When the preacher can’t preach

What can you do about bad preaching?

I wondered about that recently, after hearing from two different priests, from two different corners of the country, who expressed frustration at deacons whose homilies in their estimation just aren’t up to snuff.

“It was dismal,” one pastor wrote about his deacon’s homily.  “He preached, as always, far too long, vaguely. It was frustrating…”

After outlining a litany of problems, from “flat delivery” to “lack of any real insight,” he raised an interesting point: “It does the diaconate a disservice. Not everyone can preach. If one cannot, it is wrong to impose oneself unnecessarily on a congregation…”

“But a deeper problem,” he concluded, “is the unfairness of ordaining to the clerical state someone who simply does not have the level of articulateness and reflection people, reasonably, expect from their clergy.”

With that in mind, I thought I’d throw this out for discussion: what should be done about poor preaching?   Do you think the deacon should be sent back for remedial homiletics?  Or should his faculties be suspended altogether?

I’m curious to hear how pastors have dealt with this — or how deacons have responded to or benefited from criticism.

One of the chronic complaints about our Church from the people in the pews is that our homilies are lifeless, disconnected or dull.
Okay.  But what can be done about that?

UPDATE:  Speaking of speaking…