3 Physical Aspects Of The Preacher

As most of you should be aware of, preaching isn’t something that you just jump into. There are made preachers, and born preachers. One is a preacher because he went to seminary, the other has been sent by God. Just because daddy is a preacher, doesn’t make his son a preacher. One thing I try to be aware of, is that I am a God sent preacher.

However, there are three things which are preferable in every preacher as I see it (although these could be elaborated upon into many different areas);

i) He should have a good head

That is, he should have a mind that is capable for the task. Now, no preacher is the same, but to some degree or other, it is preferable if a preacher has some degree of intellect and memory skills. Depending on your ministry, there different degrees to which you’ll need this. For example, once an open-air preacher has built up a good basis of knowledge in the gospel, and gospel texts, it takes very little effort to keep these polished up, and so a fairly weak mind may be up to the task. However, someone who is preaching three or more, completely new messages each week, needs a mind that can understand, and absorb information fairly well. He should be able to mediate over notes, but still be able to speak to some degree, impromptu. That is, a good chunk of what the preacher says, should be left so that, although the structure of the message is written out and known, it is delivered in an ‘off the cuff’ sort of way. Note however, even though some of it may be ’spur of the moment’, it all must be coherent. This way of preaching is important for many reasons. For one, not one preacher in the Bible was an essay reader. The very essence of preaching, is addressing an audience, and it is vital that they are addressed in a personal fashion. This is impossible if the sermon is read.

It is also important for the preacher to have a good grasp of language. He should be able to craft sentences well, and understand the words he uses.

ii) He should have a good heart

In terms of importance, this should come first. What I mean by a good heart, is simply, the preacher should be full of enthusiasm, energy, and heart, for the message he is bringing. Deadness in the pulpit is a crime — a heresy! God help the congregation which is subjected to a dead ministry; it cannot be borne. It is a sure sign that the man is without the power of the Holy Ghost. Having said that, don’t misunderstand me. Just because a man jumps around, slams the desk, and roars like thunder, doesn’t mean he has a good heart for the message. A man can exhibit love and sincerity with the smallest of movements. So what makes the difference? The simplest way I can put it is this; the preacher convinces his audience that he means what he says.

I’ve seen preachers burn hundreds of calories with their ‘display’ when preaching, and yet I was still not convinced that they were sincere; that they really meant what they said. As I’ve said before, if the message is urgent, so must be the messenger, and the message should burn from the very heart of the preacher. Ultimately, this will be evident if the preacher is filled with the Holy Spirit. Spirit filled preaching will always be swamped with sincerity.

iii) He should have a good voice

Arguably, the least important of the three, but not to be ignored. This is one of the first things which people will notice, and although the other two points may be more important, it may be said, that if your voice is not good, it may cripple the power of the other two. If the preacher has a bad voice, it’ll be like a wart on the end of a nose; hard to ignore. It must not be monotonous or drone like the hum of a bee; it should not be squeaky, like a pair of rusty scissors; it should not be weak, and it must not be fake. A full, rich, strong, well rounded voice will help elevate the message, and help with the preachers presence, giving him more authority with his hearers. A preacher with an effeminate voice is a contradiction; it will be so difficult for people to take him seriously.

Now this is where I fall more greatly than the other two. I wouldn’t say I have a great mind, but it is proving sufficient, and with the help and grace of God, is good enough for most situations. I can commit the structure of a message to memory, and then deliver much of it off the cuff. Also, although I’m not as full of God’s power as I’m hoping to be in the days that lie ahead (I am continually seeking for God’s definite anointing), I cannot help but be enthusiastic about the messages I deliver. The gospel of Christ fills my heart with joy, and meditating of the truths of God’s word are a delight. My voice however, is my thorn in the flesh. Although it is strong, and not monotonous, it is not rich and full. To get technical, this lack, is a lack of resonance. My voice is too airy, and nasally, and to be quite frank, it has been really bugging me lately. The good thing about this however, is that it can be fixed, and yesterday I started doing exercises to help. Hopefully, through time, I will develop my voice into something more suitable for a preacher of the gospel.

May God help all his sent men to be what they should be, in the great appointment of preaching Christ, and Him crucified!

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