What is the proper response to a compliment on your sermon?

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Southern Presbyterian

Puritan Board Doctor
Pastors / Elders / Teachers,

What is the proper response to someone who compliments you on your sermon?

I've never known quite what to say.
 
I can tell you what not to say. Don't say, "I'm glad you liked it. After all, I prepared it with you in mind."
 
I usually say something like "thanks, I hope it's helpful to you" or "thanks... I need a nap after that." :)
 
I think an appropriate response is "Praise the Lord." Or "I am glad that you benefited from God's Word."
 
Thank you.
Praise the Lord.
May the Lord bless it to your eternal profit.
You're words are a great encouragement to me in my calling.
It's my privilege to minister to you.
 
I complimented my pastor on his sermon this morning on Rom 8:18-25. He replied, "Thanks, I had some good material to work with." :)
 
"Praise the Lord" is always my response to a compliment such as "Thank you for that fine sermon," or something similar.

If it is something along the lines of "That's the best sermon I've ever heard," I say something like, "Thank you for the kind words."
 
How about this one: "Who are you to judge the merits of my sermon?"
 
The best way is to ask them the next week what they got out of it...usually thank you is best and "Well, yea of course I was awesome up there" is not the best.
 
i often compliment my pastor on his sermons. I do it for 2 reasons 1) I sincerely, genuinely appreciated it 2) I want him to be encouraged. When I compliment him I try to mention something specific about the sermon. (I also want him to know we're listening) He generally responds by engaging me in conversation about what I just mentioned.
 
Yes. If you have time, why not ask for a specific part that was helpful? If the church member benefited, then there would be an opportunity to take the conversation further, for even more benefit. This also puts the emphasis back on God's Word, rather than the pastor's "performance".
 
I usually say, "Praise God." Sometimes I say, "Thank you." There have been a few times when I knew it was a good sermon and when told so affirmed their observation with something like, "Yeah, I learned a lot in this study" or "Isn't that convicting?" or "Isn't that passage amazing?" On occasion I'll also ask them why they said it was a good sermon. I'm amazed sometimes at what grabs people. Quite often it's not even the point of the sermon, but something said during it that grabbed their hearts and wouldn't let go. Now that's humbling.
 
Personally, I prefer it when someone comments on a particular point or something I said - it makes me feel like they were listening. Just saying "that was a good sermon" sounds too generic - like they're just being polite.
 
Was it Spurgeon who is supposed to have responded to a compliment along the lines Andrew suggested, "thank you, madam,. the devil has told me that already"?
 
Was it Spurgeon who is supposed to have responded to a compliment along the lines Andrew suggested, "thank you, madam,. the devil has told me that already"?

that Spurgeon! What are we going to do with him?
 
Was it Spurgeon who is supposed to have responded to a compliment along the lines Andrew suggested, "thank you, madam,. the devil has told me that already"?

that Spurgeon! What are we going to do with him?
well, to be fair, I'm not totally sure it was him - it could have been someone else entirely

---------- Post added at 01:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:31 PM ----------

I forgot there were 2 Andrews on - it was Andrew with the bananas that I was quoting :)
 
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