I’ve kind of been avoiding it for a long time but I’m currently reading
Preaching Re-Imagined by Doug Pagitt. I’ve been avoiding it because much of what I’ve heard him say about this book is stuff I already agree with or I know I need to wrestle with. I’ve been afraid of having to make lasting decisions about the role of preaching and teaching in communities of faith but I ordered the book and here I go.
Parts that stuck out to me thus far:It’s easy to realize more people are listening to more great preaching content then ever before. Current technology makes us able to listen to almost anyone, anywhere and all throughout history. But if you look around at the lack of people living in the way of Jesus it’s obvious that great preaching isn’t sufficient. It’s lunacy to think more of the same thing will solve the problem.
Pagitt’s contention is that the problem is not preaching (proclaiming) necessarily but our current method of preaching which he calls “speaching.”
“Speaching is not defined by the style of the presentation but by the relationship of the presenter to both the listeners and the content: the pastor uses a lecture-like format, often standing while the listeners are sitting. The speacher decides the content ahead of time, usually in a removed setting, and then offers it in such a way that the speacher is control of the content, speed, and conclusion of the presentation.”
Pagitt feels that speaching damages our people and creates a sense of powerlessness in them (one that we did not intend).
“As a pastor I want to be a part of a community where the workings of God are imbedded in all, where the roles of teaching and learning aren’t mine alone but instead are something intrinsic to who we are as a people.”
Reading that last quote makes me want to sing. It rings true in my heart and I long for discovering a faithful way forward in this practice. As Paul said “Let the message of Christ dwell among (us) richly as (we) teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with Gratitude in (our) hearts.” I’m tired of all the weight being on me and what I’m bringing to the table. Later in the book he talks about how Jesus couldn’t do any miracles in his hometown because of their lack of faith. “Is it really that big a stretch to believe that our sermons can be influenced by the same factors?”
Pagitt suggests the alternative of “progressional dialogue,” where the content of the presentation is established in the context of a healthy relationship between the presenter and the listeners, and substantive changes in the content are then created as a result of this relationship.” I’ve been working for some time on helping cultivate environments where it’s natural to trust the spirit to lead us as we bounce back and forth between each others comments and the scriptures (mostly influenced by Alan Roxburgh).
Pagitt’s definition of progressional dialoge very ambiguous especially the part that I left above. I did this on purpose because I’m trying not to focus on how I know his community does it but on the idea of it in general.
If preaching is a socializing force and a formative practice in a community like Pagitt says then we really need to sit back and think hard about how our preaching is socializing and forming our community.
How do you think the current method of preaching that you are used to socializes and forms a community in positive and negative ways?
What are some dreams about preaching that would form and socialize in new ways that we may need in our current context?I am also attempting new methods of preaching in the middle school ministry and I hope to chronicle how that is going. Last week we set up the chairs in a way where everybody could see everybody and I tried to stay seated the whole time instead of lording over them. It went okay but I hadn’t set it up for much interaction. I’m planning on more questions and discussion this week.
I’d love to get some thoughts on the two highlighted questions above.