I received an email today with the subject, "Hear a Big Tip from Rick Warren." (Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in California and author of the "Forty Days of Purpose" books.) Rick knows a few things about growing churches, so I was interested in what this "big tip" might be.
So I opened the email and Rick's article was the first one listed among several. It was titled, "Ask People, 'What Can We Do For You,'" and the first few lines of the article followed. There was also an article underneath Rick's by Mark Brooks titled, "The Secrets of Successful Pastors."
I see articles like the second all the time. We preacher-types are always on the lookout for the next great thing that will make us successful. (Most of the time, these articles are fluff.) But something in the teaser lines of the second article got my attention, especially in light of what Rick had written just above.
One of Rick's sentences said, "Jesus let people set the agenda for the needs He met." However, in the article below, Mark wrote, "we cannot change our message to tickle the ears of those that do not see what we see."
And that's the challenge of preaching right there. On the one hand, we want to give the people what they need. We want the message to be relevant to their daily lives. (It's also admittedly self-serving- if we scratch the right itch, they'll keep showing up and keep giving and maybe even invite their friends.)
On the other hand, we want to be faithful to the truth of the text. We want to be able to confront the hypocrisies of modern-day Christianity and speak a prophetic word. But in doing so, we risk running people out of the church.
We want it both ways.
So I'm asking the question today. Which is more important? If you had to choose, would you rather hear a message that was tailored to your needs or a message that challenged you to examine your life under the light of Scripture?
Post your thoughts. I really want to know.
My answer is....shoes. When we dress, our shoe selection process usually takes into account the terrain, climate, activity, cultural expectations, and personal comfort as well as the trends of a given time and situation. Rarely, however, does the shoe dictate the direction our path will take. In much the same way, our journey on the path of Truth should always be of primary importance. The means by which that Truth is communicated can and should be adapted to our ever-changing surroundings.
ReplyDeletePsalm 119:105
I would NOT want a message tailored to my needs because my needs are often times misled and caught up in my self-preservation. Are we not suppose to die to self daily and take up our cross? Part of the sadness on God's heart is all of the divisions of faith that sprout up because one group chose to listen to and live one aspect of The Way but not another, and definitely not the whole thing. While some parables and truths laid out in The Bible are tough to swallow, I tend to believe that they are only that way because of the fact that I may not have surrendered myself entirely in that area. I feel convicted when I hear sermons on tithing because I don't currently tithe. I feel convicted when I hear Jesus or Paul plead with us not to follow after things of this world because I still let some things in this world pull my attention away from Him. While I know there is no way I can be perfect outside of blind belief in the Perfecter of My Faith, I would never want to stop hearing the truth, and nothing but the truth. The more we pamper ourselves based on what feels right or what makes sense, we venture farther and farther away from God's path. John, you as the pastor of a church body have the responsibility to seek God for what He would have you teach the congregation and in doing so with an abandoned heart and with His will of utmost importance, He will show you the truth that you should preach. Keep on fighting the good fight!
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