Evangelistic Preaching is one of the most neglected tools in ministry today. There is a difference between evangelistic preaching and revivalist preaching.
Talk about how important it is to use the right strategy. What preaching strategies have you used? How can church planters "be wise" in their approach to preaching.
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I really like the idea of evangelistic preaching. I think it is the most important thing we do is get the message to people that there is a God that loves them and his name is Jesus! What a wonderful lesson and on this topic.
ReplyDeleteKnowing who we are preaching to is very important. We have to realize that we are living in some changing times and that families are not the same as they were before. We want to be mindful of those things as we begin to preach to people. There are so many broken home and lives, that we really do have to reach them and do so with love and care.
ReplyDeleteI agree Evangelistic preaching is certainly missing in a great measure in our fellowship.I have many good friends who are great preachers,and doing a good job but some are not personal soul winners.Evangelistic preaching to me is getting in the trenches,getting where the people are,willing to be persucuted and suffer for the cause of the Gospel,like Paul and Silas ending up in jail in Acts 16.Evangelistic preaching is like setting the hook in fishing.,Catching the fish.Revivalist preaching is like cleaning the fish.Catching the fish is more fun than simply cleaning.Jesus said follow me and I'll make you fishers of men.Someone has to catch the fish!The promise of Jesus is he has called all of us to be soul winners.I have herd for years the shepherds don't bear sheep only the sheep do.This statement is utterly false,we are all SHEEP. Jesus is our shepherd and Jesus was the best soul winner on the planet.He that winneth souls is wise.
ReplyDeleteMy strategies very with the individual that I am reaching for,I always ask for God's wisdom and discernment.Everyone has different problems,and various levels of education.Like Paul said I am a debtor to the Greeks And Barbarians to the wise and unwise.When I go fishing I cannot use the same bait for all the fish,nor are all the fish at the same depth,some people want to talk about philosophy,yet others might talk about old cars,but whoever they are Jesus is always going to be brought into the conversation.Preaching is much the same being prayed up and sensitive to the Holy Ghost is a must in catching the lost.
ReplyDeleteI would like to comment on brother alaskaelmor's comment of who were preaching to is very important.In our Church the most Important people that come into our service are the visitors.We have a motto on our sign out side, in our church inside, when we advertise, "a step through our doors is a step in the right direction".We are the only apostolic Church in our city, and we make our new comers feel at home.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that we see little truly evangelistic preaching anymore. There is a plethora of revivalist preaching, but there seems to be little addressing of those who have not obeyed the salvational mandate of scripture. I wonder why this is? Fear of seeming shallow? Pressure from the saints to preach something fresh that they haven't heard before?
ReplyDeleteAt our church plant, we are striving to make our Sunday service geared toward evangelistic preaching for the most part. We may use any angle from which to approach it, but the end of the message typically is going to try to have an evangelistic appeal. On Wednesday nights we have our Bible Study where we can maintain the saints. Obviously we are open to the moving of the Lord to lead any of our services in any direction, but as Bro Coon and others have mentioned throughout this training, we are striving to be "strategic", particularly through the venue of preaching and teaching.
ReplyDeleteBro Harwood - I agree with you completely, we are all sheep and as such should be involved in birthing souls into the kingdom. I think more of our pastors should become intimately involved in the basic "witness to people and bring them to church" part of this. That being said, I also believe that soul winning is an entire church effort. One person may invite someone to church, another may shake their hand, another teach them a bible study, another pray with with in the altar, another mentor them, etc. In such a church, there is a great joy in knowing that all have contributed to the new birth of a soul!
ReplyDeleteUsing the right strategy is important. It is the difference between fishing with a bent piece of metal and using a hook and worm. You will get what you aim for. I have tried to mold the majority of my preaching around our mission statement "a place where the Potter continues to mold lives". Using this as my aim has made an easy connection between what the power of God can do for a person and the mess we get ourselves in.
ReplyDeleteBeing wise in my approach is something I am still trying to learn. I have had to change my approach and understand that most everybody I am preaching to has not been saved or has little church background. I think we must use illustrations to culture or current events that our audience may be familiar with. I also think knowing the background, or common experiences of those in your field of labor is a big help in helping one to be wise in their strategy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Bro. Oconnell that there seems to be a shift away from the focus of preaching to the sinner. I think it is a combination of the reasons you mentioned. Maybe also, we forget that sometimes the 1 is more important than the 99.
ReplyDeleteI like thinking of each person as a file cabinet. The only information they have access to is what has been filed away from past experiences. Too many people have a lack of information in the "church" file. Sadly, they may have bad experiences in the church file but whatever is in that file is what we have to work with! I feel our priority in preaching is to make the message relatable to the audience. Since we may not know what is in the church file, we're much better off keeping the message simple and assuming they don't have a clue about our apostolic vocabulary and methods.
ReplyDeleteThinking further about my previous comment concerning the file cabinet ... it's very possible that we, as home missionaries, need to consider what we have in our own "church" file. I like the way Bro. Coon described the "default" setting for our preaching. It may be we need to delete some information in our file cabinet if doing so will help us be more effective in connecting with our audience.
ReplyDeletePreaching to small groups is alot different than preaching in a large church. Keeping focused on who we are reaching is easier in a small group. Direct salvation messages, the power of the Blood, sins being washed away in the Name above every name, these are messages of hope. I use foundational truths, I call it Original recipe!
ReplyDeleteThe formula Bro Coon is presenting is very accurate. We have to stay in tune with who we are preaching too. Keep the message simple, avoid those rabbits. Remember to keep their attention. My father was a preacher, so I do understand how easy it is to sit in church and let your mind wander. I try really hard to keep people listening to the message. And someone years ago told me to preach on about a 8th grade level. This way you can feel comfortable in knowing you are not alienating a portion of your group.
ReplyDeleteAlaska, being mindful of the people we are preaching to...... I have said somethings that I wish I hadn't said, Sometimes we have no idea what people have been through. Preaching about forgiveness and finding out about someone struggling with sexual abuse. If we think ahead of time about what people might be carrying, we can be more careful in how we say what God wants us to say.Staying positive, pointing souls to Jesus!!!
ReplyDeleteBro. Bowers, I feel that this "wisdom" should always be a challenge. Culture is contantly changing. Thus people are constantly changing. As time ticks along, I feel we "always" have the challenge to be aware of the current trends of our culture and be flexible in our style. Paul's own testimony was that to the weak, he became as weak that he might save the weak. I guess another was of implementing "wisdom" is to keep our message and methods "relevant".
ReplyDeleteBeing wise in our preaching can be accomplished a few ways. I think it's important to be a student of the people I serve. I'm always trying to listen more than speak. The more I listen the more they speak. I'll ask questions periodically, but I try to let people talk. By doing this, I find out where people are at. I then take it to God and ask Him to give me words that would be encouraging to those people.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to have the right strategy. What is done at one church may not work for me at the church here. I believe that God knows what our particular location needs and as I pray and seek Him, he drops little thoughts in my head and says, "Try this." After that, I start working on a plan (strategy). If it works great! If not, we just keep trying until something works.
ReplyDeleteIf I am going to plant a church AND win new people to the Lord :) my sermons most be "Evangelistic" as Bro. Coon taught.
ReplyDeleteYou simply have to get to know the people you are ministering to so you can be effective.