Preaching Today: A Conversation featuring Rick Atchley and Jeff Walling
May 4, 2018
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Experienced communicators Rick Atchley and Jeff Walling discuss major shifts in preaching, the importance of blending teaching and preaching, addressing controversy in preaching, crafting a vision for a church, and strategies for improving preaching skills.
Adapting preaching approaches over time is crucial for personal growth and reaching a wider audience.
Finding a balance between teaching and preaching is key to shaping the church and encouraging genuine change.
Deep dives
The Importance of Personal Trajectory as Preachers
Despite their differences in personality and preaching styles, two experienced preachers have a remarkably similar trajectory in their careers. They began in smaller, more conservative churches and gradually transitioned to preaching in a more progressive way, leading to their current positions in multi-site churches. This highlights the significance of personal growth and adapting preaching approaches over time.
Major Shifts in Preaching
Over his 40 years of preaching, one of the major shifts the senior teaching minister experienced was the discovery of grace a few years into his preaching career. Another significant change was the transition from predominantly expositional preaching to a balance between expositional and topical preaching. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of trusting oneself theologically and being able to handle various topics by incorporating the overall story of scripture. Lastly, he mentioned the shift from solely feeding the church to also leading and influencing through preaching.
Blending Preaching and Teaching
The other preacher highlighted the need to find a balance between preaching and teaching. He described his early focus on being a preacher and delivering emotive calls for action. However, overtime, he recognized the importance of blending teaching and preaching, aiming to educate the congregation and provide them with truth that can bring about genuine change. He emphasized the power of preaching to shape the church and the significance of always having a clear purpose or vision behind the delivery.
Addressing Controversy and Speaking to Current Events
The preachers discussed the challenges of addressing controversy and current events from the pulpit. They acknowledged the need to be discerning and intentional in choosing when to address specific topics, taking into account the context and relevancy to their congregation. Both mentioned the importance of grounding any statements or discussions in biblical truth and demonstrating transparency and authenticity as leaders. They emphasized the significance of preaching the why behind any changes or shifts, rather than solely focusing on the what.
Hear two veteran communicators talk about the craft of sermon writing, the dynamics of delivery, using a teaching team, and much more. The session will finish with a live Q&A - bring your questions! Moderated by Taylor Walling.
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