I never could do new years resolutions...and it seems a week in i've already failed to Blog everyday....
Yesterday we had a training session on group communication and in front of each other we had to present for 90seconds on a subject of our choice....I've always found talking in front of people fine but yesterday in front of my small team i couldn't. Not a very nice experience becuase i felt totally useless afterwards.....Perhaps it's becuase there are so many good publice speakers within Oasis and as a result you see yourself being able to reach a different level. I mean Steve Chalke is a great public speaker and i suppose that is what we're being asked to strive towards.
It was interesting to learn the traits of a good public speaker....one that makes eye contact with his audience, one that captures people's attention and one that uses stories and illustrations that people (young and old) can relate too. Dave our minister told us that these were essential skills for a church leader to have. Mainly to keep the church excited by it's vision.
After a visit to Church.co.uk one of my good friends once asked me a question. "If God is really so incredible and his word so wonderful, why do we need preachers and exciting speakers to sell the word?" Is it time to stop preaching, to change what church offers to people. To something active, something more community based....something that revolves around community and discussion and fellowship. Tea and coffee drinking and chatting. Minsiters as discussion prompters and carers. Encouraging people to meet and greet. Just a thought out loud becuase i think my friends got a point....I'm hoping i'll get some responses (gavin matthews).
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Hi Andy. Was praying on my way to work along the M90 today and saw a lorry marked "A&J Nelson from Kelty". I immediately thought "I wonder how Andy Nelson's getting on?" Out loud. I thought nothing more about it until two more lorries with the same company name appeared. Maybe a prompt? Maybe not? But I took a moment to mention you in prayer - not a very specific prayer - but now I've read your blog, I feel a lot more informed. God bless ya, guvnor!
I think that you've raised an interesting point (or rather, your friend has)... but I think that balance is always important. I think that churches need to stop thinking solely about how they can survive, and think about how they can help those around them to survive. Church leaders need to more from 'maintenance' to 'mission', which does not mean getting more people to go away to far away countries, but rather understanding that we are all called to live lives that proclaim the Kingdom of God with our actions.
I don't think that we should stop having preaching in our churches, as we need to hear the transformative word of God as well as living missional lives. We need both. If we don't reflect on our actions, we will become impotent; if we don't act on our beliefs then we will become useless.
Best of luck for 2007 Nelson! :)
"If God is really so incredible and his word so wonderful, why do we need preachers and exciting speakers to sell the word?"
The problem is that this is a flawed question because it uses the word "need" not "chosen"! God doesn't "need" it as such - but (and this is a BIG mystery) He has chosen to work out many of His purposes through human agents. The Word and The Spirit work together in and through human personality to achieve God's ends.
I think that there are then two main lines of thought I'd like to develop.
Firstly that preaching remains essential in the life of the church for various reasons such as (i) God is a communicating God who speaks to humanity and blessing is found through believing and responding to that (ii) The NT suggests that all churches would have teachers to help them all to understand the faith (iii) in that context 2Tim3:16 was written to a young church leader, insisting that the Word was the basic nourishment for the soul to be neglected at peril.
Secondly though, that doesn't mean that the format of that preaching must never change. To "preach" in the Bible means to "proclaim" - a 45 minute monolgue is maybe only 1 way of many to obey this call.If we are more effective by developing a more narrative and less technical style today than 40 years ago -OK! If we develop more interactive learning that's OK too. If we can learn how to utilise technology to help people engage with the message - fine too. As for venues - the formal church building and pulpit is neither prescribed nor proscribed in scripture, if it's passed its usefulness then ditch it!
And of course - the proclamation should takeplace in the context of a community whose lives embody the message they proclaim.
Ultimately though, however we do our proclaiming Christ, I think that the NT suggests that it will have some qualities;
1) It will be expositional. That is to say it will involve the interpretation and application of part of the Bible. The preacher, (in pulpit or pub) speaks not in hsi own authority but under the Bible's.
2) It will be an activity which occurs in the power of the Holy Spirit as God uses one person as a channel to bless another.
3) It will be applied - not just abstract theology. Jesus, Paul; their sermons not only drew strongly on the world around them (physical and cultural) but hit everyday life issues too.
4) It will be faithful. That is being willing both to affirm things in contemporary life which the text says are pleasing to God, (such as the Jubilee campaign on debt relief) as well as confronting those things which the text says are an affront to God (such as radical individualism and sexual immorality).
5)It will be gracious - that is to say it's object will always be to point people to the grace of God in Christ. It must not become an opportunity for the building of a preachers reputation, skill, power or influence.
6)It will be integral.That is to say it will not be disconnected with the rest of the life and service of the community of God. It is inspired by the real struggles that take place here - and speaks into those situations. The gift of preaching is but one gift in the panoply of treasures from the Holy Spirit, and must take it's place in the every-member-ministry of the body.
Sorry - these thoughts are rambling and confused. It's too late at night for this sort of thing!
However - seeing as you were silly enough to ask for my opinion!
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