Why do you put that disclaimer at the bottom of the outline?

You've seen it. It simply says,

"Any/all outlines whether adapted or in their original form are used “by permission” of their original authors."

What's that all about?

On (rare) occasion, usually during a special series, such as "40 Days of Love", which we did in the fall of '10, I'll use the outlines of the originator of that series. The disclaimer simply says that if the sermon is not my own, I have permission from the "owner" to use it...that I'm not plagiarizing.

Although I doubt there are few, if any, truly original ideas or ways to express biblical truth, the vast majority of what is preached at Nags Head Church is developed by the preachers. Even if we have a guest preacher, as we did a few Sundays ago with Larry Benson, you'll still find that disclaimer. And knowing Larry, I'm sure he "originated" his sermon that Sunday.

Is there anything wrong with a preacher using another's material? Not unless he takes credit for it being his own. I heard a preacher say, "If my bullet fits your gun, shoot it." After all, if it's truth, it's God's truth. Certainly, if a preacher is always preaching downloaded or copied sermons, that would be cause for concern. But at NHC, if a sermon is not "original", it's the exception, not the rule.

Another example is the last series we did, "Freedom from Religion". I knew I was going to miss one of the Sundays, but wanted us to stay on course, and asked Andy to preach. To keep the series (which I developed) consistent, I provided him the outline and direction of the message, or the "skeleton", and Andy was free to put in his own particular illustrations, use his "style" and add the "meat" to the sermon.

Occasionally I'll even have visiting pastors or pastor friends who hear about a series we're doing ask me for my notes. I'm glad to send them, and if they work for him, great! We're all on the same team, and it probably shouldn't really matter who gets the "credit". At least that's how I look at it when sharing my "stuff".

Anyway, I would think that what really matters is not, "Who's sermon is this?", but "Is this biblical and true?" That's a standard that all of our elders at NHC seek to uphold.

Now, I need to get back to preparing for this Sunday.