As much as the church has changed over the years, isn’t preaching still the same? Granted, the tools are different. In 1985 the power of the Internet lay latent, the use of video and media technology was barely visible, the thought of a team of preachers sharing a pulpit was unheard of, the prevalence of multi-site churches with the sermon being broadcast live to other preaching points simultaneously was nonexistent. But preaching is still the same. Isn’t it?

The Bedrock of Preaching

“Preaching,” according to Brian Larsen, “must be grounded in the authority of Scripture, true to the gospel of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, clear in its relevance to the hearers, and proclaimed by people of character.”

That definition would be true yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The purpose of preaching remains a constant from one generation to another. “The purpose of preaching is to help the congregation interpret the world from the perspective of the Gospel,” states Ronald Allen of Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. “The preacher is called to help the congregation interpret life theologically and to help the congregation respond appropriately.”

Allen, who pastors as well as teaches homiletics, is adamant about the preacher understanding the primacy of preaching. “This purpose must remain the same from age to age because the church and the preacher are the only institutions in the human world whose reason for being is to carry out that purpose. The church is called to this particular task in a way that no other community is called, and God promises to continue to work through the Spirit to enliven the preacher and church to this task.”

So whether one is preaching to large crowds or small, using the high tech of video imaging in the sanctuary or sending it be satellite to a multitude of locations, whether the text is read from one of a hundred different versions or translations of the Bible the preaching function has changed little. And it must not change.

The preacher can’t forget the significance of preaching in any age to any people — ancient, contemporary, or postmodern. If the preacher does the church and society are doomed. “The church survives because of the centrality of preaching,” acknowledged H. Beecher Hicks, pastor for 28 years at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington, DC. “Preaching thrives in hard times. Preaching thrives best when tinged by blood — life and death crises. When life brings people to the altar and onto their knees preaching will be a necessity to their lives.”