The Problem With Preaching
By David Allis |
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Preaching is a big problem. After many years of preaching, listening to sermons, studying the scriptures, participating in 'church' leadership & studying the western church (in New Zealand), I'm becoming convinced that preaching often does more harm than good. Preaching, as it is practiced in modern churches, is extra-biblical, a poor form of communication, and creates dependency.
Preaching is considered one of the essential ingredients of Christianity throughout the last 2000 years, and arguably through OT times also. It is one of the bastions of church tradition. In most churches, two central & indispensable elements are preaching and worship (commonly referred to as singing/music) during Sunday church meetings. (However, it is worth noting that alternatives to monologue-preaching have been practised historically & currently by alternative groups such as the Anabaptists.i)
Reformation tradition says that "preaching the Word of God is the primary and supreme means of creating, feeding and maintaining Christ's Church. Preaching Christ crucified, in season and out of season, whether eloquently or as a stutterer, is the most important means God uses to pour his saving grace going into the world.... An authoritative message from the Creator to his creature, from the King to his subjects, the Master to his slaves is anathema to the modern mind", and that "Preaching is a task that God has ordained for the proclamation of his word".
To question the value and validity of preaching may be perceived as chronological snobberyii which borders on foolishness & even heresy. Many godly ministers have built their vocation and lives around preaching and other forms of 'ministry', so any questions about the necessity and value of preaching can be perceived by them as threatening and offensive.
Hence, I am very cautious about questioning something that has been a large part of Christian history - yet I have numerous questions about preaching that I believe must be considered. These questions have arisen after spending years within a variety of organised churches as an observer, member, lay-leader, ordained minister & church health consultant. I have heard and preached sermons, and observed their effects in individual's lives. Recently, I studied the biblical passages about preaching, and was surprised at what I found - that the preaching that is referred to in the New Testament (NT) bears little resemblance to the practice of preaching in churches. I also looked through the shelves of a good Bible College library - there were about 1,000 books on how to preach a good sermon, yet I could find nothing that attempted to clearly justify why sermons should be preached. There is a plethora of books on preaching, but the vast majority of them assume & perpetuate the sermon concept, and there is rarely any investigation or justification of its legitimacy.
"The hallmark of an authentic evangelicalism is not the uncritical repetition of old traditions, but the willingness to submit every tradition, however ancient, to fresh Biblical scrutiny and, if necessary, reform" (John Stott, "Basic Stott," Christianity Today, Jan.8, 1996)
So what are the problems with preaching?
1. Preaching is Extra-Biblical
'Preaching' as it is practiced in churches today (& in the past) has little biblical basis - the 'preaching' that occurs is extra-biblical (outside the bible). In the New Testament, preaching was always linked to preaching of the gospel or kingdom to those that are outside or on the edge of the kingdom - the Greek verbs used in the NT to portray preaching are found overwhelmingly in situations which are outside church meetings and evangelistic in nature. In contrast, in our churches today we 'preach to the choir' - most people sitting in churches listening to sermons are Christians, and most have been there listening to sermons for many years - our preaching is actually teaching about Christianity to a predominantly Christian audience, week after week for the rest of their lives.
There is arguably no biblical basis for preaching in churches to people who have been Christians for many years: 1) the NT apostles were formulating new doctrine (which we aren't allowed to do), and 2) we have the NT available to study ourselves, complete with many wonderful study aids.
CH Dodd defined preaching as 'the public proclamation of Christianity to the non-Christian world'iii. This is what we see in the NT record, but not what is practiced in our churches. Hence, if anything, we are practicing a form of teaching in churches today, not preaching (To consider some of the implications of this, see the extra comments at the end of the article). "According to the New Testament, there is a distinction between "preaching" and "teaching." Teaching is primarily directed toward believers for their edification and spiritual development in the Christian walk, whereas preaching is primarily directed toward unbelievers for the purpose of encouraging a saving response to the Gospel message. Teaching generally covers the entire gamut of theological and ethical issues which relate to the Christian life, whereas preaching generally covers only the essentials of the salvation message. Thus, these two terms, as used in the New Testament, indicate a distinction in both content and audience."iv
The sermon as traditionally practiced, in which a clergy person preaches a message to a congregation, originated from Greek, not Biblical, sources. Around the period of 200-300 AD, the sermon emerged as central in Christian gatherings. The model for this practice wasn't taken from the Bible, but from Greek culture. As one author noted, "The sermon was the result of syncretism--the fusion of the Biblical necessity of teaching with the unbiblical Greek notion of Rhetoric."v Greek Rhetoric influenced the early churches, helping create the Christian sermon.vi "With the rise of the Constantinian mass church (4th century A.D.), all sorts of paganistic and Greek ideas entered into Christian thought and practice. One of those practices brought into the church was that of Greek rhetoric. With the conversion of such men as Chrysostom, Ambrose, Tertullian, Cyprian, Arnobius, Lactantius, and Augustine - all of whom were trained in rhetoric and were quite popular as orators within the Greco-Roman culture of their day prior to their conversion - a new style or form of communication began to occur within Christian assemblies."vii
2. Preaching is an Ineffective Form of Communication
'Preaching' is a form of monologue, which is proven to be an ineffective form of communication. Passive listening is a very ineffective way of learning. Scientific studies of education show that passive listening leads only to a small percentage of retention. Few people can remember a sermon the next day, week or month (often the preacher can't remember it either). Although modern communication methods are improving, through the use of things like visual aids, the monologue remains one of the least effective forms of communication.
3. Preaching Limits Learning, Discussion & Debate
Preaching usually allows no opportunity for questions or discussion. It is rare for a church to allow interaction during a sermon, or questions & discussion time afterwards. Sermons are designed to be listened to, not interacted with. Sermons & church meeting structure doesn't allow members of the audience to add their contributions regarding the subject matter, raise issues for discussion , clarification or debate. While there might be opportunity to discuss the sermon with the preacher later (except in larger churches where the minister is inaccessible), because the preacher has invested much of themselves into the sermon, they can easily become defensive if they perceive that their sermon (or the preacher) is being challenged.
4. Preaching Doesn't Usually Change Lives
Although effective, impassioned preaching is occasionally able to stir some hearts & bring some response, this is quite rare. Preaching rarely brings long term change in individual's lives. The average church attender hears a sermon every week, amounting to about 2500 sermons over a 50 year 'church life' - yet they typically can't remember many of those sermonsviii, and would number on one hand those sermons which had a significant impact on their lives. This indicates that there is typically a very low 'success rate' for sermons.ix
Some proponents of preaching suggest that being able to remember sermons is unnecessary, and that listening to sermons leads to a 'base level fitness'. It could be argued however that this repetitive listening actually immunises people making them resistant to change. Also, self-discovered-truth is much more memorable and life changing than spoon-fed information. From my limited experience, the most effective long-term way to bring change to lives is not through listening to sermons, but through participative bible study in a mutually encouraging and challenging group.
From my study of ekklesia (the gathering of believers) in the NT, it is clear that the primary purpose of believers gathering together regularly is mutual edificationx. The typical church form of corporate sung worship, which in larger churches seems like karaoke worship or lip-syncing for those who can't sing loud enough to hear their own voices over the amplified sound system, and sermons is not designed for mutual edification. In fact, it could be argued that typical church Sunday meetings have been designed to hinder mutual edification. Corporate sung worship led from the 'front', and sermons by professional preachers, which are the central focus of most church services, are conspicuously absent from the New Testament passages relating to the purposes of believers gathering together. I think Paul would be horrified at the way we have reduced worship from his 'whole of life' concept to merely corporate singing once a week.
5. Preaching Can Foster Biblical Illiteracy
Much contemporary preaching is based around themes, usually with little biblical basis. While these sermons might teach some truth, and are often done in creative ways, they don't teach how to personally learn from the Bible. It is common for believers to come to church regularly and listen to well-crafted sermons about how to live, yet rarely read the Bible personally. It is not that people can never learn from a sermon, but that they don't learn as effectively as they do with other methods.
6. Preaching Disempowers People
People who have been in church for many years, and have often heard 50-100 sermons each year, still think they need to be 'fed' by a sermon each week. They remain dependent for their spiritual nurture on getting a 'spiritual fix' each week through corporate worship and a sermon from a professional preacher. This seems to be the milk of Heb 5:12-14, rather than the meat that adults should be feeding themselves. In 20 years time, these same people will often be in the same situation, needing to be 'fed' each week. This might satisfy a need for preachers to be needed, but it is not effective in empowering believers for personal ministry and mission. If we want to see God's kingdom grow quickly, or revival come (which many people pray for), we will need to be much better at quickly empowering and releasing people to 'ministry' (not paid professional ministry), rather than fostering a dependence on the professional ministers.
7. Preachers are a Problem
In each local church, most preaching is usually performed by one main trained professional minister. This preacher is usually a Bible College graduate (except in some Pentecostal streams) who has trained for 3 years so they can correctly interpret the bible and preach inspiring sermons.
Hence, sermons are usually built around the 'person of God', who has had the in-depth theological training, and has heard from God and is now disseminating the word of God to the people in eloquent discourse.xi Some of the unfortunate implications of centring preaching around one trained professional religious person are -->
* It implies that one person hears from God & mediates to everyone else.
* It creates a dependence on being 'fed' by the necessary combination of professional ordained ministersxii plus theological training plus eloquent preaching.
* Week after week, the Christian message is filtered through one person, the preacher. It is filtered through one set of experiences, one personality, one mind, and one limited life experience.
* Not only is the message filtered through one person, but that person is quite different from the church members. The preacher typically lives a different life, in a different world to his/her audience. Many don't have 'normal' jobs, and are treated differently in society because they are ministers.
* It devalues the experiences, insight and revelation of other members of the church, as they are relegated to only being listeners and often never being preachers. It implies that their knowledge of God & life wisdom are of no value to the wider church. Although we might give lip-service to the 'priesthood of all believers', we definitely don't practice it.
* By centering our gatherings on one person and their sermon, we are, in practice, reversing the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:14 and suggesting that the body is not many members, but one (often the same person, usually a man, who preaches most weeks). Moreover, by centering our church meetings on one persons ability to speak, we subtly begin to form a personality-cult around their talents. In many churches, this person becomes the final authority on spiritual and theological matters, effectively producing our own brand of 'Protestant Popes'.xiii
8. Preaching Has Misleading Implications
The current church practice of members attending a weekly church meeting centered around corporate-led-sung-worship and a sermon has some misleading implications -->
* It implies that God is effectively saying the same thing to everyone - which is contained in the sermon. (Although preachers accept that listeners sometimes get inspired about totally unrelated things during their sermon, this is not the preachers purpose).
* It implies that church members will always need to hear more sermons. A person who has been a Christian and listened to a sermon very week for the past 20 years, still needs to hear another sermon every week for the rest of their lives. If sermons are intended to train people for 'mission', the implication is that they will never be fully trained & will always need more. In this sense, sermons are more like motivational seminars to 'hype people up again', rather than being teaching sessions.
* It implies that the purpose for Christians to gather together is corporate worship & listening to sermons, rather than for the primary purpose of mutual edification (1 Cor 14:26).
9. Preaching is Expensive
Sermons are expensive. A professional paid minister typically spends 1-2 days/week studying & preparing for their weekly sermon. Taking New Zealand as an example - there are about 3500 churches - if each had a minister being paid 1.5 days/week to preach at say $200/day - this costs $1m per week, or $50m per year. In other countries like the USA, the amount would be much larger. This might seem a small amount compared with what is spent on other aspects of organised church life, or compared with the billions tied up in church properties, but in a world where people are starving to death & Jesus spoke about personal judgement relating to how we treat the poor, it seems that we have misplaced values.
10. We are Preaching to Different People
The 'Christian Situation' has changed. At the time of the NT events, the NT wasn't available to people. Also, the apostles were teaching new doctrine (in contrast, the Bible plus great study tools are now readily available to all western Christians).
Through to the 1800s, the majority of church attendees were illiterate, just as the majority of people in most societies were illiterate. Hence, there was a need for educated people to be able to read the Bible & teach others. Sermons were one effective way for this to occur. Also, Bibles were less available and tools to help study the Bible were typically only available in libraries & seminaries.
Today, most church attendees are literate. In the English speaking western world, Bibles are cheap and most church attendees own one or many versions of the Bible. Bible study tools are cheap and easily available, both in written form and via computers and the internet. The typical 'layperson' in modern western society has access to far more information to help them understand the Bible than a seminary-trained minister of 200 years ago. Hence, they don't have the same need for a more educated person to teach them what is in the Bible - they can read & understand it themselves.
11. We are Preaching in a Different Context
Society has changed. At previous times in history, churches have been the social centre for a community & hence drew in a wide variety of people in various stages of belief or disbelief. In these situations, sermons were potentially an evangelistic tool, as they were during the time of Acts.
"Where did our practice of preaching a monologue Gospel sermon to assembled believers on a weekly basis come from? Much of it came from the Protestant Reformers who saw the "church" as consisting of all those within a given territory - saved and unsaved. Because so many unbelievers were present within the Reformation churches (and even compelled to attend), it was necessary to continually preach the Gospel to them."xiv
However, in current western society, the majority of people in churches are 'believers' - hence preaching in these churches has virtually no evangelistic value.
There have also been other major cultural shifts which affect preaching - Stuart Murray Williams identifies three:
- "The first is a cultural shift away from passive instruction to participatory learning, from paternalism to partnership, from monologue to dialogue, from instruction to interaction. Those who teach, especially those who teach adults, no longer assume they are the experts who know everything and that their task is to convey information to others who simply receive this information. The new paradigm is of partnership, where teachers and learners work together, conscious that all bring contributions to the learning process. For preachers, this would imply that the congregation is active in discerning God's word rather than relying wholly upon the preacher to declare it.
- The second is a societal shift away from an integrated world to a world where networks overlap, a shift away from simplicity to complexity. We live in a world which is not only complex and diverse but a world in which rapid changes are taking place. There are very few generalists; most of us are specialists in one area or another. The education system is geared towards this, despite occasional attempts to broaden the curriculum. For preachers, this raises the issue of how to address such a complex world: the biblical text may not change but if we are concerned with application as well as interpretation, how are we to make the connections? Many preachers seem unable to relate the Bible and theology to the world of work or to issues in public life - these are areas of profound weakness in most churches. Perhaps we need the help of those in the congregation who have expertise and experience in areas where we do not.
- The third is a media shift away from linear to non-linear methods of conveying information, from logical argument to pic 'n' mix learning. Whether we like it or not, the television age has deeply affected the way in which communication takes place and how people learn. A careful argument that takes thirty minutes to develop does not make for good viewing in the age of sound bites. Watching someone lecturing for thirty minutes, however many camera angles are used, is not an effective use of the visual media. Communication now frequently involves the use of images as well as words, short contributions from diverse points of view, and open-ended presentation that allows freedom to choose your own conclusion. For preachers, this implies not only the use of visual communication as well as verbal communication but hard challenges about the style and purpose of preaching.
These shifts can all be understood as manifestations of a larger shift in worldview that many argue is taking place throughout the western world. The term postmodernity means different things to different people and is in danger of losing its impact through over-use, but it does at least imply that the ordered, rational, structured worldview that has been dominant since the Enlightenment is under threat and that new ways of thinking are emerging. These new ways are not fully established or even fully formed yet, and there may be significant changes ahead or even a return to older ways. We live in an uncomfortable and unsettling era of transition, when we must both be open to change and hesitant before jumping on bandwagons. But there is no doubt that many in a postmodern culture do not appreciate monologue presentations. Sermons may be very poorly suited to this environment." xv
Preachers might try to respond to cultural shifts and lack of congregational interest by improving their preaching, and using more stories and visual aids. While this might help somewhat, it doesn't address the deeper issues.
Why Don't Other People Question Preaching?
If the problems described above are accurate, you might ask why there aren't lots of other people questioning the value of preaching. My best guesses are -->
* We've been conditioned to believe that preaching is an essential part of 'church'. (The same has also happened with 'worship' ie corporate sung worship every Sunday. This type of worship also has minimal biblical basis which doesn't reflect the large emphasis placed on it in churches - but this will need to be the topic of another article in the future)
* Preaching is part of the 'dependency structure' created within churches. Church members have been conditioned to be 'fed' a sermon each week. They have been taught that this is an essential aspect of being a Christian, and that they will be weak or ineffective if they aren't 'fed' in this way. Even if sermons are boring and unproductive, they are still safe and undemanding.
* Preaching has been part of Christian tradition throughout the ages - so why would anyone question it?
* Preaching is perceived to have a biblical mandate and is seen as sacred. The biblical, historical and cultural aspects of sermons are not clearly considered.
* Ministers need to preach - it's part of their 'job', 'ministry' and purpose in life. They have been trained to preach, love preaching & usually do it well. It is difficult for a minister to question an 'essential' part of the job they are employed to do. A minister questioning preaching (& other aspects of 'organised church') is like someone cutting off the tree branch they are standing on - it's dangerous & potentially self destructive - hence it is difficult for ministers to question these things. (Note - I am sure that the vast majority of ministers are hard working people with high integrity who are committed to God, their church & their people. However, in this situation, it is difficult for them to question the church 'system'. There are many ex-ministers in society now - some of these might be better placed to raise questions about the organised church systems & the challenge of being a professional minister).
* Ministers like to preach sermons - they feel safe, fulfilled and 'anointed'. Ministers feel responsible for their congregations, and believe that good quality sermons are an effective way to disciple their congregation.
What is the Alternative?
I believe that a better & more scriptural alternative is personal and corporate Bible study, listening to God, discussion, and working together in mutually-accountable community to help each other apply biblical truths in our lives, community and world.
But there is some potential danger in removing preaching (I think it is worth the risk). The two main dangers I see are:
1. Dependent people might not learn to feed themselves. If we take away the church structures that nurture dependency, what will happen? My guess is that many churches & church attendees would 'collapse', including many that have been in 'church' for many years. This is a good example of how current organised church methods have created dependency. However, unless a change like this is made, we will continue to create dependency.
2. People might only read/study what they like, and avoid some of the harder or more important issues - at least preaching may/can address some of the harder issues we might want to avoid. However, mutual accountability groups can also address this issue, and ensure that the full breadth of important scripture and doctrine is covered.
 David Allis is married with 6 children. He has transitioned from leadership in a large city church, to exploring being the church in their home and attempting to extend the kingdom in their beautiful seaside community of Devonpart (Aukland, New Zealand). See something of their journey here>>>
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I agree with your conclusions. I pray that the body of Christ can come to accept this. The real damage done by “talking head preaching” is that we have lost the participatory gathering. Each believer is supposed to be seeking and following the guidance from The Holy Spirit. This ability naturally grows when we apply the Gathering Commands of 1 Cor 14. This is explained better in “Satan’s Greatest Deception” http://thebigpictureministry.htohananet.com/blog/_archives/2007/11/1/3327895.html
The real purpose of Preaching is discussed in “Biblical Sermons” http://thebigpictureministry.htohananet.com/blog/_archives/2008/2/19/3534314.html
Ricky's request for how to "be the church in our home", I posted "One Way" hoping we could share about our gatherings. http://thebigpictureministry.htohananet.com/blog/_archives/2008/3/5/3563347.html
As author of this article .... some belated response. Thanks for your interaction with the article & the variety of comments.
Re Eric Tober - on whether preaching in the NT is always in the context of evangelism .... I agree that 2 Tim 4:2-3 is the main (only?) passage that seems to go against this. My observation is that this is the main passage used by preachers to justify their preaching (doesn't it raise questions to see only one verse that might support preaching to the 'saved', when 'preaching' is such a central activity in churches???). However, if you look a few verses later in 2 Tim 4:5, Paul is encouraging Timothy to "do the work of an evangelist" ...... this is why I also put the early passages on preaching in the context of evangelism. Blessings. David
I have been doing much thinking and meditating on the subject of the church and preaching. Our pastor (my father) went on to be with the Lord recently and these kind of questions are coming up now in the church. As I read all the comments and articles on this subject and as I am studying in my lessons, as I help out in the church, It dawns on me the one thing that everyone is not looking at--the reponsibility of the believer. Yes, traditional preaching and singing maybe dry, but have I asked the Lord to open my heart to be receptive of the message? Am I being a doer of the word and not just a hearer? One of the things that my church is considering is that the old hymns are too boring. Yes it is boring to someone who does not have the desire to seek God's greatness in the hymns and to prepare their own selves to be in an attitude of worship and to allow the spiritual feeding to do its nutritional part. The Bible tells us to ask and keep asking, seek and keep seeking knock and keep knocking. Solomon's wisdom was great because Solomon took the initiative to do his part and ask God for wisdom.
Dave,
Interactive style is fine -I use it regularly. We also bring in numerous special speakers as well as our own elders to preach/teach. I'll double check but I think the two terms really overlap in the NT.
On the distinction between preach/teach - I looked quickly at II Timothy 4:2-3 and the context there is not evangelism but preaching to a local church. Paul tells Tim to "Preach the Word...correct, rebuke and encourage---with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers, to say what their itching ears want to hear."
This one verse seems to undermine your whole thesis. I see this as a "Problem with your take on Preaching." But I'll keep checking the Scriptures to see if what you say is so.
Enjoying the call to be a Pastor and to help shepherd and preach/teach God's people.
Eric Tober State College Evangelical Free Church
David,
I really enjoyed your article on preaching. Very thought provoking. Currently, I am undergoing a paradigm shift in thinking about the church. I see a shift that is occurring and your article is just one more piece of the puzzle that I am trying to fit together. Keep thinking, keep writing and advancing the kingdom in the way God has called you to.
cheers
"Dependent people might not learn to feed themselves. If we take away the church structures that nurture dependency, what will happen?"
The Church are the flocks - when did sheep need to be taught how to eat grass?
"My guess is that many churches & church attendees would 'collapse', including many that have been in 'church' for many years. This is a good example of how current organised church methods have created dependency. However, unless a change like this is made, we will continue to create dependency."
They wouldn't collapse if they heard the true Gospel and learnt, that those amongst them with the Spiritual gift of teaching should do the teaching, rather than pastors, who nine times out of ten don't have that gift. In turn these non-teachers teach a non-gospel and put the flocks into bondage and captivity. This bondage and captivity takes the form of religion and legalism and kills Grace stone dead.
All you have to do is follow the first century model of The Church which was egalitarian in makeup. Elders and pastors were overseers who protected the flocks. They weren't jacks of all trades and masters of none like modern religious pastors who are mostly square pegs in round holes.
y2t
The Church Pastor and leader, along with teaching will always be in effective part of God's ministry since it was clearly established from the very beginning. Starting with Peter, Jesus said, "Peter do you love me?" "Feed My sheep." He also has given to the church the 5 fold ministry for the edification of the body of Christ. To build up the believer's. These are specific gifts that people flow in and that are effective in training and teaching from God's word. No where does it say that these gifts and callings will cease, eccept when perfection has come. When we go to heaven or when we are raptured. We'll have no need for then then. While I agree that teaching is more important and much more effective, the bible still says PREACH THE WORD in season and out of season. God isn't changing His plan of action, we always think we should follow the trend but we should never ignore what the Word specifically says to do. We simply should find creative ways to continue to do so. Preaching has to do with evangelism. Peter stood up and 3K came to know God. It still will and always will be a part of the Pastors job, but I totally agree teaching has to come first. Also Paul said, I become all things to all people in order that I may win them over. (paraphrasing here) People are actually used to the kind of structure where a teacher, professor, pastor, or any sort of educstor or leader will stand and educate and teach. I believe it is still highly effective if they make sure to teach,like Jesus used visual word pictures (The Good Samaritan, ect). What it seems like you saying is that the church building is not, but I disagree, I believe it's important becuase the max capacity in your homes might only be 50 people. Not everone will have the means to have a study group in their small aprtments. Not everone will feel confortable going to your church in your home especially if they do not know you! The church building along with the steeple, and the cross on the steeple will always be a very vital place of comfort and peace to even the un believer. They undertand that is where they can find a closer walk with God. They understand that the church building is actually an approchable place even if you are a stranger. While there are good churches that are started in the homes, sometime the un believer 1st feels more comfortable in familiar structure like a church building. There are so many topics and areas to teach, how much more better is it to learn from a person or persons who have had some education in BIBLE and doctrine?? If they meet in homes like you suggest, should they continue to tithe, or is this out the window too? We should never rob the people of their blessings. What I do agree with is that teaching should be supreme. Teaching them how to study the bible is monumental!! WE should never teach that preaching is no longer important especially when the bible commands us to do it.
Hi Ricky - send me an email to david@edgenet.org.nz & we can have a talk about how we're trying to "be the church" in our home ...
Hi Rick - my study of the words for preaching & teaching in the NT showed they had been translated quite clearly (in the NIV & nRSV that I use) .. I didn;t find any confusion ... but did find that 'preaching' is ALWAYS in the context of evangelism & the gospel ... it was a word-study of evangelism & preaching that got me started on this article ... I'd be interested to see what Bible verses seem to combine teaching & preaching .... Interestingly, as I talk to various ministers who I'm friends with, some of them agree that their Sunday message isn;t 'preaching' in the biblical sense - but there is a lack of agreement regarding what it is ... the baptists tend to think it's 'teaching', whereas the pentecostals sometimes say they are trying to 'move' people with it (when I say it is an extra-biblical pep-talk or motivational talk, they aren;t that happy :-) )
In one of my classes at Bible college (Theology of Christian Ministry, I think), when we sstudied how some are called to different things, it was explained that where it says preachers and teachers that these are written as one word in the original greek, and that we translated it as two words because the english language didn't have a word that encompased its entire meaning. So, through the years we turned them into two distinct callings when originally it was one. And now we have most church structures built on these two things that are, as you say, extrabiblical, at least in the terms we have defined them in. I have heard teachers claim that preaching is something that only very special people are called to, that they will teach but never dare to preach. None of them ever knew that anyone who takes on either role in the church as it is, is really only taking on half, or less than half, of a single calling. I don't know of anyone who can even conceptualize what the church would be like if we had it built around that one true calling for a practical structure, instead of the two that are less than that one was meant to be. The ideas of structure and teaching/preaching that you express outside of the norm of today is probably a lot closer to what is truly meant by that call, and it is the same direction I am going in also with ministry and outreach, though it seems it may take me in the direction of starting a new ministry instead of staying with the church I am at now. like many people I have met, they talk alot about how things should be done but fall constantly back on the way they have been done.
Dave:
Thanks for a brilliant article. I'm still in the process of digesting it and, thus far, it is fantastic.
Is there anyway that you can email me and let me know how you're "being the church" in your home? I've been seeking some input into that because I feel that's where it begins and ends.
Thanks again.
Thanks for you comments & questions re my article. I'm glad it has stimulated some reflection & response. I should have added a couple of extra aspects to the article, which might have helped clarify things. 1. I'm addressing sermons primarily as found in evangelical & pentecostal churches, which are typically quite sermon-centred. Catholic & Church of England churches are much less sermon-centred - their sermons are more like reflections or 'toughts for the day' (no offence intended) ... they probably have other areas that are worth critiquing rather than sermons. 2. I am currently an ordained minister in a pentecostal denomination (although my theology, philosophy & practice isn't the current 'norm') - so i am definitely evangelical & Bible believing, & not liberal (although I like McLaren's post-evangelical idea) - this might answer some of Dan's question. In practice, we have established a house church in our community over the past 2 years. Although we are using a house church format, we are primarily motivated by missional church concepts, & have found that a good way to planta missional church is to eliminate the majority of structural constraints found in 'normal' forms of church. I believe there is a place for leadership (by 'elder/older' people) in any church, & also that there is a place for good quality teaching. However, lets call it teaching, not 'preaching', & evaluate it on this basis. I also believe that we need to preach the gospel of Jesus & the kingdom, both in actions & with words - but as I argue in the article, this isn;t the same as the preaching in typical churches. Changing sermons to more interactive forms is a great help ... but I see good reasons for more far-reaching changes to empower people & help them take responsibility for their own spiritual walk, faith & learning (as in missional church concepts)
I told my kids I’ve invented a new school – it has only one class with hundreds of students ranging from 4 yr olds to 18 yr olds. The classes are short (only ½ hr) & we have a quality teacher give an amazing lecture (monologue – no questions, discussion or feedback) to the class. The only problem is that students never graduate from the class – the 18 year olds that have been hearing these lectures for 13 years still need to keep hearing them for the rest of their lives – the only way to graduate is to die. My kids say this school is stupid & will never work. I think they’re right…… but it’s what we do in churches …..
Thanks for the feedback & dialogue. David
Thanks for the great article! Keep speaking the truth!
Am a little nervous to be the only woman to comment, but I do question the willingness to abandon all preaching within the church. First, I don't think we should so quickly abandon what was considered so crucial to the reformers, and the puritans. Sola Scriptura and all it signifies should be a major tenet of the faith. Secondly, I think it is a danger in assuming that the majority of people hearing sermons on any given sunday, are regenerate. The scripture says that they cannot believe if they do not hear, and they cannot hear if no one preaches. In my experience, an abandonment of preaching results very quickly in an abandoning of the gospel.
Dave,
Thanks for your excellent and thought provoking article. As one who has been to seminary, with all of it’s emphasis on preaching, and having sat through many sermons myself, I have experienced both the euphoria of preaching the sermon and being emotionally moved by such as a listener.
The pressure on “preachers” to be both “eloquent” and “practical” is intense. Yet, this has little to do with helping the disciple understand the biblical text!
In contrast, interactive teaching conducted by one gifted in teaching can help the believer both understand the biblical text and see the process of how the teacher reached his conclusions. A more “Socratic” approach is what is needed in the church? This guided approach is hard work for both the teacher and the listener/disciple.
As one who dislikes standing in front of the masses, I do find it a joy to teach and learn in a more interactive, small group. The brethren may teach me more at times than I teach them.
God bless,
Ed Caouette
"Preaching Doesn't Usually Change Lives" This statement goes against 1 Corinthians 1:21 - "God chose the foolishness of preaching to save those who would believe." Sound, Biblical preaching is EXACTLY what brings people to salvation.
"...there is typically a very low 'success rate' for sermons." I guess this would depend on your definition of "success." God told Isaiah to preach and informed him that he would only have a 10 percent "success rate" - see Isaiah 6. God will add to the church as He sees fit. I believe it is our duty to preach and teach (sow the seed); God will see to the harvest.
Excellent article. Thanks for this.
Dear David,
Many good observations which are going through many of our minds. I do think you should make plain first, in your article, if you are born again and your basis for this. That is a necesary foundation to all else. One danger that I see in your attempts to correct some of the wrong emphasis we have in the preaching realm is to lean away from oversight by men recognized as elders/pastors in the New Testament way. Home churches (we started this way) are wonderful if good leadership. Do you maintian leadership that has authority to lead, teach, etc.?
Would love to hear a response.
Dan Stanely
I wouldn't say preaching is extra-biblical. See 1 Timothy 4:13.
Some of your comments are accurate. However, I don't think it means we should throw out expository preaching. The point of it all is to help Christians understand what the Bible says, and what it means. Perhaps a better response to your observations is to get one's hands on actual, real expository preaching (there are plenty of sites on the net now where you can find them) and model one's own preaching after that.
Great article, I wonder if this is what you do, and know we use a more interactive form.
The most staggering realisation for me has been an answer to the question 'who pastors the pastor' or 'who teaches the teacher', and for me as a 'pastor' the answer was the body around me. As I have preached to them in our discussions, they have preacehd and taught me in the responses and questions and answers I get.
It is astounding, but we all grow together, being built into Christ, and really it is the Spirit who is doing it all.
Thanks Dave
Great article ....loved it.....read some similar thoughts on this topic in 'Pagan Christianity' by Frank Viola and am currently reading Stuart Murray's books 'Post Christendom' and 'Church after Christendom'
It seems to be that most of your critiques are of BAD PREACHING...
Just my thought.
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The real purpose of Preaching is discussed in “Biblical Sermons” http://thebigpictureministry.htohananet.com/blog/_archives/2008/2/19/3534314.html
Ricky's request for how to "be the church in our home", I posted "One Way" hoping we could share about our gatherings. http://thebigpictureministry.htohananet.com/blog/_archives/2008/3/5/3563347.html
Re Eric Tober - on whether preaching in the NT is always in the context of evangelism .... I agree that 2 Tim 4:2-3 is the main (only?) passage that seems to go against this. My observation is that this is the main passage used by preachers to justify their preaching (doesn't it raise questions to see only one verse that might support preaching to the 'saved', when 'preaching' is such a central activity in churches???). However, if you look a few verses later in 2 Tim 4:5, Paul is encouraging Timothy to "do the work of an evangelist" ...... this is why I also put the early passages on preaching in the context of evangelism. Blessings. David
Interactive style is fine -I use it regularly. We also bring in numerous special speakers as well as our own elders to preach/teach. I'll double check but I think the two terms really overlap in the NT.
On the distinction between preach/teach - I looked quickly at II Timothy 4:2-3 and the context there is not evangelism but preaching to a local church. Paul tells Tim to "Preach the Word...correct, rebuke and encourage---with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers, to say what their itching ears want to hear."
This one verse seems to undermine your whole thesis. I see this as a "Problem with your take on Preaching." But I'll keep checking the Scriptures to see if what you say is so.
Enjoying the call to be a Pastor and to help shepherd and preach/teach God's people.
Eric Tober State College Evangelical Free Church
I really enjoyed your article on preaching. Very thought provoking. Currently, I am undergoing a paradigm shift in thinking about the church. I see a shift that is occurring and your article is just one more piece of the puzzle that I am trying to fit together. Keep thinking, keep writing and advancing the kingdom in the way God has called you to.
cheers
The Church are the flocks - when did sheep need to be taught how to eat grass?
"My guess is that many churches & church attendees would 'collapse', including many that have been in 'church' for many years. This is a good example of how current organised church methods have created dependency. However, unless a change like this is made, we will continue to create dependency."
They wouldn't collapse if they heard the true Gospel and learnt, that those amongst them with the Spiritual gift of teaching should do the teaching, rather than pastors, who nine times out of ten don't have that gift. In turn these non-teachers teach a non-gospel and put the flocks into bondage and captivity. This bondage and captivity takes the form of religion and legalism and kills Grace stone dead.
All you have to do is follow the first century model of The Church which was egalitarian in makeup. Elders and pastors were overseers who protected the flocks. They weren't jacks of all trades and masters of none like modern religious pastors who are mostly square pegs in round holes.
y2t
Hi Rick - my study of the words for preaching & teaching in the NT showed they had been translated quite clearly (in the NIV & nRSV that I use) .. I didn;t find any confusion ... but did find that 'preaching' is ALWAYS in the context of evangelism & the gospel ... it was a word-study of evangelism & preaching that got me started on this article ... I'd be interested to see what Bible verses seem to combine teaching & preaching .... Interestingly, as I talk to various ministers who I'm friends with, some of them agree that their Sunday message isn;t 'preaching' in the biblical sense - but there is a lack of agreement regarding what it is ... the baptists tend to think it's 'teaching', whereas the pentecostals sometimes say they are trying to 'move' people with it (when I say it is an extra-biblical pep-talk or motivational talk, they aren;t that happy :-) )
Thanks for a brilliant article. I'm still in the process of digesting it and, thus far, it is fantastic.
Is there anyway that you can email me and let me know how you're "being the church" in your home? I've been seeking some input into that because I feel that's where it begins and ends.
Thanks again.
I told my kids I’ve invented a new school – it has only one class with hundreds of students ranging from 4 yr olds to 18 yr olds. The classes are short (only ½ hr) & we have a quality teacher give an amazing lecture (monologue – no questions, discussion or feedback) to the class. The only problem is that students never graduate from the class – the 18 year olds that have been hearing these lectures for 13 years still need to keep hearing them for the rest of their lives – the only way to graduate is to die. My kids say this school is stupid & will never work. I think they’re right…… but it’s what we do in churches …..
Thanks for the feedback & dialogue. David
Thanks for your excellent and thought provoking article. As one who has been to seminary, with all of it’s emphasis on preaching, and having sat through many sermons myself, I have experienced both the euphoria of preaching the sermon and being emotionally moved by such as a listener.
The pressure on “preachers” to be both “eloquent” and “practical” is intense. Yet, this has little to do with helping the disciple understand the biblical text!
In contrast, interactive teaching conducted by one gifted in teaching can help the believer both understand the biblical text and see the process of how the teacher reached his conclusions. A more “Socratic” approach is what is needed in the church? This guided approach is hard work for both the teacher and the listener/disciple.
As one who dislikes standing in front of the masses, I do find it a joy to teach and learn in a more interactive, small group. The brethren may teach me more at times than I teach them.
God bless,
Ed Caouette
"...there is typically a very low 'success rate' for sermons." I guess this would depend on your definition of "success." God told Isaiah to preach and informed him that he would only have a 10 percent "success rate" - see Isaiah 6. God will add to the church as He sees fit. I believe it is our duty to preach and teach (sow the seed); God will see to the harvest.
Many good observations which are going through many of our minds. I do think you should make plain first, in your article, if you are born again and your basis for this. That is a necesary foundation to all else. One danger that I see in your attempts to correct some of the wrong emphasis we have in the preaching realm is to lean away from oversight by men recognized as elders/pastors in the New Testament way. Home churches (we started this way) are wonderful if good leadership. Do you maintian leadership that has authority to lead, teach, etc.?
Would love to hear a response.
Dan Stanely
Some of your comments are accurate. However, I don't think it means we should throw out expository preaching. The point of it all is to help Christians understand what the Bible says, and what it means. Perhaps a better response to your observations is to get one's hands on actual, real expository preaching (there are plenty of sites on the net now where you can find them) and model one's own preaching after that.
The most staggering realisation for me has been an answer to the question 'who pastors the pastor' or 'who teaches the teacher', and for me as a 'pastor' the answer was the body around me. As I have preached to them in our discussions, they have preacehd and taught me in the responses and questions and answers I get.
It is astounding, but we all grow together, being built into Christ, and really it is the Spirit who is doing it all.
Thanks Dave
Just my thought.