Review: Preacher, Can You Hear Us Listening? By Roger Van Harn

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I was surprised by this book.  I am not sure what I was expecting, but I was both blessed and challenged by it.  The focus of the book is on listening, both to God and to people, by the preacher and the congregation.  Perhaps the strongest lasting impression left is the notion of the preacher being a ‘pioneer listener’ – he who is one of the people, yet listens first to God’s word for the people.  The preacher listens to, with and for the people.

The book is structured using twelve questions.  The first sets up the opportunity to present a biblical theology of hearing/listening in the New Testament.  Then he moves through issues of the noise of a fallen world, the importance of the biblical text and gospel story, as well as contemporary culture to a final call for preachers to be listening to their people.

Chapters 2, 3, 5 and 6 are particularly strong as Van Harn addresses issues relating to Biblical interpretation and presentation.  Unfortunately chapter 4 breaks the sequence.  As he tries to show the importance of presenting the gospel behind every text he inadvertently does a good job of debunking the rather simplistic idea of the chapter.  His imagery of a smudged window is not comfortable to this reader.  Having criticized this chapter, I should reemphasize how effective those before and after were in their purposes.

As well as affirming the need to hear the story behind, and around, the text, it would have been nice to read a chapter affirming the need to hear the story in the text.

Van Harn effectively presents the need for listeners to see the connections between text and sermon, as well as sermon and life.  His presentation of the need for a helpful angle and proper distance is excellent.  He highlights the importance of the sermon in helping the community of believers interpret their culture, knowing when to say yes, no, or maybe to those things going on around them.

His presentation of the church as that which is one, holy, catholic and apostolic is interesting, but he is strangely quick to dismiss the distinction between the visible and invisible church.  The closing chapters perhaps lost the strength of the first half of the book, but still are worthy of your time.  Van Harn’s closing suggestion for hearing the congregation is simple and seemingly quite effective.

This is clearly a book written by a man who has given much thought to the generally neglected subject of listening.  I think we could all benefit from reading it, and hearing what he has to say.

Speaker Introductions

/ Peter Mead / 6 Comments

I have heard a lot of introductions.  I’m not writing of those by the preacher, but those about the preacher.  My ministry has never been in a solo-preacher church.  So with different speakers (be they team members or visiting speakers), there is potentially some need to introduce the speaker.  In my traveling role I hear many introductions before I speak.  Here are some musings on the subject:

1. It is easy to say too much.  In an attempt to help the people know the preacher, or to establish his credibility, many will say too much.  I feel that academic qualifications are relevant only in an academic setting or when they relate to a specific and unusual subject matter.  Excessive listing of achievement or position achieves little other than making the speaker’s life sound impressive (and more distant from the “normal” listener).  When asked what to say in an intro, I will usually request that they say as little as possible, perhaps mentioning that I’m married with four children (i.e. a normal person). 

2. The introduction is mostly the preacher’s job.  After a short and simple introduction, I can then decide anything I need to add explicitly for increased credibility or connection.  It is important to note that people are struck far more by the preacher’s manner and delivery in the introduction to the sermon than any achievements they may have in other areas of life.

3. Be sensitive to the worship mood.  In some settings a lot of prayerful thought has gone into the flow of the meeting.  It is a shame to interrupt the moment with an unnecessary introduction of the preacher.  (There have been times when an introduction was so over-the-top that I expected it to end with the words, “so will you join me in worshipping our speaker this morning, Mr . . .”  Obviously this is not the kind of worship I have in mind when I refer to the worship mood!)

4. Is it necessary then, or at all?  It is not a rule that the speaker must be introduced before they come up to speak.  Consider whether the whole meeting would be better served by an introduction in the notice sheet / bulletin, or earlier on in proceedings, or not at all.  Something special can be achieved with a seamless transition between music and message that can never be replicated with an interlude for introduction. 

That Message from That Text?

/ Peter Mead / 4 Comments

It is vital that the listener be able to see how the message comes from the text they are looking at. The credibility of the speaker matters, but the credibility of the Bible matters more. It matters that people listening to a sermon can look at the text before them and see how the message flows from that particular text. It is not good enough to preach truth, or to preach a sound idea. It matters that the truth and the idea come from the text presented to the people.

Some years ago my wife and I sat in church as the visiting preacher preached the gospel. The message was true, the gospel was clear. But the message was not true to that text, and the gospel was not clear from that text. His “clever” presentation of the gospel undermined the very credibility of the gospel he proclaimed.

Since you’re wondering, he preached the gospel using the three phrases from Job 41:8. First point was that we must identify with Christ (lay your hand on him). Second point, that we must remember what He did for us (remember the battle). Third point was that our salvation is not dependent on us, but on Him, there is no need to keep “getting saved” again (and you will do it no more). The text is not presenting the gospel, it is God telling Job to get in the squared circle and slug it out with leviathan.

May our listeners never leave saying, “Great message, but I don’t see how he got that message from that text!”

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Preaching Resource Teams in the Local Church

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I know some pastors who love this idea. I know others that seem to flee from it. Consider it. Consider approaching a group of people in the church and ask them to be part of your Preaching Resource Team.

1. Tell them what sermons or series are coming up. They can be on the look out for illustrations, information, stories, statistics, etc. They feed this to you and you filter it for helpful material. In reality, a lot will never get into a sermon, but that is also true with your own hunt for illustrations. Having others feed this stuff to you will help you as there will be a nugget here and there.

2. Tell them when you are going to use their stuff. “Hey Steve, thanks for that moon-landing story, I’m going to use that this Sunday!” Steve will be there. Steve’s family and friends will probably be there too as he herds them in with his head held high.

3. Tell the people where you got the story. “Steve passed me a story that really makes this idea clear for us. When Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the moon . . .” Now Steve is really beaming (maybe on the outside, probably on the inside), and will double his efforts to help you. Others will also want to help you too, once they see that you are open to input.

4. Tell the team you appreciate them. Perhaps once a year you could throw an appreciation meal for your Preaching Research Team. Make them feel special, appreciated and involved. What do you have to lose?

There are numerous ways to involve members of the congregation in sermon preparation or feedback. I’ll mention others in time, but liked the sound of this idea when I heard it mentioned recently by Dave Stone.

Using a PC in Preaching Preparation

/ Peter Mead / 6 Comments

It is so easy to take technology for granted.  Some of us have access to more tools than we know what to do with.  Others who read this may have access to relatively little.  Just for fun, here’s my top five helpful tools on the computer, in reverse order:

5. biblicalpreaching.wordpress.com – not a shameless plug, but a pointless plug since you are here already!  I hope this site is useful to preachers as they prepare to preach, that is the point of it.

4. Google – the internet is an incredible thing.  If I want to use the Challenger disaster as an illustration, I can use google and have as much detail as I want almost instantly.  There are dangers though.  The internet can be more effective than an Oreck Excel vacuum cleaner at sucking away your time.  Be disciplined, tread carefully, filter wisely.  In the spiritual battle of sermon preparation, the internet can be an easy tool for the enemy too.

3. Good reference software – I have Libronix on my computer.  This is a huge help, especially when traveling away from my bookshelves.  It is possible to quickly skim through numerous commentaries helpfully turned to the right page at the click of a mouse button.  I say Good reference software for a reason.  There is a lot of filler material on reference software.  Learn what is quality, up-to-date material and generally don’t give too much time or attention to the tools that aren’t. There are some real exceptions, but a lot of free software is free for a reason.  While some titles may have been cutting-edge in their day, public domain status now is not without cause (generally they won’t sell).  Use the best tools available to you, but they are tools – you still have to do the thinking work!

2. Good Bible software – I use Bibleworks for Bible software.  I hear great things about Accordance and Gramcord, and Logos is also in the running.  It is helpful to have a quick reference for parsing verbs, checking the lexicon, analyzing the frequency of a term and so on.  It is no substitute for being able to handle the original languages and can become a crutch that allows whatever skill you have acquired to atrophy.  Those who have not studied the languages should not think that merely parsing a verb makes you a language scholar, there is still much that the software won’t and can’t do for you.  The blessing of speed in research is a responsibility, it means you theoretically have more time to do the hard work of thinking!

1. Word processor – Useful in so many respects.  Obviously you can type outlines, manuscripts and so on.  Cut and paste allows you to reduce a message to an appropriate length and focus.  Material removed from this weeks message can go in what Dave Stone calls a “leftovers” section and may be perfect for next weeks message.  Illustrations can be stored in a folder and searched for using any keyword you put in the file.  Record, remember and retrieve, the key elements in effective filing.  I could go on.  I’ve put a potential danger or warning in the previous listed items.  I can’t think of one for the word processor (I suppose I should say “back-up your files” – nothing worse than losing so much great material!)

The Preacher & Prayer

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Sometimes the obvious needs stating. Preachers should be pray-ers. While it may be possible to follow a procedure and produce a sermon, we must never lose sight of the fact that it is not possible to achieve life transformation unless God is at work. Thus, we need to be on our knees. I could leave it at that, but let me give some examples of how I stimulate my own prayer life regarding ministry (although I know I could do so much more):

1. Pre-prep prayer. Before planning the preaching calendar, and then before preparing a series or a specific message, pray. For example, while driving I will sometimes mentally survey through forthcoming ministry in my mind and pray for each meeting. I might cover three to six months worth of varied ministry in a decent length car journey.

2. Pew and pulpit prayer. Before moving into the role I have now, I was in a more normal local church situation. This meant I could go to the church and run through my message on the platform. I know some preachers who like to pray through their notes as preparation, which is a good option. For me it works well to actually preach through the message and then pray about it. So after preaching it through I would spend time pacing the platform, praying for the meeting, then sitting in the pews and praying for the people who would be there. It is easy to be specific in the prayer when you can see in your mind the people who will be sitting there. (It is not so easy to do this when you preach in different churches, or your church meets in a rented facility. To be honest, I miss these times.)

3. Pre-preaching prayer. Before the sermon, if possible, I like to be near the back of the room. That way I can be thinking through the message and praying for the specific people who are present. Unfortunately some churches expect the speaker to sit on the front pew, or even worse, to run the whole meeting.

Just three of many many possibilities. I’d love to read what other preachers do, please comment. Whatever you do, may you be like James the brother of Jesus, aka camel knees.

Pointers for Points

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The preacher’s outline is a representation of his thought structure.   It is the skeleton on which the flesh of the preaching content lives.  The main chunks, or movements, in a message are often referred to as the “points” of the sermon.  Assuming you write an outline, here are a few pointers that may help your points:

1. Write each point as a complete sentence.  It is tempting to write a title describing the content of the section of text, just as a commentary might.  Often such titles are not full sentences.  Each main point in a sermon is an idea in its own right (a sub-idea in relation to the main idea, if you will), so it should be a complete sentence – not incomplete or vague.  Writing a sermon and writing a commentary are different tasks.

2. Write each point applicationally.  This means a declarative statement, rather than a question or functional description (like a commentary).  By forcing yourself to write the point as a complete sentence that is targeted at the lives of your listeners, you are maintaining the connection between text and audience throughout the message.  In many sermons there is no advantage in saving the application just for the end.  Stronger connection equals stronger message.

3. Write each point to support the main idea.  Each point in a message is a complete idea, but it is not a stand-alone idea.  It’s role is to support the main idea of the message.

4. Remember that the outline is for you.  The outline is for you, not for them, so think carefully before making your points show.  Full and applicational sentences communicate well, but incomplete and vague thoughts, if stated, make the skeleton stick out.  Fashions may change, but bony is not attractive.

5. Remember the importance of transitions.  Since they are hearing, rather than reading the message, you must give real attention to the transitions that move the message between points.

Good Preaching Isn’t Just Bible Explanation

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

The importance of relevance and application in preaching can hardly be understated.  I recently came across this quote that I feel is worthy of our attention:

Good preaching begins in the Bible, but it doesn’t stay there. It visits the hospital and the college dorm, the factory and the farm, the kitchen and the office, the bedroom and the classroom.

Good preaching invades the world in which people live, the real world of tragedy and triumph, loveliness and loneliness, broken hearts, broken homes, and amber waves of strain. Good preaching invades the real world, and it talks to real people—the high-school senior who’s there because he’s dragged there; the housewife who wants a divorce; the grandfather who mourns the irreversibility of time and lives with a frantic sense that almost all the sand in the hourglass has dropped; the farmer who is about to lose his farm, the banker who must take it from him; the teacher who has kept her lesbianism a secret all these years; the businessman for whom money has become a god; the single girl who hates herself because she’s fat. Good preaching helps them do business with God; it helps them interpret their own human experience, telling them what in their heart of hearts they already know, and are yearning to hear confirmed.

Louis Lotz, “Good Preaching,” Reformed Review 40 (Autumn 1986) 38.

BBB Seminar for Preachers in SE England

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For those preachers who live in south east England / Greater London area, please read on.  If this does not apply to you, then I hope I will be able to offer this seminar closer to you in the future.

You will notice that I have added a page entitled “Seminar.”  I will be running a seminar in mid-August and invite any preachers who are able to make it.  Thank you!

Is Application in the Preacher’s Job Description?

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Some people mistakenly suggest that the preacher has to “make the Bible relevant.”  While this suggestion may be well-intentioned, it is unhelpful.  The Bible is relevant.  The preacher has to “demonstrate the Bible’s relevance.”  Expository preaching, by its very nature, includes the task of application.

Some claim that the preacher’s task is merely to explain the Scripture, but the task of application can be left to the Holy Spirit.  I don’t know how many times I heard preachers say, “Now may the Spirit of God apply to our hearts the truth of His word” as a conclusion to a “sermon.”  Hershael York and others have pointed out the inconsistency of this position. 

There is a cultural and historical gap between the then and the now.  Sidney Greidanus refers to four elements of distance between the Bible and today’s listener: time, culture, geography and language.  Whose task is the translation of the Scriptures?  Whose task is the exegesis of the Scriptures?  The Holy Spirit and humans work together in the translation of the Bible into a contemporary language.  The Holy Spirit and the preacher must work together in the accurate exegesis of the passage.  In the same way, both the Holy Spirit and the preacher are involved in the application of the passage. 

The Holy Spirit does work through the Word in the lives of the listeners.  But if the preacher is not also involved in that task, then I suppose we should be more consistent.  Instead of preaching, perhaps we should just read the passage and sit down.  Oh, and we should probably read the passage out in Hebrew or Greek.  Application of the passage is very much in our job description!