As a church planter plans his initial timeline, calendar, and launch strategy, it’s important to consider where proclamation fits into the picture. Contrary to some conventional wisdom, I would argue that in many cases, public preaching needs to happen early on in the life of a new church. My rationale?
The Role of Preaching In Church Planting
- Public preaching is a practice God has promised to bless and has rewarded with changed lives for two thousand years.
- Public preaching isn’t necessarily the most important means of casting a vision (via leaders in conversation works even better), it is still huge for setting the direction of the body.
- Public preaching brings the body together around a unified theme from Scripture.
- Public preaching counsels, consoles, and encourages the masses.
- Public preaching allows an expressive outlet for the gifted communicator.
- Public preaching provides a special time for response, whether that looks like a traditional altar call or not.
- Public preaching gives an opportunity for a passionate leader to motivate people and rally them to the cause of Christ.
- Public preaching provides an atmosphere into which followers of Jesus can bring people who are far from God into the hearing of God’s truth.
Don’t misunderstand. We still want to establish that “bringing people to the preacher” is not evangelism, but it can be part of evangelism. We want to equip disciples to make disciples, for sure. But bringing people into the point of community to hear a public proclamation of God’s truth is at least one prong in our discipleship approach that shouldn’t be entirely neglected.
Does this mean that there should be a pulpit up front with people seated in rows facing the Pastor? Not necessarily. In fact, that isn’t the picture of preaching we see in Jesus’ life. He taught from boats and sitting on grassy knolls. The apostles preached standing in the colonnades of the Temple. Paul visited the synagogues and engaged the crowd during times of public conversation.
It will probably look different in the early life of a new church, but don’t neglect it. Don’t underestimate its intrinsic power for drawing people into a relationship with the Creator.
This article originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
