How Pastors Can Preach Effectively in Light of the Dechurching Movement

In this episode of As in Heaven, Jim Davis and Mike Aitcheson welcome Sam Allberry and Michael Keller to discuss preaching in light of the dechurched phenomenon. The guests share insights from their own preaching preparation, cultural insights from their context, and how they question cultural assumptions.

Episode time stamps:

• Episode and topic introduction (0:00)
• The role of preaching in worship (3:15)
• How do you break the ice with new members? (8:55)
• The process of preparing for a sermon (13:32)
• The moral responsibility of a preacher to convict (22:25)
• The value of biblical community (23:42)
• How do you get feedback from your congregation? (25:27)
• How do you see yourself as a young minister? (27:55)
• Two sides of the same coin of preaching (30:19)
• The difference between culture and context (32:03)
• The importance of contextualization (34:54)
• The beauty of expository preaching (43:07)
• How will "Chat GPT" affect preaching? (47:50)

This episode is part of As in Heaven’s third season, devoted to The Great Dechurching—the largest and fastest religious shift in U.S. history. To learn more about this phenomenon on which the episodes of this season are based, preorder The Great Dechurching by Michael Graham and Jim Davis.