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September 16, 2009
3 Myths about Preaching Today
Why a new kind of preaching is needed for our post-Christian culture.
As I have traveled these past few years, I’ve heard the repetitive refrain from despondent pastors: “I always thought that if I preached a good sermon the church would grow.” I heard it again last week so I thought I’d comment on it along with two other beliefs about preaching. Here are 3 dying myths (IMO) of Christendom about Preaching.
MYTH 1: If You Preach a Good Sermon the Church Will Grow
Many a despondent preacher has discovered that this notion is no longer true. It has become a dying myth in post-Christendom. Nevertheless, it gets reinforced by mega churches who leverage (by video screens, etc.) one or two gifted teachers to build crowds coming to consume a good sermon. These examples are largely drawing on the leftovers of Christendom—people still looking for “good teaching” that is portable and user friendly to somehow improve their Christian lives. I take no offense in ministering to those of us who are still part of Christendom, we need to be fed and nurtured too! I just want all pastors who aim their ministries in this direction to realize the pie is getting smaller and the competition hotter. Anyone still holding onto the premise—if I just preach a good sermon, they will come—and ministering in a post-Christendom context, must either compete or be grossly disappointed with the continued dwindling of his/her congregation.
Having said all this, the “great halls” (stadiums) of preaching distribution will not connect to the lost souls of post-Christendom. Post-Christian people are not attracted to the sermon as the first place to go in their spiritual distress. We must help leaders understand that if you spend 35-40 hours a week in your office preparing a good sermon on Sunday, making it not only theologically competent (which is worthy) but slick, you are ministering to the dying vestiges of Christendom.
MYTH 2: Who You Preach To is Who You Will Reach
I have heard it said repeatedly “who you preach to is who will come.” This has worked within Christendom for centuries. Today, in post-Christendom, it has become another dying myth that IMO should be dispelled. It says that if you preach to unbelievers in your service your members will start inviting their unbelieving friends to hear what you’re saying. But if you don’t preach to unbelievers you’ll have a worship service full of believers. But again this feeds on the impulses of Christendom—that the way to bring non-believers into the Kingdom is through inviting them to hear a good sermon. This does not make sense to those who can think of nothing more irrelevant and disenchanting than going to listen to someone “preach at me” (often their perception).
MYTH 3: The Goal of Preaching is to Make the Bible Relevant
We pastors, who are at the end of our wits in the fields of post-Christendom, will often try to make our preaching more relevant. Caught between the winds of the Neo-Reformed who argue “we just need to preach the truth and they will come,” and the mega church gurus who argue that “we need to make the Bible relevant,” we make a last ditch effort to do the latter (because we’ve already tried the former). Sadly however, this is a Christendom attitude that attempts to pull in the Christendom leftovers with a more updated gospel ready made to fit their already Christianized lives. As more and more churches try to “out relevant” one another and the leftovers of Christendom become anesthetized to relevancy, “making the Bible more relevant” is revealed as yet another dying myth in post-Christendom.
The Kind of Preaching We Desperately Need
The task of preaching is to proclaim truth. It is the moment that brings the truth into the present. Much like anamnesis in the Lord’s Supper is much more than intellectual recall of the Lord’s death and resurrection, so preaching is more than recalling and teaching information from the past about God. Preaching is a speech-act. It is the proclaiming of the truth out of Scripture over us so as to bring the truth into being by the Spirit.
Preaching is a truth making event—not in the sense that the truth is invented here, but that the Spirit, through the gifts, brings it into reality. (I’ll have to defend myself against the accusation that I’m a Bultmannian sometime). Much like Jesus said in Luke chapter 4:21 - “today this Scripture has been fulfilled in its hearing,” proclamation is a speaking forth of an interpretation (from Scripture) of our lives in terms of who God is, the gospel and what he is doing to bring it about in our lives and thru us into the world. If anything then, far from trying to make the Scriptures relevant, the goal of preaching is to make everything else irrelevant. It is the re-narrating of ourselves corporately into God.
The bottom line is once we preach for formation, where God’s truth is birthed in and among us, we become shaped for his mission in the world. We can see things we didn’t see before. We act out of assumptions we didn’t have before. We imagine what God is doing in ways not possible before. And a little congregation becomes a powder-keg for mission and the harvesting of fields ready for the gospel.
Comments
I had the opportunity last week to hear Eugene Peterson speak to 70 pastors in Scotland. He made many interesting comments but two strike me here. One was that pastors are shepherds of language. He claimed that The Message Bible was born out of speaking the gospel into the lives of his various congregants. I thought that was fascinating. He talked about paracletic language, which is gospel-breathed small-talk. He noted how Jesus would speak the gospel into regular conversations about weeds, soil and life.
The second thing that really struck me is that preaching is fundamentally about shepherding, and shepherding necessarily entails knowing the sheep (I would add: knowing yourself as "sheep" as well). He mentioned the many "half-pastors" he sees now, who think that preaching is the big show and house calls are not "big time" enough for their time. I thought that was incredibly challenging, especially in a day when we seem to assume that bigger makes every kind of thing better.
Posted By: Kyle Strobel | September 16, 2009 11:49 AM
We're flirting with the idea of no longer publicizing which pastor will be preaching what service. You end up with people skipping church because they prefer another preacher.
I know that the Word ought to be the centerpiece of the service, but it's carrying it a little too far when it becomes the only reason someone attends on a Sunday or not.
Loving pastoral care is much more important to growing the body of Christ than a sermon, IMHO. As noted, unchurched people don't visit a church because they feel the compulsion to hear a sermon; they visit because they have a deep-seated need.
Posted By: Jjoe | September 16, 2009 12:07 PM
What unchurched people really need is to hear the gospel.
That is what 'churched' people need as well.
That is job#1 of the church.
The other stuff is great and we ought do what we can.
The Word and Sacraments is main task at hand.
Posted By: Steve Martin | September 16, 2009 12:31 PM
First:
"I never measure my congregation, I weigh it." Dr. Joseph Parker
It's not all about numbers, it's also about depth and density.
Second:
Paul instructs each believer to prepare a word, hymn, etc. to strengthen the church. How many believers prepare for church meetings today? How many get a chance to share?
I'm not suggesting the New Testament be used as a blueprint for every little detail in a meeting. In the same chapter, Paul indicates that women should remain silent. I'm referring to a more open meeting format that allows Christ to express himself through every member of the body.
I'm convinced passive consumption of the Word will not suffice in "Post-Christendom."
Posted By: Joel Zehring | September 16, 2009 2:53 PM
Post-Christendom will continue to be the modus operandi for churches as long as there is enough money in the economy to pay a preacher. As long as God's people think it is a godly thing to pool 75 - 85% of their giving to hire a preacher and maintain buildings for pulpit and pew, and all the other accessories that go with the lecture performance, the church will stay largely the same. The revelation is there to realize "refusing the right to be paid" ( Acts 20; 1 Cor. 9; 2 Thes. 3) is the strategic step beyond "the right to be paid" for those who "labor in the word..."
Nuanced talk about this idea or that myth won't change the system nor any of the current results. Peoples hearts are chained to where their treasure goes. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." It's a law of the heart.
Preaching can be reproductive instead of perpetual dependency. But not as long as it is cemented in one-wa communication and in hired experts. What preacher wants to give away the main basis for his pay check? What lay person would want 100% of their giving to go beyond themselves?
Posted By: Tim | September 16, 2009 7:27 PM
This is all based on a blind dependency on an M.O. we refuse to see and break away from. The paradigm is (as others have observed) the old church as a big block of ice sitting at one location never to move. The institutional church is hooked on invitation/attraction and all it is really doing is shuffling a small percentage of society from ice block to ice block. So we persist with the poor stewardship of pouring our resources into the block and expecting someone to sit within it for several hours per week to dazzle the shuffled masses.
Tony & Felicty Dale (with George Barna) have nailed the problem in their recent book "The Rabbit and the Elephant" with this observation:
"Liquid church happens when we stop inviting others to come to church and instead we go out into every sphere of society as the Lord leads. We reach out to our neighbors or our coworkers, and instead of asking them to come to church, we get together with those people right where they live and work. In this way, segments of society that might never have experienced church life are affected by the Kingdom of God."
Posted By: Jeff Stewart | September 17, 2009 3:38 AM
I agree in general that great messages from the pastor doesn't translate in to a crowd. But I wouldn't tell Charles Swindoll, Charles Stanley, or John MacArthur, nor Jonathan Falwell. But for us regular preachers, I agree.
Posted By: Charles E. WHisnant | September 17, 2009 5:47 AM
Great article David! I wonder if it's really hard for folks to grasp the concept that Christendom is shrinking because there is still much growth happening with relevant and/or very gifted teaching.
I think that biggest myth for me about preaching is that NT "preaching" was proclaiming the good news in public in various ways among the lost, not teaching in church meetings...which is another result of Christendom of course....
Posted By: luke | September 17, 2009 7:41 AM
I once heard a colleague say that the most important visit he made was at 11 AM on Sunday mornings...I appreciate the shepherding image
Posted By: Jim Kane | September 17, 2009 8:46 AM
Great article! I come from a small church in NJ and my father is the Pastor. Ultimately your end conclusion is perfectly summed up - preachers must preach the gospel in TRUTH. That's what it's really about. Not crafting messages around what preachers think the people want to hear or with a goal to draw people based on a sermon alone. It's simply about declaring the truth of God.
Posted By: Natalie | September 17, 2009 12:15 PM
I agree with much of what Pastor Fitch wrote. Certainly preaching "for formation" is important. However, I think it is wrong to assume that when one does so, "a little congregation becomes a powder-keg for mission and the harvesting of fields ready for the gospel." The congregation's members have to be willing to participate in the mission and the harvesting; if they are not, no matter how wonderful the preaching or pastoral care or anything else the pastor does, the congregation will stagnate and eventually die.
I provide coaching and workshops for pastors related to setting healthy boundaries and having realistic expectations of self and others, so I am especially sensitive to anything that seems to imply that a good pastor can turn any congregation around. That belief has helped create an epidemic of depressed pastors who blame themselves for things they cannot control, keep working more hours trying to do the impossible, and eventually burn out and leave parish ministry.
Posted By: Wendi Gordon | September 18, 2009 2:06 AM
What's particularly sad to me is how people assume that making the bible central must only be achieved via a sermon.
Posted By: nathan | September 18, 2009 3:21 PM
I appreciate this very fine post. Good points and gave me an opportunity to reflect on the assumptions that I make about preaching.
(Also appreciate Kyle Strobel's comment above regarding E. Peterson. Would have loved to have heard him then.)
Posted By: Jim Martin | September 19, 2009 11:50 AM
***The task of preaching is to proclaim truth. It is the moment that brings the truth into the present.***
I disagree. The task of preaching is to proclaim the gospel. It is the moment where people are liberated by the Word.
kgp
Posted By: Kevin Powell | September 19, 2009 11:57 AM
The kind of preaching we desperately need is the same the church has always needed. We gather to worship, hear from and meet with God. The core factors are God's people assembled (in any number - I appreciate the thought on weighing rather than counting), His Spirit present and His Word spoken forth.
What is emphasized in the NT is not the focus of any of the oversimplified marketing / people pleasing schemes we have played with for decades. Biblical preaching is the presenting of the Word of God with the intent of allowing him to do as he pleases in the hearts and minds of the hearers.
Jesus calls us to follow him, to hear him, to worship him - to be his people in unity and grace. Our Sunday meetings (of which some form of preaching the Bible is a part) should be precious to us - as should our ongoing relationships with our brothers and sisters.
All else we seek - evangelism, impact on the world, etc. will flow from our collective obedience to the Head of the Church.
Posted By: David Carhart | September 19, 2009 10:18 PM
The Great Commission and Preaching
The world situation today is like a room filled with 6 people: 4 of whom, WXYZ, do not know/believe in Jesus Christ, while the remaining 2 are Christians - Afflicted A and Comfortable C.
When A afflicts C - that is Prophetic Preaching. When C comforts A - that is Pastoral Preaching.
When A & C save the lost WXYZ - that is Evangelistic Preaching. Later, when A & C nurture the saved WXYZ - that is Shepherding Preaching.
Posted By: still | September 20, 2009 4:21 AM
I appreciate the article and thoughtful responses here. First off, loved this line, "far from trying to make the Scriptures relevant, the goal of preaching is to make everything else irrelevant." And therein lies the rub. If you truly proclaim the Gospel, the Truth, then Jesus stands as a threat to everything your hearer (and yourself) hold dear: comfort, security, confidence, authority, knowledge, etc. Jesus demands nothing short of everything, and very few are willing to truly die to ourselves to find new life.
For this reason, it's all God's work anyway. May He finish His transformation in our lives!
One other thought, I'm amazed at how critical certain folks are of pastors who sustain their families through the financial gifts of the body of Christ. It seems these days you can sell/do anything else to make a living (or a killing), but if you're a vocational pastor, you're somehow cheating yourself, the church, or God. As you may have guessed, this is an issue I've long struggled with as I transitioned from my first career (cha-ching!) to my only vocation (blessing!). May God speak!
Posted By: bil_ | September 20, 2009 10:59 PM
What we need to hear from the pulpit is an assurance that in a world where we are flung head-first into constant change whether we want it or not, there is something that does not change and will not change: the Word of God. Pastors who demonstrate the unchanging truths of grace and forgiveness and repentance will have listeners. We need something to hold on to and those who study God's Word thoroughly can relate it properly to the world . . . His world. It will help those of us who are struggling to change our lives to be reminded that God does not change His to suit our culture.
Thom Hunter
http://thom-signsofastruggle.blogspot.com/
Posted By: Thom Hunter | September 21, 2009 11:36 AM
If we don't show people the Bible is relevant to their lives, then the gospel message will be lost on them. People need to see that the Bible is not a history book but the living, breathing word of God. It not only holds God's promises, but it also shows us mistakes our ancestors made that we can learn from. First and foremost we plant seeds so the Holy Spirit can draw them into a saving relationship. We do not save anyone! That is the job of the Holy Spirit, of the Lord ... not man. We are seed planters, guides, shepherds. We need not water down a message to appease men, either.
Posted By: David | September 22, 2009 1:01 PM
Many sermons are little more than a sales pitch.
Worship services are reduced to store-front windows designed to entice shoppers to buy the other products the congregation offers.
When the King returns “many will say on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we do good stuff that worked, got results, and validated our lives?’”
And the King will say to them, “who are you?”
Not until “that day” will we know rightly how to think about our work, preaching, mission.
As mega amounts of “wood, hay and stubble” go up in flames, humble pastors who served the King of the Kingdom will come forth as gold. And only the King will know who they are.
The minute that isn’t enough, we don’t get it.
Posted By: Robbie | September 22, 2009 1:58 PM
"We do not save anyone! That is the job of the Holy Spirit, of the Lord...not man."
David, you're right.
"To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might SAVE some." 1 Cor 9:22
"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will SAVE both yourself and your hearers." 1 Tim 4:16
"Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will SAVE him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." James 5:20
"I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and SAVE some of them." Rom 11:13-14
Although not stated, all of the above verses imply Eph 2:8 "For it is by grace you have been SAVED, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God..."
In mathematical terms, it is called a GIVEN.
Posted By: still | September 23, 2009 1:17 PM
Great observations Pastor Fitch. If you preach it they will come does not work anymore. The sermon on Sunday should be directed towards those who already have a relationship with the Lord, discipling them, so they can then go into the world and be Christ to the lost.
Posted By: Jeff | September 23, 2009 2:51 PM
When we preached the truth, convictions will take place & that's the work of the Holy Spirit.Believers & non- believers will be as one in the congregation. For a hired pastors, truth can be a half-truth or a quarter-truth. Thanks for the insight. God bless.
Posted By: andy padolina | September 24, 2009 4:38 AM
SARAH AND AGAR ARE BY REVELATION NOT PEOPLE BUT JERUSALEMS: (Short Form for press) Gal 4: 21-28.
(a) Earthly Jerusalem is allegorically Agar & her sons in bondage of serving earthly carnal rulers and testifiers of the Bible who do not see (understand) heavenly rule sealed in the Bible.
(b) Heavenly Jerusalem is allegorically Sarah & her son(s) in liberty or freedom who have been set free by God given wisdom and knowledge that ENABLE them to READ the Bible in God's Wisdom and knowledge that sets them free from the enslaving carnal rule of the devil and his sons testifying the Bible in human knowledge and wisdom. Gal.4:26-28.
www.mychurch.org/patrickbwayo/blog
Posted By: Pastor Patrick Bwayo | September 25, 2009 1:32 PM
In a post-Christendom and post-modern culture, why preach sermons at all??
Can we think of no other way to proclaim the good news?
Why is the central activity of the Christian gathering listening to one person talk?
Posted By: Jesse | September 28, 2009 10:33 AM
I read your blog but i did not understand your 3 Myths about Preaching Today.I really want's to understand this Mythes can you help me?
I want's to know more about this topic is must MYTH 2: Who You Preach To is Who You Will Reach.
Posted By: r4 software | November 4, 2009 11:26 PM
As mega amounts of “wood, hay and stubble” go up in flames, humble pastors who served the King of the Kingdom will come forth as gold. And only the King will know who they are.
The minute that isn’t enough, we don’t get it.
Posted By: Ginseng Coréen | December 17, 2009 10:24 PM
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