Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Coach or Star Athlete?
What do I mean by that?
The star athlete is who everyone looks to when they need to big play.
They will wait on you as the star to make something happen.
The coach is someone who teaches the mechanics of the game and then expects his players to respond and execute.
Ephesians 4:11-13
It tells us that the goal of a church leader (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers) is to equip people for works of service or ministry so that the body of Christ can be built up.
Why?
So that we all reach unity and spiritual maturity.
It tells us to be a coach, not a star athlete.
Putman, Jim.
DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (p.
114).
Zondervan.
Kindle Edition.
A leader’s job is to guide and equip the saints so that the entire church becomes a mature community in which disciples flourish.
It involves releasing the ministry and gifts of all believers.
It’s about creating a place where everybody learns to be a minister by growing, serving, and making disciples themselves.
Some church leaders see their role as similar to that of a star athlete.
They want to excel and lead the team by their own personal achievements.
Putman, Jim.
DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (p.
114).
Zondervan.
Kindle Edition.
Putman, Jim.
DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (p.
114).
Zondervan.
Kindle Edition.
The key concept behind this shift is to shift from informing people to equipping them.
Putman, Jim.
DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (p.
114).
Zondervan.
Kindle Edition.
If a pastor said to you, “The primary function of my job is to impart knowledge,” how would you answer him or help clarify that statement?
Well, that statement could be interpreted different ways.
If he’s talking about imparting the knowledge of Christ, of the Word, of experiencing truth, that’s one thing.
A pastor is a teacher and should be imparting knowledge.
In fact, the words pastor and teacher in are used without a definite article between them, which leads many to believe it’s the same office.
However you want to interpret the two words, they’re certainly closely related.
A pastor should be a teacher.
Putman, Jim.
DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (p.
114).
Zondervan.
Kindle Edition.
Yet a Pastor’s primary job is to shepherd the sheep.
Pastor’s primary job is to shepherd the sheep.
This means to lead them in the way of truth.
You lead them by example, not just by imparting knowledge.
You let them see the knowledge incarnate.
An example goes a lot farther than a mere explanation.
Hopefully, people see the example of Christ in your life.
Of course, we all fall short of the example Christ sets before us.
Nevertheless, that is what we aspire to be, just as Paul said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ”
ESV).
Now, that’s pretty strong language, and it certainly puts us as leaders on the spot.
But for good or ill, we are an example to people who follow us.
Now, that’s pretty strong language, and it certainly puts us as leaders on the spot.
But for good or ill, we are an example to people who follow us.
Putman, Jim.
DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (p.
114).
Zondervan.
Kindle Edition.
If something happened to the pastor, me, what would happen to the church?
Putman, Jim.
DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (pp.
114-115).
Zondervan.
Kindle Edition.
If a church emphasizes the wrong things and then uses the wrong methodologies to reach its goals, the result will not be fruitful, mature disciples.
It’s about shifting the spotlight from the pastor as the star player to the pastor as the head coach.
So take a moment to consider: professional athlete or coach?
What kind of spiritual leader are you?
As a professional athlete, you have all eyes on you, watching you perform.
You entertain.
You inspire.
The pressure is on you.
As a coach, you empower other people to work together as a team.
Your role is to equip, nurture, exhort, and train.
You release and deploy other people to do the boots-on-the-ground work of disciple making.
Putman, Jim.
DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (pp.
115-116).
Zondervan.
Kindle Edition.
Putman, Jim.
DiscipleShift (Exponential Series) (p.
115).
Zondervan.
Kindle Edition.
Sometimes when people hear me say this, they immediately jump three steps down the line and think I’m criticizing their Sunday services.
They think I’m opposed to having solid, dynamic Bible teaching from the pulpit.
But I’m not.
In our Relational Discipleship network of churches, we don’t downplay the need for a quality Bible-based message at the weekend service.
We believe that the sermon is important and has a purpose.
We believe it is important to regularly and thoroughly teach the Bible to our people.
Good things can happen in large-group settings that can’t happen in small ones, and when we come to church each weekend, it’s exciting to see large numbers of people committed to the same thing.
It enables us to see that we are part of a bigger movement.
When we listen to a gifted Bible teacher, we come away inspired, encouraged, and ready for action.
But we do not depend on the weekend service to do the primary work of what we’re seeking to accomplish as a church.
Jesus didn’t use the methodology of preaching to the crowds as his core means of making disciples, so why should we?
One of the obvious factors that limits a weekend service’s effectiveness is that a sermon happens only once a week.
Many Christians attend church fewer than two times a month.27
Can you imagine trying to teach algebra to a university student if he were one of eighty students in your classroom and he showed up for class only every other week?
If we place the bulk of our resources into the weekend services, is it any wonder that so many Christians today don’t have a biblical worldview?
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