"Churches that bombard people with too many ?little ideas' can miss the big idea." Dave Ferguson, Jon Ferguson, and Eric Bramlett argue this point in The Big Idea, a new book in the Leadership Network innovation series (Zondervan, 2007). The authors insist that more information equals less clarity and leads to less action. Here is their solution for their multi-site church: "Every week, we give all of our people of every age and at every location one Big Idea and ask them to put it into action."
For more than three decades, Haddon Robinson has championed ?big idea' preaching. He argues that preachers should communicate the main idea of a biblical passage. Now, don't misunderstand what he is saying. He does not claim that sermons fail because they contain too many ideas. He argues that sermons fail when they contain too many unrelated ideas.
Think about your sermon for this Sunday. Can you summarize the message of this sermon in a sentence? Yes, people need content. They need to learn to think through the argument of a passage. But when they are done listening to your sermon, will they leave with more than factoids? What major idea is the biblical text communicating?
Three years ago, my brother, Dave, and I were discussing a job offer he had received. He ended up taking the job. But as he wrestled with this decision, he said to me: "Do you remember Paul Borden's sermon on 2 Samuel 11-12? I want to make sure that I accept what God in His grace has given me and what God in His grace has not." I was stunned! It had been ten years since Dave and I listened to Paul preach this sermon at a Bible conference in Montana. Ten years! Yet the idea stuck. God's Spirit brought this idea to mind as Dave wrestled with his decision. That's the power of a big idea!
Posted by Steve Mathewson at 9:30 AM on March 9, 2007
Comments
Thanks for this reminder, Steve. It's something I need to keep plan for early in my preparation.
Posted by: Ed Pomelear on March 9, 2007
Thank you Steve! Oh that we would daily be Big-Godders, living expectantly and watchfully of His presence in our lives and a movement of His Spirit in a great way to the glory of His Son Jesus!
Posted by: Danny Schell on March 15, 2007
I agree. The people that we're attempting to reach will become doers of the word and not just hearers of he word if they are able to rememeber the word that has just been spoken.
Posted by: Regina Fields on March 16, 2007