Introduction

Football’s Super Bowl displays its penalties for all to see on their televisions worldwide. Referees throw their yellow flags to alert players and coaches of infractions either team makes while on the field. What about the penalties of preaching? Sunday to Sunday some of the most egregious violations take place when preachers stand to preach. As experienced sermon referees, we list for our readers the following penalties of preaching.

Interference

During the sermon, the preacher is faced with a screeching symphony of crying babies. The infant wails and shrieks cause significant sermon interference.

Chop Block

On your way to preach the chair of the elder board tells you that your last day will be next Sunday. Or, as you’re making your way into the baptistry to preach a brief baptism sermon, the candidate for baptism tells you that he’s afraid of water. You feel like you’ve been knocked over.

Clipping

Clipping takes place when the preacher steals another preachers’ sermon, literally blocking the congregation from behind so that they’re cheated from hearing the truth of the text from the preacher’s own study of it.

Out of Bounds

A preacher goes out of bounds when he or she starts with a text but goes beyond what the text means.

Encroachment

Encroachment is when the preacher gets too much into the listerners’ business.

Facemask

Injuries of the listeners can take place when the preacher gets into people’s faces too much.

False Start

False start penalties are given for bad or failed introductions.

Holding

Preachers are penalized for holding when their sermons go on and on, keeping the congregation too long.

Incomplete Pass

An incomplete pass takes place when a text is read but in the sermon the preacher passes right over it, and doesn’t touch it or refer to it at all.

Illegal Shift

An illegal shift takes place when the preacher starts in one text and goes to another. Bad transitions can also be penalized for an illegal shift.

Delay of Game

When preachers stay on one point too long.

Ineligible Receiver Downfield

When a listener gets up and leaves the room in the middle of the sermon, walking right in front of the pulpit on the way out.

Helmet to Helmet—personal foul

When the preacher and head of the deacons go at each other at the end of the sermon.

Flagrant Foul

The use of a story from that week’s counseling session with one of the members of the congregation. A flagrant foul also occurs when preachers use stories where one’s spouse failed and you were the hero.

Targeting

An example of targeting is a ten-week series on tithing.

Illegal Motion

Illegal motion takes place when the preacher moves around too much. Or, one’s gestures don’t match what is said.

Block in the Back

This is the sermon that surprises the board with news they haven’t heard before—that you’re leaving for another church.

Intentional Grounding

When the preacher doesn’t finish the three point sermon but stops on the second point.

Offside

A subject you shouldn’t address.

Pass Interference

Pass interference takes place when during the sermon a baby cries, a fire whistle blares, candy wrapper paper crunches, or nail clipping occurs thus getting in the way of listeners hearing the message.

Roughing the Preacher

The Monday morning email preachers receive after Sunday’s sermon.

Roughing the Passer

When after the sermon the associate pastor closes with a prayer that contradicts or disagrees with what the senior pastor said in the sermon.

Personal Foul

Takes place when the preacher uses someone’s story without permission.

Extra Points

When the preacher says he’s finished but adds more points at the end.

Delay of Game

When the preacher stays too long on one point.

Unnecessary Roughness

A verse-by-verse sermon on Psalm 119.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct

The nasty remarks people make in the greeting line after a bad sermon.

Conclusion

If we’re not aware of how we preach, the violations in preaching are many. Next time you stand up to deliver God’s Word, remember to stay focused on the text and clearly communicate to your listeners. Otherwise, you may be flagged for one of the many penalties of preaching. Watch out you don’t get flagged again this Sunday.