Homiletics

Goals For Your Ministry?

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Some people have goals for every five-minute segment of the day, while others balk at that approach to life and deliberately claim to have no goals at all.  While goal-setting can be taken to a manic extreme, it is healthy to have goals in the important areas of life in order to avoid aimlessness.  Derek Prime and Alistair Begg, in their book Being a Pastor, cite the following six goals for those in this kind of ministry:

1. Feed the flock – John 21:15-17

2. Proclaim the whole will of God – Acts 20:27

3. Present everyone perfect in Christ – Colossians 1:28-29

4. Prepare God’s people for works of service – Ephesians 4:12

5. Equip God’s people to be fisher’s of men – 2 Timothy 4:5

6. Keep watch over oneself until the task is complete – 1 Timothy 4:16

Whether you are officially a “pastor” or function pastorally in the church under some other title (or no title), these six goals are worthy of your attention and action.  Feeding the flock with everything God gave in His Word so that they should be everything God made them to be, prepared for all ministry, including outreach beyond the church, and all the while making sure you are not disqualified from the race.  There’s a goal!

The Battle of the Pulpit

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Greg Haslam’s opening chapter of Preach the Word has been my food for thought in these days.  He writes about the battle raging over the pulpit.  Since the church expands primarily through preaching, the enemy will obviously target this part of the ministry.  So we have a barrage of popular opinion that people can’t concentrate on the spoken word any more, that they need entertainment and fun.  In response, so much preaching is like firing corks from a pop-gun, or endless repeaters from paintball guns – lots of smoke, but no fire.

Here are John Stott’s words quoted to energize the preacher:

“In preaching, God is bringing to each person’s notice what holy Scripture has made publicly and permanently available, so that His timeless word comes to timely announcement, so that people believe the message and commit to the Saviour it announces.”

Earlier Haslam points out that the term homiletics can carry the sense of saying the same thing as something outside of yourself.  So?  So through preaching “we should be saying the same thing that God would say in a given situation.”

Later in the chapter he quotes William Willimon in respect to preaching, “Call it a burden, call it a privilege, a duty.  You know that it is worthy of your best talents, worthy of a lifetime’s labour and dedication.  On any Sunday you can give it your all and still know that the Word deserves more.  It is no small task that the Church has set upon your shoulders.  Being called to preach the gospel, you can do no more than to promise as long as you have breath and there is someone to listen, then by God’s grace you will give them the Word.”

How Would Jesus Preach – Part 2

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Continuing the list of ten characteristics of Jesus’ preaching, as observed by a chapter in Preach the Word:

(6) Visual in its Appeal – Jesus painted word pictures.  He didn’t speak in abstractions, but he helped his teaching to form in the minds of the listeners (whether they were intended to really understand that picture is a different matter!)  For instance, imagery in Matthew’s gospel includes salt, light, gates, roads, trees, houses, foxes and birds, brides and bridegrooms, wine, farmers, weeds, seeds, bread, treasure, fishing, plants, pits, dogs, weather, rocks, mountains, sheep, vineyards and lamps.

(7) Varied in its Approach – Jesus varied and adapted his methodology, using parables, stories, proverbs, pithy statements, paradoxes, riddles, word plays, etc.

(8) Practical in its Application – Jesus taught his disciples to pray by giving them a prayer and not just a pattern or theory.

(9) Courageous in its Directness – He was through and through a God-pleaser, rather than a men-pleaser, which gave courage to Jesus’ ministry.

(10) Potent in its Impact – in just three years of ministry, Jesus’ impact far surpassed the combined decades of teaching of the finest philosophers of antiquity.  His words inspired the greatest art of history.  His teaching motivated the music and poetry of the greatest composers of the ages.  His preaching continues to change lives today.

Before we just say, “that’s Jesus, He’s different,” let’s be sure to not only praise the Lord for his ministry, but also look to learn from it as we continue to represent Jesus in preaching to the body of Christ and the world that needs Christ.

How Would Jesus Preach?

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Haslam’s book, Preach the Word, has a chapter entitled “Learning from Jesus.”  To some it is obvious that we should look to Jesus, who was, after all, the finest of preachers.  But I suppose some would overlook Jesus as a model of preaching since, well, we’re not Jesus.  In this chapter, the writer points out ten characteristics of Jesus’ teaching.  It’s not an exhaustive list, but it is a list worth pondering:

(1) Revelatory in Content – intimacy with the Father added an authority to his teaching, quite unlike the teaching of his contemporaries.

(2) Anointed by the Spirit – another key element in his authority was the role and freedom of the Spirit in the empowering of Jesus’ ministry.

(3) Biblical in its Source – Jesus knew, quoted, cited, explained and preached the Hebrew Bible.  While he was able to add to it in a way we cannot, he never contradicted it.

(4) Always Relevant – Jesus knew who he spoke to and he connected his teaching to their lives.

(5) Compassionate in its Motivation – Jesus really loved those he sought to draw to faith, and it showed in his communication.

I’ll give the other five tomorrow, we already have enough to ponder for one day!

Why Preaching is Ailing – Part Me

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In the last two posts we’ve considered Greg Haslam’s list of eight reasons why preaching is ailing.  I’d like to add a couple more to the list, from my perspective.  Feel free to add your thoughts.

Some don’t know how to interpret the Bible. Some preachers have the best intentions, and even good presentation skills, but are lacking in the core ability to wrestle with a biblical text and grasp its intended meaning.  It’s easy to search a text for launch pads to spiritual thoughts, but it takes some prayerful skill to grasp the point as intended by the author.  Hermeneutics is not a luxury for the preacher, it’s foundational.

Some don’t understand the biblical bigger picture. We live in a day of ready access to biblical information, but it takes more than a big virtual library to make a preacher.  Quick access to info on a passage is one thing, holding together the big picture of the whole Bible is quite another.  We need more preachers who are really people of the Book as a whole.

Some don’t know what preaching is. It’s easy to think of preaching as a form of communication, a religious pattern to be repeated each week.  But what of the core elements of true preaching: the true meaning of the text, effectively communicated through the preacher’s words and life, with an emphasis on the applicational relevance to the particular listeners present, all in full reliance on the Spirit of God.  Miss out one of these elements and preaching ails fast.

Some don’t care about their listeners. They say that church too easily reflects its culture.  Well we live in cultures often bereft of others-centered motivation.  It’s too easy to build a ministry around a core motivation of “whatever is best for me.”  Preaching withers when listeners don’t matter.

There we go . . . four more things to watch for in our own ministries.  Tomorrow I want to turn the tone so we don’t get discouraged!  And if this list doesn’t discourage you, then be careful of pride!

Why Preaching is Ailing – Part 2

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Continuing Greg Haslam’s list of reasons why preaching is ailing (first chapter of Preach the Word):

5. Some are too polite and too politically correct. It is easy for the message to be so diluted that it fails to rattle or challenge listeners.  Preaching is not for cowards, but political correctness tends to foster them.

6. Some are too distracted. Things that have their place, but are not the priority.  Social life, spectator sports, hobbies and interests.

7. Some are too hard of hearing. “Waxy deposits have formed in their spiritual ears.”  Deafened by the noise of man’s opinions, some are unable to respond to the Spirit of God in the situations they face.

8. Some are disillusioned. Under-developed preaching skills, combined with little helpful feedback and the weary slog of ministry, all combine to make many discouraged ministers, desperate for personal renewal.

That’s a great list, well worth pondering.  Make sure the finger points more toward yourself than others.  This series of posts is not about condemning others, but spotting areas of potential weakness in ourselves that might be strengthened with God’s help.

Why Preaching is Ailing

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In his opening chapter for the book he edited, Preach the Word, Greg Haslam lists eight reason why preaching is ailing.  Here are the first four with a summary of his point for your consideration:

1. Some are too busy. The busy schedule of hectic ministry and social life is simply keeping some people out of the study.

2. Some are too lazy. Stott is quoted as giving a minimum preparation time of one hour for every five minutes of message.  For those that aren’t willing to give at least that time, their preaching will suffer.

3. Some are too ambitious. By this he refers to climbing an ecclesiastical ladder of success (one which demands much in the way of networking, but at the expense of direct preparation).  This ladder, it may turn out, leans against the wrong wall, because of how God defines success.

4. Some are too nervous. These are too afraid to speak the truth because they might be disliked or alienated by their congregation (or, I might add, by some key individuals in the congregation).

Schedule check time.  Heart check time.  Is your preaching ailing because of factors such as these?  Tomorrow, four more.

The Wrong Kind of Uncomfortable

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You’ve probably heard it said that good preaching comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable (or something similar).  While this may be true, it is also possible to make listeners uncomfortable in the wrong way.  Here are a couple of examples:

1. Pushing naturally unresponsive people to verbally respond your way, rather than theirs. For example, I’ve been in congregations when the preacher has asked, “do I hear an amen?”  Upon hearing nothing more than a murmur, the question has then been repeated with greater zeal.  Eventually one person overcomes all personal angst and shouts an amen (essentially delivering all from the tension of the moment).  Some people reading this are wondering how any group could be so unresponsive.  Don’t condemn them without knowing them.  And don’t worry about it (unless you end up preaching to this kind of culture, denomination, age range, etc.)  A good preacher will be sensitive to those listening and not force them to behave in a way that may fit the preacher’s personality, but doesn’t fit theirs.  (Also, I’ve been in situations where the people may be willing to respond, but only the speaker knows what was just said that deserves a verbal response – don’t ask for response if you are not a clear communicator…they might feel dishonest if they give what you’re looking for!)

2. Showing emotion inconsistent with your words. In a similar vein, it can be very uncomfortable to listen to a preacher who does not match personal emotional expression to sermon content.  Don’t have a silly grin when talking about hell – even if you are uncomfortable for whatever reason.  Don’t be dead-pan if you are preaching on joy.  Don’t be slouching and uninterested when declaring the greatest news ever.  As I heard Piper say recenty in an interview – preachers need affectional breadth.  (In fact, I forget his exact words, but essentially he said that preachers who are restricted or limited in their affections – that is, breadth of heart response to God and people, rather than the ability to contrive emotional expression – such people should not be preaching.)

Preach in such a way that your emotional expression fits who you are and what you are saying.  Preach in such a way that your listeners can be themselves as listeners, rather than having to mimic you.

Any further thoughts related to this?

Collecting Classic Phrases Describing Preaching

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I was just talking with my Dad about preaching the other night. He referred to my Grandfather. Each of the three generations have been preachers, but I never knew my Grandfather because he died three years before I was born.  Apparently, he would sometimes refer to preachers who are all over the place in their preaching by saying, “They go from Dan to Beersheba.” While that saying made me smile, I had to laugh when another phrase of his was recollected, “They romp around the hills of salvation.” That’s good! (Obviously it may not be original to him – doesn’t matter really.)

I tend to describe preaching that goes all over the canon as “going on a wild safari in the back seat of a concordance.” It seems that perhaps it’s in my genes to comment on that kind of preaching.

Anyway, I’m intrigued to know if you or someone you know has any pithy descriptions related to preaching? It doesn’t have to be related to jumping all over the canon, anything related to preaching…

Consider a Growth Prompt

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Many preachers never receive any training in their preaching.  Sadly, for some, that is due to a lack of available resources.  For others, perhaps it is simply habit or an unawareness of their need.  By training I am referring to everything from taking a full degree, a complete preaching course, an introductory seminar, a workshop, to studying through a book on the subject, etc.

I was pondering the fact that there are many preachers who only learn to preach by observing others.  While this can be a great source of instruction, it is lacking in several key ways.  Learning by observing does not provide the learner with feedback, critique and help as they preach.  But there is another concern that I’d like to point out today:

Preachers who only learn by observing others preach are limited by the standard of preaching they observe.  If the pool of preachers is a relatively closed group (as in most churches or denominations), then this will typically result in progressively degenerating standards.

What can you do to prompt growth in your preaching and help avoid a mass degeneration of standards in your church circles?