This morning I completed my month of preaching every Sunday morning at a Presbyterian (PCUSA) congregation by preaching at St. Mark Presbyterian Church at 9:45 a.m. followed by Eastminster Presbyterian Church at 11:30 a.m. This was my first visit to St. Mark and my second to Eastminster (see Preaching Difficult Discipleship for more on my visit last summer). Both congregations have supported the ministry of White Rock Center of Hope, the organization I serve as CEO, for many Read More …
sermon
Preaching Identity (#2076)
This morning I preached at Northridge Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. This is one of many ways the congregation has continued to expand its partnership with White Rock Center of Hope. I'm especially grateful to the Rev. Betsy Swetenburg, Northridge's Pastor and current WRCH Board member, for the invitation. Sermon My message, “Who am I?” was based on Psalm 8. The passage was selected as the congregation is in the midst of a sermon series titled Psummer of Psalms. Sermon Read More …
Sermon Length: Comparing My Experiences to Pew Research Findings (#1841)
How long should a sermon be? In my experience the number of answers to this question are equal to or even greater than the number of people participating in the conversation. How long are sermons preached in America? According to a Pew Research Center analysis of nearly 50,000 sermons preached earlier this year (2019) the median sermon length of American congregations is 37 minutes. This number, however, varies widely based on the tradition of a given house Read More …
Death of the Sermon? (#1563)
Christianity has always been growing, changing, and evolving. In recent years the rate of change has accelerated. Here in America the shift toward a less religiously affiliated population is well underway. Recent research has led many experts to speculate that it is reasonable to think the nones (those with no religious affiliation) will grow even more rapidly in the next few decades. For those who have chosen to remain a part (or who have opted to become a part) of Read More …
Monday Morning Sermon Quarterbacking (#1442)
Monday morning quarterbacking happens around the brunch/lunch table on Sunday, at the watercooler on Monday, and in so many other social gatherings throughout the week. Many sports fans engage in conversation about how they, in hindsight, would have done things differently in the big game (assuming they had been the coach). Likewise, many worship participants like to critique their minister's sermons in some form of post-worship conversation that often suggests a different preaching Read More …
Sermon Preferences (#1292)
According to the latest survey by LifeWay Research, most Americans prefer in person preaching to a video sermon when attending worship at a church. About a third (35%) indicated they will only visit churches with services of worship that feature live sermons. Strikingly, less than 1% prefer viewing a video sermon. So What? I have only attended one service of worship that featured a video recording of a pastor's sermon. Prior to that experience, I disliked the idea. Read More …
Sermon: The Best Sermon (#1196)
Sermon Text Matthew 5-7 Sermon Excerpt I begin in a way I never have before and likely never will again by offering a bold guarantee. I assure you that this morning's sermon will be the best sermon you will ever hear. With this in mind, let us pray . . . As those who seek to follow the way of Jesus, may his wisdom continue to be our guide. Take and use the words I will speak to empower our imaginations, awaken us to new possibilities, and embolden us in our actions. Amen. When Read More …
Sermon Prep (#1142)
Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently facilitated a Twitter poll asking pastors to share how long they spend preparing a sermon. The results show that most pastors take between 10-18 hours to prepare each message. More specifically: 70% prep between 10 and 18 hours, 15% prep between 7 and 9 hours, 10% prep for 6 hours or less, and 6% devote 19 hours or more to prepare each message. So What? Sermons vary widely in many respects, Read More …
No More Sermons (#1066)
David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church and founder of Church for Men, recently asked a question worth considering: "Are Sermons Becoming Obsolete?" In that blog post he suggests something most know but don't often consider -- while lectures were once a preferred and popular means of communication, recent technological shifts have rendered them uncommon outside of two environments: universities and churches. Now, universities are beginning to consider other Read More …
A Spiritual-But-Not-Religious First (#0985)
Diana Butler Bass, popular speaker and the author of several books including Christianity After Religion: The End of the Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening, labeled President Obama's second inaugural speech "the first spiritual-but-not-religious inaugural sermon," while recognizing such is "a twenty-first century expression of American civil spirituality, embedded in but not dependent upon the ancient vision of American Protestant theology of and for God’s Read More …