The Question and Challenge of Preaching Today
I’ve both appreciated and enjoyed the comments (and emails) on the post “What is Preaching?” Not surprisingly, folks shared a number of insights and views, though most insights seemed to break down into three categories in particular:
1) I like preaching the way it is (as a hearer or preacher), so let’s not fix something that’s not broken. (Actually the minority sentiment expressed.)
2) I’d really like to be more engaged. (Perhaps the dominant response from listeners.)
3) I’d like to engage folks more, but am not sure how or, for that matter, how it would be received. (The corresponding sentiment from preachers.)
And this, of course, is what makes preaching both challenging and interesting today. We come from a range of backgrounds and traditions and have a number of different expectations.
To be sure, I continue to believe that preaching is first and foremost about proclamation: about declaring what God has done – and is still doing! – for us and all the world in and through Jesus.
Increasingly, I also think preaching needs to be about formation: helping shape in hearers the imagination so that they can understand, believe, and live the proclamation they’ve heard.
Moreover, I think preachers not only need to proclaim the Word, but also be stewards of proclamation. As church attendance declines, we need to find ways to share our faith at home, at school, in the workplace, at places where we recreate and volunteer, and more. If preachers are the only ones who are comfortable talking about the Bible and sharing their faith, that’s not likely to happen. But if preachers are able to equip us to be more familiar with and invested in our faith, and more comfortable sharing it, then the preacher will have a lot of fellow proclaimers and be leading a community of the Word.
Interestingly, there are some similar conversations and changes happening in the world of medicine. A generation ago, you went to the doctor when something was wrong, and the doctor told you what it was and what to do about it. Over time, however, two things happened. 1) Waiting until people were sick to treat them became financially unviable and, well, dumb! So now doctors spend time in your visits – whether “well checkups” or when you’re ill – equipping you take care of yourself in between visits. 2) People became more informed about matters related to heath as a result of the information explosion on the internet (think of WebMD) and so looked for more information; they wanted, that is, to take a more active role in their health and treatment.
Could that be what’s happening – and what’s needed – on Sunday mornings? That we need to be equipped to take better spiritual care of ourselves throughout the week and have a chance to interact and learn more, in this way taking more responsibility for our faith. (Yes, I know faith is a gift, but I think you know what I mean.)
These, at least, are some of the questions I’m thinking through and I appreciate your help and partnership.
I don’t have the answer – probably there is no single answer – but I think the pursuit is important. In the meantime, I came across this clip from a Desperate Housewives episode that seemed to fit what we’re talking about. I found the exchange between Lynette and Bree after church particularly relevant: “The church isn’t a place for questions but for answers.” “Yeah, but how do you get the answers is you don’t ask questions?”
Notes: 1) If you receive this post by email, you may need to click on the title at the top of the post to watch the video.
2) I explore these questions in greater detail, and offer some suggestions, in my Preaching at the Crossroads
Most of the time I wish someone, anyone, would ask me about anything in my sermon. I have two in the assembly who take notes and occasionally ask me about a point in my sermon. But for most of the time, I could be preaching to the wall and get the same response. Now I know that Lutherans (ELCA) are trained not to question the pastor, but for crying out loud, could our folks ask for something deeper than the standard sermon? An explaination or expansion of something in the sermon? And how do we encourage those questions? Also serving in a two point parish doesn’t give us much time after worship to explore God’s word each Sunday.
Would it be possible to say something in sermon to prompt them to question the preacher? To push toward the offensive? Maybe discomfort would prompt questions? Do all sermons end at grace?
I think there are a lot of “Lynette’s” out here, maybe many people who visit this site? I know I’m one and this forum provides a great place for questions and discussions. Thanks for writing on this topic and for the film clip David. I am heartened by the different preachers comments who want to find ways to make things more interactive and I feel for them as I know that having the minister stick with tradition is almost mandatory for some parishioners, but then church attendance is in decline so it can’t just be a matter of keeping things as they always were for any church, can it?
Perhaps it’s about setting up separate times for discussion each week, but even in Bible studies sometimes there is too much sticking to the script. I like it when the conversation leaves the page and allows for exploration to plumb the depths of the issue. I also like to find out what different Christian churches believe and why, the historical and theological background, so I can read the scriptures closely and make my own mind up on theological points not necessarily right away, but things to take home and ponder. I also think application points in Bible studies are too contrived and don’t give people time to contemplate the deeper meaning of texts. I think giving the text to read and points to ponder might be good to give people before they come to Bible study as a springboard for discussion. Having a minister there is key to being able to have someone trained who can steer things but also allow for exploration.
Great post… I’ve always ask questions during my sermon. Some are rhetorical as I want the gathered to think and some I want answers… I even have just stood there waiting. Very awkward for sure. But more times than not people do take a stab at an answer. You can’t be afraid of where your question might go so… just go with it and have fun.