C.J. Mahaney suggests that churches take a break from long expositional sermon series during the summer months, when the church is not consistently assembled together due to family vacations. He suggests a variety of options to fill those weeks while the lengthier series is put on hold.This year our church has been studying the book of Acts, which we started the first week in January and will conclude towards the end of November. We are not taking a break from the series during the summer.
So what do you think? Should the preaching team have suspended our lengthy series until September? Your answer won't change what we do this year, since the schedule is already set. But it might influence how we think about this in the future.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think...
Larry,
ReplyDeletePlease continue to preach through books of the Bible, regardless of the season! No matter what, people will miss those Sundays anyway, so, in a sense, it doesn't matter. However, for those who remain, if we believe in expositional preaching through books of the Bible, why should the number of people present affect that belief? If it goes out the window during the summer, it must not be that strong of a conviction.
Besides, it's not like they'll be unable to follow when they return.
Context, context, context!
Will
Will,
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with your assessment, but just to clarify, a sermon or series doesn't have to be going through a book of the Bible in order to be expositional. I agree that most of the preaching should be through books of the Bible, but certainly think there is a place to do shorter, topical series that would also be expositional.
An example: I'd like to do a series some time after Acts on why we do the different things that we do in our worship service. This would be a topical series that would run 4-6 weeks. But as we do that, we'd still be preaching on texts of Scripture. For instance:
Call to worship (Psalm 95)
Corporate singing (Colossians 3:16-17)
Body Life (Acts 14:24-28, which I won't have much time to touch on this Sunday)
Preaching (2 Timothy 3:16-4:5)
Communion (1 Corinthians 11)
Benediction (Numbers 6:22-26)
A series such of this might prove to be beneficial to the congregation, but it is doubtful that we would hit on all of these things in consecutive weeks going through a book of the Bible.
So all that to say that while I agree that preaching through books of the Bible should be the regular practice, I think there is value in some shorter series from time to time.
And maybe summer is that time?
Larry,
ReplyDeleteI agree. I just am wary of coming to the text with an agenda, i.e., "This is about worship". I would think that would limit the Holy Spirit's use a particular text. I am not, however, a preacher, so I wouldn't know.
Also, to further support departing from time-to-time, what about Christmas and Easter? If, however, the entire Bible points to Christ, then it really shouldn't matter WHAT text you preach on, the message, at the end of the day, should be the same.
Since there is no clear command that I am aware of in Scripture saying that all preaching has to be done by consecutively moving through books of the Bible, I'm hesitant to make it a dogmatic rule.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, I think it should be the regular practice. But I think you can preach topically without coming to the text with an 'agenda'.
If our church was in NYC post 9/11, I think we'd be fools to pick up an Acts study the Sunday after 9/11 as if nothing had happened. Ministering to people about this tragedy would be very important, and there are many passages that deal with such an event.
I don't think that would be bringing an agenda to a text. It would just be reversing the order of the sermon preparation process: usually the text is probed to develop its themes, principles and application. But in this instance, a theme or principle that is timely would compel the preacher to find a text that deals with that principle/theme. You're still preaching the text, not your 'agenda'.
Just some thoughts,
LL
Larry,
ReplyDeleteIt's just so easy to overcompensate the other way, as the myriad of examples of thematic sermons about sex, marriage, child-rearing, etc. prove. There are very few of these thematic sermons I've heard that aren't all law. Here are three steps to a better marriage. I can't do these three steps perfectly, nor are they my righteousness. Where's my hope, then?
This is no reason, however, to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I don't think you, or any of our Pastors, would ever do this.
If my Pastor is going to err, however, I'd rather he err on the side of caution and make thematic sermons the exception, rather than the rule.
However, I am not a pastor, so I lack the experience to be dogmatic about it.
As long as my preacher says, along with Paul, that he "decided to know nothing among [us] but Christ, and him crucified" then I am overjoyed! This is the most practical topic of all. Let me suggest a topical series: the Gospel. Duration: Until Christ returns.
Will