You Are Supposed To Preach, But Suddenly Get Sick. What Should You Do?
The last few weeks, I have been really sick. Nothing life-threatening. Fevers. Vomiting. That sort of thing. My kids keep picking up junk from school and lovingly passing it on to me.
Being sick is no fun. And, as a pastor who is scheduled to preach, it presents a whole new set of problems.
The night before I was supposed to preach, I suddenly came down with a 101-degree fever, and was throwing up.
What do you do in that situation? What do you do when you suddenly get sick before preaching?
I woke up the next morning feeling like death, but I had a sermon to preach. I couldn’t just bail on my church. I couldn’t just call someone up and say, “Hey man, sorry I’m sick. How do you feel about preaching for me today?”
I had put in the preparation. I had done the work. The sermon was ready, if my body wasn’t.
Unfortunately, unless you have contingency plans for this sort of thing, the sermon must go on. When you get sick the night before you are supposed to preach, you don’t have many options.
I had to suck it up, medicate myself as much as I could, and suffer through it.
It was painful. I had no energy. I coughed every few minutes. The entire time, I was sweating like a cold glass of ice water on a hot day.
I may have prayed a few times for God to just take me home. But I got it done, and God still used it.
This whole mess got me thinking. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened to me.
So what should you do when you get sick right before you have to preach? Is there a better way?
3 Options When You Get Sick Before Preaching:
1. Suffer through it.
If Jesus suffered for me on the cross, I can suffer in the pulpit. This is the worst option, by the way.
2. Always have a pinch preacher on stand-by.
I worked at a large multisite church that had all the campus pastors do this. They always had to have a sermon ready to go, just in case the video failed. If they ever had to use it, it wasn’t the best, but it sure beat thirty minutes of awkward silence while apologizing for technical difficulties.
3. Have a video backup.
Save the recording of one of your best sermons, and have it ready just in case. It doesn’t just have to be your sermon. You could also use the video of another pastor’s sermon that you love (with permission of course).
4. Never get sick.
Getting sick? Aint nobody got time for that.
After thinking through the options, I am definitely going to be implementing option #3.
What do you do?
I have 7 other ministers who are required to have a spare sermon ready at all times. I have a copy of the sermon and they have preached it before me, and I have given them tips to improve that sermon. So, when it happens, I just pull the next person in line and say you’re up.
That sounds great. Its always nice to know there is a backup ready. I wish I would have thought of that sooner.
Hi Brandon.
Some lead pastors have a teaching team to lean on. This works well at our church because the other pastors know the text and outline just in case an emergency arises.
I am curious to know something…
As a student pastor we don’t always have the same resources at our disposal as the senior pastor.
Question: Being a student pastor yourself, what do you do? Do you have another pastor in the bullpen ready to go? A Volunteer leader? A Video?
Thanks for the help.
Great question. Student pastors definitely don’t typically have the same resources. Your best option would be to have a backup video to play. Chances are that you will not have someone who would be comfortable teaching on a moments notice. Plus, when you do have a guest speaker, you want to set them up for success. I would either record yourself preaching or get a video of someone else.
I am fortunate to be part multi-staffed churches. seven years ago (to the week), I got a phone call at 1pm on Saturday from my senior pastor. She was vomitting – could I fill the gap. God’s grace moved powerfully, with only 3 hours work – an amazing sermon was preached by me. It wasn’t easy, but it was a lesson in preaching being God’s ministry, not mine.
I heard from a collegue (who I know from theological college) who had to do the same thing (phone in sick on Saturday morning); and his senior pastor told him “you need to toughen up, you will be there tomorrow” (he had V&D ) . I
I have work in a denomination which have a few senior pastors who have recently retired, or are working in secular ministry, or for some other reason don’t have Sunday committments.
I have made sure I have cultiviated a relationship with one or two of them, so I have a list of people who can receive a “Saturday phone call” – if required