PreachingToday.com has posted part one of a three-part article on dialogical preaching. For the first quarter of 2008, Preaching Today has focused on the idea of group sermon preparation. More and more preachers are putting together their messages in community, allowing for insightful, idea-producing dialogue with others. For more about this process, check out our interview with Dave Ferguson on "Group Sermon Preparation" (part one and part two) and an observational piece entitled "Loosening My Grip." For the final stretch of our quarter's theme, we decided to add a twist to the concept: What happens when a preacher engages in a similar type of dialogue—but during the Sunday sermon itself?
Under the conviction that the audience doesn't have to be silent, some preachers are embracing dialogical preaching. Though a great deal of sermon preparation is done ahead of time, dialogical preaching takes group preparation to a whole new level, leaving the door open for the community to shape the sermon during the actual worship gathering. We decided to sit down with Bob Hyatt, pastor of The Evergreen Community (Portland, Oregon). Hyatt's community practices this particular approach to preaching on a weekly basis. In part one of this three-part series, Hyatt offers a cultural and historical apologetic for inviting dialogue into the sermon. In part two—to be posted on March 17—Hyatt will address some of the concerns people have with dialogical preaching. In part three—to be posted on March 24—Hyatt will paint a picture of what a dialogical approach to the sermon event looks like at The Evergreen Community and offers a few ideas for any who would like to introduce dialogue into their preaching
You should give part one a read, and come back to the blog for a hearty conversation about the matter.
Posted by Brian Lowery at 9:51 AM on March 10, 2008
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