Glad to be blogging again. I have decided to do a two part blog
on “One preaching lesson I have learned”. I’ve been blessed to have many
great men teach me about the pastoral ministry, whether it be in seminary or in
the local church. I have been taught many things, but only have learned a few.
I have been teaching the Bible for a few years. I’m not sure
how “good” I am at it, but I think I have gotten better over the years, and in
the last decade and a half I’ve had the opportunity to preach in many different
situations. In that time, I’ve strived to improve, to think more clearly, to
speak more accurately, to prepare more completely, but as any pastor knows, you
never “arrive” as a preacher. One simple truth I have learned over the years is
Preaching is an art more than a science.
Some pastors will heartily agree with the above statement,
but others, probably younger Reformed and evangelicals (my tribe) will
disagree. Exposition for most us is machine like. “Plug n Play” is the
appropriate term. Read the text, give a point, give an application and repeat.
While this approach is efficient in jamming as much text and truth as possible in
a 45 minute sermon and it will get you a 4.0 in Preaching seminars, if used thoughtlessly
this style will fail to connect with a congregation. Admittedly, in this blog I
offer no new methodology or even approach but some general principles that I
have found helpful over the last several years in connecting as an artist and
not as a machine.
I will give six principles over 2 weeks, but let’s be clear
from the beginning. The most important part of preaching is and always will be
the content of the sermon. Pastors are teachers. In fact, teaching is our first
obligation, so the doctrines and Gospel that is being taught is paramount. That
being said, the way we teach our people matters. These blogs won’t be lengthy, but I hope hits
the spot with someone.
Preaching is More Art than Science
(6 principles (part 1))
1) Pull more than push- The congregation
wants to follow along with you, or they wouldn’t be there. Too many pastors
attempt to use force of will, personality or voice to “drive” congregants to
obey, give, help, repent etc. This may lead to some rote obedience, but it
rarely tells the people “WHY?” they should adhere to the sermon. Practically,
this means, as you walk through a text explain your thought process, where a
point came from and struggles you have seen or experienced. Sometimes interaction
helps. Rhetorical questions, asking for simple responses or “ show of hands” is
a way of keeping the audience engaged not just with the sermon, but with the
preacher. The goal is to take them on a journey in the text, the history of the
text, the context, through the characters in the scripture but to always land
squarely on the Gospel. All Christian preaching must point to Christ and his
finished work.
2) Preaching is storytelling at its
highest form- Preachers are storytellers- (cringe, I feel it from some). As
mentioned above, that does not mean that we are supposed to be telling cute,
contrived illustrations about everyday life to make the Bible “interesting.”
The Bible is the story of God redeeming his people through the blood of his
Son- that is far more interesting than anything that Hulu Plus can put online.
A storyteller always weaves his tale with a beginning, a climax and an end.
Playwrights often had it organized as ACT I, ACT II and ACT III. The
storyteller has a point, and crafts everything to get that point in a way to
keep the audience entertained (to laugh, shriek, or cheer). The pastor uses the
selected text, analogous texts, illustrations and applications all while making
a “Beeline to the Cross” as Charles Spurgeon phrased to not just engage and
entertain the audience but to lead them to an understanding of God’s call of
repentance that leads to literal action. In other words, the pastor’s
storytelling is to be used for transformation not just information- regardless
of how vital the information may be. Preaching is a one-of a kind storytelling
that has a higher purpose. The purpose of preaching is to affect the HEART. The
heart is the totality of a person. The pastor’s preaching should be pinpointed
as a light through the emotions, will and intellect of a person and it should
shine on the cross of Christ. A disjointed outline with “Preacherisms” often
struggles to coherently convey a message to the entire heart of a person.
3) Sermons should be crafted to be heard
first,and written second. Some of the best preachers in the world have
manuscripted (written word for word) their sermons. This includes men like
Jonathan Edwards and many Puritans. I am eternally grateful for that practice,
because without the manuscripts of some of these men and the outlines of
Spurgeon and John Macarthur, I never would have learned to be a bible teacher
or an expositor. Please remember, Pastors that our main way of communicating
with our people is not through written sermons, but through the spoken word,
proclaimed at a particular time and place. This means, your oration, your voice
afflection , your tone of voice, your mannerisms ALL MATTER. Preachers can have
a wonderfully written manuscript but if that sermon is delivered with boredom,
anger or sarcasm, that sermon loses its impact as the PREACHED WORD—Praise God,
the Holy Spirit works through our sinfulness! That does not mean that you fake
exuberance or use “King James English”. It means that you are aware of your
responsibility as a messenger of God at the moment you proclaim the message of
the Gospel.
One of the practices that have helped me is
to watch and listen to professional storytellers. Garrison Keillor for example,
and to pay attention to the way they use voice, timing, and rhythm. This purpose
isn’t to copy the storytellers but to add more storytelling qualities to our
preaching.
That’s the first three, three more next
week. Thanks for reading. If you have any comments or questions, please inbox
me on Facebook. My prayer is that this helps pastors and congregations.
In Christ,
Richard Crowson
Pastor/Planter Redemption Hill Church, Sioux
City IA
