Recently, one of our supporting churches in the United States sent me a list of questions aimed at understanding our ministry in Wales more fully. After reflecting on my answers, I thought that others might be interested to read some of them and so I plan to post those here (slightly edited for a more general audience) over the next couple of weeks. This is the third installment of the series: click here to read Part 1 or Part 2.

What place does preaching play in the gathering of God’s people?

By “preaching” I assume you are referring to a particular style of communicating God’s Word that might also be described using some or all of the following words: monologue, exposition, sermon, from a pulpit, or from the front. In this style, a particular Scripture passage or biblical theme would be carefully studied and explained in detail by a (preferably) seminary-trained and ordained man who meets the biblical qualifications of an elder.

When I first moved to Wales, I believed that “preaching” could only be defined by the above framework and that faithful, passionate, biblical exposition would always result in healthy, fully-alive, reproducing congregations of God’s people. We began attending the Reformed evangelical congregations scattered across the tiny nation of Wales and I was immediately struck with the amazing quality of such preaching in nearly every single church.

But I was appalled to see that the average congregation numbered twenty-three persons and that many of these churches could be described as cold, lifeless, and unmotivated concerning their own spiritual vitality or the evangelization of their immediate communities. Nearly all of these churches were established as part of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ legacy: in the second half of the twentieth century he issued a call for true believers to come out of the dead mainline denominations and establish independent evangelical chapels throughout Wales. In those chapels today, the “expositor” model continues each week with fewer and fewer people sitting in the pew.

So I would be in favor of broadening the term “preaching” to include any faithful declaration (or proclamation, or telling) of God’s truth, whether to a friend over coffee or a Gospel witness given to a larger audience in any other venue, whether constructed for secular or sacred purposes. It is the communication of the truth that the Holy Spirit uses to bring God’s elect to faith in Christ, and a similar delivery of biblical content that brings growth and maturity to God’s people, whether they are sitting in a large room and hearing it simultaneously (as in a Sunday gathering), or assembling in two’s or three’s in the privacy and intimacy of someone’s living room.

If we insist on a particular style or model of communicating God’s truth simply because it’s “the way we’ve always done it,” then we risk implying that our persecuted brothers and sisters are not meeting biblical standards when they gather secretly in small house groups in China. Jesus used a completely different style with the Twelve, and the early church met primarily in homes.

Most Western Christians gather in larger numbers and in special buildings dedicated to the worship of God; and nearly all of them prefer a lecture-style auditorium (or worship center) with precise rows facing a central elevated platform. Whether the preacher stands behind an ancient wooden pulpit or a plexiglas lectern, the goal is to deliver a religious speech to the audience in such a way that it is engaging and makes an impact on the lives of those who hear it. The theological views of a hundred different preachers may be all over the map, but a lot of their time is spent in the preparation and delivery of sermons. And, as far as I can tell, there is little to no biblical evidence that the early church used the sermonic approach we use today.

It is my hope that every true Christian “preaches” at every opportunity, not because they find themselves as full-time clergy who are paid to prepare sermons each week, but because they cannot help but speak openly to family, friends, co-workers, and even strangers of the amazing love and grace the Father has shown them. To preach, then, is simply to communicate the Good News to others in whatever style or situation the Holy Spirit gives us: such preaching will be used in transforming lives, bringing people to faith and discipling one another in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.