“Walk slowly through the crowd.”
I’ve always done that. When I heard John Maxwell first say that, my heart declared, “Amen!” There is a tendency among some pastors to isolate themselves on Sunday morning from the people. They want to shut themselves up to meditate on their message and that sounds so spiritual. But, people are our business. Sheep need to be fed, but they receive it best from the shepherd who walks among them, caring for them, listening to their concerns. They seem more open to hearing the message from the pulpit after they hear the man as he engages them personally in the pew. Brothers, if you are not ready to preach your sermon by the time you arrive at the church building on Sunday morning, the extra hour will not likely help! But, it can make a world of difference if spent with people—celebrating victories, offering encouragement, laughing with them and crying with them.
I will confess that it can be easy to forget specific matters—someone who needs prayer, the time and date of an upcoming surgery, and so forth. That is particularly true as the church grows and so I found it helpful for my Administrative Assistant to walk with me, and make such notations as needed.
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