In a special sense the minister in the pulpit is God's spokesman. The realization of this solemn fact should in itself clothe the minister with dignity, power, and poise. The congregation should rightfully look upon him as the one on whom the mantle of God's power has descended. For this reason the effectiveness of his message is enhanced or depreciated by everything he does while in the sacred desk. His very manner may be an effective sermon. Reverence, dignity, and benediction should characterize his attitude and gestures. "Your actions speak so loud I cannot hear what you say" is a saying that may aptly apply to the pulpit.
The minister before his audience is under the constant scrutiny of almost every eye. His decorum, posture, mannerisms, clothes, do not escape the critical albeit friendly eye of his audience. Therefore every movement should be graceful and unhurried. There should be no fumbling or impatience. Every detail of the service should be so well planned that there is no necessity for whispering or disorder on the platform.
The Song May Be a Sermon
The impression is sometimes given to the platform personnel who are assisting in the service, or to those ministering in music, that the parts of the worship hour other than the sermon constitute mere preliminaries to be completed with dispatch. On the contrary, how often have we heard people say after a well-presented musical number that they already had a sermon and were ready to go home. True, the sermon should be the high point of the service, but by default it can easily be reduced to a secondary role if the other parts of the service are treated as unnecessary and time-consuming preliminaries. Prayer, music, and the reading of the Word can all prepare the seedbed of the heart for the Word that is the sermon. In the reading of the Word of God speed or a careless, irreverent tone of voice will create the impression that the Scripture reading is merely routine. Reading should be slow and impressive and at the same time should give life and meaning. Remembering that prayer is the highest spiritual exercise, it too should be sincere, reverential, timely.
The minister's attitude toward the congregation is real and palpable. It may not be readily described, but is easily felt. The audience can quickly detect whether their pastor is sincerely burdened or not, and whether he is giving of his best. We owe our congregation our very best every time we speak. If we remember that in every congregation there are those who can teach us something, it will give us a deep respect for those who sit before us. "Talking down" is a fatal fault. The attitude of intellectual superiority, of condescension, giving the impression by gesture or inflection of voice that the material is really a bit too difficult for the average person to grasp, is readily detected. The most profound subject can be made simple if we understand it. A conscious attempt to make a big impression doubtless makes an impression, but the adjective "big" is hardly the right one. The atmosphere of oneness and rapport with the audience is imperative if we are to reach people's hearts.
The minister should be above distractions. In the event of a loud noise that makes hearing impossible, a temporary pause is not out of place. But to pay obvious attention to the embarrassed mother with the crying baby, to whispering and other such distractions, is not in keeping with the exaltation and poise expected of a man speaking for God.
The Sermon Delivery
Although we are not dealing here with sermon delivery as such, there are nevertheless a few observations pertinent to the subject. First of all, the sermon delivery should be as individual as the man himself. Nothing is more fatal than to attempt to copy some successful speaker. If you have ever been the victim of such a fatality, you know the force of the statement.
Perhaps there is no single factor more vital to a person's success in public life than a good voice. It may easily make the difference between success and failure. The handicap of a poor voice is an almost insuperable one. "Clear as a bell, sweet as a harp, strong as an organ" sums up very well the important aspects of an effective voice.
I remember a number of years ago hearing Phyllis Nielson-Terry, of the famous family of English actors by that name, in an impromptu concert on shipboard, give the poem "The Relief of Lucknow." I still thrill as I recall what the human voice can do at its best. Is it not our high calling to make the presentation of God's Word vibrant with power? To do so means to avoid monotony in pitch, rate, and volume. It means attention to the effective pause, which on occasion can convey more than words. It means clear articulation and enunciation, projecting the voice so that all may hear with ease. In earlier days much attention was given to the matter of gestures. Certain gestures were indicated at predetermined points in the sermon. Of course, only artificiality could result from such a practice. The only rule necessary for the use of gestures is that they should be so natural as to be unnoticed either by the preacher or the congregation. That is to say, one should not remember gestures having been used at all.
Posture and Mannerisms
Posture is important both while you are sitting and while you are standing. The spine was given for support. A constant leaning on the desk, as if unable to stand alone, is ungraceful and unnecessary. If the hands are not allowed to take care of themselves by dropping at the side, at least they can be controlled. Both hands deep in the pockets of either jacket or trousers is entirely unbecoming. One hand partly placed in a jacket may pass muster, but that is the most that is acceptable in the desk.
The posture of other members of the platform personnel is almost equal in importance with the posture of the speaker. Slumping in the seat, crossing the knees, spreading the feet or knees wide apart, extending the feet straight out in front, leaning to right or left for support on the arm of the chair, are some practices that form an incongruous picture viewed from the audience. A comfortably alert, erect position with the eyes on the speaker is the proper position to assume. The platform attitude should be that of meditation; not sweeping the eyes over the congregation irreverently, gazing out of the windows, or studying the ceiling construction. If those on the platform will direct their eyes to the speaker, the congregation will be encouraged to do likewise.
Nearly every minister is plagued by certain mannerisms that prove difficult to eradicate. The tragedy is that often the minister is unconscious of them. Why is it that we are so reluctant to tell others of mannerisms that detract or even offend? If your congregation spends the hour counting how many times you use a pet phrase, you may be sure your effectiveness is gone. I remember one of our ministers who went to a farm for a few months of practice in overcoming a certain speech defect. How delighted were his members when he returned cured, and he had not done a bit of harm to his bovine audience in effecting the cure. Check yourself for leaning on the pulpit, standing on tiptoe if you are short, rocking back and forth from heel to toe or from one foot to the other, taking off glasses continuously, looking above the congregation at a remote spot in the ceiling, striking poses, and many other mannerisms of gesture, posture, or phrase.
Appropriate Clothing in the Pulpit
A few words about appropriate clothing are not amiss. We are not a church of a liturgy and a robed ministry. Sometimes I fear we are so anxious to prove ourselves one of the people, so afraid of being different in any respect, that we bring into the pulpit something bordering on the secular or profane. Is commonness in the pulpit the way of showing our oneness with the people? I have heard much of late to the effect that a completely undesired result has been created. We may be accepted as one of the crowd, but are we really respected? Do we really gain the confidence of the people in dealing with some of the deeper spiritual problems and struggles, or do we merely give the impression of being companionable and good mixers?
Conservativeness in dress is becoming less and less prevalent. Yet it would seem that loud colors of any kind are certainly out of place on the platform. A lack of conservative harmony in attire may indicate a number of things, but whatever the case, it is not consonant with the sacred calling of the ministry. Ministers are a group set aside for a sacred work, and although clothes do not make the man, they often indicate, more exactly than we may care to admit, what the man is. In this matter we cannot safely consult our own inclination alone. We cannot leave out of account the effect on others of carelessness even in dress, for we minister to others.
To state it simply, the minister should be only too happy to follow such practices as will inspire the confidence of the members of the congregation. If we are to raise the general level of quietness and decorum in our churches, which all of us undoubtedly feel should be done, then we should make sure that the minister in the pulpit sets the proper standard.
