aim carefully son ... and take your best shot," were my dad's simple and empowering words. His enabling instruction freed an eight-year old lad to squint down the dark barrel of a Winchester bolt-action, single shot, .22 caliber rifle pointed at a distant target. "Aim carefully ... and take your best shot," my dad said, and that is what I did.

"Aim carefully ... and take your best shot" are words of permissive empowerment not only for shooting a Winchester bolt-action, single shot, .22 caliber rifle, but for preaching as well. And not just any kind of preaching, but the kind of preaching that often begins with an inquiring phone call from a pastor: "I am planning a vacation for my family. Would you preach in my absence?" or a pleasant invitation, "We're having a special 'Homecoming' service. Would you be our guest speaker?" or even a panicked call that comes while eating breakfast on a Sunday morning that begins with an apology, "Please forgive me for calling so early. This is Joan Mason, Jack Mason's wife. Jack awoke this morning nauseated and with a fever. I think he has the flu. Jack wants to know if you would preach for him this morning. I know it is short notice, but could you help him out?"

Pastoral preaching is, of course, a special kind of preaching. It is distinctive because sermons are birthed and shaped within the crucible of on-going relationships. A preaching pastor has in his sermonic reservoir messages that address almost every conceivable topic of interest and involvement related to the Christian life and church. In a typical pastor's repertoire are biblical sermons addressing evangelism strategy and personal witness, doctrines, church growth, pastoral care, social concerns, missions, ministry, celebrations of ordinances, observances of seasonal and denominational events and emphasis, and a host of other topics, all for the purposes of motivation, education, celebration, and growth.

Each sermon is linked with all other sermons delivered by a preaching pastor to set direction, give focus, and create a positive and responsive spirit within a particular fellowship of believers over an elongated period of time. Linked and authenticated by the observed life and ministry of the pastor, sermonic strength seldom rests upon one preached message alone but on the combined power of a transparent life and a consonantally apt word. Thus, some speak of a "powerful pulpit" or "power in the pulpit" -- meaning that the preaching pastor has established a pattern of meaningful and effective sermons over a period of time substantiated before the congregation by a consistent lifestyle.

"Aim carefully ... and take your best shot" preaching (what some call "one shot" preaching) is a special kind of preaching also. However, it is a different kind of preaching. It is preaching often framed by an urgent request that provides little or no time for preparation. It is preaching conceived and delivered with what may be minimal or no on-going pastoral relationship between the preacher and the congregation. It is a preaching assignment usually focused on the service(s) of worship of only one Sunday. Generally "one shot" preaching does not portend an expectation of any further or extended involvement of the guest preacher in the on-going life of the congregation.