Why Swap Pulpits?

Last Sunday, Grace Fellowship Church and Bridge of Hope Church had another "pulpit swap." Pastor Luther of BoH came to Grace to teach here, and I went to BoH to teach there. A suburban church and an urban core church being taught by pastors who are easily identified with their sending churches.

Why do we do this? It interrupts the flow and makes it a little more difficult for the worship teams and the administrative staff. So, why go through the trouble?

First, perspective. Every pastor, no matter how experienced, has blind spots. I have them, Luther has them, every pastor I've ever known has them. A congregation that hears only from one pastor is going to hear very little from those areas occluded by the pastor's blind spots. No matter how good or how varied a pastor's teaching is, his blind spots will inadvertently keep his congregation from certain, important teaching and perspective. A pulpit swap brings in someone with different blind spots, giving the congregation a broader perspective of biblical theology and discipleship. Furthermore, the pastor's perspective broadens because he is faced with a new set of challenges and needs.

Second, partnership. Bridge of Hope and Grace Fellowship have been developing a very strong partnership in many areas - youth group, outreach events, small groups, retreats, and ministry. A pulpit swap helps forges that partnership, so that each congregation gets to know the partner church's pastor more deeply. We get to understand each other better, we develop better personal relationships, and we get more of the heartbeat of each church. As a result, our partnership works more effectively.

Third, proving that the pastor is replaceable. We don't want any church to have an unhealthy dependency on the pastor. The pastor should be a strong factor in the church, but a healthy church should be able to thrive without him or when someone else is fulfilling the responsibilities. Furthermore, the pastor should never feel like he's irreplaceable. A pulpit swap proves to both the congregations and the pastors that it's not about the pastor. The church can go on just fine with a different man in the pulpit. The church is about Jesus Christ, not about the pastor.

Fourth, the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Getting out of our routines and exploring new avenues of ministry create openings for the work of the Holy Spirit. We can get into ruts, and ruts can become substitutes for the Spirit's work. Shaking it up makes for fresh opportunities for the Spirit. Last Sunday, I saw the Spirit at work in some amazing ways, and I heard that He also was busily at work through Luther's ministry here. The artificial props are removed, we are more apt to rely on the Spirit, and we see Him move in refreshing ways.

Pastor Luther and I plan on making this a periodic habit. I pray that we will continue to see fruit produced through serving one another's congregation.

Thanks to all of you who make him feel so welcome when he comes. I feel the same from the church family at Bridge of Hope.