Eccentric Preaching
Off-centered preachers can still be on target.
Duane Litfin
April 1, 1990
The spin cycle had just begun when the washing machine began to vibrate badly. It danced a jig briefly; then a raucous buzzer signaled that the machine had shut down. The problem: its burden was off-center. Like the load of that dancing washer, many of us preachers are off-center. Although we have enough equilibrium not to shut down, we aren't perfectly balanced. In one sense, this is keen insight into the obvious. Like everyone else, preachers are finite creatures who have strengths mixed with weaknesses. Unfortunately, in preachers this mixture has extraordinary implications. Common wisdom has it that churches tend to take on the character of their leaders. This is worrisome enough when we consider matters of style and personality, but it becomes frightening when we realize that churches may take on not only the strengths, but also the shortcomings of their pastors. Where a preacher is strong, the church likely will be strong; where the preacher is weak, the church also may become weak. And even strengths can become weaknesses if they're imbalanced. I may not be able to become a fully balanced preacher like Jesus, and I may not be able to correct my weaknesses completely. But simply being aware of my eccentricities-my strengths and weaknesses-has given me a better understanding of my ministry. To help me identify my own eccentricities, I developed a diagnostic self-evaluation tool, the TEMP matrix. It is not a scientific instrument. It is simply one way to analyze preaching. The TEMP matrix is made up of four scales combined into a grid. The four scales correspond to what I believe are four spiritual gifts that shape the preacher the most: Teaching, Exhortation, Mercy, and Prophecy (hence, TEMP). For our purposes, let's ...
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