Anybody Can be a Preacher?

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it hundreds of times through the years. In fact, I’ve probably said it on more than one occasion. It is said in different ways, but it boils down to the idea that anybody can be a preacher. 

The thought process seems to be that anybody can stand up and speak, learn to write a sermon, spend time studying the Word of God, make a few hospital visits, contribute to meetings, serve as an office administrator, and be an active participant in the community.

You might react to this by saying, but can anyone do these things effectively? Can they be successful in this work? And this may be one of the problems with preaching in our day.

If we look at preaching as a job or a career, our primary goal will be to see how successful we can become. We might just find ourselves competing for the next big church. We might always be comparing ourselves to the preacher across town or the guy we just heard speak at some big lectureship.

If preaching is our life, we know that these are the wrong metrics every time. The question should not be how successful we are, how big is our Church family, or how to we match up with some other preacher.

Perhaps anybody or almost anybody can do those things mentioned above and in the eyes of the world rise to some level of success. However, the difference between a successful preacher and God’s preacher is a matter of the heart.

It’s about passion, desire, motivation, sacrifice, mission, commitment, purpose, and faithfulness. It’s about love for God, His Word, and His people.

So, okay, anybody can be a preacher in one sense, but not everybody is a preacher. However, you are a preacher. Thank you for making preaching your life and not just a job that anybody can do. Thank you for hanging in there during the difficult times. Thank you for being God’s man.