The Theology of Sermon Design...Continued from page 1

Preaching is a theological task. The preacher has the responsibility of taking God’s truth and proclaiming that truth to the world. Preachers are schooled in theol­ogy and biblical studies. And the best preachers take pride in the time they invest in Bible study and theological thought. They pay attention to the theological nature of the homiletic mandate.

What has often been left out from preaching preparation is any serious theo­logical reflection on the matter of form. Of course we use form, our sermons are struc­tured. It is impossible to preach without form. But we often fail to recognize that there are theological questions related to the forms we choose. The discussion of form is often seen as a matter of pragmat­ics. We use the patterns we were taught in seminary, we take the form our tradition mandates or we employ the style with which we feel most comfortable. The more innovative among us learn to use forms that relate well to modem culture. In essence, we use “what works.” Pragmatism is our master.

What we need, however, is a renewed understanding of sermon form as a matter of theology. Sermonic form has its roots deep in the soil of theological discussion. As thoughtful preachers, we must enter into that dialogue. Theology will affect the forms we use. And the forms we use will influence the theology we communicate. The relationship may at times seem muddy and the issues obscure, but theology is related to sermon structure.

What are the theological issues that intersect with sermon form? Let me call attention to four concerns.

THEOLOGY OF SCRIPTURE AFFECTS SERMON STRUCTURE

Simply put, the preacher who can confi­dently say, “Thus says the Lord!” will shape his sermons differently than those who are uncertain of the veracity of the Bible. Preachers who hold to the truthfulness of Scripture may use different forms than those who are less sure. Or at the very least, they will use those forms differently. Those who hold to an evangelical view of Scripture (a confidence in the authority and truthfulness of Scripture) will not shy away from proposition or direct address. They may make use of narrative and induc­tion or even occasionally story forms, but always in the service of a biblical idea and biblical content. The sermon will both do something and say something. The sermon will consist of both image and proposition.

Conversely, those who question the truthfulness of Scripture may tend toward forms that are less direct. They may use story, narrative and inductive structures exclusively. Their forms may be vague and open-ended. They will attempt to create an experience of the gospel, perhaps forgetting (or not admitting) that the sermon must also communicate propositional truth.

Some sermon forms may not be con­genial to an evangelical view of Scripture. A sermon that is overly vague and open-ended does not keep good company with an inspired text. Long has suggested that the utterly open-ended sermon may be a betrayal of the gospel itself.⁸

Our theology of Scripture affects not only sermon content but sermon design, as well. Our view of Scripture does (and certainly should) influence our sermon structure.

ECCLESIOLOGY CAN AFFECT THE FORM OF THE SERMON

It is not just our view of Scripture that is interpreted through sermon form, but our view of the church as well. Ecclesiology is one of the more promising areas of homiletical inquiry that also relates to the form of the sermon. In what way should our understanding of the church as the people of God affect sermon form? How does the rhetorical situation (preaching in the context of the church) influence the design of the sermon?

Let us begin by noting that ecclesiology affects sermon design since we speak in the context of the church. All preaching is done in the context of the church. Although some preaching may occur “outside” of the church, all preaching speaks the church’s stories, uses the church’s language, and is part of the church’s mandate. Acts 2 records that the believers in Jerusalem “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (v. 42). The text continues, describing how they met each other’s needs, ate together and praised God, and ends by adding that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (v. 47).

The church grew through the preaching of the apostles. How did such powerful preaching happen? It happened in the context and in the language of the church of God. According to Richard Lischer, “Preaching is not represented as one person’s persuasive address. It is the cease­less activity of the church.”⁹ Preaching of necessity reflects the character of the church. The church is always in view even if only in the background.

This issue comes into sharp focus in the debate over “seeker sermons.” The term “seeker” is commonly used to designate those who are open to the Christian faith but who have not yet made a commitment of faith. Preachers who see themselves as speaking primarily to seekers and to those who are new to the faith will form their sermons differently from those who understand themselves as speaking primarily to Christians.

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church, once stated that he uses different styles to preach to seekers than he uses to teach believers. Warren uses different structures in differ­ent situations because of the perceived context. Warren sees his preaching in seeker services as directed primarily to those outside the church. This explains why Warren and most seeker churches primarily make use of topical sermons on Sunday morning. The primary audience is the seeker, and topical sermons are viewed as being more relevant to those outside of the church or to those who are new to the Christian faith. The debate over “seeker” sermons is really a discus­sion of the relationship between the church and sermon form!

Our view of the church and the purpose for which the church gathers will affect how we design our sermons. Is the church primarily a teaching station? If so, we will design didactic teaching sermons. Is the church a place to bring unbelievers for hearing the gospel? Then we will likely create topical sermons using a subject-completed pattern. Is the church gathering primarily intended to reinforce our identity as the people of God? In that case we may make great use of narrative and story. All of this is to say that our view of the particular rhetorical situation and its relationship to the church will affect the forms we use.

These are some of the reasons why it is impossible to leave our view of the church out of the process of sermon design. Our view of the audience to whom we speak and their relationship to the church will help to form our sermons. When the preacher stands to speak, the history, language, heritage and traditions of the church shape the words spoken.

No preacher stands alone. We must always preach in the context of the church. Even the most radical seeker sermon cannot ignore the presence of the church (usually the majority of people in a seeker service are believers). The fact that believ­ers are present is a rhetorical force that cannot be ignored. The sermon is part of an on-going dialogue, and that dialogue will affect the sermon design. The rhetori­cal situation affects not only the content of what we preach but necessarily (given the relationship of substance and form) the structure of what we say. The sermon forms we use reflect, at least in part, our view of the church.

Fred Craddock notes that it is “especially [the preacher’s] doctrine of man” that can affect preaching design.10 We must preach to people, and our understanding of the nature of humanity and of how people hear and respond will necessarily influence the form of our sermons. There is a close connection between homiletical form and anthropology.¹¹

Every form reflects a view of humanity. Propositional forms reflect an emphasis on humanity’s rationality. Narrative and story see the essence of humanity as living in narrative. Inductive preaching understands that people approach life in a certain (inductive) way. These views of humanity are not mutually exclusive. People are rational beings, they do live in narrative and they naturally approach life in an inductive manner. But different forms will tend to emphasize one aspect over another.

Our view of humanity in sin will affect our form. If we understand people to be fallen and in need of salvation and inner transformation, we may choose forms that are more direct or capable of direct address. Some doctrines such as condemnation and “the horror of hell” demand a certain directness to our speech. Of course, even narrative and inductive forms, though more indirect, can be designed using direct address. Consider Nathan’s narrative to David in 2 Samuel 12 and the direct address he employed (“You are the man!”). You cannot get much more direct than that.

If our view of humanity is more optimistic (and unbiblical, i.e., “people are basically good”), we may design sermons more for their aesthetic impact. The sermon form may be more vague, open-ended and inconclusive. Our view of humanity affects our sermon form, and every sermon form reflects an anthropology.