The Power in Preaching
Jul 23rd, 2007 | By art rogers | Category: Church, General Christian, PreachingAlong with participating in the Spiritual Disciplines blogging series, I have been considering for some time blogging a personal series on powerful preaching.
Having ministered to teenagers for 19 years before serving this last year as a Lead Pastor, my opportunities to preach on a regular basis have been slim. Of course, my Bible Studies have always been more sermonesque than the vignettes that most Youth Ministers offer. I have noticed a trend that this style of speaking to youth is growing. I think that is good, to some degree. However, that is not the discussion I would like to have.
Rather, I have spent a year coming up with three sermons a week and have begun to compare my previous experiences with new ones. Also, I realize the dangers of self reliance.
I have been the subject of many a poor sermon. Knowing the preacher as I did, and the congregation as I did, I can safely say that it wasn’t just me not connecting to the kerygma – the preached gospel.
That is not to say that the Truth was not being proclaimed. OK so sometimes we only got psycho-babble with a poorly related verse of Scripture read at the beginning, but for the most part, truth played a part in some point of the sermon.
What makes the difference? I have several ideas I would like to explore. In the meantime, you tell me. What makes a powerful preaching? What separates that which is mundane from that which transforms? Why do we have so much mediocrity in the pulpit?
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What separates that which is mundane from that which transforms?
Authenticity. You teaching me what God is teaching you.
We have so much mediocrity in the pulpit, I think, because too many of you are not actually learning anything from God. Or what you are learning you aren’t passing on, out of embarrassment or…whatever. Perhaps you’re not willing to be authentic and admit the areas you struggle and how God is speaking straight into those areas and covering them with His grace as the two of you work on the sin together.
PS — the “you” here is a plural/community one — all ya’ll pastors :) — not a personal/singular one. And it certainly doesn’t apply to every pastor.
Art-
I think Lu is right about authenticity. I also think there is a lack of intimate knowledge of context (which comes via preparation) as well as a lack of authentic (as opposed to manufactured) passion in the pulpit. I think much can be changed if those two areas are attended to.
Additionally, from a technical viewpoint, I think there needs to be greater care given to the presentation of the preacher as well as his wordsmith ability. Preachers with a strong vocabulary seem, to me, to be able to more effectively communicate the message.
“mundane” vs. “transform”
The last two pastors that I have served under had similar visions. Both had a heart for community, lost, and reaching a generation that is searching for answers. But…the first was a real good communicator but lacked in his action. No amount of vocabulary can sustain that kind of preaching. It will reveal itself. My current pastor (Art) is backing his talk with his walk. Plus as an added bonus the sermons are relevant and applicable.
The first pastor even with his flair with words became “mundane” with time. Their was very little transformation seen from the pulpit. In retrospect if his actions had matched his talk, WOW, I believe God would have blessed the pastor and the church.
Art, keep it up. You have a gift of ministry that I hope isn’t unique among pastors. That is the ability to preach and teach a honest and applicable sermon and have the integrity to walk among believers and unbelievers with the same convictions.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that we “are being transfromed”. You and I both arn’t perfect, but we in our own way are striving to “reflect the glory of the Lord”.
Don’t change, keep the faith, stay true to Art, and you will be blessed.
I’d like to suggest a semantic change. I’ve noticed that when people use the term “authentic” they sometimes use it as a means of self-justification. When authenticity becomes the cardinal principle, it is often the “struggle” that is preached more than the truth. I’d like to suggest another term, “honesty.” I’m really not writing this just to be picky. I just know, from personal experience, that when authenticity or transparency become the cardinal principles they can become the controlling principles as well. What I mean is that when people want to hear authentic, they usually want to hear struggle. Scripture talks about our struggle, but also tells us that with Christ we overcome our struggles. I like Bart’s comment about transformation. I think that’s the key. To me, honesty is about my failures, authenticity sometimes justifies them.
Years ago I attended Alcoholics Anonymous. Every meeting was authentic. I mean, everyone talked about their struggles. However, some meetings never talked about the cure. We called the authentic meetings “puke” sessions. That’s what we all did. We showed up and authentically puked all our struggles out, but no one got better. I was always looking for a meeting that had some sobreity. Identification with the struggle only went so far. I needed to hear the cure and see the cure practiced. I think that’s what Bart was saying, too.
I can determine only one reason why any sermon, at any time, has any divine power in it. It has to be because of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the preaching event.
Think about it, around 80% of the wold is visual/tactile. They learn best thru seeing and doing, not hearing. Around 20% of the world turns out to be auditory learners. Preaching, or any speaking based rhetoric, has to be the most ineffective means of communication ever devised! Yet, God has and continues to work powerfully through the spoken word, thru proclamation, the reading and expounding upon his scripture. It has to be the power of the Holy Spirit behind it. Nothing else makes sense, imo.
Tim
One of my professors in college, Dr. Donald Potts, would tell us, “Study deep and preach from the overflow”. One of the differences in effective, dynamic, communicative preaching is knowing the passage (text, subject, topic, etc…) rather than just knowing about the passage.
Art,
When a 3-year-old child can remember the sermon months later as our granddaughter did, it says something about the Pastor’s delivery of the message.
This was in a Tribute my wife Irene wrote to Dr. Edmund P. Clowney
What a treasure to have him teach us in Sunday School or hear him Preach. Imagine! He always had us on the edge of our seats with his brilliance as he unfolded the mysteries of God’s Word. We especially remember how he would chuckle when emphasizing a point he was making. It was as if he was discovering God’s amazing message right along with us! Above all, we remember Dr. Clowney as a man who truly represented what it is to be a Christian. Despite his incredible background, he remained always a man of genuine humility. A gentle man, yet one sensed and immediately understood the strength and wisdom that made him the man he was. Now he is home, and how happy and full of delight he must be. Well-done, true and faithful servant and child of God.
Someone else wrote the following tribute.
He knew the Bible so well. He was as much a walking concordance as the most illiterate pastor in the developing world who knows only the One Book. But after hearing him use that gift, so many were discouraged, since they could never preach like that! Instead, we need and are all called to master the Book as he did.
You can read more here http://edmundclowney.com/.
In His Name
Wayne Smith
Art,
I, too, am a veteran of “puke” sessions as I was raised in an alcoholic home. Ala-non, ala-teen and AA were all part of our family experience in my formative years. I’m not comfortable with preaching being identified with those either.
I didn’t hear Lu restricting her use of “authentic” to “telling of struggles” [not that anyone said she did] but I heard her saying it is speaking of what is “being learned.” That involves both struggle and cure being presented it would seem to me. I’m aware that many do not like a minister speaking of their own struggles at all. It would appear it makes them uncomfortable. [though such struggles are at the very heart of the gospel.] I’m wondering if it may be that some folks put preachers on a pedestal as if they have it altogether and I also wonder if some of us as preachers don’t foster that by NEVER speaking of our struggles.
Then there are surly those who seem to enjoy only talking about their struggles and seem to revel in them since they never bother to investigate change and growth with application of Divine Truth. What a journey we’re on.
If a communicator of Divine Truth [preacher/teacher] does the job well, the communicator will NOT be presented as the example of the struggle OR the cure. That would negate the uniqueness of the hearers. The communicator of DT must be seen as a participant in the journey, however, by being open and honest about the uniqueness of his/her journey for the authenticity, of which Lu spoke, to be there. AND sharing the meaning of scripture, chapter and verse, with an eye always on the Victory won at the Cross will be the foundation for ANY cure that is heard/seen by the hearers. [Understanding, of course, all is in the Hands of a very capable Holy Spirit.]
How a preacher is doing in his own journey is a question to be asked his spouse, kids, church, or friends. [Perhaps a staff member} That is where the real, and by any definition, authentic person is known. Remember the pulpit only puts on display what a person is in relationships, real or otherwise.
I’ve been on this communication of DT journey for over fifty years now and don’t have it down yet. I need the good stuff you guys/gals are talking abut here. Keep it up.
Authenticity
I appreciate the words about authenticity as well, both the encouragement and the caution.
I try always to be honest that I am no better than anyone – that I struggle as well – but I don’t usually go into details.
I think that reveling in the sins of one’s past, or appearing to glorify oneself in worldliness, accomplishes just the opposite of what most people desire. The motivation behind that tragic mistake is to be held in a higher esteem by the congregation, but if the congregation is righteous, they will lose confidence in a worldly man; if they are worldly, they will see a man attempting to promote himself with his own words and they will not respect him – and they would be right, of course.
spirit and truth
Nance,
I’m praying for your family, that they all know Jesus and except Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Dr John Frame wrote a Book on Worship.
The book is Worship in Spirit and Truth (1996) .
In His Name
Wayne Smith
Nancy,
Sorry for the misspelling of your Name.
In His Name
Wayne Smith
Art,
Regarding your last comment, I can’t help but agree. I believe authenticity in the pulpit is critical. You cannot effectively teach/preach without having it lived out in your life. Likewise, those who define authenticity as the word of God impacting my life this week with the message and then me passing it on is correct as well.
Yet there is a fine line between simple authenticity and proudly proclaiming sin in the pulpit. I cring when a preacher tells me he is a sinner. I know it is true. I know it is true of myself. But there is something attitudanal (is that a word??) in the way that it can be done. It can either be an admittance to God’s work through a message or it can be pride in a sense.
We need to be careful not to make either too much or too little of our struggles.
I would also add this about authenticity. It isn’t just in the content, but also the delivery.