Are Sermons Too Professional?
Author: Matthew Law is a Bible & psychology major at Freed-Hardeman University
In another universe this would be difficult to admit, but I believe I’m in a majority when I say that while growing up in the Church of Christ I can count on my fingers how many sermons have really impacted me. More embarrassing to confess, however, is that I’ve only recently realized this and begun wondering why. If I’m being completely honest, it’s only since I discovered a particularly talented denominational preacher that I began questioning why his sermons were having a much greater impact on my faith than any Church of Christ preacher. I’m not saying there aren’t amazing preachers within the Church of Christ, nor am I saying that our preachers haven’t had a positive impact on the state of the church. In fact, there are many Church of Christ preachers, past and present, who’ve done awesome things for the Lord’s Church. Nevertheless, the majority of them can’t hold my attention for more than five minutes. I know, I’m terrible. For a while I figured it was just my own personal problem, and that I needed to be more focused. I’ve heard preachers say that if the audience is bored during the sermons then the problem is within us, and that if the audience can’t pay attention it means there’s a problem between us and God because we should be thirsting for the Word. I believed that, though on some level I suppose I always doubted it. I knew I was thirsty for the Word… just not when preached by certain preachers. I could name some Church of Christ preachers that I love hearing preach the Word, but the question still remains: Why can’t I listen to most preachers?
I’ve spoken to a few people about this question, and they seem to agree that it’s difficult to pay attention to certain preachers, and they share my feelings about rarely getting anything life changing out of sermons. You can read this article by my friend Isaac if you want to hear more about that. In this article, however, I want to discuss one reason I believe it’s easier to get something out of denominational preachers (and a few Church of Christ preachers). Simply: Most Church of Christ preachers are too professional. My generation doesn’t want to be “preached to” by a man who separates himself from the audience by dressing in a suit and tie, using big words, explaining Greek, and changing their demeanor from conversation to lecture. My generation wants to have a conversation. I don’t mean that we need to be verbally speaking with the preacher during worship, but we do need to be involved in the lesson.
I’m aware that at this point you might be confused and wondering how we could achieve involvement without verbally interacting, but just think back to the last time a sermon really grabbed you. You might think of speakers like Kyle Butt, David Shannon, and other men who have the ability to grab an audience. Being completely captured by the message is what I mean by being involved. That’s what my generation wants. When I look at what separates speakers who can grab my attention from those who can’t, I see professionalism playing a big part in the problem. When I hear Kyle Butt speak, I see someone who’s conversing with me. Not literally, but it doesn’t feel like a lecture. I don’t feel like he’s greater than me or that he never sins. His sermons feel very real, and he preaches in such a way that seems conversational rather than a formal lecture.
I’m a Bible major at Freed-Hardeman University and one of the required classes here is “Preparation and Delivery of Sermons.” We’re taught how to organize a sermon on paper and deliver it in different ways. The class is pretty good, in theory, and the material is useful for those of us Bible majors preparing for some kind of ministry. It’s helpful to learn some tips from preaching “veterans.” However, the class seems to push “rules” to follow during the sermon preparation and delivery process. I’ll admit that the professor mentioned beforehand that we should try to find what works for us, so I’m not intending to bash the class. I do believe it lays out a good foundation for preachers to build on as they get more comfortable in the pulpit. Nevertheless, most preachers seem to retain the same rule-based model for the rest of their lives. I assume they stick with it because it’s what they know rather than trying to figure out what works best for them personally (which is evident because very little of their audience is able to focus on their sermons). This is what creates the standoffish professionalism in today’s preachers. They’re trying too hard to get their three points together, find a poem or illustration that compliments their sermon, perfecting their personal presentation for the crowd, and fulfilling the rest of the rules preachers are taught to follow.
If a preacher is adhering to all the standard guidelines, they’ll certainly be considered a good preacher by many. The congregation will undoubtedly compliment them on their preaching prowess and they’ll feel good Sunday night knowing they did well. I wonder, though, if this is a situation of hyper-normalisation. The idea is that we sometimes notice something that clearly isn’t working but still continue allowing it to happen because it’s an established norm. That sounds precisely like preaching today. It doesn’t seem to be working, so why do we keep doing the same thing over and over again? Something must change because the church is dying.
In Acts 2, Peter preached to a crowd of Jews and explained that they were the reason Jesus was crucified. We could probably create three points out of Peter’s sermon, but it’s safe to say Peter didn’t have three points in mind when he started talking. Rather, it seems he just preached what was on his heart. It says in Acts 2:14a that “Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them.” Peter just stood up and preached. In Acts 3, we read about Peter seeing some people who needed to be preached to, and he just went and spoke to them. He didn’t talk in a monotonous manner at them, he asked them a question in verse 12: “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness?” At the very beginning of his sermon Peter invited his audience into a conversation, not that they were going to vocally reply, but he captured them by speaking directly to them.
This is a plea for preachers to just open up their hearts, stand up, and preach. Forget three points and a poem, forget this idea of presenting yourself professionally in every way you can think of… just stand up and preach. Of course, you can use notes or organize as you see fit, but please stop outlining your sermon based on what someone else taught you. Just do what works best for you, allow yourself room to think in the moment, and be with the audience as you’re speaking. Invite them in on a conversation, don’t lecture to them. Spark some serious thought with your words, don’t fill your sermon with clichés.
There’s only so much you can do behind a desk while writing a sermon. I’m convinced that what captures people isn’t the neat illustrations you come up with or the clever one-liners you find. It’s the passion you show from the pulpit for what you’re speaking about that will capture your audience. Forget the rules, get passionate about your subject and the people you’re speaking to. I believe we often forget what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:11: “If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” We’re speaking God’s words! Get in front of your congregation Sunday morning and know that you’re not speaking your own words, but God’s words, and I promise that when you let that fact dwell in you for a while your preaching will change. It’s my hope that because of that change you’ll no longer concern yourself with the “rules” of sermonizing, or making yourself appear professional to your audience, and that you’ll simply stand up and preach the Word of God.
In another universe this would be difficult to admit, but I believe I’m in a majority when I say that while growing up in the Church of Christ I can count on my fingers how many sermons have really impacted me. More embarrassing to confess, however, is that I’ve only recently realized this and begun wondering why. If I’m being completely honest, it’s only since I discovered a particularly talented denominational preacher that I began questioning why his sermons were having a much greater impact on my faith than any Church of Christ preacher. I’m not saying there aren’t amazing preachers within the Church of Christ, nor am I saying that our preachers haven’t had a positive impact on the state of the church. In fact, there are many Church of Christ preachers, past and present, who’ve done awesome things for the Lord’s Church. Nevertheless, the majority of them can’t hold my attention for more than five minutes. I know, I’m terrible. For a while I figured it was just my own personal problem, and that I needed to be more focused. I’ve heard preachers say that if the audience is bored during the sermons then the problem is within us, and that if the audience can’t pay attention it means there’s a problem between us and God because we should be thirsting for the Word. I believed that, though on some level I suppose I always doubted it. I knew I was thirsty for the Word… just not when preached by certain preachers. I could name some Church of Christ preachers that I love hearing preach the Word, but the question still remains: Why can’t I listen to most preachers?
I’ve spoken to a few people about this question, and they seem to agree that it’s difficult to pay attention to certain preachers, and they share my feelings about rarely getting anything life changing out of sermons. You can read this article by my friend Isaac if you want to hear more about that. In this article, however, I want to discuss one reason I believe it’s easier to get something out of denominational preachers (and a few Church of Christ preachers). Simply: Most Church of Christ preachers are too professional. My generation doesn’t want to be “preached to” by a man who separates himself from the audience by dressing in a suit and tie, using big words, explaining Greek, and changing their demeanor from conversation to lecture. My generation wants to have a conversation. I don’t mean that we need to be verbally speaking with the preacher during worship, but we do need to be involved in the lesson.
I’m aware that at this point you might be confused and wondering how we could achieve involvement without verbally interacting, but just think back to the last time a sermon really grabbed you. You might think of speakers like Kyle Butt, David Shannon, and other men who have the ability to grab an audience. Being completely captured by the message is what I mean by being involved. That’s what my generation wants. When I look at what separates speakers who can grab my attention from those who can’t, I see professionalism playing a big part in the problem. When I hear Kyle Butt speak, I see someone who’s conversing with me. Not literally, but it doesn’t feel like a lecture. I don’t feel like he’s greater than me or that he never sins. His sermons feel very real, and he preaches in such a way that seems conversational rather than a formal lecture.
I’m a Bible major at Freed-Hardeman University and one of the required classes here is “Preparation and Delivery of Sermons.” We’re taught how to organize a sermon on paper and deliver it in different ways. The class is pretty good, in theory, and the material is useful for those of us Bible majors preparing for some kind of ministry. It’s helpful to learn some tips from preaching “veterans.” However, the class seems to push “rules” to follow during the sermon preparation and delivery process. I’ll admit that the professor mentioned beforehand that we should try to find what works for us, so I’m not intending to bash the class. I do believe it lays out a good foundation for preachers to build on as they get more comfortable in the pulpit. Nevertheless, most preachers seem to retain the same rule-based model for the rest of their lives. I assume they stick with it because it’s what they know rather than trying to figure out what works best for them personally (which is evident because very little of their audience is able to focus on their sermons). This is what creates the standoffish professionalism in today’s preachers. They’re trying too hard to get their three points together, find a poem or illustration that compliments their sermon, perfecting their personal presentation for the crowd, and fulfilling the rest of the rules preachers are taught to follow.
If a preacher is adhering to all the standard guidelines, they’ll certainly be considered a good preacher by many. The congregation will undoubtedly compliment them on their preaching prowess and they’ll feel good Sunday night knowing they did well. I wonder, though, if this is a situation of hyper-normalisation. The idea is that we sometimes notice something that clearly isn’t working but still continue allowing it to happen because it’s an established norm. That sounds precisely like preaching today. It doesn’t seem to be working, so why do we keep doing the same thing over and over again? Something must change because the church is dying.
In Acts 2, Peter preached to a crowd of Jews and explained that they were the reason Jesus was crucified. We could probably create three points out of Peter’s sermon, but it’s safe to say Peter didn’t have three points in mind when he started talking. Rather, it seems he just preached what was on his heart. It says in Acts 2:14a that “Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them.” Peter just stood up and preached. In Acts 3, we read about Peter seeing some people who needed to be preached to, and he just went and spoke to them. He didn’t talk in a monotonous manner at them, he asked them a question in verse 12: “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness?” At the very beginning of his sermon Peter invited his audience into a conversation, not that they were going to vocally reply, but he captured them by speaking directly to them.
This is a plea for preachers to just open up their hearts, stand up, and preach. Forget three points and a poem, forget this idea of presenting yourself professionally in every way you can think of… just stand up and preach. Of course, you can use notes or organize as you see fit, but please stop outlining your sermon based on what someone else taught you. Just do what works best for you, allow yourself room to think in the moment, and be with the audience as you’re speaking. Invite them in on a conversation, don’t lecture to them. Spark some serious thought with your words, don’t fill your sermon with clichés.
There’s only so much you can do behind a desk while writing a sermon. I’m convinced that what captures people isn’t the neat illustrations you come up with or the clever one-liners you find. It’s the passion you show from the pulpit for what you’re speaking about that will capture your audience. Forget the rules, get passionate about your subject and the people you’re speaking to. I believe we often forget what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:11: “If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” We’re speaking God’s words! Get in front of your congregation Sunday morning and know that you’re not speaking your own words, but God’s words, and I promise that when you let that fact dwell in you for a while your preaching will change. It’s my hope that because of that change you’ll no longer concern yourself with the “rules” of sermonizing, or making yourself appear professional to your audience, and that you’ll simply stand up and preach the Word of God.