54
SERIAL
Preaching problems
ADVICE FROM OUR PANEL
THE SCENARIO
I have always felt a preacher’ s job was not to entertain but to deliver God’ s word faithfully, and this I have tried to do over my many years as a preacher. Lately I have begun to fear I am boring my congregation – they seem fidgety and disengaged. I don’ t know if this is because people have lost the ability to concentrate and listen to simple words without images and music and jokes and so on, or if I have – forbid the thought – indeed become boring. Do you have any advice for me?
RICHARD LITTLEDALE
Karl Barth used to tell his students that they should‘ aim their guns above the hills of relevance’. One of the things this means is that whilst fads come and go, the preacher’ s calling to apply eternal truth to temporal reality abides. This is not an excuse to be boring, but a reminder that preaching is about tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow – not just about today. Of course, if the preacher is boring, then he or she won’ t help for today, tomorrow, or any other day! If you can bear to, have a listen to a one of your own sermons. Does the tone of your voice vary so that it creates an interesting‘ soundscape’? Do you vary your volume and pace? These things can help to alleviate monotony. What about content? Are there illustrations from the world beyond the church inhabited by your listeners? Simply inserting jokes is a bit like opening your food cupboard and throwing in ingredients‘ just to make it interesting’. If jokes are not your thing then tell stories. If stories are not your thing then find interesting facts. By all means illustrate – but do so in a way that suits you.
SOMETIMES IT IS NOT THAT PEOPLE DON’ T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THIS, BUT RATHER THEY DON’ T WANT TO HEAR IT LIKE THAT.
Richard Littledale
Richard Littledale is the minister of Teddington Baptist Church, and has always had a lively interest in innovative communication. He has written several books on preaching as well as two children’ s stories. He is a radio broadcaster and runs a busy blog at richardlittledale. me. uk.