It may be strange to hear from a preacher, but preaching has a limited power. Note what George Barna, researcher, says:
"We know that within two hours after leaving a church service, the typical individual cannot recall the theme of the sermon they heard. But if they have a discussion about a principle and its application to their life, or if they have a multi-sensory experience with those principles, they retain the information much longer and the probability that they will act on that information rises dramatically."
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=194
Note that I did not say that preaching was a waste of time or that it did not have power or that it ought to be done away with. It does have power, and Paul confirmed this, stating that God had chosen the foolishness of preaching.
However, preaching ought to be one of several ways that we communicate truth in the assembly. Video, discussion, sharing of stories, art, and multiple voices help in communication and understanding the biblical message. And preaching itself ought to be more interactive. Alas, our physical arrangement and expectations of what constitutes an assembly limits us.
How do you suggest making the worship assembly more interactive and multi-sensory?
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I've thought recently that we should build a giant, long table where the center aisle is. Instead of passing trays pew to pew during communion and having our "don't-disturb-me-I'm-communing-all-by-myself" moment, we'd exit our pews and sit around the table when it came time for communion, then perhaps it would faciliate communing with the Lord and (gasp) each other.
Brice,
You are absolutely correct in critiquing our individualistic way of taking the Lord's Supper. What would you say about a family where everyone eats in silence? We would call it a dysfunctional family.
We take the Lord's Supper at a table--which is a symbol of fellowship, love, and joy--not at an altar. One of the ancient designations for the Lord's Supper is the Eucharist--which means thanksgiving, not mourning.
Christ's death is portrayed in Scripture as a triumph. We commune with one another and the risen Savior. The Lord's Supper is taken on Sunday--the day of great joy--not on Friday.
Good to have you join the discussion. Looking forward to seeing you guys in a few weeks.
James
(This is Brice's wife, Diana.)
I attended a class at Pepperdine lectures (on Tuesday night only) about "life-changing small groups". The model that they were using was based on application/ discussion questions that related to the sermon. I think this probably adds "power" to preaching.
Di,
Good to hear from you. I think that the small group format that you mention can be an effective way to apply the sermon.
Congregations should decide whether their groups are primarily Bible study groups or service and outreach oriented. Of course, the two can be combined, but it is essential to think through.
Our life groups are organized around service and mission, though we do have some study. If they were to primarily be study groups, I would want to cut another study time out of the schedule (one of our Bible class times) to make room in people's lives for mission and service.
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