Good Thoughts

From Preaching re-Imagined by Doug Pagitt:

Speaching: the style of preaching that is hardly distinguishable from a one-way speech. (11-12)

I use this word to distinguish speaching, which I believe to be a form of speaking that is inconsistent with the outcomes we want to see arise from our preaching, from the act of preaching, which I believe to be a good, right, and essential calling of the church. (48)

The whole point of preaching is to help people grow in their understanding of God and how we are to live as God’s people and to empower the church to live out God’s mission. (162)

The church can be the place where we move from “cover versions” of the faith of prvious generations to living, breathing theological communities who articulate and generate new understandings of God, life, and faith. (168)

I imagine churches that see themselves as being for both the new convert and the experienced Christian. This kind of life asks us to expand our understanding of conversion. Rather than seeing it as a one-time event, we ought to think of conversion as a lifelong process, one in which all of us are engaged all the time.

I imagine churches that see themselves as more than the context for speaching. The idea that church is a once-a-week event dismantles everything the gospel calls us to be about. When the worship event centers on speaching, the message to the people is clear: The focus of our life together is this 20-minute segment; the rest is gravy. But when preaching becomes an act of community formation, there is an implicit invitation for participation in the full life of the community. It’s a clear signal that we are about more than teaching, telling, and learning about God. We are about living in the story of God in all times and in all places. (168-169)