Constant Change: Where Preaching Has Been In The Last 20 Years and Where It Is Going
As things change, they stay the same. When one reflects back twenty years have
things changed that much? Consider some of the names of preachers that were
prominent in 1985: Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, Charles Stanley. While their
names are still prominent in 2005, their sons have assumed the mantel of leadership
(Franklin Graham, Robert Schuller II, Andy Stanley).
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?
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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.”