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 What is your view on pastors using sermon outlines from someone else?

I just recently found out that my pastor uses full sermon outlines from the web. Not because he told the the church but I had noticed they didn't sound original and was listening to a preacher one day on television and it sounded exactly like the sermon my pastor preached. So i looked it up and found out that he is uses whole sermon outlines to preach messages. Don't get me wrong he seems to speak from his own at times and quote scripture without looking at anything and i believe he does mean well. This kind of angered me at first because in my spirit I have felt something not right at times with his messages. It has made me possibly want to move to another church and it also made me think maybe that is why my prayers are not heard for my wife and family barely to want to come to church ever. It is a first baptist church and many positives. We support missionaries who have come to our church to preach, we have great sunday school classes and even used answer in genesis courses and my sunday schoool class in going through Voddie Bauchmans course on Family Shepherds, and also the Lord has opened doors for me to help out and speak at our youth open gym for basketball. My pastor has been very kind also sending get well cards when family passes or when i miss church and the fellowship at our church is pretty good. So their many plusses it is just the preaching really gets to me because I love good preaching and I am always wanting to get closer to God when I come to service. What is your guys opinion on this?

 2015/12/21 17:16
deltadom
Member



Joined: 2005/1/6
Posts: 2359
Hemel Hempstead

 Re: What is your view on pastors using sermon outlines from someone else?

It called Plagiarism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism

It is so dangerous and it means that he is not wrestling with the word of God himself. I would leave as if he is deceitful in this area what other areas is he deceitful


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Dominic Shiells

 2015/12/21 17:28Profile
dolfan
Member



Joined: 2011/8/23
Posts: 1727
Tennessee, but my home's in Alabama

 Re: What is your view on pastors using sermon outlines from someone else?

Be kind hearted inside yourself about it is my first opinion. A good man of God can make good, anointed use of others' outlines. The kerygma message of the apostles was used by more than one of them, I assure you. Maybe even Jesus repeated His own "stump speech" more than a time or two on particular parables or lessons. And, ALL the preachers are borrowing HIS work, right?! We hope! No one is doing any original work in that regard. Outlines, sermon topics, even more substantial sermon "borrowing".

The problem can arise --- and very often does --- where a man either starts (1) "mailing it in" by merely copying the work of another that he's not praying into his own spirit and for his own church or audience and/or (2) using the work of others without giving credit (plagiarizing). I once went to a conference at Willow Creek with my old pastor and John Ortberg gave a really nice lesson called "It All Goes Back In The Box", a story from his own life that made a point about loving material things. Weeks later, the pastor got up and preached this sermon --- lock, stock and barrel --- in first person as if all the things that Ortberg had shared had actually happened to HIMSELF. My wife and I just got slackjawed in disbelief. No credit. No foreword that "this story is told by John Ortberg". Nothing. So.....yeah. Problems arise. Men cheat at their sacred calling. It happens.

Canned outlines are not a problem if a man is seeking God for it. Everyone uses some sort of frame for thought. Pray for your pastor. Pray that he's not mailing it in. Fast for him. Ask God not to let him lose the sacredness of his calling, and ask God to breathe new life into His Word into the heart of this pastor. Don't spread the news of what you saw. Keep it in the closet before God. If He chooses to "reward him openly" in some way of correction, He can do that in His own way and time.


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Tim

 2015/12/21 17:30Profile
KingJimmy
Member



Joined: 2003/5/8
Posts: 4419
Charlotte, NC

 Re:

Charles Spurgeon once told a story about visiting a church and much to his surprise he found himself listening to one of his own sermons. He said it was an example of casting your bread in the waters and having it come back to you.


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Jimmy H

 2015/12/21 18:46Profile
JB1968
Member



Joined: 2009/8/31
Posts: 416
Ohio USA

 Re:

A pastor or teacher may use other's outlines at times, but he should always give credit to whom credit is due. If not he is plagiarizing, which is lying.


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James

 2015/12/21 20:16Profile
JHerndon
Member



Joined: 2010/8/1
Posts: 92
Bonifay,Fl

 Re:

I have used things from other speakers. I have been greatly influenced by Matt Chandler, David Platt, David Wilkerson and some other guys so some of their material is always making an appearance when I speak. I have never just copied a sermon preaching it word for word. And I give credit where credit is due. I have no problem with speakers using someone else's outline but telling their stories like they are yours and preaching word for word I feel is lazy and not acceptable


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Joshua Herndon

 2015/12/21 23:50Profile
ZekeO
Member



Joined: 2004/7/4
Posts: 1014
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

 Re: What is your view on pastors using sermon outlines from someone else?

Whats probably worse imo is pastors preaching sermons from the same theological genepool week after week!


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Zeke Oosthuis

 2015/12/22 8:14Profile
dolfan
Member



Joined: 2011/8/23
Posts: 1727
Tennessee, but my home's in Alabama

 Re:

I think it would be fantastic If someone would take the great awakening sermon masterpieces and update them to more contemporary phrasing and either publish them or preach them online


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Tim

 2015/12/22 16:08Profile
dohzman
Member



Joined: 2004/10/13
Posts: 2132


 Just a thought

Col 4:15
Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.

Col 4:16
And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.


I think that maybe I would be really slow to pass judgement unless they represented the sermons as a Thus saith the Lord type of message. Maybe just pray that the Lord would put a burden on your pastors heart to edify and to minister from the pulpit that burden of God from the Word of God and from the heart. Just a thought.


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D.Miller

 2015/12/22 17:37Profile
JB1968
Member



Joined: 2009/8/31
Posts: 416
Ohio USA

 Re: Just a thought

Remember, it is not plagiarism if credit is given to the source- and it is acceptable to use these study sources when credit is given. Otherwise it is lying. Rev. 21:8 speaks about this.


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James

 2015/12/22 20:54Profile





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