Now, what am I suppose to do?

My office is directly across the hall from the 4th-5th grades class of the church academy. There are two girls in the class who also attend our church. Both of these girls are affectionate so I often receive a hug when they see me. But today one of them also said this to me, “Pastor Doug, you did a good job on the sermon Sunday!” Needless to say, that comment made my day. But it also has gotten me a little unnerved.

I often get positive feedback on my sermons. I guess that is one of the reasons why I keep preaching every Sunday. I enjoy doing it and people seem to appreciate it most weeks. But this past Sunday’s message has received a significantly larger amount of compliments than normal. So why does this have me so shook up? Simply put, the message being complimented was not my normal style. Let me explain.

I am a very logic driven, analytical thinker. Therefore, most of my sermons are what I call a linear style. I try to engage the congregation at point A (usually something of human interest or that people can relate to) and move them through a sequence of steps to point B (the conclusion with a call for a decision). Another way of describing my typical sermon is that it is a journey with markers (or points) along the way.

Sunday’s message was far, far from this style. I consider this Sunday’s sermon’s style to be circular. The one main idea was stated very clearly at the beginning; namely, that we need to understand that Christ lives in us as believers. I then presented this truth via four vehicles: an object lesson, some brief teaching thoughts, reflecting on a poem, and the sacrament of communion.

Much of what I have been reading lately makes the case that this style of preaching is more effective in the post-modern culture we live in today. So how should I go about sermon development? Stick with a style that is my natural way of communicating or adapt to the times?

Any thoughts or feedback from both pastors and laity who read this blog would be appreciated! Pastors – what do you think of the different approaches to sermon development? Laity who have heard me preach before – do you think I have correctly identified my normal sermon style? Laity who heard last Sunday’s sermon – did you sense that this was a different type of sermon than the others I have preached at NGWC?