Is it better to follow up a stinker or a banger?

Every Sunday falls seven days after a Sunday and, in another seven days, another Sunday will roll around.

This is the cycle of church work.

This Sunday’s sermon follows the last Sunday’s  sermon… Which will be followed by next Sunday’s.. And the following… And the following…

So, is it better to follow a stinker of a sermon or a banger?

I’ve done both.

I’ve got no doubt I’ve put those I worked with in the same position.

If course, usually, it won’t be a concern.

Most sermons are… just fine.

Not extraordinarily fantastic.

Not tremendously awful.

Just the typical-calibre sermon that gets delivered 45 times a year.

But, what if you are stepping up the to the pulpit the Sunday after a preaching outlier?

Would you rather be following up a great sermon or one which should be quickly forgotten?

Now, usually, you won’t provide a judgement on the quality of the preceding sermon (especially if it was below par), but the preceding homily-serving will inevitably impact your sermon.

You can build off the back of a memorable sermon.

You can let last Sunday’s sermon lay the platform for you to launch off.

This is the best way to follow up a banger of a predecessor.

Or, you can provide an additional point if you thought the last sermon was a bit thin and then launch into your new offering.

For the sake of your congregation, you’d rather follow on from a good-to-great sermon, but there will inevitably be Sundays when the last pitch from the pulpit was  more of a strike-out than a home-run.

Nonetheless, you can (and should) be faithful, so the person who follows you will be doing so from a firm foundation.