Pastor Plagiarism Is in the News, and It’s a Problem

Some prominent pastors have come under fire recently for plagiarism in their preaching. I wish I could say this is shocking, but it happens far more than it should.
Here’s why pastors plagiarize sermons, what the Bible says about plagiarism, and why plagiarizing is a major problem.
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[@Dan_Stagg]

I was just putting the final touches on my sermon for tomorrow (Sunday) when this arrived. Reminded me of the responsibility that we have as preachers of God's word and no-one else's. Thanks as always Branden. 👍

[@ProPreacher]

Thanks Dan. Happy to hear that this was encouraging to you!

[@LeadingWorshipWell]

Thanks for speaking about this! I've lost count of the amount of times I've heard preachers preach a John MacArthur sermon as their own. I have great empathy for pastors (I served in that role for a few years) and I'm well aware of the burdens they carry on a daily basis. From my experience, I've seen this type of behavior partially stem from being overwhelmed by the vast amount of responsibilities a pastor has - especially small church pastors. There are so many things for a pastor to do that they lose sight of the priority of PREACHING and TEACHING their church. When in reality, that's one of their main responsibilities. I constantly need to remind myself of this: ultimately, no one will care how clean that toilet in the 2nd stall of the men's bathroom is if you aren't fulfilling your primary responsibility of preaching God's word.

[@worshambaptist4177]

When I was in seminary, my Greek professor was explaining some of the basic principles of exegesis and how to use them in sermon preparation. One student commented that he and his wife had watched to Adrian Rogers on TV one morning, and when they went to church later, the pastor preached that exact same sermon. Another student said, "Hmm. I wonder what you'd call that?" The professor replied, "Thievery and laziness is what I call it!" He was right, and so are you.

[@stanleyperret8454]

I know that when I am writing a message (sermon). I have quoted other pastors or writers in the messages. I do give them credit for the words. I agree that originality in a message is needed and that it should be Biblically sound. This is the pastor's responsibility to ensure that the messages are God's words and not of our own because if they are our words, then we lead people astray.

[@misterpeabody3373]

This is a fine line. I recently preached and the lead pastor said I should not give credit to statements used by commentators as “no one wants to hear that or cares about it”. I admit it can disrupt the flow of the sermon but I think transparency is always best. If citing words and ideas is too distracting during the sermon, I wonder if posting the sermon on the church’s website with proper citing would be at least an honest alternative. Word for word, or almost that is plagiarizing too, if not correctly citing the source. I think the bigger sin than plagiarizing though is the intent to make yourself more than what you are in front of the congregation. That’s pride and ego embellishment.

[@mikeandcarterwebb5177]

I’m not a pastor but my wife and I do work with the youth at our church. I think citing is a good idea, that’s just me. I don’t want to get up and read someone else’s work. Getting inspiration is fine, ideas is fine, then make it your own, see where the scripture leads.

[@stojer0210]

I’m not a Pastor but I heard a Pastor preach Romans 8:26-28 and I was so moved by the questions and the way that Pastor brought the the Word of God to life. I also considered in that time if a Pastor was moved by the way a Pastor and learned from that Pastor. Is there a correct way to bring that to a congregation so that the congregation can also share in those ideas and thoughts this video cleared that up.

[@Joel-jg5ec]

I know "plagiarism" is a deadly word in colleges/university about the papers and thesis they submit, as everyone wants to have their identity to tell it is "my work". Now in sermons, as one of the comments mentioned below, it is the God's word. The original sermon preached by author may or may not have impacted people lives, but the same thing if another preacher picks it up (not exactly word to word, but may be a framework), then holy spirit would have worked so powerfully and it would have cut thru people hearts. So it is the work of the Holy spirit at the end. One of the experienced preacher was asked about this question (he doesn't do plagiarism, but refers commentaries and quotes them when preaching), he referred to 2 Tim 2:2 NLT "You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.". Not sure, when Timothy was preaching, he would have said "This is the Paul's sermon..." People may disagree, that this verse talks about generic truth, not exactly the "sermon" People may pick up frame work from multiple sources, including sermons and commentators, I believe at the end, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that works in the people's heart. Now, as your video said, if someone come and asks, it is good to tell the source and don't take the credit as if it was your own, but not sure if that needs to be told in the sermon, especially if it is from multiple sources.

[@NicholasHanges]

I have made the practice of not listening to other sermons (in general..to prevent outside influences) even though many preachers tried to tell me “listen to a lot of sermons to prepare.” They were wrong. I use logos and my library with my bible and ask God to speak through me. He has never failed in helping me preach. If me, a former heroin addict without a masters degree can do this, anyone can!

[@moreonthemoore7541]

I don't believe I have done that, but I have said that another writer has said.

[@mikeandcarterwebb5177]

Nothing wrong with getting ideas, inspiration, and making it your own. Today we struggle getting folks to church. If they thought our pastors were simply copying and pasting they’d have more reason to stay home.

[@robstufflebeam7820]

So how does this jive with using a lectionary?

[@Joy6168]

@Rob Stufflebeam, the lectionary simply gives a few Bible verses, explains the background of them, and asks a few questions to get pastors and lay servants thinking and ideas, the rest is up to the individual. This is completely different from stealing a pastor’s sermon and claiming that sermon as your own.

[@y0uraveragejoe]

My pastor just recently used multiple different sermon series (titles and all) with the most recent one being from Craig Groeshel from Life Church. He did all of Craig's without giving any hint or idea that this wasn't his own series. I googled some of the quotes he had been using because they seem pretty profound. I stumbled across that you can get these sermons online for free with outlines and media. Everything you need to do your job. I approached him on it and we came to an agreement that he would preface his last sermon in the series that this was Craig's work. Life Church has no problem with people using their stuff without referencing who it's from. It's even stated on their website. It's as if they're giving the pastors permission to lie. They were great messages. Don't get me wrong. I've just lost trust that he'll be honest in the future.

[@mikeandcarterwebb5177]

Websites like sermon central is where many go to today. The days I’m afraid of using their Bible to feed us is gone. That leaves the door wide open for anyone to preach, called or not.

[@mikeandcarterwebb5177]

I might add also, what are we paying our pastors for these days if they can’t come up with their own sermon? What did they do before internet? They opened the Bible.

[@madjack821]

The pastor of the church I go to does this

[@markusramchiary]

Pastor I like to listen to you. And I got some lessons from you. I'm waiting for ministry.

[@dgh5223]

My previous pastor plagiarized sermons offline (I caught him myself). I was disheartened. I was glad he left the church because he was a narcissist too. Depend on God to help you write sermons and I think it will work out better. The whole chapter of Jeremiah 23 is against those in authority over people. Read it.

[@saratraub1059]

Put “Zach Stewart Pastor” into the search bar. Victimizing his 4th church.

[@RobRuffMusic]

Wait .. how can you "steal" a teaching of God? Lol.. aren't you just sharing it?