Internet Sermons and Feeding the Flock

Years ago, I was told a story about a preacher who was preaching for a call to a church. He preached a message nearly word for word from another preacher. It just so happened that several people in the congregation worked for the Sword of the Lord and had proofed the next issue for the coming week. That message was one of the messages the Sword was featuring in that issue. Needless to say the preacher did not get the vote to come to that church.

Today, we are facing an even bigger problem. Preachers are browsing the Internet to get messages to preach to their church family. At least with the Sword, you had to rewrite the message, but with the Internet, all the preacher has to do is copy and paste it into his document, walk into the pulpit and preach. Preachers who do this can easily get two messages ready late on a Saturday night with little preparation.

Preacher friend, this is a very dangerous practice, and a warning needs to be sounded against this sin. The Bible says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Can a preacher who preaches something he gets off the Internet nearly word for word actually be “approved of God”? Maybe this is the reason our people just come, sit, leave, go through their week, and return the next Sunday to simply repeat the process? If this came to light (and it will at the Judgment Seat of Christ), would we be “ashamed”?

Some may say, “Well, my people will not find out.” If they do not find out, it is a sad commentary on our preaching. It says that our people really do not care what they hear from the pulpit and do not study for themselves. This is an indictment on the pastoral leadership of the church. They have not been taught to be like the Bereans who, “Were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).

It is easy to spot when a preacher has put little time into a message and is just spewing out what he got from someone else. There is no passion, no fire, and no real commitment in his message. He is just trying to get through another sermon so he can go on with his life. A well studied message is like a good dinner. It makes a difference when someone spends time preparing it properly rather than leftovers from the refrigerator.

Are we really “feeding the flock of God” when we scour the internet for messages we can “copy and paste” into our Sunday sermon? Is there more to meeting the needs of our people than this? I know the Internet was not available for the first century church, but would those preachers have used that as a source of content for their messages? I think we have the answer in Acts 6:3-4, “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” (Emphasis mine.) It is about time our pastors get back in the study and spend the time preparing to minister to the flock of God.

Preachers who have fallen into this snare are creating several problems for themselves. First of all, they are plagiarizing someone else’s work–imitating the the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work. In the secular world, a person can be flunked from a class, fired from his job, or sued for using another’s work.

Secondly, the pastor is creating a scenario where his people will not trust his preaching. When they find out, (someone eventually will stumble on to this) word will spread through the church that the pastor is getting his messages off the internet. After the Sunday service, they will run home to check the internet to find where this message came from. It is easy to do. I have heard messages like this and found the source with just a few clicks of the mouse. All they need to do is Google the passage and title or a few of the main thoughts. Once they have discovered the truth, their confidence in the pastor and his ministry will be undermined. It could lead to members leaving or worse, a church split.

Thirdly, this practice also severely cripples the spiritual well being of the church. No pastor who gets his messages from the internet preaches with the same fire, passion and commitment as he does when he locks himself in his study and gets his message from God. It is no wonder our churches are anemic and spiritually weak. Finally, the reputation of the pastor is ruined when word circulates through the church and other churches that the pastor is doing this. Yes, it is wrong for people to talk, but people still talk. For a pastor to deny such a practice, when in fact he is doing it, cannot be tolerated.

Pastor, if this is your practice be honest with someone who loves you and have them hold you accountable for your preaching. Let them know you have a problem in this area. Humble yourself, repent and get back in the study. Forget about all the peripheral things and the less important tasks you may be wrapped up in and reclaim your calling.

In 1 Peter 5, after we are told to “feed the flock of God,” Peter says in verse 4, “And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” It is reasonable to believe that we shall receive that “crown of glory” because we fed the flock. Please do not give up on this special crown for the pastor.