Preaching: An Impediment to the Missional Church?
Does a Post-Christendom World Care for 40 Minute Opinions Expositions?
Updated February 20th, 2010.
(**NOTE: For this post the terms preaching or sermon are distinctly referring to the act of one person talking at length about their perspective of a particular topic which is treated as the apex of the particular worship expression of a given church service.**)
If you're a serious churchgoer then perhaps you operate under an assumption that when it comes to preaching/sermon more is better.
Some evangelicals even think that the sign of a good church is the quality of the preaching. I'm not sure how this is measured between preacher to preacher, but I surmise it has a lot to do with individual relevance, captivation, and good feelings after the service.
I recall seeing this quote from a 'motivational' missional poster:
Is it true? Is preaching a form of violence to those who have to sit there and take it? Have you ever felt that way? If you’ve felt that way can you imagine what someone off the street might experience?
Many church traditions make preaching the central component of their gatherings (church) it can't be bad thing can it?
I remember being blasted by a number of conservative Christians after noting the tagline in the picture above on a Facebook status. These people lamented on the crucial importance of not only hearing a sermon, but the very action of preaching the 'Word' (treating the Bible and Christ as the same thing).
Dare I suggest that the very act of PREACHING (delivering an exposition, an expository sermon, teaching doctrine, etc.) can impede mission in the post-Christendom world?
You wouldn’t think it was an issue given the rhetoric coming out for major voices in the US. Vintage Church, a book by multi-site video preacher Mark Driscoll, outlines the necessity of preaching to be the foundational element of any ministry.
Jesus' ministry included feeding the hungry, healing the sick, loving the outcast, and befriending the sinner. But we must never forget that Jesus' ministry began with preaching. Thus, preaching is the first priority of ministry that leads God's mission, which is accompanied by various other ministries that support, supplement, and sustain the preaching of God's Word in truth with passion....
Because Jesus begins his ministry in Matthew 5 with the 'Sermon on the Mount' we conclude that the heart of our Triune and missional God consists of preaching? That's incredible boring and incredulous to think that Pastor Joe Blow posses any type of transformative power simply be speaking opinionated truths from the gospel.
**For more reading on this subject check a Dave Fitch article on 'Can missional church be multisite?'**
It made sense during biblical times (and still is in many places) time to have open air and lengthy bouts of 'sermonizing' since this was the primary teaching method. Auditory learning was crucial for an illiterate audience. The gathering in the church building made sense because the qualified clergy who had the information were usually housed there.
We now exist in a time where everybody can read and prefer to test an experience rather than adopt somebody else's rule book.
I don't believe that preaching is always barbaric like the poster says, but seriously? Does the heart of the church community center around the preaching? Because 99% of the time that means it's centered around preacher and not the proclamation of the redemptive message (assuming the message is even communicated as such.)
Is that all we got? Is our post-Christendom culture really yearning to be stuffed into a building once a week to sit and listen to a lecture? The only aspects in our current culture that have people sit and consume the talking head are preachers and comedians.
Isn't there more to our community/church experience?
Preaching in its raw form takes place on whichever day (usually Sunday) when the community (commonly referred to as the church), gather together to worship God. What I question is why preaching (and subsequently preacher) are placed on a pedestal over and above every other single component of community.
The fact the people inside the church walls tolerate 30-45 minute sermons (that sometimes stretch into speeches) removes attention from a variety of participatory elements of our church services. Rather than being the community pointing our worship towards God the Father, we are the community sitting quietly listening to the anointed few (which makes us bad Protestants, FYI).
If your tradition truly believes in the priesthood of all believers (thus the creation of a horizontal organizational structure) then seek to break down the clergy laity difference. I'm beginning to notice that many churches glorify 'leadership development' but in actuality don't develop leaders nor create an environment for new leaders (many believe it's better to create buildings for thousands to see one and to multi site via video rather than build new leaders for smaller congregations).
In the consumer church model we've created a laity-clergy-missionary model that's made 90% of all Christians inert. Failure to create leaders to share God's redemption story with their community and having a non-participatory worship service will only exacerbate this problem.
Typically the only time the greater community gathers together the moments are spent sitting down, shutting up, facing the front, putting money in a bag, and listening to one man's perspectives on my life. My sense is the world outside the church walls are more interested in participating in a living community, not consuming a subpar spiritual product. Count me as part of that group.
Shouldn't we put our weight somewhere else? My sense is there's something deeper to be experienced, something that is truly worship AND can be understood by our current cultural context.
The solution isn't to exclude 'preaching'. However, we should look hard at how we treat preaching in the post-Christendom world. Moving away from exhortations towards formation is one method. Let's go back to Dave Fitch for some more insight:
I suggest this little snippet from Willard is essential to understanding the role of preaching in the Missional Church. For here in the missional church gathering preaching is not a.) for the purpose of distributing information and self help points on how to improve your Christian life, b.) not an inspirational talk done by a convincing and charismatic speaker. Neither is it c.)someone speaking as an expert from above – although the preacher will be gifted in teaching/preaching and have studied the Scriptures well.
Instead preaching for the missional church is a preaching among the church, out of the community, interpreting what God is doing among us and calling us living into the reality of that. It is a clarion call to live into the reality that “Jesus is Lord ” and all that that might mean for us in our lives and context. We preach like this relying on the Scriptures unfurling the reality of God at work in the world all under the work of the Holy Spirit. The preacher must speak authentically, he/she must be known in and among the congregation (by at least some people everyday in the congregation). He/she must be involved in the lives of people in everyday life. He /she must proclaim the gospel reality of Jesus Kingdom breaking in, the transforming power of God’s forgiveness, defeat of the powers and his working for the renewal of all things INTO THE SITUATIONS WE ARE LIVING. (I strongly suggest this can’t be done via a video screen).
This adjustment will impact our worship, but that's OK given that the apex of Christianity is not Bible, it is not preaching, it is CHRIST. Preaching is a component to bring a community into the reality of who Christ is, it takes the message of God's redemption plan for creation and translates it into the here and now.
How will this look? The community will celebrate surrounding their time with scripture, remembering sacrifice and celebrating intercession (redemption and hope made imminent). The apex of community celebration is communion (the sacraments). If the reality of your church service is centered around the Table and not the preacher you are forced to adjust your object of worship (from preacher or bible to Christ).
Celebrating the reality of Christ in our community today reaffirms and commissions us to exist in between the time of resurrection and eternal hope--to engage in God's mission to reach out and reclaim what's been broken and in turn redeem it.
Of course, we already know this. Doing it on the other hand....
