What Is A Pulpit

Preaching from the Pulpit

by Todd Elder

There can be much disagreement within groups when the issue of the pulpit because the pulpit connotes authority. When dealing with this situation, it would be better to start by asking if there should even be a pulpit.

The Form of the Pulpit

Within a modern church, the pulpit tends to be the area of focus during a worship service and is primarily used for a message or sermon. Sometimes the pulpit is placed front and center. Other times, the pulpit shares the front with a lectern used by the laity for the reading of Scripture or for announcements. A couple of centuries ago, the pulpits often had three levels with the lowest level for announcements, the middle level for reading of Scripture, and the top level for the main message or sermon. Before the Protestant Reformation, the pulpit was usually a single elevated level.

History of the Pulpit

During the first couple of centuries AD, believers would often meet in homes. The first reference to a pulpit does not appear until a letter in the third century AD. During the Middle Ages, pulpits became commonplace, but were not typically used much for sermons because the sacraments were more important to the Catholic Church. The preaching of the Word at the pulpit became more important with denominations after the Protestant Reformation. Since then, the authority of Scripture, the church, and the preacher became closely connected with the pulpit.

The Authority of the Preacher

The pulpit is generally considered the place where one has authority over a congregation. To have authority over a person or a group is a form of covenant and there are bonds, both physically and spiritually, within a covenant. For one person to have authority over a large or mixed group of people is inappropriate. One of the great problems associated with a regular preacher (whether a priest, pastor, reverend, or minister) is that the position lends itself to the idea of a spiritual superman. This person is expected to have a special relationship with the Almighty and then dispense what he has to offer to the entire group. Preaching of this type stifles the growth of everyone involved and only helps a few in any given message. It is much better if each individual in the group is learning the techniques for studying Scripture and developing the disciplines of worship so that each person can have that relationship with the Almighty. This enables each person to become mature in the Messiah and allows each to pass that on to their children and to other people as well.

Ultimately, the pulpit form of worship lends itself to placing one person in charge of a group rather than letting each individual grow in maturity and ability to help others. This type of authority, from either man or woman, should not exist and instead should be replaced by letting those who are mature in faith be examples to the others. By following the appropriate boundaries, everyone can benefit.

Additional notes:

In the eighteenth century triple-decker pulpits were often introduced in English speaking countries. The three levels of lecterns were intended to show the relative importance of the readings delivered there. The bottom tier was for community announcements, the middle for the gospel, and the top tier was reserved for the delivery of the sermon. This tended to elevate the authority of the message as given by the preacher over the authority of the scripture. However, some thought this represented the message as having the scripture as its foundation.

In churches where there is only one speaker's stand in the center of the front of the church, it serves the functions of both lectern and pulpit and is properly called the ambo. In common usage, however, ambos are incorrectly called pulpits.

In addition to the ambo, many major churches in Greece and Cyprus also have a raised pulpit on the left side of the nave, usually attached to a column and raised several feet high. This is reached by a narrow flight of stairs. It is considered an architectural element that is symmetrical to the bishop's throne, which is located on an equivalent position on the right. Pulpit and throne are usually similar in construction, usually made of either sculpted stone or sculpted wood.