Good Question

I received this question in an email today regarding my Mid-Week Memo from last night:

Hey Henry,

Curious about your opening paragraph. Why would you not choose to preach on this type of passage normally?

If you have the same question, here was my answer:

Great question.

There are three approaches to preaching: topical, expository, and lectionary.

The topical approach asks questions like "what does the church need" and "what will be a good series to help our folks invite their friends." The series are usually highly relevant in that they speak to everyday life in a way that shows that Bible speaks to our everyday lives.

Expository follows along in a book or section of a book. The lectionary approach uses a book that pays close attention to the Christian year and gives an OT, Psalm and NT passage for that week. With expository and lectionary, choosing the passage is to some degree out of your control.

There's a lot to commend topical approach and we have used it in the past [and will continue to from time to time], but I've never seen anyone who follows this approach actually choose a passage like the one from last week. Only exception might be a series called "the hard sayings of Jesus." It's very confrontative. It lacks what people today would consider appealing. It requires a lot of explanation (topical series don't usually major on actually teaching the text but on application of the text with minimal teaching). It requires much more than a quick reading to find the message of grace that permeates it. It doesn't seem "relevant" to everyday life. [I'll just add here: It may not seem relevant but there is nothing more relevant than a passage like this one.]

From a more personal standpoint, it was daunting to figure out how to communicate the message in a way that held the passage together and didn't lose attention. And my personal preference is a passage like the one this week where Jesus is very compassionate. Doesn't feel too compassionate when Jesus says, "Yeah, 18 people died in that accident and you will suffer similarly if you don't repent."

If you have time, check out John Piper's blog post on the night of the I35 bridge collapse. Fascinating. He's the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis, in case you don't know. But he was heavily criticized for writing what he wrote and most people don't think this deeply (or want to) about our sin and culpability before a God who judges.

So, that's why I wrote what I wrote. Thanks for asking.

My Comments on Your Comments

Every week, during our worship gatherings, we ask you to fill out the Communication Cards and give us feedback, ask questions, mark decisions, request more information, or write a prayer request. I've explained elsewhere why this is such an important practice for our church and why we need everyone to fill out a card every week. (You can read about it here.) But I've never commented on the comments. And only recently have I started listing them (or most of them) in my Mid-Week Memo.

Yesterday, one of our staff members came in to my office  and shared his concern that by asking for comments and feedback feels like we're offering a consumer product and that we're feeding a consumer mentality. (If you've not thought about the danger of turning church into a consumer product, just ponder it for a few moments, shudder, then come back to this post.) He explained that he was at a restaurant where he received a card that basically said, "We want your feedback and we will change to make you happy." (If only we would ask God for feedback with that mindset!)

I told him I have felt uneasy about this too, and we talked about how we can counteract it. We agreed that comments and feedback are a good thing and that making it easier to give it has it's advantages. So here are a few thoughts about commenting and giving feedback, without denigrating church in your mind to a consumer product that's all about you:

• Tell us how you were impacted spiritually by the service or an element in the service. I recently heard a story from a worship leader who took a tour of a Greek Orthodox Church. He commented on how wonderful it must be to worship while looking at the beautiful icons. The priest stopped the tour and said, "No, we don't look at them. We see through them." There's lots going on in our services that can catch your eye or your ear, and it's okay to like that guitar solo, a funny story in the message or singing your new favorite song. But don't make that your ultimate focus. It's okay to comment on it, but more than anything we want you to "see through" all of that to God--to worship and adore Christ; to be moved to make a decision or confess a sin; to commit to some change in your life. Try not to focus so much on the beautiful "icon" that you fail to see through it to God.  

• Tell us when something we're doing is getting in the way of worship. But please remember that our congregation is diverse and what you hate is someone else's joy. Take the loudness issue...please. Okay, bad joke. But the truth is we've had weekends where one person tells us it was way too loud and someone else tells us it was way too low and lacking in energy. We listen, but it is absolutely impossible to make everyone happy. We continue to do everything we can to eliminate harsh sounds, but our music requires a certain amount of loudness or it wilts. And loudness is only one issue. Add to that communion bread, number of songs we sing, the length of the service...you've seen the comments so you can add to the list.

• Be specific, especially in your critique. Don't exaggerate or we won't listen (just being honest). For example, if one song was too loud, don't say, "It was so loud today I had to leave." Say, "That one song killed my ears." If you add, "Is it only me?," that kind of humility can go a long way.

• You know how easy it is to write things in an email in anger that you regret later? Well it's the same way with the cards. Like email, don't write anything you'll regret later or would never say face-to-face. I've had some people apologize for hasty, harsh remarks on cards, and I've been very appreciative of that. If you've been around Five Oaks long enough you've seen me apologize for harsh remarks I've made while preaching or in conversations, so I completely understand.

• Be encouraging. What's the ratio of encouragement versus critique you need to hear? If you want to have the right to make critical comments when something goes wrong (and be heard), you need to be in the habit of making positive comments along the way.

• Don't avoid a good fight. The caricature of the typical Minnesotan is someone who avoids conflict at all costs. So if there's something that's bothering them at their church, they think it's easier to just be nice, leave and not stir things up, rather than have a good and fair fight. Conflict is inevitable in families. So don't be that person. Don't live up to the caricature. Speak up...nicely (that part of the caricature is okay). Give us feedback on the card or later in an email or after the service. You'll be healthier and we'll all be better for it. 

Ultimately this post isn't about Communication Card etiquette. It's about gathering each week at God's invitation, honoring him in everything and growing bigger hearts for God. This was just one more opportunity for me to pastor you and help you grow as a disciple. Don't make worship into a consumer product. See through rather than looking at. Communicate in a godly way. And, by all means, keep communicating.