Dear Hope,

Recently a few people have asked me why I don’t preach every Sunday. I am grateful for their direct approach because their question caused me to realize that others may be wondering the same thing. So, for those of you who are curious why you hear Hope’s Lead Pastor preach for two or three weeks and then hear someone else preach for one or two weeks, here’s why.

1. As we now know, we are called to be disciples who multiply disciples for King Jesus. So, as a disciple, I get to be a part of this multiplying mission. This means, among other things, that what I have learned about following and abiding in Jesus, stewardship, marriage, parenting, loving my neighbors, facilitating meetings and groups and preaching are all things which I am commanded to train others to do. So, regarding preaching, with the handful of people whom God has called to preach, gifted to preach and brought into my circle of friends, it is my privilege and duty to encourage them to preach, meet with them ahead of time to help them prepare to preach, provide opportunities for them to preach and debrief each week with them after they preach. In order to do this, I can’t preach every Sunday.
2. While I love to study God’s Word and seek His guidance on how to apply what He teaches me in my life as well as for others, after serving as a pastor for over 20 years I have discovered that when I preach every week for too many weeks in a row my anticipation for and joy in preaching decreases. The ripple effect of this is decreased joy, peace and energy in all other areas of my life. Therefore, I have discovered (and those closes to me will affirm) that a periodic break from preaching is healthy for me to live an enduringly joyful life with Christ and a more loving life with others.
3. In addition to my ongoing pastoral responsibilities, this fall I began the second half in my doctoral studies with Denver Seminary. This phase involves thesis research and writing in preparation for a 3 month all church focus on abiding in Jesus (which I hope to have ready for all of us to experience together in the fall of 2017 or the beginning of 2018). So, my family has approved one evening a week and Hope’s elders have given me each Friday to seclude myself in the library. By having others join me on our preaching team we can be sure that Hope is receiving well prepared and prayed over Biblical messages while I also work on this project.
4. Each of our preachers is unique and I believe it is healthier for Hope to hear God’s voice preached through various personalities and giftings than through one. We are united in that we lift up King Jesus, speak faithfully from the Biblical text, and apply God’s truth to life. However, God has gifted some to research more deeply than others, some to ignite more intense fires than others, some to encourage, etc.

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions about this approach and/or what transpires on any given Sunday, please let me know. And if you call or text on a Friday, I will just need a few minutes to get back with you as I step out of the library.

With love and gratitude,

Dean