What is Your Church’s Goal When Preaching on Sunday Morning?
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Sun, June 18, 2006
- Viewed 177
- (31) comments so far
1. Teaching the Bible to People. Andy says that the idea here is to “teach the content of the Bible so that interested parties can understand and navigate their way through scriptures.” This is usually the goal of many preachers who teach verse by verse through all the books of the Bible. According to Andy, “This is the perfect approach for the communicator whose goal is to simply explain what the Bible means. Wherever we left off last week, we will pick up again next week. This approach requires no creativity. This approach need not include any explanation. This approach assumes a great deal of interest by the audience. And honestly, this approach is easy compared to other methods of communication.”
2. Teaching People the Bible. Stanley says, “Communicators who have embraced this goal are constantly looking for effective ways to impart biblical truth into the heart and mind of the hearer. This goal was behind the ‘three points and an application’ approach to preaching. The multi-point sermon or preaching outline is a great approach for a communicator whose goal is to teach people the Bible. Outlining makes it much easier for the average listener to follow along.”
I’m sure we all are very familiar with this style of preaching… many times the messages use a lot of alliteration and multiple illustrations (because this makes it easier for people to understand and remember the Word)…
Andy continues… “Generally speaking, the primary concern for the communicator whose goal is to teach the Bible to people is: Did I cover the material? The primary concern for the communicator whose goal is to teach people the Bible is: Did my audience understand and will they remember the material? In both cases success is measured in terms of information transfer.
If spiritual maturity were synonymous with information transfer, or more specifically, Bible content transfer, then either of the above options would be fine.
But it’s not. And you know that. I know that. Everyone I know knows that. The people that don’t know that wouldn’t read this book anyway.
You and I know that Bible knowledge can lead to pride; the antithesis of spiritual maturity. It’s interesting that the group who knew the Old Testament scriptures best were the very ones who considered Jesus a blasphemer and arranged for his crucifixion. Knowing isn’t enough.”
3. Teaching People How to Live a Life that Reflects the Values, Principles, and Truths of the Bible. Andy says, “In short, my goal is change. I want them to do something instead of just think about it.”
“When I’m finished preaching, I want people in the audience to know what to do with what they have heard. And I want them to walk away motivated to give it a try. This goal flows from what I understand the Bible to teach regarding spiritual maturity. The way I read it, spiritual maturity is gauged by application not contemplation. James says it best, ‘Faith without deeds is useless. Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says...’”
FOR DISCUSSION: What is your goal when you communicate the gospel? Are you teaching the Bible to people? Teaching people the Bible? Of preaching for changed lives? Do you agree with Andy’s three categories, and do you think that one type of preaching is superior to another? Why or why not?
GET A COPY OF ANDY’S NEW BOOK: For some reason, Andy’s new book has been delayed from being released a few times, and has even gone through a title change… but it’s set to release from Multnomah on June 30; and you can be one of the first people to have a copy sitting on your desk. Here’s the deal… you’ll save a few bucks, support MMI, and have the book shipped to you direct from the warehouse as soon as it’s released. How great is that!? Order your copy today right here... (Hey, why not order a copy for all your staff! They’ll love you for it!) 
One of my favorite authors and speakers today is Andy Stanley. In his long awaited new book, "Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication," Andy shares three goals he sees that pastors have when they preach the Word of God.
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John Paul on Wed, June 21, 2006
In repsonse to the statment, ‘I thought Jesus taught scripture’. Jesus words are the scripture but he did not go back and teach verse by verse to his audience of the Old Testament. He actually at times took verses or segments and explained them but he did not work through whole sections as some preacheres today think preaching should only be. Our goal as Christ followers and preachers of His word, is to preach the word not for information sake but for transformation.
Rick Carling on Wed, June 21, 2006
I have enjoyed reading through these remarks on Andy Stanley’s 3 points. I find something in most all of them to agree with. But, there is one “point” no one has made yet and that point is:
If you are preaching for life-change based on the Word then to be truly effectective ....truly effective, the preacher needs to consistently model these same changes in his/ her life. If he/she doesn’t…, well, you can finish the sentence.
Jim Reich on Wed, June 21, 2006
A comment & two questions:
prichett4 wrote:
Kind of curious about the phrasing of the question - “what is your church’s goal when preaching….” What the church usually gets on Sunday morning is exactly what THEIR goal was for the preacher when they hired him in the first place. As a layman & interim pastor, I’ve sat in on far too many search committee meetings where the emphasis was on the Bible knowledge of the candidate & will he “feed” us as opposed to “what will his messages bring that will grow us, change us (the dreaded “C” word), & help us become more effective & committed (another “C” word) Christians in our daily lives. Unfortunately, most church members would rather be fed than changed. As a pastor, I’ve also taken the heat when my preaching goals morphed from “feeding” to life change - because I was “meddling.” So churches do have preaching goals after all…
Q1: Why do Wyeth & Gino & so many others assume that the Holy Spirt leaves when creativity (yet another “C” word) is mentioned? Jesus was effective when he preached precisely because he was creative in his use of metaphors, parables, & examples from everyday life to shake up people’s conventional thinking & change them. Was he not guided by the Holy Spirit to do so? Will the Holy Spirit not also guide & annoint those those among us who want to follow Jesus’ example?
Q2: Is the goal of the preacher really communication or is it change? You can be a great communicator of content, but if people aren’t changed, what has been accomplished? On the other hand, it’s hard to be an effective agent of life change without also being a good communicator. Thank God the Holy Spirit takes what we have to offer & uses it according to his own purposes, but that’s not a reason for us to sit back & not be changed ourselves.
James on Wed, June 21, 2006
Todd, again you’ve hit a very important point with this article. I think we all have a part of the truth in our teaching, preaching the Word. The Holy Spirit is definitely a huge factor in “translating” the scriptures to the hearer. Definitely some communicate the Word better or at least differently, and can be interpreted as “effective” communication. Jesus did teach the Word, but it was to correct the “error” of the teachings of the Pharisees. His goal, in my opinion, was not to teach as the Pharisees did but to bring the truth which would liberate and set the listener on a path of understanding.
There are two prongs to this discussion. I believe whole-heartedly that we must be good communicators. In our Post-Modern world communication and relationships are icons of expectation. Excellence in both is required. There is the communication that we have with each other as believers, then there is communication skills needed to communicate the gospel to the pre-Christian. I believe two distinctly different skills and mind set. Both must be skillfull and clear, both filled with content and authenticity. Technique alone won’t and never has gotten either job done well, the period of time we call modernity capitalized on technique and strategies, but short on authenticity and even at times “reality”.
What was Christ’s primary purpose? You all know the scriptures….to seek and to save those that are lost, to destroy the works of the devil, to give his life as ransom for the world, and to empower the believer to do the same. It seems to me that we still fall short of His primary purpose. We become educated, skilled at what we do so we can fulfill the great commission. If it’s only to tantalize the “saved” and fill their spiritual “bellies” with more knowledge and make them fat off our research and teachings then I think we’ve missed the boat. The only reason I teach the word to anyone is to help move them to a point that transformation, continual transformation takes place in their life where they become dependent upon God, not me, the church or any other spiritual guru. I’m not for living life like a hermit Christian or independent spiritual lifestyle. But it seems we have so many spiritual babies who should be adults by now. Too much knowledge, as Paul says, puffs up. Too little makes us lazy and immature. Too much application takes to a point of a cause and effect world, only. And too little application causes us to be cerebral and it becomes all about “understanding” only. So what’s the answer? I don’t have one except for this suggestion. A true communicator is also an educator. He moves his people from pupil to trainee to personally responsible for their faith and walk. That’s what maturity is all about. “By now you should be eating meat, but you’re still on milk…” “You have no need of anyone teaching you, because the Holy Spirit teaches you all things.” “We are going from glory to glory”. We are not dispensers of information only, we are also agents of change and instigators of helping people connect with the Holy Spirit so they can be transformed and become the people God wants them to become. There is obviously no simple response or answer to any of this, but the dicussion has been wonderful to read and ponder. Blessings.
Gino on Wed, June 21, 2006
Well, given the “noise” I caused by actually saying something critical of what I read and because I want to clarify some points, here goes.
Actually Todd, I do not know Andy and I was just commenting on the segments that you had in the article. I was disappointed that he seemed to so easily dismiss the ministries of men like Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon or more modern John MacArthur, John Piper, Alistair Begg (and I could go on). These are all men who have preached expository and apparently don’t cut the mustard. (or at least have taken the “easy way out”) That was my comment - Andy assumed too much in his comments.
Sadly many others have as well. They have assumed that I do not believe in creativity - where did that come from - because I believe the Bible should be taught in units, especially the units in which they were written. How many times have you heard a verse or two taken totally out of context in thematic preaching? Far too often. Why are so many assuming that you cannot be creative when preaching expository sermons? Why do others assume that I believe that the Holy Spirit is not active in any other kinds of messages? Obviously there is a bit of lumping together here that is unnecessary.
Finally (& I could say much more), maybe we should take a lesson from the Apostle Paul. Paul’s letter are incredible, but too often in thematic or similar preaching most pastors skip the first chapter or 2 and go right to “how to live in light of these truths.” Why? Because Paul opens up his letters with some of the most remarkable truths about our God and who we are in Christ. I doubt he wrote those things because he did not believe they were transforming or worthy to ponder. In fact, it seems that all his exhortations only made sense, were only possible and done in the proper spirit once he told them all these things first. Now I know emergents don’t like Paul; they like narratives & Jesus, but it’s all God-breathed…
Okay, enough. I am sure there will be other comments. I will let them come. May we all pray for transformed lives by the power of God, by the Spirit of God, by the Word of God. May we all say with Paul - I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation…
To Him be the glory forever and ever.
Ray on Thu, June 22, 2006
I actually enjoy reading the postings more than the main article. Working through them gives one a better appreciation of whether or not the article has communicated or “struck a cord” with the readers and reveals a good deal about those responding…. like Harold, an early poster. While seeing someone come to Christ at a Sunday service is truly a blessed event, that’s not its primary purpose. The primary purpose of the Sunday service is for believers to worship God and give Him the glory that belongs to Him and Him alone. One way to do that is to passionately preach the Word of God clearly, in its context, and with the purpose of seeing believers respond through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Rick White on Tue, June 27, 2006
Good comments on this. I was out of town and unable to comment last week. Sorry for the delay.
Todd—I think you’re being too hard on Gino. Some of his comments seemed legit. Everyone laces their comments with over-the-top stuff from time to time (even Andy)...but I know you’re trying keep it from getting too personal…so…
The best I’ve heard is
1.) One does NOT need to preach verse-by-verse OR topically to be “more biblical”....although people who teach topically seem to be much more prone to taking texts out of context. If your hermeneutics aren’t refined yet (or if you tend to start with a subject and look for proof-texts), you probably ought to stick with verse-by verse until you can approach the scriptures differently.
2.) The Dr. Phil comment was perfect by Jacob Van Horn. The goal CANNOT be lifechange. Cancer changes your life…being a buddhist changes your life…overdosing on ex-lax changes your life. I worry that this “goal” just produces more moral people much of the time…but not followers of Jesus.
3.) The comments referring to modeling the faith for others are awesome. We will always do soooo much more for making disicples by modeling and walking with people—all Christians can/should be doing this with younger Christians. Unfortunately, most people won’t get good “didactic teaching” from anyone unless they get it from their pastor—so I’m concerned that we would de-emphasize teaching the Word.
Unfortunately, the one area that Andy missed is “heart-change”. How can we quantify or better ensure heart-change in a person through preaching? Heck…knowledge of the word AND application of the word are tied to heart-change, but neither confirm this 100%. Seems like we should be on our knees more—I’m just as guilty of not doing this. The Holy Spirit is the only heart-change agent…not us. We just get to come along for the ride if we’re faithful and preach the word.
Jacob Van Horn—good words. Are you the same Jacob from TVC?
Pastor Mike on Tue, June 27, 2006
Hey Jay Gainer,
Did you help write the davinci code or shall I call it
4+1+blah+I can’t count…
I’m just playing…
Good illustration however.
-Mike
Jacob Vanhorn on Tue, June 27, 2006
Rick, thanks for shout out.
I am the same Jacob Vanhorn from TVC. I saw a post from you recently and wondered the same about you. I pray things are going well at CityView. Did I see correctly on your website that Kris is now preaching on Sunday mornings for the next year?
K c on Fri, August 04, 2006
I have read Andy’s new book and I believe it could be one of the most important books a preacher/teacher/communicator can read-if one is interested in changed lives.
Bishop Henry B. Grimes, Jr., DD, PhD on Wed, August 09, 2006
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading of the various styles and approaches in ministry of the Word. However, I especially enjoyed hearing from those ministers who were gracious enough to cause us to pause; reminding us it is the work of the Holy Spirit to illuminate the understanding of the Holy scriptures. It is by His grace, not by our works or (styles). Might I add that He (God the Holy Spirit) also ‘anoints’ our hearing and receptivity of the word. While each must siphor for himself/ herself what works best for their congregation, respectively. Let us be careful that it is not altogether the various style we engage. It is by ‘grace’ and not works, thus leaving us to bask in the love of His Presence; and, not frustrate Grace. So if self is not removed; and, replaced with the ‘anointing’ we servant leaders can preach/teach until we are “blue in the face”...but there will be no connection or lasting results.
It is my heart-felt prayer that God direct each of us, whom I am confident, wants to witness the ‘life transforming’ move of God in each life. God bless my co-laborers in Christ Jesus.
dmarv on Mon, September 11, 2006
My own preaching has developed over the years, and at least from my own transition I would vouch for the accuracy of the three types. Are there more? Probably. However, I know that when I started preaching, my thought was that simply presenting the word of God was enough. After all, God’s word will not return to him void…will it? I absolutely know that it won’t, but truthfully, any life change that occurred was in spite of anything that I said from the pulpit. I thought my goal was life change, I wanted my goal to be life change, but I was comfortable teaching facts. I could teach dynamically, but at the end of the sermon my people may have had some new Bible facts and never been challenged to use those facts. God’s word does not rely on the foolishness of my preaching, but for His own reasons He has chosen to use that foolishness. Over time, I have learned there is a difference between saying, “In God’s eyes, lust is equivalent to adultery,” and saying, “Internet porn is cheating on your wife and violating the law of God: get a net filter, find an accountability partner, come in for counseling, and repent!” Both are biblical. However, an effective response to the first statement could be, “OK, that’s nice.” The second statement can be rejected or ignored, but it would be hard for someone to hear it and say, “OK,” and few could dismiss it as “nice.”
yellow croaker on Mon, April 07, 2008
help me ,help people.
Funny SMS Jokes on Sat, January 17, 2009
Interesting Stuff.
I love your blog.
Dll on Mon, March 23, 2009
I saw a post from you recently and wondered the same about you. I pray things are going well at CityView. Did I see correctly on your website that Kris is now preaching on Sunday mornings for the next year?
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