What is a pulpit?

Answer

A pulpit is an elevated platform or high reading desk used in preaching or conducting a worship service. It was a common fixture in most Christian churches until recent years when many pastors started replacing heavy wooden pulpits with high stools, small tables, transparent podiums, or no furniture at all. Some contemporary churches have eliminated all traditional symbols like pulpits and steeples in an attempt to engage with the unchurched. Pulpits can appear imposing and create a natural barrier between the speaker and the congregation. While elevated platforms may be retained to enhance visibility, many have opted for less religious-looking fixtures instead of traditional wooden pulpits.

The use of a pulpit of some kind can be traced back to Old Testament times. In Nehemiah 8:4 of the King James Version, it is written, “And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose.” First-century Christian churches did not utilize pulpits; they gathered in homes. Therefore, despite the expected presence of a pulpit in a church sanctuary, it is a human-made addition to Christian corporate worship and not a scriptural mandate.

Early pulpits were tall, constructed of heavy wood, and intricately designed. Some historians propose that the imposing nature of such pulpits aimed to diminish the focus on the individual behind them. The size and grandeur of the pulpit were believed to direct attention to the spoken words rather than the person delivering them. Pulpits became standard in most designated church buildings as they were practical for holding the speaker’s Bible and notes, symbolizing the authority of the speaker. The earliest documented mention of a pulpit in the church is found in a letter from Cyprian of Carthage, who mentioned placing a man “on the pulpit” to be esteemed and visible to the entire congregation while reading the gospel.

(Epistle XXXIII). What Cyprian describes is obviously a raised platform rather than a piece of furniture. In the Middle Ages, churches began using a three-tiered platform called an ambo, which was eventually replaced by the pulpit. Catholic churches place a pulpit (or pulpits) to the side of the platform—the altar and associated rituals being central to the service; most Reformed and evangelical churches place the pulpit in the center of the platform to emphasize the centrality of the reading and preaching of the Word.

Whether a pastor uses a pulpit, a table, or nothing at all to preach from, God’s Word must take front and center, or the church is failing in its mission.