My Motivation to Keep Preaching

The primary reason why I preach is because God called me to do this ridiculous and rigorous, exhilarating and exhausting work. So, I preach for God. But I also preach for myself and for others, for my formation and their liberation.

-Formation: The process of developing and delivering sermons can and should be formational for pastors. Preaching, for the Wesleyan pastor, is not merely a rhetorical task to check off the to-do list; it is a spiritual discipline through which the preacher connects intimately to Christ. Preaching should not only impact the listeners but the preacher as well. Sadly, too many preachers believe that they need to separate the devotional reading of Scripture from their homiletic/exegetical reading of Scripture. This is a result of Modernity which held that truth could only be discerned through detached, scientific objectivity. We are, I think, still spinning from the Modern Age. Imagine the spiritual formation that could happen in a preacher who engages the homiletic process as a spiritual discipline through which they not only get a sermon but they experience the presence and power of God.

-Liberation: Christian preaching in the Wesleyan Tradition is designed to “set captives free.” When Jesus preached his inaugural sermon in Luke 4, he quoted a passage from Isaiah that undergirded his theology of preaching. Preaching should bring dignity to the human race. Preaching should make a nobody a somebody. Preaching should elicit, in equal measure, conviction of sin and hope of redemption. Preaching should liberate people from addiction and affliction, loneliness and lifelessness. Christian proclamation is good news. John Wesley went out to preach “in the field” to the poor drunk masses of English society. These captives were set free and the Wesleyan movement was born. Our roots remind us that preaching has the power to liberate people from the bondage of sin and shame so that they begin to walk, like those former Hebrew slaves, “with heads held high” (Lev. 26:13). Wesleyan preaching should never sugar-coat sin; it should, though, move people past sin and shame and toward the grace and dignity that flow from relationship with Christ.

Preacher: Are You a Conversational Teacher or Poetic Prophet?

Several years ago, when I was 35 and 12 years into my ministry, I experienced a midlife preaching crisis of sorts. Most people who heard me preach up to that point would likely describe me as a conversational teacher. They would say things like “you really do a good job of putting the word of God in language I can relate to and immediately apply to my life situations. You bring the good news of Christ down to my level.” But during my preaching crisis, I discovered there is a poetic prophet residing in me who wants to come out through the sermonic words I preach. What people seem to appreciate most these days about my preaching is the way I use a narrative plot-line to build tension and metaphorical imagery to paint a memorable picture. But I still think there are two kinds of preachers living inside of me- the conversational teacher and the poetic prophet. They each surface from time to time-sometimes in the same sermon. How about you? Are you a conversational teacher, a poetic prophet, or both?

While both of these preaching styles are viable, there are major differences between them. Conversational teachers intentionally tone their language down to the level of common people. Poetic prophets intentionally craft words that describe the mystery and majesty of God in artistic, profound, and intelligent ways. Conversational teachers tend to describe exegetical details in the text such as word meaning and grammatical structure. Poetic prophets typically present the overall forest of a bible passage without delving deep into an analysis of any one tree. Conversational teachers usually develop a linear point-based sermon structure. Poetic prophets gravitate toward a narrative plot-based sermonic flow. Conversational teachers almost always provide explicit life-application. Poetic prophets hint implicitly, even cryptically, at possible sermon applications. Conversational teachers want their listeners to do something; they want to impact behavior. Poetic prophets want to primarily impact the emotions of the listener. Conversational teachers usually preach longer sermons, since in real conversation we don’t seek economy of words. Poetic prophets preach shorter sermons since they painstakingly use an economy of words to say a lot and say it well. Conversational teachers focus more on anthropology, how human beings can be transformed in word, thought, or deed through Christ. Critics might say there is not enough of God in the sermon. Poetic prophets are keen on shaping the listener’s theology by describing the nature and will of God. The main critique here is that the sermon does not ground theology in the realities of human existence.    

Conversational Teacher                                                                Poetic Prophet      
-Common Language                                                                       -Artistic Language
-Micro Exegesis                                                                              -Macro Exegesis
-Point-Based                                                                                   -Plot-Based
-Explicit Application                                                                      -Implicit Application
-Want listeners to do                                                                       -Want listeners to feel
-Longer sermons                                                                              -Shorter sermons
-Anthropology                                                                                 -Theology

Andy Stanley and Rick Warren are some well-known conversational teachers. Here are links to a sermon from each of them:

Stanley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMpj0cXldnk
Warren: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8xa8ufZ7eE

Barbara Brown Taylor and Will Willimon are among some of the best poetic prophets. Here are links to one of their sermons:

Taylor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMrGK1JG4GA (start at 30 minutes)
Willimon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehv9WqFLQjc (start at 25 minutes)

After reading this article and listening to the sermon samples, how would you describe your preaching style? Are you a conversational teacher, a poetic prophet, or both?

You Know You’re Called to Preach If…

You Know You’re Called to Preach If…

Determining whether or not God is calling you to pastoral ministry is hard enough, but discerning a call to the specific ministry of preaching is extremely challenging. The call from God to preach is, in most cases, an invitation enveloped in mystery. Is there a way for the potentially called preacher to know intuitively, if not definitively, whether she/he is called to preach? I think so.
 
Albert Outler, Wesleyan historian and theologian, observed that John Wesley developed his theology and processed ministry decisions through four lenses: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. Outler labeled this grid the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.

SCRIPTURE

What role has God’s word played in your contemplation of the call to preach? Are there key Bible passages that resonate deeply with you, pointing you toward the call? One of the Bible passages that impacted my call to preach is Leviticus 26:13 which reads, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.” Through this verse, God was cultivating in me a passionate desire to partner with him in breaking the bars and lifting the heads of the human race through the power of Christian preaching.

TRADITION

How does your Christian tradition (i.e., local church, denomination) view the call to preach and the role preaching plays within the life of a congregation? What is more, do the leaders of your local church and denomination sense and support your call to preach? One of the ways the call to preach was sparked in me was through the pastor and people of my local church. They affirmed my gifts and asked me questions that initiated my wrestling with the call to preach. Are there people with the gift of wisdom and discernment in your Christian community who see in you the potential to preach the Gospel? 

REASON

A call from God inviting a human to speak words that describe the will and the way of God is too odd to be reasonable from a human standpoint. It does seem sensible, however, for the potentially called person to reflect upon how their natural abilities and acquired skills might reinforce the call to preach. What abilities and skills make your call, or potential call, seem reasonable? Remember, of course, that God does not always or even often do what is reasonable to us.

EXPERIENCE

What experiences in your life have shaped you for preaching the Gospel? What challenges, disappointments, failures, accomplishments, and relationships have you encountered in life that might help you discern whether or not you are called to preach? One of the life experiences that assisted me in discerning the call to preach was that I was not raised in the church. The experience of being an unchurched, nominally religious person has given me perspective on how to connect with the same kind of people through my preaching. What life experiences point you toward and prepare you for the call to preach? 

CONCLUSION

There have been several occasions, due to fatigue or frustration, when I have wanted to quit preaching. The conviction that I am called by God to preach is often the one thing, the only thing, that gives me the audacity to keep opening my mouth in hopes that the Holy Spirit will fill it with words worth speaking. The call from God to preach not only gives the preacher audacity, but the anointing, authority, and authenticity so desperately needed for preaching today.

EXERCISES

1. All Christians have a testimony but those called to preach also have a call-imony. Spend a few minutes reflecting upon your call to preach and write your call-imony using the outline of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience.

2. If you are still trying to discern whether or not you are called to preach, consult God. Prayerfully articulate to God where you are in the journey of discerning whether you are called to preach. Then, “listen” for any impressions God might give you from Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. 

3. Consult a mentor or two who can help you explore the call to preach. Schedule some time with a preacher you respect or a lay person with the gift of wisdom. Share some notes from your call-imony and invite them to speak into your life regarding the vocation of preaching.

George Herbert's Prayer for Preachers

George Herbert (1593-1633) was a poet of the English Renaissance. He was born into the wealthy aristocracy and promised a lucrative career in politics. He chose to forego a life of fame and fortune in order to serve as the pastor of a small church in an obscure place. He wrote the poetic prayer below for preachers. What meaning do you derive from Herbert's thoughtful words?

 

Lord, how can man preach thy eternal word?

                He is brittle, crazy glass:

Yet in thy temple though doest him afford

                This glorious and transcendent place,

                To be a window through the grace.

 

But when thou doest anneal in glass thy story,

                Making thy life to shine within

The holy preacher’s, then thy light and glory

                More reverend grows, and more doeth win,

                Which else shows waterish, bleak, and thin.

 

Doctrine and life, colors and light in one,

                When they combine and mingle, bring

A strong regard and awe; but speech alone

                Doeth vanish like a flaming thing,

                And in the ear, not conscience, ring.

 

Avoiding Homiletic Heresies

There’s just something about Stephen. He possesses the most important preaching characteristics. Acts 6:10 states “But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he (Stephen) spoke.” The content of Stephen’s preaching (“wisdom”) and his character (“Spirit”) became a brick wall for the enemies of the Christian movement. Stephen demonstrates that when sermonic content and the preacher’s character are congruent with Christ, preaching is hard to “withstand.” Most of us would agree, I think, that wise sermonic content is a necessity for Christian proclamation. However, I wonder if the Church has forgotten the other side of the Stephen-coin, that the Christ-congruent character of the preacher is just as important as Christ-congruent content.
 
Do I sound a bit like a Donatist? The Donatists of the 4^th century put too much emphasis on the character of the clergy. They believed that if the priest administering the sacrament of Communion was a spiritual weakling, then the sacrament would not be efficacious for the recipient. Augustine was among the chief opponents of the Donatists. He asserted that the grace of God comes through the sacrament regardless of the spiritual state of the person serving the sacrament. This historical controversy begs some pressing contemporary questions? If we over-emphasize the person of the preacher might we become homiletic donatists? Do we really want to suggest that the preacher’s character has significant bearing on the effectiveness of the sermon? Can a preacher’s sinfulness really inhibit the power of God that comes through the preaching event?

Clearly, we need to avoid extreme homiletic donatism. But, we must be just as suspicious of homiletic docetism. Docetism was a heretical belief of the 2^nd century that denied the physicality of Christ. Docetism under-emphasized the humanity, or personhood, of Christ. Homiletic docetism, then, is an extreme neglect of the person of the preacher. A homiletic docetic thinks preaching is entirely dependent on divinity and that humanity, or the preacher, doesn’t matter at all to the dynamics of preaching. As long as God shows up through the preaching, nothing else matters-not even the preacher!

It seems to me that, somehow, the Church must live between the extremes of homiletic donatism, an over-emphasis of the preacher’s character, and homiletic docetism, a complete denial of the importance of the preacher. For some reason, God has decided to do his best work through a combination, a wedding together, of divinity with humanity. The Bible is the divine word through the humanity of its authors. The Incarnation is the act of divinity coming through humanity. And the sermon, as far as I can tell, is another example of our gracious God’s willingness to come to us through us, divine truth bursting through a human agent we call preacher. Stephen proves that when a good sermon, full of divine “wisdom,” comes through a good preacher, full of the “Spirit,” that the homiletic sparks fly!  

 
So, what do you think? Are you more prone to be a homiletic donatist who is so enamored with the holiness of the preacher that the sovereign power of God through preaching is ignored? Or, are you more likely to struggle with a homiletic docetism that ignores the role and person of the preacher in the preaching event? Does your theological tradition lead you toward one of these homiletic heresies? Most importantly, how can you avoid both extremes through your development and delivery of sermons?  
 
You are invited to the Festival on Preaching!      
The human hunger for life-giving, hope-inducing, and identity-shaping good news has never been more intense. Yet the complexities of preaching today are more significant than ever. The Festival on Preaching is designed to inspire and equip preachers to meet these challenges and maximize the opportunities of preaching today. On May 20-21, Wesley Seminary and College Wesleyan Church are co-hosting what we pray will be a significant investment in your preaching ministry. For more information and to register click on the following link: Festival on Preaching.

Festival on Preaching

In a world inundated with leadership training events, what if there was a festival that equipped, encouraged, and empowered pastors for the task of preaching? And what if there was a preaching festival designed to stir up thought, spark discussion, and sharpen skills for preachers? And what if this festival was affordable and accessible to a diversity of preachers regardless of age, experience and denomination?

There is such an event and we're calling it the Festival on Preaching. College Wesleyan Church and Wesley Seminary are teaming up to host this heart-shaping, skill-cultivating event in Marion, IN on May 20-21. This will not be a waste of your time. We designed the schedule for maximum benefit to your ministry of preaching.

For more information and to register click on the following link: http://www.collegewes.com/festivalonpreaching  

Preaching Magazine and Outreach Magazine Celebrate Preaching Essentials

 

Preaching Essentials: A Practical Guide is listed by Preaching Magazine as one of this year's best books on preaching. Preaching Essentials also received honorable mention in Outreach Magazine's Resources of the Year edition. I'm praying that God uses the book to not only heighten our skills for preaching but also our conviction that preaching has the power to transform lives. I am humbled to be mentioned by the editors of outstanding magazines like Preaching and Outreach.