Mon 14 Aug 2006
Preaching Re-Imagined
Posted by tom cottar under theology
One of the things I finally got around to on my vacation last week was reading a couple of books I've been dying to dig into.
The first was something shae recommended to me a few weeks ago. (The second book, I'll post tomorrow) In preparation for starting a new church (and because it's just a good book), Shae mentioned that he was reading Doug Pagitt's Preaching Re-Imagined. So I picked it up a few weeks ago and waited for the most opportune time to read it (with the craziness of student ministry, June and July are NOT good times to try to retain much of anything new…just hang on until the ride is over.)
That opportune moment was last Monday.
It's a great book. I And although it's primarily directed at preaching pastors and church planters, I'd recommend it to ANYONE who has a teaching role in ministry. The basic premise is that, by and large, many of us don't engage in preaching. We think we do, but we don't. What we're really engaging in is what he terms 'speeching'. What we need is the kind of preaching that “creates followers of God who serve the world well and live the invitation to the rhythm of God.” The problem, Pagitt claims, is that the same people hear the same message year after year and still struggle with the same problems. The congregation hasn't learned to be responsible to teach each other.
Through 'progressional preaching', he compels pastors/teachers/whomever to engage the Bible with a focus on three questions:
1. What kind of communities are we forming? (Sociology)
2. What story are we telling? (Theology)
3. How can we tell it more effectively? (Communications)
Through these, he's creating an 'open sermon' (my terminology, not necessarily his) in which the audience is engaged in an open dialogue throughout the message. Ask questions. Offer insights. Pose difficult questions, and maybe even conflicting views. All in an effort to engage the local body within the scriptures–to learn to be a community that truly inhabits the biblical narrative (something we talk alot about, but haven't quite figured out how to flesh out yet…)
Great, curious stuff. In fact, we've been doing it at The Dive for a little over a year now..But, then again, I'm the youth guy and I can get away with stuff like that…
EDIT: Pick up the book. If you want more, there are some great blogs talking about it. I've listed a few of them below.
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August 15th, 2006 at 7:26 am
The “open Sermon” is actually the Hebrew teaching style; not their sermon style, but their teaching style.
I have used this style before in “big church” and really enjoy it. There is one drawback: spontaneity from the participants is slow to begin with because of our western cultural ideas of “not interupting the speaker until he has finished.”
I have even asked people to stand up and begin singing songs during the sermons. This is cool when everyone figures out it is ok for them to do it.
I know it takes people out of their prepaired outlines, but, they should know their text well enough to preach it even if they are interupted 20 times or more.
The reason preachers preach the same thing over and over every year is becasue they are failing to discipling themselves to be Biblical and allow other men within their congregation to preach the word. Preachers an not to be the show, they are supposed to bring forth leaders from their own congregatrions to lead ouit in service.