We’ve all had the temptation to copy and paste. It’s so easy. You hear another pastor’s sermon, read a book or download a podcast and think, “This is exactly what I wanted to say to my church. Why not just copy this?”

But there are always consequences to those actions. One fleeting act of plagiarism could lead to more. And before you know it, your entire sermon prep may be just copying other pastors’ words and ideas.

But is it really stealing? In the end, we’re all preaching from the same book: the Bible. And doesn’t the end justify the means here? As ministers, I think we need to be held to a higher standard.

 

Is It Really Theft If No One Ever Finds Out?

One of the biggest excuses I hear for stealing is that no one will know. It’s not as if your congregation is carefully cross-checking each main point and quote from your message. But if and when they find out — and trust me, they will eventually — then what will your excuse be?

I remember the first time I encountered sermon theft. I was in college, and our pastor was preaching a series through the Book of Jonah. While perusing the shelves of my local Christian bookstore, I found a work on Jonah by a nationally recognized pastor. I thought it would be a great companion to the lessons I was hearing every weekend, so I picked it up.

It’s a matter of integrity, and it goes to your heart.

That afternoon, I dug into the first chapter. I had part one of the sermon series fresh in my mind from that previous Sunday. And as I turned the pages, I found myself reliving it. All the main points of the first chapter of Jonah, all the applications and even some of the most notable quotes were lifted word-for-word from this book I held in my hand.

How could this happen? I was devastated. A pastor I looked up to was caught stealing. His carefully planned and penned words weren’t even his.

 

Is There a Deeper Problem?

For many pastors, stealing sermons, illustrations and ideas is no big deal. Besides, everyone else does it, so why not me? But the problem goes much deeper. There are always underlying issues when we cross any ethical line.

If you find yourself stealing material from others, ask yourself why you are doing it. Look deeply into the internal conversations and justifications behind it. Only by getting to the root of the problem can you solve it.

There are many reasons that a pastor would take someone else’s work as his or her own. Three of those reasons really stand out, though. First of all, you may be pressed for time. With a pastor’s busy schedule and spiritual responsibilities, the 10 to 15 hours you intended to spend in personal sermon prep slowly gets eaten up, and now you’re left with a small window to finish up your message for the coming week. It’s convenient to find someone else’s sermon and pass it off as your own.

But if time is the issue, then simply ask for help. There are people who can assist you with background research, comparative study and even illustration help. They may even be right in your church! Having someone who can help you is not a sign of weakness; it’s testament to your commitment to providing the best sermon you can each week.

Another reason pastors fall into the trap of stealing is they don’t feel capable of doing it on their own. Each of us has unique skills and abilities, and maybe yours is not sermon prep. If that’s the case, taking someone else’s ideas and passing them off as yours means that you’re presenting yourself as someone you’re not.

Rest assured that God has placed you right where He needs you. And He knows your abilities better than anyone else! If He positioned you as a communicator, then He knows you can do it. You may need additional training and experience, but you are more than capable of delivering God’s Word to God’s people.

One more reason that some pastors steal material is a lack of integrity. Honestly, if you are taking someone else’s work for your own use, ask yourself if you would do the same thing in other areas of life. Would you eat at a restaurant without paying? Would you accept an award that you had no hand in winning? When you preach someone else’s message without letting others know where it came from, you’re doing the same thing. It’s a matter of integrity, and it goes to your heart.

 

Whose Sermon Is It Anyway?

You can still borrow someone else’s material, but do it in the right way. Let everyone know where you got your material. “This next part I read in a great book by …” or, “For today’s message, I’m really leaning heavily on another sermon I heard from …” After all, giving credit where credit is due is a biblical principle (Romans 13:7)!

Think about whose words you are using and why they should ultimately be yours, not someone else’s. That message you heard that was so encouraging, so well-worded and so skillfully delivered was written for another pastor’s church. That pastor didn’t write it with you and your congregation in mind. You have the opportunity each week to deliver a unique message to your unique congregation that supports your unique mission and vision from God. Don’t shortchange it by giving them a message meant for another church.

We often feel the crunch of our schedule, the pressure to produce eloquent sermons weekly and the desire to be the best at what we do. But don’t let that push you into the mistake of plagiarizing another pastor. Don’t get caught stealing