Suppose someone were to ask you, “Why do you have preaching in your church?” What would you say? It might benefit you to form an answer to that question and then take five minutes to read what I have written below.*
When I first began serving in our current church, one of our members sent me an email encouraging me that preaching need not be a central activity at church each week. She was very affirming about my preaching, and the email was sweet in tone, but her thought was that we could use our Sunday morning worship service for other activities on certain weeks. She was thinking specifically of prayer and the children singing.
Rather than feeling defensive about her suggestion, I began asking our people why we preach the Word on Sunday morning. I asked this in a couple of different settings. The answers were all very similar. They responded that we need preaching in order to grow, to be taught, to learn God’s Word. Some stressed evangelism. Others brought up the ongoing growth of believers.
The answers they gave were not bad answers. God does use preaching to accomplish these things. But, there was a glaring absence in the responses. None of these people, some who have been believers for many years, really got to the heart of the matter. Why do we have preaching on Sunday morning? The bottom line answer is that preaching is God’s specifically appointed means for the proclamation of His Word. God does not tell Timothy or Titus, preach the Word, have plenty of music, and by all means get the children involved. He does not say that drama should be rotated in with preaching. I am not categorically opposed to drama. But, Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, stresses that the center of what pastors are called to do is preach the Word, in season and out of season, week in, and week out.
If Sunday is only about imparting content, then this could be accomplished through preaching but also through other means. If the reason that we have preaching on Sunday mornings is simply so that God’s people can grow, then we might set up interactive computer programs and have people work through guided learning. We might provide reading assignments or do drama exclusively. The fact is that God specifically tells pastors to preach the Word. While we may choose at times to do other activities, they cannot replace preaching. Nothing can.
Where pastors are concerned, no other activity in the New Testament receives near the emphasis of preaching the Word. Different church strategies, different fads, will come and go. Adult Bible Fellowships may work well during one generation. The next may focus on small groups. A church may choose to do a bus ministry or start a Christian school. These different eras or trends in church life are fine and even necessary. But, until Christ comes back, local churches are called to feature a clear and powerful proclamation of the Word of God.
*This material is adapted from my doctoral thesis.
Chris,
This is such a clear explanation of the task God has set to Pastors; to preach His word clearly and regularly.
I always tell my kids that our pastor is like the coach. He has a spacific word from the Lord for our specific team. It’s half time, and we’re gathering to huddle and hear what God has to say to us, before we head back out into the ‘game’ where we’ll be pressed on all sides. We can’t make it without our huddle. We need to hear what God has to say to us, specifically, on this day.
Shannon, that is a great way of saying it to kids who connect easily with sports illustrations!