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Preaching in Thriving Congregations

After reading Thriving Church: What We Can Learn from Faithful Congregations, Lee Hull Moses invited authors Erin Cash and Kory Wilcoxson to reflect on the role of preaching in helping congregations thrive.

Lee Hull Moses: In your book, you tell the stories of several churches that exhibit traits you identify as key characteristics of thriving congregations. As you studied these congregations and their pastors, what did you notice about preaching? Are there particular patterns of preaching that are characteristic of thriving churches?

Kory Wilcoxson: While we didn’t look specifically at preaching, I can say that each pastor was attuned to a particular trait in their congregation, such as generosity or being willing to take risks, and that was reflected in their preaching. It’s not that they preached on the specific trait, but that it was woven throughout their sermons.

Erin Cash: I would add that thriving churches tend to preach honestly about the world around them. They address the topics of the day without hesitation. Because the pastor and laity usually share a balance of power, pastors can do this because they already know the red flags in their own congregation, thus allowing them to address difficult topics sensitive to their context.

LHM: One of the characteristics of thriving churches you identify is being rooted in scripture. You give several examples of what that looks like, across many aspects of church life. In what ways does preaching help a congregation plant roots in the Bible?

KW: I think it’s the starting point. If the pastor models what it looks like to use scripture as a guide and inspiration, the congregation is more likely to follow suit. Since so many folks are not familiar with the Bible, the sermon is the primary way they hear how God’s word is directly applicable to their lives.

EC: I agree! I think Disciples churches are often populated with people who are less familiar with the biblical text than those in other denominations. When pastors root their preaching in scripture (as opposed to using scripture to preach a topic), the congregation begins to observe good exegesis and biblical study in practice.