ideas, resources, and conversation about the joys and struggles of ministry April 2006

The Sunday After

I am going to express an opinion that may not be well received by some.  It is an opinion I have come to reluctantly and contrary to much that I used to believe, and much of what once seemed obviously true.  The opinion is this: preaching is overrated. 

Let me clarify that.  I believe preaching is important.  A pastor’s homiletical ability is probably the most important criteria, at least initially, by which a pastor is judged.  It is a wonderful opportunity for proclaiming the Biblical message to a large number of people.  It’s just that we don’t always understand exactly what preaching does and does not accomplish. 

I always dreaded the Sunday after Easter.  The letdown was dramatic and predictable.  After the great excitement of Easter Sunday---a full church, joyful singing, enthusiastic parishioners, and a multitude of visitors---the contrast of the next Sunday was dramatic.  It was a Sunday which, in my experience was one of the poorest attended Sundays of the year, rivaling some of the summer-slump Sundays.  Perhaps warmer weather and opportunity for the first outings of the year had something to do with that.  Perhaps the whole process of Lent and Easter with the demands for extra involvement of time and energy took its toll.   Whatever the reason, preaching on the Second Sunday of Easter was like preaching to the empty tomb.  Wasn’t Easter supposed to be the beginning of something big, not the end?  Have we perhaps been going about this in the wrong way?

I read recently George W. Barna’s summary of his survey about the influence of Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ.  He wrote:

“Among the most startling outcomes…is the apparent absence of a direct evangelistic impact by the movie…. Less than one-tenth of one percent of those who saw the film stated that they made a profession of faith or accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior in reaction to the film’s content.”

Now, dispensing for the moment whether or not “a profession of faith” or “accepting” Jesus Christ as Savior is the most important outcome we might want or expect from a movie about Jesus, the “one tenth of one percent” is no small outcome for mass media.  Presuming that somewhere around 100 million saw it, that represents 100,000 people who had a conversion experience as a result of seeing the movie.  That is the kind of math that made telemarketing a success despite thousands of angry hang-ups and why some companies find it worth their while to invest millions of dollars in a 30 second commercial on Super Bowl Sunday. 

In most congregations, however, we are not dealing with a mass market.  If our measure of effect as a result of a sermon is anything like one tenth of one percent, it is no wonder that often so little seems to happen, no matter how great the preaching. 

For most of my early years in ministry, I devoted a lot of attention to the task of preaching.  I think eventually my preaching may have attained that level where 80% of pastors see themselves: “above average.”  It brought me more compliments than anything else that I did.  But being complimented is not the same thing as being effective, and it was Sundays like the Second Sunday of Easter that made me realize it.  No matter how brilliant my preaching had been on Easter Sunday seemed to make little difference as to what happened the following Sunday.

Now, I know that ultimately it is the Spirit who creates faith.  I understood my task as a preacher was not to entertain or to proclaim self, but to be faithful to the Word to allow the Spirit to work.  My job was, as much as possible, to get out of the way.  But it was puzzling to have the enchanting feeling on Easter Sunday that the Spirit was doing great things through me only to be confronted on the following Sunday with the reality that not much had changed.  Was it possible that I had developed too narrow of a perspective of the ways in which the Spirit worked?

Much has been written about the difficulty of preaching in an age of media.  A couple of generations ago, when the pastor may well have been one of the most educated persons in a community, it may not have been too difficult to impress and indeed influence congregants by means of a sermon.  Today, not only has mass media exposed people to a wide range of news anchors, actors, analysts, and experts who are far better at the task of communication than most pastors, but the very nature of the media, with its capability of producing a visual and emotional impact, has changed the nature of communication.  Thus, when the movie The Passion of the Christ first appeared on the horizon, it was trumpeted as having the potential effect of a “religious tsunami”.  Many preachers saw this as an opportunity to augment their preaching and teaching with the powerful images of the silver screen.  Many made plans to fill up theaters with their parishioners.  At about the same time, however, Brian McLaren in an article in Leadership magazine, had words of caution.  He warned that it was unwise to put hope in “products (like films, radio broadcasts, boxed programs, etc.).”  Rather, he said, where people are more likely to encounter Jesus are when they meet with “the good works of disciples filled with God’s love."

When you read through the Gospels, you will find that many times after Jesus performed a miracle, the people are described as being “amazed.”  You will also notice that, so far as we can tell, never did “amazement” lead to discipleship.  Some of you, by your preaching, may indeed be able to produce “amazement.”  That may not all be bad, but it also may be true that you haven’t yet accomplished anything of importance.  Faith is about relationships, a relationship with Christ.  Christ speaks to us through his Word.  But he also tells us he is present in the Church.  It is his Body.  In an age when preaching competes with the riveting images of movies and videos, it is perhaps important for us to know that our task is not just to produce a sermon that will somehow impress, but rather to create a community of believers in which people can encounter the love of Christ.  That may also have something to say about how to allocate time and energy.

According to a survey done by Outreach, Inc., 77% of church leaders indicated that they were planning on doing a sermon series related to the film The Da Vinci Code  (opening date: May 19).  At what point does this go beyond reasonable response to overkill?  Are congregations displaying a gullibility and anxiety that make them an easy mark for marketers?  How does one go about providing accurate information to information raised by the book and impending movie without further promoting it?

I am once again exploring the possibility of offering a Pastoral Care Specialist Class in the Kearney area.  The class provides an opportunity to learn and improve pastoral care skills relating to a broad variety of issues and situations.  It would meet once a month ten times a year for a two year period beginning in September of this year.  If you would be interested or have additional questions, please call or e-mail. 

Overheard comments by preachers about preaching:

“Wherever Paul traveled, revolutions broke out.  Wherever I go, they serve tea.”

“I’m in my sixth week of a series of sermons on the subject of transformation, but they still look like the same old bunch.”

“When you come right down to it, my preaching is just a collection of clichés, but I think I’ve managed to combine them in a rather exciting way.”

In Christ's Service,

Roger Kruger

rkruger@lfsneb.org

(402) 978-5670 (direct line and confidential voice mail)

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