I probably use more humor. Humor is such a powerful tool if it’s used correctly. Dave’s helped me there. Our people don’t do very well saying amen or responding to you verbally, but they will laugh out loud. That’s one way of getting people’s attention back sometimes. I think I probably use more humor than I did originally.
Preaching: I’m going to turn that around: how has the congregation changed? Not just in numbers, but as you analyze the group to whom you’re communicating, how has that changed?
Russell: The postmodern philosophy has really impacted us big time. You almost have to justify absolute truth. Words that you would say 30 years ago without batting an eye — now you’ve got to couch in different terms and broader explanations because of the influence of our culture. You’d talk 30 years ago about Jesus being the only way and everybody sitting out there was agreeing with you, 99% of the audience agreeing with you; now you talk about that and you’ve got to be more detailed, more specific as to why you believe that.
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You talk about living together without marriage. You’ve got to talk about it with a more sensitive expression because there are people sitting out there in that very relationship not feeling it’s wrong. And still you’re going to talk about what is wrong and what is right, it’s more like you’re sitting looking across the table from people who are living in that behavior rather than condemning the world out there. The same with homosexuality, a lot of those things.
There are so many different types of people sitting in the audience, part of it is the culture of our day and at times you really have to alter the language you use to communicate the same truth.
Preaching: Dave, do you see your preaching changing as you anticipate these next years as senior pastor?
Stone: I don’t see huge changes. Like I said, I think I’m at my best when I am less tied to a manuscript. The bottom line is I need to prepare more. Bob is great about reading his manuscript four or five times through on Saturday morning. I’m not done Saturday morning. I’m reading it through Saturday afternoon, maybe out loud once. I can’t move back to my strength of some of the story telling and some of the freedom that I feel until I can take my preparation a step deeper.
I don’t know what will change, but I know some of the things that won’t change — that might be easier to answer. I remember when Bob preached a sermon 3 or 4 years ago on Jesus being the only way to heaven. We were down heading to our cars and he said, “If that’s a tough sermon to preach now, it’s going to be a really tough sermon to preach 5 years from now and 10 years from now.” That’s where we are and we’re not going to wimp out on those topics, we’re going to speak the truth in love, we’re going to continue to touch on the tough issues.