In this blog, I want to point to one thing that clergy could do that would make our congregations more attractive and magnetic to more non-Christians and Christians alike. Why not improve our preaching?
Let me be clear, I am not saying that preaching in the
Episcopal Church is bad. I think that it
is general thoughtful, contextually related to the Sunday lectionary, and
generally informative. It is, in other
words, good. And that is the
problem. It is not great, and I think I
know the reasons why.
When I do workshops on preaching or have taught preaching at
our Stanton Center, I usually start off by asking about good preachers the
students have known. We make a list on a
whiteboard. The list usually includes
some former Rectors, a current Rector, an occasional Bishop, and a few point to
some well-known clergy within our denomination such as the Presiding Bishop. What I then point out to the participants is
that none of them are known beyond the Episcopal Church especially when it has
to do with preaching. What this exercise
shows is what is generally known outside the Episcopal Church, namely, our clergy
are not known as outstanding preachers. (One
notable exception to this is Barbara Brown Taylor, but notice we have not heard
much from her lately.) I think I know
why we are are not as good as we could be.
For 15 years, I worked in positions that put me directly in
clergy placement and recruiting which means that I read lots of resumes and
Clergy Deployment Office Profiles. I
found that 90% of Episcopal Clergy list preaching as their first or second
primary pastoral skill. In other words,
we think we are good at the preaching. So, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being
outstanding, we rank ourselves in the 7 ,8 or 9 categories. Why do we think this? We judge ourselves this way this way because
our scale is based on Episcopal clergy, those who teach preaching in our
seminaries, and hearing ourselves.
Some folks think that I am a good preacher. They are surprised to discover that I rate
myself as a “5” generally who can occasionally preach a “7” on what I call “The
Preaching Scale.” Then, I point out this
truth. If I am a good preacher, it is
because I think I need to work at it.
You see, if we rate ourselves as already good, we do not dedicate
ourselves to becoming great. I consider
myself both a preacher and a student of preaching even in retirement. I attend workshops on preaching. I constantly read books on preaching. I also
study communications and read books on writing well. I analyze the preaching of others, and along
with this I listen to outstanding preachers from other traditions.
In listening to outstanding preachers, I mark how she or he
uses language; words, phrases, and imagery to communicate effectively. I listen to how they make their case, appeal
to their listener, and motivate others to action.
The good news is that preaching involves multiple skills, and
because of this, any preacher can improve.
We can improve the content of our sermons. We can improve the delivery of our
sermons. We can learn how to create a
more engaging introduction and a more pointed and memorable conclusion. When we do, we almost always get good feedback
from our congregation. When a preacher
has something worthwhile to say, and says it effectively, it draws people in.
All our congregations are faced with challenges, and many are
in decline. There are many reasons for
this, and truth is that many of these are beyond the power of the clergy person
to fix them. However, we can begin today
to become a better, more effective, communicator of the Gospel. If you want to become a more effective clergy
person who is a blessing to your congregation, give yourself over to becoming a
student of preaching. Desires to become better at the task than you are now,
and you will do yourself, your church, and your community a favor.
