I go to a tiny church.

In my tiny church, we have limited speakers. On days when we have an out-of-town event, there are even fewer speakers. Being a four-church district, we share our pastor with three other churches, so that means three other weekends per month we need a member to speak, to preach.

So, who is qualified to preach?

When it comes to standing on the pulpit and speaking, it can be tough to decide who can or should preach. Who preaches at church, and what they preach can make or break your Sabbath experience. It can even affect who comes to church on which days.

Do You Feel Called to Preach?

Recently my young niece asked if she could preach a sermon at church. Like me, she has grown up in a tiny church, seeing the regular folk filling the spaces and preaching when the pastor is gone. She’s seen women can preach. She’s seen that children can preach on special occasions like Pathfinder Sabbath. She is inspired to share a message that came to her after reading a story from Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories.

I know a few young men that went into ministry after feeling called to ministry as a young person. My niece doesn’t want to be a pastor (it’s fine for girls who do, though), but she does want to preach, and she may want to preach as an adult.

New Christians and other adults may express the desire to preach from the pulpit. It’s important to cultivate this desire. It’s patiently caring for a little plant in the soil where it’s grown instead of moving it to a place you think it should be.

Preparing a Message

My favorite thing to preach about in church is usually what I’m writing about at home. It’s something that’s been on my heart for a while and usually something God is working in me.

When someone in your life expressing the will to preach at church, start by asking them what’s on their heart. It can be easy to move from one seed of an idea to a great message in no time! Encourage him or her to relate the topic or idea to their own experiences and life. Never squelch this desire to preach.

• Stories
  If the message you want to present is based on a story–either a story from your life, one you heard, or one from the Bible–roll with it! Search online for related materials from other speakers, blogs, or sermons.
• Experiences
  Are you experiencing something that you need to share? You can find almost everything in the Bible. Draw on your own experience to bring the congregation into the Word. Consider your emotions around the experience and search for Bible promises about those emotions and struggles.
• Current Events
  There is a lot going on in today’s world. You can speak about the current events as they pertain to your own life, your family, the church, and end times. If something is happening locally or even globally, you can bet the church is dealing with it also.
• Personal Testimony
  We all have a story to tell about our own walk with Jesus. Begin at the beginning. This may be when you were a kid and didn’t know Jesus. It may be just before a big life event. Start at the beginning and share about the thing you went through that brought you closer to God. You can usually find a story or person in the Bible to draw comparisons.

If you or someone you know is willing or impressed to speak in church, talk to an elder or pastor right away. Never make a young person wait before you plan this special experience (even if it’s a plan to help them write and prepare and they can’t yet preach). Pray for the person as God is working in them and through them.

To find out what Pastor Ted Wilson has to say about the divine worship hour, click here.