‘The Church should stay out of politics, and politics should stay out of the Church!’ This is the kind of bromide preachers sometimes hear from those who wish that their pastor would keep quiet when it comes to addressing social issues in the pulpit. When I served as a parish pastor in congregations, I often heard the maxim not to mix religion and politics.

Interestingly, however, I would also come upon these same individuals talking politics as they sat at the table in the fellowship hall with their friends before worship began, or over cookies and punch in the narthex after the service was finished, or in the church parking lot after a meeting. So, I began to suspect that regardless of whether preachers choose to engage contemporary issues in their sermons, their parishioners are, in fact, discussing these topics. And, further, that they are discussing these issues specifically at church. While some may insist that the church is not the place to talk about social issues, it appears as if these discussions happen regularly either informally or in formal church meetings, education forums, and fellowship gatherings.

These were my hunches, but I wanted to verify them. So, over the span of seven years, I surveyed thousands of clergy and congregants regarding their attitudes and opinions on social issues. What my team and I found is that the majority of parishioners we surveyed (86%) believe that preachers should ‘help members discuss social issues and host community dialogues,’ even though they know there is a risk of people leaving the church due to political differences. For their part, preachers who do decide to address an issue of public concern go about it in different ways. While some jump right into the fraught waters of ‘political’ preaching, others skirt around the edges. Still others feel comfortable addressing less controversial issues while avoiding those that might result in negative pushback. In whatever ways a preacher chooses to engage (or not) contemporary topics, most have a sense of where the ‘danger zone’ is in their context for certain topics, such as climate change, immigration, racism, gun violence, or poverty.

ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR PREACHING AND SOCIAL ISSUES

To help preachers determine the path to prophetic preaching that would work best for them, I developed an Assessment Tool for preaching and social issues which you can take at www.thepurplezone.net/assessment-tool. This tool will help you think about your approaches to preaching and social issues using a three-dimensional questionnaire that measures: (1) your own vulnerabilities and strengths, (2) the characteristics of the congregation you serve, and (3) the quality of relationships within the congregation and between the congregation and yourself.

GENTLE, INVIATIONAL AND ROBUST APPROACHES

Based on your score from the Assessment Tool, I suggest three approaches to a sermon addressing a social issue: Gentle, Invitational, and Robust.

• The Gentle approach is for clergy who are in situations where there may be personal or congregational stress, the congregation is new to sermons addressing social issues, or there is vulnerability on the part of the preacher.
• The Invitational approach is recommended for congregations that are ready for a more challenging message by way of dialogue and building bridges of listening, empathy, and understanding.
• The Robust approach is for clergy and congregations who are ready to be fully engaged in public theology and to put their faith into action on social issues.

I suggest three strategies for each, for a total of nine in all. You can read about these approaches in more detail in my book, Preaching and Social Issues. In the meantime, see the graphic for a quick summary.

SPIRITUAL AND RELATIONAL PREPARATION
There are many qualities preachers can cultivate within themselves to enhance the effectiveness of their sermons that address social issues. Here I’ll focus on just four: humility, prayerful listening, trust, and integrity. Humility means inhabiting a posture of kenosis (Philippians 2:7), which means self-emptying one’s ego in order to speak to the issue, even when you are firm in your convictions and bold in your proclamation. This humility allows us to engage in prayerful listening for the ‘pain points’ surrounding an issue while also lifting up hope. Sermons that address social issues always come with some level of pain. Giving voice to that pain so that the invisible ones are seen, the voiceless are heard, and the immobile are given motion is necessary. Tyshawn Gardner encourages ‘listening and hearing people’s fears then leading them into the redemptive truths from the Word of God.’ This means proclaiming hope even in the midst of pain. Gardner suggests asking two key questions during one’s sermon preparation on a social issue: ‘What is the hope of Christ concerning this social crisis? How does the Word of God speak to this crisis by offering hope?’
Thus, humility and prayerful listening are multi-directional: giving and receiving from the congregation, our communities and the larger society, the Earth and our Earth-kin, those who suffer, and God. All of this allows the preacher to establish trust. Having a high level of trust results from the pastor living through crises with the congregation as well as the day-to-day, week-by-week, season-by-season experiences of people’s lives. The baptisms, communions, youth mission trips, committee meetings, Sunday School classes, Vacation Bible Schools, hospital bedsides, funeral gravesides – all of these comprise the incarnational aspect of ministry. Building trust is about putting flesh on the bones, getting calluses on the hands, blisters on the feet, sweat on the brow, and tears in the eyes for your people.
Integrity is about acting in alignment with one’s beliefs and having those beliefs support one’s actions. Integrity involves honesty, forthrightness, and sincerity. The opposites of those qualities are corruption, lying, and hypocrisy – all things that every preacher should avoid, especially those who address social issues. Tyshawn Gardner states that social crisis preaching requires that a minister approach Scripture with ‘exegetical, hermeneutical, and homiletical integrity’. He has found that ‘when preachers confront sensitive issues, even if people disagree, they return another Sunday to listen to another sermon, because they sense sincerity, honesty, and respect, even in messages that confront their long-held beliefs’. Thus, preachers need to ensure that their moral character and actions – as well as those of their congregation – come closer to the biblical witness of justice and righteousness, grace, community, reconciliation, and healing.
PRAGMATIC PREPARATION
As you are thinking about preaching about a topic of public concern, there are many practicalities to keep in mind. First, consider to what degree and to what depth the congregation has been involved in the social issue. If the issue is new to them (at least in the context of formal teaching and preaching), then the Gentle or Invitational approaches are probably best. But if the congregation already has a strong civic engagement, such as involvement in food justice, voter registration, interfaith dialogue, or policy advocacy, then they are more likely ready for a Robust sermon strategy. Also, congregations that see social involvement as part of their discipleship and an expression of their spiritual development are often well-suited for Robust sermons.
Another aspect to consider is that of timing and proximity. For example, Gardner encourages preachers to think about ‘how close the crisis is to the congregation, their loved ones, and the community where the church exists. How is the crisis affecting the congregation emotionally, mentally, and financially? How is it affecting their family structure? Is the congregation constantly dealing with or confronted with a social crisis daily, weekly, or monthly? Is it a recurring issue?’ If the situation is truly a crisis and one that has garnered national or international attention, he warns that ‘too long of a delay, or altogether avoiding the topic, will cause members to view the pastor as insensitive.’
Gardner points out that ‘The time is always right to preach a word of hope when there is an immediate, well-known, and widespread crisis.’ Things such as catastrophic weather events, gun violence, or a local hate crime call for sermons that ‘focus on unity, hope, strength in Christ, the sovereignty of God, and faith [that] can accomplish much to galvanize congregations and strengthen individuals,’ says Gardner
If you are new to a congregation, or if you are new to addressing social issues in a sermon, or if it’s the first time you will be addressing a certain topic with the congregation, it’s wise to take some preparatory steps before preaching about it. Below are some things you can do to ‘till the soil’ to prepare your congregation for sermons that address a social topic.
1. Have preparatory conversation with your congregation’s leadership group (board, council, elders, etc.) before preaching the sermon. To be clear, you would not be asking for their permission to address the topic but, instead, asking for their perspectives and input. Alerting key leadership that you’ll be addressing a sensitive topic helps to prepare them ahead of time so that they are not caught off guard if people come to them with pushback or complaints.
2. Consider talking to folks in the congregation ahead of time who you suspect may react negatively to a sermon you will preach. This is being ‘wise as serpents and gentle as doves’ (Matthew 10:16). Again, as with your governing board, you would not be asking for their permission to address the topic. Instead, you would be seeking their insights to help you better understand different perspectives. When people know they have been listened to ahead of time, they have a stake in the sermon and may be less likely to have a negative reaction.
3. Talk with clergy colleagues or your mentor about your sermon. Test-drive your ideas with them and ask them to make suggestions. Seeking advice from trusted colleagues can keep us honest, give us courage, and help us avoid unnecessary pitfalls.
Overall, having conversation with some key people, laying groundwork with teaching, and simply listening deeply to people’s concerns about the issues that are affecting their lives can provide entry points for addressing contemporary issues. As Lisa Thompson reminds us, there are key questions we should be asking in these conversations: ‘What does it mean to be human? How do we live with integrity? How ought we interact with others, especially those who are different from us? And perhaps most importantly, how do we seek God’s presence, guidance, and hopes in the midst of it all?’
WHAT SORT OF SOCIETY DO WE WANT TO BE?
Even though there are risks that come with addressing social issues in preaching, I hope that preachers will continue to seek out tools and tactics to build their capacity and increase their confidence for this work. I want to leave you with some words of inspiration as you continue in this ministry of preaching. The source may seem unlikely or surprising, but the spirit and passion of these words resonate strongly with me and perhaps will for you as well.
Welsh actor and social activist, Michael Sheen , delivered a stirring speech at a St. David’s Day march on 1 March 2015, to celebrate the National Health Service (NHS) and its founder, Aneurin Bevan. Sheen’s speech lambasted cuts to the NHS and called for politicians to find their ethical courage and for citizens to reclaim a society that ensures the wellbeing and flourishing of all.


What sort of society do we want to be? What is our vision for ourselves? What are the qualities and the principles that we aspire towards and choose to defend?


Because it is a choice. Do we want to be a society that is fractured, divided, disconnected? Do we want to be a society that is suspicious and mistrustful of its own people? A society that is exploitative, that sees people as commodities, as numbers? Mere instruments of profit, to be used while they have use, drained of whatever they can offer, and when they are seen as no longer useful, just abandoned, cut adrift. Preferably unseen and never again heard from?


Or do we want to be a society where each person is recognised? Where all are equal in worth and value. And where that value is not purely a monetary one. A society that is supportive, that is inclusive and compassionate. Where it is acknowledged that not all can prosper. Where those who are most vulnerable, most in need of help, are not seen as lazy, or scrounging, or robbing the rest of us for whatever they can get. Where we do not turn our backs on those facing hard times. We do not abandon them or exploit their weakness. Because they are us. If not now, then at some point, and inevitably, they are us.


Though this speech was for a secular context, Sheen’s words speak to a basic premise of my own work on preaching and social issues: the needs of the most vulnerable in our society, as well as the breakdown of civic engagement, call for a renewed vision of our highest moral and ethical aspirations. Preachers can name the qualities and principles that should guide a congregation’s discernment around social issues and remind listeners that things like inclusivity, compassion, and helping those in need are integral to the very nature of the God whom Christians worship.


Sheen goes on to call for facing and embracing hard truths together because doing so makes us stronger individually and as a society. He says that in today’s political climate, politicians (and, I would add, some pastors) are ‘careful, tentative, scared of saying what they feel for fear of alienating’ people. But this only leads to ‘bland neutrality’ that keeps our values and our best selves ‘behind closed doors.’
So when people are too scared to say what they really mean, when they’re too careful to speak from their hearts, when integrity is too much of a risk, it’s no surprise that people feel disengaged with politics.


here is never an excuse to not speak up for what you think is right. You must stand up for what you believe. But first of all – by God, believe in something.


To those across the whole party-political spectrum, and to anyone in any position of power or authority, I ask you to search your heart, and look at who and what you serve.


In the same spirit, I want to encourage you as a preacher to have the courage to say what you really mean, speak from your heart, and do it with integrity. As I explain in Preaching and Social Issues, there are many ways to speak up for what you think is right, what you believe – and, more importantly – what the Bible and our theological convictions call us to believe and act on. It all depends on your personal strengths and risks, your preaching context, and the relationship you have with your congregation. While we may draw on various moral foundations for our sermons, each of us must believe in something. And, indeed, we must search our hearts and look at who and what we serve.

Notes

[1] Tyshawn Gardner, Social Crisis Preaching: Biblical Proclamation in Troubling Times (Brentwood, TN: B&H Publishing, 2023), 19.

[2] Gardner, 123.

[3] Gardner, 21.

[4] Gardner, 122.

[5] Gardner, 133.

[6] Gardner, 135.

[7] Gardner, 135.

[8] Gardner, 135.

[9] Lisa Thompson, Preaching the Headlines: Possibilities and Pitfalls (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2021), 6.

[10] Michael Sheen is an award-winning actor of stage and screen and is best known for his roles in three movies as British Prime Minister Tony Blair, David Frost in Frost/Nixon, William Masters in the television series, Masters of Sex, and Aziraphale in the series, Good Omens. He has supported numerous charities, causes, and social justice projects. See: “Michael Sheen Declares Himself a ‘Not-for-Profit Actor’,” Nadia Khomami, The Guardian, Dec. 6, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/06/michael-sheen-not-for-profit-actor-activist, accessed Feb. 15, 2024.

[11] The National Health Service is a government agency in Great Britain that provides free comprehensive public health services for all citizens financed primarily through taxes. See: “National Health Service,” Britannica.com, https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Health-Service, accessed Feb. 13, 2024.

[12] Michael Sheen, “Full text of Michael Sheen’s speech,” The Guardian, March 2, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/mar/02/full-text-of-michael-sheens-speech, accessed Feb. 13, 2024.

[13] Sheen “Speech.”