When the Pulpit Becomes a Weapon

Authority, prudence, and the danger of addressing personal conflict in sermons.

“Personal difficulties, or personalities of any kind, ought not to be brought into the pulpit. This is sometimes done, but never either to the edification of the people or the advantage of the pastor. There are objections to it on every hand. It is cowardly to arraign persons under circumstances where they have no opportunity of replying; it enrages those who are assailed, and leaves scarcely any hope of healing the breach; it makes offensive matters public which ought to have remained in the dark; and it prostitutes the dignity of the pulpit.” – Thomas Murphy

Years ago, I sat in a pew with my wife, our newborn daughter, and dear friends listening to a guest preacher rail against conflict-loving elders. He declared that he wished such elders would find a pink slip in their Bibles.

“He’s talking to me.”

This was the first thought that jumped into my mind when I heard that line. I served as an elder at that church, and our elder board was in the middle of a long and painful personal conflict. It’s possible the guest preacher wasn’t aware of the conflict. Upon reflection, I hope that’s the case. But it landed on half of the elders like a freight train. At the time, I laughed it off, but I wish I had spoken to that guest preacher. I would have liked to gently ask what his intentions were and, if they were as I suspected—a message to “quarrelsome” elders—how he would weigh that against three concerns.

Potential Misuse of Authority

Pastoral authority is displayed when a preacher proclaims the Word from the pulpit. Faithful preachers endeavor to humbly steward that authority for the glory of God, not for any other purpose. Taking a grievance into the pulpit undermines pastoral authority because the criticized have no ability to respond. As Murphy says, “It is cowardly to arraign persons under circumstances where they have no opportunity of replying.” Using pastoral authority to publicly rebuke creates a power imbalance that causes members who are aware of the conflict to mistrust what is happening. Why? Because they know there is a conflict happening, and now someone is addressing that conflict in a forum where only one side of the story is being presented. “The first seems right, until the second comes and examines him.” Rebuke does not even have to be the preacher’s intention to damage that trust. Simply the appearance can erode pastoral authority.

Lack of Prudence

Rebuke, done right, is a good thing. Proverbs says the rebuke of a righteous man is oil for my head. It’s a blessing. At the same time, the pattern of confronting sin we see in Matthew 18:15 calls us to talk to individuals alone before bringing the concern wider. Likewise, if one has a concern about another person, it is wise and biblical to talk to that person one on one before considering delivering a thunderclap from the pulpit. Relatedly, Galatians 6:1 instructs us to restore someone in a spirit of gentleness, so that we don’t fall into temptation. Our eagerness to correct wrongdoing can lead us into foolishness or even sinful harshness. There’s wisdom in these discrete approaches. Delivering the message publicly in a sermon, instead of quietly, can backfire strategically. Handling rebuke this way is a failure of wisdom.

Dishonoring the Lord

My last concern is whether such a preaching choice dishonors the Lord. If it’s true that the preacher in this story (or any other preacher in a similar scenario) has prioritized making a public rebuke, has chipped away at pastoral authority, and acted unwisely, then he has failed to serve well as an under-shepherd. The pastor’s job is to make much of Christ. When we fail at that, we dishonor the Lord in the discharge of our duties. All Christians are called to work as unto the Lord, but only teachers and preachers will be judged with stricter judgment. Pastors will give an account of their labors. All pastors will fall short in myriad ways in ministry. But the misuse of the pulpit is a uniquely public way to fall short. Christ used his authority to serve his people in love. He laid that authority down and took on the form of a servant. This is why he is the Good Shepherd. That’s the heartbeat that should undergird pastors. We should not misuse pastoral authority by railing at people who cannot speak back, but use any authority we have for the gentle, loving, upbuilding of the people under our care.

*Thanks to ChatGPT for a Copyedit, thanks to Substack AI for the pulpit image