Home Pastors Articles for Pastors Stop Saying These 5 Phrases From the Pulpit

Stop Saying These 5 Phrases From the Pulpit

Words communicate more than we think. Like Martin Scorsese films or every woman I’ve ever met, sentences are wonderfully complicated and filled with subtle and not-so-subtle nuances. 

For example, if you interrupt your friend in the middle of his story to exclaim, “I am so thirsty!” you are sending multiple messages: 1) I have a need. 2) Will you help me with my need? 3) Your story is not very interesting.

Words have power. Sentences have meaning.

But this is a concept that many church leaders fail to grasp. I know because I failed brilliantly.

I spent 15 years in full-time ministry, speaking from a variety of pulpits and platforms. And in all that time, I never realized the mixed messages I was sending to polite congregants who nodded with blank expressions, hoping their courtesy might expedite my naïve declarations. 

Two years ago I walked away from the ministry, quitting cold turkey. And I’ve spent these past 24 months sitting in a congregation and listening—really listening. I’ve come to discover there are some things I wish I had never said when I was holding the microphone. Allow me to share some of those with you … 

Here are five things you should stop saying from the pulpit (and the reasons why):

1. Make sure you bring your unsaved friends to our special service next week because we are going to give them an opportunity to get saved.

This is the most egregious of pastoral blunders. First of all, it assumes there are no unsaved people in attendance this week. If this is your assumption as a pastor or church leader, you need to re-evaluate … everything.

Secondly, the people in your church should want to bring their unsaved friends every weekend, not just on special “evangelism Sundays.” Church members want to know that their pastor is going to give a compelling message that will call people to follow Jesus each and every Sunday.

Last but not least, this sounds like a classic “bait and switch.” Bring your friends to our big event, and we’ll spring the sales pitch on ‘em! Friendship requires honesty—your congregation isn’t comfortable with this evangelism technique.