Page 1 of 9
Original Research
Perspecives on preaching (in building up
missional churches)
Author:
Malan Nel1
Ailiaion:
1
Department of Pracical
Theology, University of
Pretoria, South Africa
Correspondence to:
Malan Nel
Email:
malannelup@gmail.com
Postal address:
PO Box 576, Pretoria 0049,
South Africa
Dates:
Received: 17 May 2013
Accepted: 14 Aug. 2013
Published: 06 Aug. 2014
How to cite this aricle:
Nel, M., 2014, ‘Perspecives
on preaching (in building
up missional churches)’,
Verbum et Ecclesia 35(2), Art.
#867, 9 pages. htp://dx.doi.
org/10.4102/ve.v35i2.867
Copyright:
© 2014. The Authors.
Licensee: AOSIS
OpenJournals. This work
is licensed under the
Creaive Commons
Atribuion License.
Preaching is considered to be a core ministry in building up local congregations. Within the
Reformed tradition this is even truer. The researcher has, over years, tried to discern certain
core ‘qualities’ of preachers and principles for preaching that will accomplish building local
congregations into missional units. Assuming that preachers are serious about leading
congregations towards true missionality, the article attempted to focus on a few of these core
criteria for both preacher and preaching. In doing so, the article drew mainly on the wisdom
of well-known preachers in the USA, wisdom that will be used to guide the researcher’s future
empirical study of preaching in the South African context. Prof. Müller, who is honoured
in this Festschrift, wrote his DD thesis on preaching and I hope that this will reconnect his
current work to his original research.
Introducion
Julian Müller’s irst academic steps were in preaching. He wrote his doctoral thesis in homiletics
(1983). One of his irst books published (1988) was on liturgy. He most probably would have
become the next professor in homiletics and liturgy. When his colleague in the Department
decided to specialise in these ields, Julian started his now well-known research in pastoral care
and narrative theology. When the manuscript for Die Erediens as Fees (1988) was submitted, I was
asked to review the manuscript for the publisher. I was impressed with the manuscript, but even
more so with his sensitive understanding of worship and preaching. I sometimes cannot but
wonder what he would have produced could he continue to build on his doctoral work.
My personal relationship with Julian goes back to a morning in a café in Church Street in the late
seventies. He was then called to become a student pastor in Universiteitsoord where I had been
a few years earlier. We had a good discussion and my advice was: you have to go there. Since
then we have worked together in many ways. I was part of the Department of Practical Theology
when he did his doctoral exams. I followed his career and was then privileged to work with
him in my capacity as Director of the Centre for Contextual Ministry, with him as a member of
the Executive of the Advisory Board overseeing the programme. As head of the department of
Practical Theology, he opened doors for me to slide back into my academic role when the Centre
relocated from Vista University to the University of Pretoria on 01 January 2002.
A very personal memory concerns his consistent sense for justice when he challenged a very
inconsistent decision by a presbytery and moderamen concerning my re-admission to full time
ministry. I will always be grateful towards him for his willingness to be an advocate on my behalf.
Sufice to say how great an honour it is for me to participate in this Festschrift. Not only is he a
friend, but a deeply appreciated colleague in Practical Theology. I sincerely hope that this short
contribution will honour a friend who certainly did not lose his love for preaching and his ability
to preach. The few times that I could listen to him, I could not help but think how his research
on the homily as a form of preaching linked up with his current research on narrative theology.
Read online:
Scan this QR
code with your
smart phone or
mobile device
to read online.
My reason for this article is the research question that has kept me busy since I started to work in
the ield of Gemeindeaufbau or Congregational Studies: what kind of preaching and preacher will,
in their public role of preaching, help a local congregation makes sense of its missional identity?
My current research focuses once again on the process(es) of change in congregations on the
journey of being and becoming missional. In this article I will draw heavily on two sources: Carl
(2009) and Duduit (1996). My reason is the research behind the two sources, which shed light on
my research question. The discerning principles (which I use here as headings) are my choices. I
arrived at them over the years and especially during my research for Ek is die Verskil: Die invloed
van persoonlikheid in die prediking (Nel 2005a).
Within the methodological approach proposed by Osmer (2008), I can only deal, and even this
only in part, with the research movement Osmer (2008:4, 129–174) identiies with the question
htp://www.ve.org.za
doi:10.4102/ve.v35i2.867
Page 2 of 9
‘what ought to be going on?’ In follow up research, I plan
to work with a homiletician in South Africa in an empirical
project on ‘what is going on and why is it going on?’ Only
then will one be able to make observations on a way forward
– Osmer’s (2008:4, 175–218) ‘pragmatic task’.
Understanding the missional local
church
To begin, it is necessary to briely state my understanding
of a missional church, even though I have done so recently
elsewhere (Nel 2009, 2011). Since Guder et al., ‘missional’ is
widely accepted as a new concept in and of itself, not only as
a synonym for missionary, becoming the preferred term over
missionary (cf. Guder 1998:6). One reason for this is because
even the concept ‘missionary’ reminds too much of the old
paradigm where a church can be totally absorbed with its
own issues but still have an outreach programme or two in
the world – even having missionaries out in the ield. A basic
change is the understanding that the church does not conduct
missions. The church is in mission. It is God’s mission to the
world. The church is either missional or it is not a church at all:
‘In other words, the church’s true and authentic organizing
principle is mission. Therefore when the church is in mission,
it is the true church’ (Hirsch & Catchim 2012:xix; cf. also
Newbigin 1995:2).
Quotes from three key participants in the so-called missional
conversation may help me make the point. Firstly, Zscheile
(2012; cf. Dearborn 1998) describes it as follows:
At the heart of the missional church conversation lies a
challenge: to recover and deepen the church’s Christian identity
in a post-Christendom world in light of the triune God’s mission
in all of creation … What is ‘missional’: The missional church
conversation started with a recognition that the church’s
relationship to its surrounding culture in the West had changed:
the era of functional Christendom or a church culture was over,
and the primary source of the church’s identity and vocation
could no longer rest on social centrality. By ‘missional church’
I mean a church whose identity lies in its participation in the
triune God’s mission in all of creation. In the view of missional
ecclesiology, it is God’s mission that has a church, not the church
that has a mission. Missional church views church as deinitive
of what the church is as a product of and participant in God’s
mission. (pp. 1, 5–6)
Original Research
This notion of eucharist as grace and thanksgiving (and the
requirement that it extend or be shared as widely as possible)
should surely be at the heart of every Christian life, just as it was
the leitmotif, the deining characteristic of the life of Jesus. (p. 69)
It becomes our life, as his quote from St Teresa of Ávila
conirms:
Christ has no body now on earth but yours;
No hands but yours; no feet but yours;
Yours are the eyes through which
Christ’s compassion is to look out into the world
Yours are the feet with which
He is to go about doing good;
Yours are the hands with which
He is to bless us now. (in Gittens 2008:69)
Thirdly, in his extensive research and writings on the subject
in the missional conversation, Van Gelder (2007) wrote:
The missional church conversation brings together two streams
of understanding God’s work in the world. First, God has a
mission within all creation – the missio Dei. Second, God brought
redemption to bear on all of life within creation through the
life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ – the Kingdom of
God … A missional understanding of God’s work in the world
from this perspective is framed as follows: God is seeking to
bring his kingdom, the redemptive reign of God in Christ, to
bear on every dimension of life within all the world so that
the larger creation purposes of God can be fulilled – the missio
Dei. The missional understanding has the world as its primary
horizon and the church is placed at the center of the activity in
relating the kingdom of God to the missio Dei. The church’s selfunderstanding as being missional is grounded in the work of the
Spirit of God, who calls the church into existence as a gathered
community, equips and prepares it, and sends it into the world
to participate fully in God’s mission. (p. 85)
It is impossible to miss the shift in ecclesiological thinking
from being primarily Christological to honouring the Spirit
to Trinitarian (cf. especially Volf 1998; Zizioulas 2007). The
church is the plan of the Triune God to bring healing and
restoration in his world. It is worth noting that almost all of
the notable authors in this conversation refer to Newbigin
(1953, 1963, 1978, 1989, 1995; cf. also Goheen 2000 on
Newbigin’s ecclesiology) and Bosch (1991) in working out
their own arguments.
Missional is an adjective; applied to Christianity or to individual
Christians it describes a lifestyle that is speciically and
intentionally exocentric rather than endocentric, boundary
breaking rather than boundary maintaining … Missional
Christianity is Beyond Belief [with reference to a dogmatistic
approach]. We identify ourselves in terms of our embodiment
or incarnation … Missional Christianity implies an ongoing
process: Missional Christianity is a lived experience rather than
a ixed attitude or patterns of set behavior. (pp. 46, 47, 48)
In 1991, already, Bosch (1991:390) wrote: ‘There is church
because there is mission, not vice versa.’ This is my
understanding of being and becoming missional. It is a
process of reformation whereby the local church rediscovers
and seriously seeks to live by its God-given identity. However
dificult it is to describe this identity, and it is, developing a
missional church cannot avoid or bypass this challenge. Who
are we and where are we going? This process is indeed a
matter of congregational identity and integrity. Guder (1998)
admitted already that:
With reference to the Roman Catholic worship service that
ends with ‘Ite! Missa est’: Go on your way now; you are
sent forth’ and with reference to 1 Corinthians 4; 15 and
2 Corinthians 9:12, Gittins (2008) writes:
we share the conviction of a growing consensus of Christians in
North America that the problem is much more deeply rooted. It
has to do with who we are and what we are for. The real issues
in the current crisis of the Christian church are spiritual and
theological. (p. 3)
Secondly, Anthony Gittins (2008) wrote:
htp://www.ve.org.za
doi:10.4102/ve.v35i2.867
Page 3 of 9
Just as I have argued elsewhere (Nel 2009:2–3), the process
of seeking and inding identity is a complex and challenging
one. One-sidedness and oversimpliications are many. It
is not the place here to argue this again. Sufice to say that
congregational identity is both a theological and cultural
issue. The research question at stake here is what kind of
preacher and preaching will help in this process. How do
preachers help the members in worship understand that
they worship the God of creation; that they worship the
One who will not let go of what he has made and who loves
his creation to the very end? I believe that the nature of the
church as a creation of the Triune God does compel us to
rethink ecclesiologies as such. However much room we make
for local ecclesiologies, this should and does not have to mean
absolute congregationalism. The body and its confessional
unity, the body and its global intentions, the body and the
total faith community, play a major role in understanding
who we are in any local context. We live in a pluralistic world
and ecclesiology has to take that into account.
De Reuver (2004) devotes a whole book to his research on the
ecclesiological value of plurality. Dekker (2000:109–127, 185–
197, 227–229) argues for the concept ‘church’ (kerk) and even
takes up an argument against the concept ‘gemeenteopbouw’
(building up local churches) because the last mentioned,
according to him, localises the church too much. Dekker’s
(2000:126) ‘deinition’ of the church is very much a
sociological one: an institution formed by believers ... (‘Door
gelovigen gevormde instelling ... ‘). It is true that the focus is
on the reformation of the local congregation, as Jonkers and
Bruinsma-de Beer argue (2000:18): ‘gemeenteopbouw’ focuses
on the lokale kerklijke gemeente. Schlottoff (1989:7–9) describes
the ‘Ortsgemeinde’ to be the future of the church in Germany
(cf. Brouwer et al. 2007:144–147). It is, however, not true that
the subject ield, as it is generally practiced, loses sight of the
church as a whole.
In my thinking, the congregation is a local expression of
the church of Christ in this world. The church has a global
and local context (cf. Cameron et al. 2005:43–88). What can
preachers do to facilitate reformation of the congregation
without giving in to either absolute congregationalism or
to post-congregational thinking, like McNeal argues for? In
a foreword to the book by Hirsch and Ferguson, McNeal
(2011a) argues:
More recently, a new expression of missional church has
captured the attention of those of us who are tracking the
missional movement. It is the rise of missional communities. This
development signals the arrival of a new life form in the taxonomy
of church life. The emergence of missional communities is part of
the Spirit’s response to deploying the church in an increasingly
postcongregational era. Translated into English, that means the
church is iguring out a way to be present in populations that
are not susceptible to becoming church people (people who align
their spiritual journeys with the goals and rhythms of organized
congregational church). (p. 13, author’s own emphasis)
In another book (McNeal 2011b), he writes:
the congregational approach to ’doing church‘ has entered its
declining period ... A variety of indicators point to the same
htp://www.ve.org.za
Original Research
conclusion: we have entered an era that is ripe for and needs a
post-congregational church. (p. 7)
I am not there. I have opted, however dificult it may be,
to argue for the reformation of any local church over and
against ‘refounding’ or ‘resurrection’ (cf. Easum 2007:vii;
Hirsch & Catchim 2012:146; McLaren 2008:128). It is probably
the easier way to go. In an argument why church planting is a
better way over revitalising local churches, Malphurs (2011)
quotes Wagner as having said:
It is the difference between having babies and trying to raise
the dead … Struggling, established churches are steeped in
complacency and the status quo and thus tend strongly to resist
needed change. (p. 9)
I am tempted to say, I believe with my colleague Julian Müller
who also could have given up on the church, that he and I
have not. I believe that we both had enough reason (although
different ones) to let go, but we have decided to ‘embrace
the Church God gave me’ (Peterson 2009:127). What kind of
preacher and preaching will guide congregations into this
new understanding of themselves?
Preaching with integrity
Building up a missional local church is a long-term ministry
within a relationship of trust (cf. Nel 2005b:372–375, 2011).
Haokip (2004:283) writes: ‘It is a slow painstaking process.
One needs patience. One may not even be able to see the
fruits in one’s own life time.’ Trust is not built overnight.
‘Change takes time’ (Roxburgh & Romanuk 2006:64). Trust
is also not built by playing roles. Integrity on the part of the
preacher and preaching is vital in cultivation a relationship
where people feel safe to change. In the book edited by
William A. Carl III (2009), 30 well-known preachers, pastors
and academics teaching homiletics participated. It is about
‘wisdom on Ministry from 30 leading Pastors and Preachers’
(Carl 2009:xi).
The editor himself agrees, ‘it will take more than the pulpit
to create a new congregational culture’ (Carl 2009:40). He
then zooms in on what kind of relationship will build trust
where both preacher and preaching can play the important
roles they should. He works with what he calls a ‘four S’
rule. Come to an agreement with the body of (no) Secrets,
(no) Surprises, (no) Subversion and (lots of) Support (Carl
2009:41–44). In building trust, what happens outside of the
pulpit is sometimes more important than what happens once
the pastor is in the pulpit. The other principles discussed
below support this understanding.
What I want to focus on, as part of this principle of integrity,
is love of the congregation where you are. Michael Lindvall
(2009) states it bluntly:
If you as a pastor cannot come to love the congregation you
serve, if you do not love the culture and community in which
your congregation is set, you have to leave. And do not wait too
long. Ministers cannot effectively serve people whom they do
not love. And if a pastor is ill at ease or at odds with the culture
doi:10.4102/ve.v35i2.867
Page 4 of 9
of the larger community, the congregation will soon come to
recognize it and view their minister as the outsider that he or she
understands himself or herself to be. (p. 87)
In working with the concept of incarnation, Lindvall stresses
the particularity and speciicity of Jesus’ incarnation. God
loves to be speciic and particular in his love and grace.
In Lindvall’s (2009:88) words, ‘such divine choice of the
particular implies God’s great love for the very speciicities
that God has chosen to embody the divine.’ Ministry
according to him is ‘incarnationally speciic’ (2009:88). It has
to do with every speciic setting whether it be rural, urban,
rich, poor, culturally divided, et cetera:
The incarnational point here is that each person, each
congregation, each context is loved by God in and for its
particular uniqueness. Likewise, a pastor is called to see his or
her people with the same ‘lover’s eye’ to love them for what they
are in and for their peculiarities. (Lindvall 2009:89)
In connection with this and with the issue of trust and
integrity in the process of developing a missional local
church, Lindvall (2009) mentions an image of love that is of
utmost importance:
Lovers are not so much blind as they are somehow empowered
by love to see their beloved with hope ... This, of course, is
precisely the way God sees you and me, simul justus et pecator,
’saint and sinner at the same time’. (p. 91)
In his valuable contribution on what he calls deep change,
Quinn (1996:34–35) emphasises the relation between trust
and integrity in leadership. He also stress the fact that no
such change in the organisation (organism in the case of the
church) can and will take place unless it is taking place in the
person of the leader:
They [leaders] can forcefully communicate at a level beyond
telling. By having the courage to change themselves they model
the behaviour they are asking of others. Clearly understood by
almost everyone, this message, based in integrity, is incredibly
powerful. It builds trust and credibility and helps others
confront the risk of empowering themselves. (Quinn 1996:35; cf.
also Doohan 2007)
Wiersbe (1996:223) is close to the heart with his remark: ‘The
most important part of a preacher’s life is the part that only
God sees’.
Preaching, listening and learning
Buchanan (2009) states it correctly, to my mind at least:
We are pastors. We will be preachers to the extent that we are
pastors, accessible and available to our people. Our people will
listen to us, allow us to be prophetic, to the extent that they know
we care about them, love them, and will be there when they need
us. (p. 31)
Pastoral hearts and minds tend to listen seriously. We are
human and just do not know unless we listen and learn.
Listening is in the deepest sense showing respect for the
human dignity of somebody else as equally human in life
and ministry (cf. Firet 1986:156–166 for a description of
htp://www.ve.org.za
Original Research
the concept: equihuman). Listen and love belong together
because when we love we listen. Frank Harrington (1996)
served the same church in Atlanta, GA for more than twothirds of his professional life. In reply to a question how his
vision on preaching informed what he does each week, he
said:
This church has encouraged me to articulate the dreams and
hopes that God has laid upon my heart for these people. People
and preaching always go together … If you are not in constant
touch with people – knowing their hurts, their hopes, their
dreams, the rigors of the reality in which they are living – you
may ind yourself in the pulpit answering questions no one is
asking. (p. 41)
It is what McClure (2009:108–113) calls ‘preaching from, with,
and for’. I would be willing to say there is no for if there is
not from and with. His concept of ‘collaborative or roundtable
preaching’ implies intentionally listening to the membership
(cf. also McClure 1995). It is matter of seeking reality in
preaching, which ‘implies that you listen for the ways that
those around you are actually experiencing and interpreting life
today in light of the meaning and power of the gospel’ (McClure
2009:110). His point is that the roundtable conversations help
preachers understand, ‘begin to hear the reality (or unreality)
that the Word has in their lives’ (McClure 2009:110).
In the words of Ronald Allen (2009):
Listening to what the congregation says about preaching can
help ministers more deeply understand the context in which
they preach so they can develop sermons that will engage the
congregation. Such listening can also help a pastor come to a more
penetrating understanding of other aspects of congregational
culture. (p. 8)
Allen and others have conducted extensive research on
preaching, hearing and listening (cf. Allen 2004; McClure et
al. 2005; Mulligan et al. 2005). For the reason stated above,
namely that I want to focus on the ‘wisdom’ of well-known
pastors and preachers, I do not go into the important research
by Dingemans (1995) and his reference the preacher as a
‘hoorder onder die hoorders’ [‘listener amongst listeners’]. Allen
(2009:10) refers to this also as ‘listening to listeners’.
Listening is a mindset. For a preacher, it means a growing
sensitivity for the two texts they are working with: the
biblical and the context. Listening to the biblical text is almost
second nature for any preacher; preachers get trained to do
that and they should do so well. Bartlett (2009:21), in the
wisdom he shared, says it in very traditional but important
words: ‘Preaching is Biblical’. We should know this text. Not
just the pericope or fragment we preach on, ‘we will preach
better if we have a rich sense of the larger context in which
these jewels are set’ (Bartlett 2009:22). For preaching to be
good news, to be God’s good story, it has to be biblical. To
this text we listen and do so over and over again. Preaching
on missional identity necessitates serious listening to this
‘old Text’. In her contribution to the book by Carl III, Alyce
Mckenzie (2009) phrases it well:
doi:10.4102/ve.v35i2.867
Page 5 of 9
Remembering that we inevitably preach what we practice, I
commend attentiveness as the key habit of the preacher, with
regard to exegesis of our inward lives, our congregation and
community, as well as the biblical text … What we discover to
say and how we develop it will depend upon the answer to this
question: To what are we attentive? (p. 117)
She continues to remark that if we are only attentive to
technical issues (which in itself are not unimportant) in the
text, such as authorship and original audience, we will offer
a biblical lecture. We can also deliver a literature lecture by
focusing on words, meanings et cetera (also not unimportant
in itself):
If we are attentive only to our own desires, needs, and problems,
we will deliver a motivational talk. The preacher needs to be
attentive to what lies behind the text, in the text, and in front
of the text. Every exegetical process and its resultant sermon
should show evidence that the preacher has been attentive to all
three realms. (Mckenzie 2009:117)
It is listening to the second text that is often lacking.
Preaching is ‘to keep your eye on the ball’ (Long 2009:93–
100). Long shared his ‘wisdom’ by referring extensively to
the life and records of the well-known baseball player, Ted
Williams. Williams was and still is considered by many as
the greatest hitter in the game. His story is well depicted in
the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. In his book,
Williams wrote: ‘Much of your preparation is a matter of
being observant, of picking up things … What you are doing
is building a frame of reference to work from’ (Williams &
Underwood 1986:14). Long (2009:95) uses this image to make
his point: ‘Good preachers keep their eyes open. The hungers,
anxieties, and needs of the congregation and the culture are
on full display to the watchful eye.’ He continues by referring
to a quote from Georges Bernanos’ (1983) book The diary of a
country Priest:
I know that my parish is a reality, that we belong to each other
for all eternity; it is not a mere administrative iction, but a living
cell of everlasting Church. But if only God would open my eyes
and unseal my ears so that I may behold the face of my parish
and hear its voice. (p. 28)
The realities of ministry and the struggles of the church in
a changing world can deafen our ears and blind our eyes.
Preachers are often suffering of post-week trauma. They are
tired by the time they inally ind the time to ‘listen’, to be
attentive. In her contribution to the book I ind myself quoting
so often, Jana Childers (2009:45–50) devoted her advice to
preachers on ‘Finding the Power to Preach When You’re
Exhausted’. The strain of the pastorate can make listening
extremely tiresome. It is the love of God and for God, and the
love of his people that help us develop ears to hear and eyes
to see. The pastor in the preacher helps us to pay attention,
even though it may be tiresome. In a passionate contribution,
and with reference to the Jesus–Peter conversation on the
beach, Hyung Cheon Rim (2009) makes a vital point that
Jesus continued to ask ‘Do you love Me’ (Jn 21):
Love for the Lord comes before the love for the sheep … If the
priority is to love the sheep, then it will be dificult to continue
htp://www.ve.org.za
Original Research
on with the ministry because the sheep is sometimes not easy to
love … The strength of loving the sheep comes from loving the
Lord. (p. 135)
When that is the case, however dificult, the pastor preacher:
holds hands with the dying on a regular basis … If you would
preach keep in touch with the living and the dying … Good
preachers are on-the-job pastors and, because they internalize the
laughter and the tears, they shape their words with tenderness.
(Buttrick 2009:34–35)
He adds with seriousness: ‘Oh, by the way, never take a dime
for pastoral services … Cash transactions corrupt pastoral
ministry and thus can injure preaching’ (Buttrick 2009:34–35).
One more important moment in this perspective on preaching
and the preacher is the attitude of a disciple, a lifelong learner.
This is true for every believer but also for preachers. This
journey includes what we have discussed above. Lifelong
learning is a journey of studying and listening to the biblical
text; it is listening to the congregation and the context; it is
also listening to other partners in this journey: those who
lived before us and those who try to make sense of our world,
sharing the same timespan. Earl Palmer (2009:121) calls
it part of keeping his head clear. He refers to a quote from
Blaise Pascal (1968), which he had carved as an inscription on
a piece of driftwood and placed on his desk:
Do small things as if they were great, because of the majesty of
Christ, who does them in us and lives our life, and does great
things as if they were small and easy, because of his almighty
power. (p. 316)
Palmer (2009) then adds:
First, I am encouraged by what Pascal wrote as if it were for
me; second, the marker reminds me to be sure I read the book
he wrote and other books too where I will ind even more
encouraging thoughts. (p. 121)
He continues (Palmer 2009:123–124) to challenge us to
manage time such that reading is not only possible but a
priority. He adds a long list of books, besides the Bible, that
preachers will beneit from (2009:125–126). The point is that
we learn and listen by reading. In Palmer’s words (2009):
Find authors with whom you develop a special kind of
friendship. Try to read everything they have written. They aren’t
masters of our minds, because we won’t always agree with what
they have written; they’re more like companions who especially
challenge and encourage our pilgrimage as Christians. They
become our mentors. (p. 125)
Leanne van Dyk (2009:166) refers to many strategies
necessary to keep up pastoral ministry, such as, amongst
others, healthy exercising and participating in peer support
groups. She adds: ‘Another strategy is creating and pursuing
a lifelong learning plan.’ The degree we carry is but the entry
point of this journey. ‘A plan for lifelong learning can serve
as one tool to encourage, strengthen, and deepen the pastor’
(Van Dyk 2009:166). She points to the fact that such a plan
should be supported by the congregation and should include
doi:10.4102/ve.v35i2.867
Page 6 of 9
continuing education and sabbaticals. ‘It should also include
a regular pattern of reading. A plan of reading can be an
individual exercise, or a small group, or both’ (2009:167). Van
Dyk (2009) continues in a further paragraph by stating:
Preaching in particular can beneit from reading, both in
theological and biblical disciplines, and also in iction and
noniction sources. The preacher who reads consistently
preaches more creatively and compellingly because resources
far beyond the experience of the preacher are brought to the task
of proclamation. (p. 167)
Van Dyk (2009) ends her contribution by saying:
A lifelong learning plan will include many other goals as well,
all of which can contribute to a healthy and long life of pastoral
ministry. But there is hardly a more enjoyable learning plan
than the steady reading of wonderful novels and noniction.
Both pastor, in sermon preparation and pastoral care, and
congregation in listening and discussing, will learn to spot the
deep incarnational resemblances between themes of the gospel
and the themes of human experience and observation. The
sustaining of pastoral ministry through reading will, in fact,
support both pastor and people. (p. 171)
The well-known William Willimon (2009) states it bluntly:
Good preachers are good readers. I’ve never known a good
writer who was not a great reader. The same is true for preachers
… In my old age, I am reading more poetry, more iction (which
is usually more true than noniction) and less contemporary
theology. (p. 180; cf. also Willimon 2000:151–167)
Or, as Fred Craddock (1996:38) phrases it: ‘Through
preaching, you share time spent in the study, with the whole
congregation’.
Within the broader context of this article reading stories of
congregations is of utmost importance. Boshart (2011) writes:
Because of the frame-breaking, highly contextual, and
incarnational nature of a missional ecclesiology, it is often not
easy to predict how this ecclesiology will be leshed out in terms
of practices to be replicated in many contexts. Barrett’s (2006)
research demonstrates how case studies of missional churches
provide what Bent Flyvbjerg (2006:228) refers to as the ‘force of
example’ in understanding the nature of a phenomenon. (p. 21)
Preachers should be excited about what happens in other
churches on their journey. And how will they know that if
they do not read such books and stories. Long and Killinger
(1996) summarise it well in working with the image of the
preacher as witness, a truth-teller:
That person carries with her or with him all of the questions
and concerns and needs of the community from which he or she
comes, but goes to Scripture prepared to hear whatever Scripture
wishes to say about that need or action. Then the person turns
and tells the truth about what has been seen and hear. (p. 97; cf.
also Long 2005)
To close this section let me quote from one of the 20th
century’s greatest preachers, John Stott (1996:189) when he
says: ‘To build a bridge between the modern world and the
biblical world, we must irst be careful students of both’ (cf.
also Stott 2000:113–128).
htp://www.ve.org.za
Original Research
Preaching and seeking for meaning
In the so-called missional conversation, Van Gelder (2007)
refers to a ‘hermeneutical turn’ as:
Shorthand to explain the shift that occurred in human knowing
during the twentieth century. This shift primarily involves the
developments in philosophical hermeneutics, which have made
us aware of the interpreted character of all human knowing,
including the interpreted character of interpretation. (pp. 104,
188; cf. also Van Gelder 2004:43–44)
Add to this the interpretation of many who believe that in this
postmodern world ‘we’re living in the most anti-intellectual
period in the history of the church’ (Sproul 1996:180). It is a
time where ‘most Christians couldn’t tell you even the basics
of their faith’ (Barna 1996:20).
Research on how young adults view the church and what a
challenge this is to developing missional churches supports
these remarks:
Theologically conservative Christians are widely perceived as
being aloof and unwilling to engage in genuine dialogue, out
of fear of ‘caving in’ to the broader culture. But such openness
is essential in relating to Mosaics (known also as ‘Generation
Y’) and Busters (known as ‘Generation X’), who represent the
‘conversation generations’. According to Kinnaman and Lyons
[2007:33], ‘mosaic and Busters … want to discuss, debate, and
question everything. This can be either a source of frustration
or an interest we use to facilitate new and lasting levels of
spiritual depth in young people. Young outsiders want to have
discussion, but they perceive Christians as unwilling to engage
in genuine dialogue. They think of conversation as ‘persuasion’
sessions, in which the Christian downloads as many arguments
as possible. (Gibbs 2009:14)
In his valuable contribution to the issues surrounding
leadership in missional churches, the well-known Carroll
(2011:93) puts it as follows: ‘Clergy are interpreters of
meaning. Congregations experience crises of meaning on
small and large scale. It is considerably more than a verbal
cognitive enterprise.’ He does so in building his argument for
what he calls ‘relective leadership’ (Carroll 2011:114–144; cf.
also Selby’s 2012:41–65 concept of ‘meaning making’).
In this postmodern and post-Christendom period people
are not looking for easy answers. There is little room for an
authoritarian ‘I know it all’ approach. It is okay not to know:
Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. Instead embrace
‘unknowing’ as a gift for preaching … It can become paralyzing
at times. How can I preach when I am out of words and I have
nothing to say? How can I preach when I’m not even sure the
gospel is true? In a world of seemingly endless and empty words
is there anything left to say? (Hudson 2009:75)
This attitude frees the preacher ‘to be human before God on
behalf of the congregation’ (Hudson 2009:76). Hudson thinks
that ‘the questioning preacher may name the human burden
of faith in ways that people in the pews need to hear’. In the
words of Müller (2011): ‘Om te mag twyfel: ‘n gelowige se reis’
(cf. also Sproul 1993). Long (2011:152) even refers to this in
doi:10.4102/ve.v35i2.867
Page 7 of 9
the title of his book What shall we say? Evil, suffering, and the
crisis of faith and states his purpose throughout: ‘to think
through what preachers can say, what teachers can teach,
about the question of theodicy’ (cf. also the review essay on
the book in Mahn 2012).
Preachers do not have to prove redemption and the
transforming power of the gospel. They are but co-journers.
Sermons should not try to convince but encourage to seek
and to follow. Craig Barnes (2009), the new President of
Princeton Theological Seminary and well-known for his
preaching, says:
no one get argued into the kingdom … The preacher’s job is
simply to reveal that love [of the Father for the prodigal son]. Then
the memory of the Father’s house is rekindled in the pews, and
the journey to the outstretched arms is begun. (p. 17)
It is okay to stand in the pulpit scared, writes Buttrick
(2009:33). Preachers should ‘avoid avoidance’ and ‘honor
complexity’ (McClure 2009:111). All the texts with which
preachers are working are complex and not easy to read.
Members are not looking for easy answers on their journey to
understand their missional identity, which in itself is radical
in nature. Preaching is also to walk with the membership on
‘the journey of discipleship, a pilgrimage, not a ceremonial
lap … and faithful preaching itself takes the long, steady
pilgrim path of valleys and peaks’ (Long 2009:99). Huffman
(1996:65) acknowledges this same challenge: ‘The reality is
that I am a translator. That means immersing myself in what
they read, do, and think, yet trying to bring to it a prophetic
edge’. Killinger, who was interviewed together with Tom
Long, says: ‘The sermon, even a brief sermon, is able to put
us on the road to discovery’ (Long & Killinger 1996:101; cf.
also Long 2000:83–94). In the same interview Long says:
You need to construct – in your mind, at least – a seminar
around the text, in which multiple voices are brought in, as a
way of seeing multiple possibilities that are in the text. (Long &
Killinger 1996:103)
In this conversation with the multiple texts, on behalf of
and together with the congregation, one often realises that
‘the gospel is not a intellectual dilemma as much as it is a
discipleship dilemma’ (Willimon 1996:228).
Preaching and vision
Is the preaching journey then a journey of doubts so that
we may preach better? Doubt in itself is not the answer to
listening and preaching with integrity. ‘A doubt-illed church
inevitably lacks that spiritual resources need to empower
dynamic movements’ (Hirsch & Catchim 2012:xxxi). Meaning
giving and seeking is the way in which preachers with a vision
preach. It is the way of integrity. However, as sure as is the
vision to help this congregation become God’s mission to
God’s world, getting there is a journey full of uncertainties
and complexities. Therefore:
when you prepare the sermon envision the faces of those who
are apt to be listening. Notice what you are praying for God to do
in their lives. Preach toward that. (Bartlett 2009:23)
htp://www.ve.org.za
Original Research
Vision is ultimately to trust God, even though we sometimes
understand so little of ‘his ways’. The attitude I tried to
communicate in the previous section does not mean that we
become afraid of the prophetic. To admit that one does not
know (easy answer to complex realities) does not mean that
we do not know anything, especially not when we engage in
prophetic preaching, not ‘on the basis of God’s law’ (Buttrick
2009:37), but from the beauty of the beatitudes (Mt 5–7).
Preachers do not trust in their vision when they preach, they
trust in the God of the Word and the Spirit with Power (cf.
Childers 2009:48–49). Easum (2010:1–13) is correct when he
almost assumes that preaching for transformation means
that ‘you have a clear vision of where God wants your church
to go’.
Craddock (2009:51–56) argues for what he calls a ‘signature
sermon’ in which pastors, amongst other things, share what
they confess and what they see (cf. Peterson 2009:130 for his
emphasis on how for example the letter to the Ephesians can
help us see; cf. also Craddock 2000:41–54). This understanding
of vision is deeply related to the issue of integrity:
Everyone who preaches brings to the task the totality of his
or her personality. The qualities that create the preacher grow
out of the mystical interplay of the gospel on the mental and
emotional equipment of the preacher. An awareness of this fact
gives to each an authenticity and a style to be found nowhere
else. (Taylor 2009:157; cf. also Nel 2005a)
A clear vision of this local church becoming in this
community what God plans for them also helps us believe
in the transformational power of preaching (Easum 2010:13).
The well-known Bill Hybels (1996:76) says in his almost
self-hurting willingness for scrutinised evaluation of his
preaching: ‘I ind myself asking the famous two-word
question all throughout my sermon preparation process,
which is the phrase “So what?”’. With him I believe that
preaching with vision makes one ask this critical question.
It is ultimately the question of the preacher: who are we and
where are going? It is also to irmly believe in preaching
as a ‘unique opportunity for communication’ as John Stott
confesses:
I still believe that preaching is the key to the renewal of the
church. I am an impenitent believer in the power of preaching
… when a man [or woman] stands before the people of God with
the Word of God in his hand and the Spirit of God in his heart,
you have a unique opportunity for communication. (in Hybels
1996:76)
Preaching and public involvement
Being missional has everything to do with being public.
Missional churches seek the Kingdom. They participate in
what God is doing in their contexts. God is publicly involved.
Two basic remarks from the wisdom of others are in place
here.
Firstly, it is important that the preacher or leader work with
other public igures in the same context. De la Torre (2009:57–
62) recalls how he, as a person of colour, was invited by a
doi:10.4102/ve.v35i2.867
Page 8 of 9
group of White pastors to discuss the diversiication of their
congregations in a multicultural context. He noticed that
there were (including himself) only two ministers of colour
in the room. For an hour the discussion went on and even
plans were put together without any input from the only two
ministers of colour. He then asked:
why would you assume that I would even want to worship at
your church. After centuries of exclusion, why would I come
running now that you think it makes your church look good by
having a black or brown face in the pew …? No church should
consider diversifying unless it irst gets saved. (p. 62)
Secondly, when a public issue becomes your passion you
become a public advocate for that case. Katherine Henderson
(2009:66) puts it this way: ‘When your heart is broken open,
when the engine of empathy is activated, you must become
literate, even expert about that issue.’ She suggests becoming
an expert by getting behind the scenes and exploring the
deep reasons behind unchecked injustices in your context.
She even suggests that one:
develops your own media savvy. Speaking out in public may
require a different set of skills than those required for the pulpit.
If we are to become visible and credible spokespersons on the
public issues that break our hearts … we need to develop new
oratory muscles. (Henderson 2009:66)
Preachers need to be positive examples of contextual
engagement. That is what the church is being challenged
with: how do we follow Jesus Christ in this context? How do
we discern and participate in what God is doing? How do we
seek the reign of God in our community? Frank Harrington
was listed three times as one of the ‘100 Most Inluential
People’ in the Atlanta Business Weekly. Some say he impacted
the whole city with his preaching. In response to a question
on this, Harrington (1996) replied:
The inluence I have is because of the possibility that I may impact
the people who sit in this church week after week after week,
and through them impact the city. You see the reality is that if
I can inluence the people who sit in the pews of this church to
walk closer to Jesus Christ, this church can have a role in shaping
the destiny of this city. That is both a great opportunity and a
great responsibility. (p. 45)
Conclusion
I do not know of any scholar in my ield that would even
suggest that preaching alone would make churches change.
Change, reformation, revitalisation, or whatever concept is
preferred, is comprehensive in nature. I do however believe
that when the comprehensivity is realised the important
impact of preaching will be rediscovered. Craddock (1996)
testiies to this:
Preaching generates a high level of expectation like no other
single act in the church. In preaching, as in all other ministries,
God is at work – continually changing his very own to be his
mission to the world. (p. 34)
I confess, with Leith Anderson (1996:11), ‘The sermon itself
is a powerful agent of change’ (cf. also Jackson 1996:83).
With Kendall (1996:91), I also believe ‘that God will honor
a church that is making preaching central – and a preacher
htp://www.ve.org.za
Original Research
who is making exposition the center of his preaching’. In
the planned empirical research in South Africa, the above
wisdom and theological insights of well-known scholars may
very well be used in the conceptualisation process.
Acknowledgements
Compeing interests
The author declares that he has no inancial or personal
relationships that may have inappropriately inluenced him
in writing this article.
References
Allen, R., 2004, Hearing the sermon: Relaionship, content, and feeling, Chalice Press,
St. Louis.
Allen, R.J., 2009, ‘Listen to what the congregaion says about preaching’, in W.J. Carl III
(ed.), Best advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp.
7–13, Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Anderson, L., 1996, ‘Preaching to churches dying for change’, in M. Duduit (ed.),
Communicate with power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 9–12,
Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Barna, G., 1996, ‘Boomers, busters, and preaching’, in M. Duduit (ed.), Communicate
with power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 13–24, Baker Books,
Grand Rapids.
Barnes, C., 2009, ‘Three temptaions of the pastor’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best
advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30 peading pastors and preachers, pp. 14–20,
Westminster John Knox, Louisville. PMid:19710103
Barret, L., 2006, ‘Authenic witness, authenic evangelism, authenic church’, in
J. Krabill, W. Sawatsky & C. van Engen (eds.), Evangelical, ecumenical, and
Anabapist missiologies in conversaion: Essays in honor of Wilbert R. Shenk, p.
181, Orbis, Maryknoll.
Bartlet, D., 2009, ‘Toward a deiniion of preaching’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best
advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 21–25,
Westminster John Knox, Louisville. PMid:19094821
Bernanos, G., 1983, The diary of a country priest, Carroll & Graf, New York.
Bosch, D.J., 1991, Transforming mission, Orbis, New York.
Boshart, D.W., 2011, Becoming missional. Denominaions and new church develoment
in complex social contexts, WIPF & STOCK, Eugene. PMid:20933544
Brouwer, R., De Groot, K., De Roest, H., Sengers, E. & Stoppels, S., 2007, Levend
lichaam: Dynamiek van Christelijke geloofsgemeenschappen in Nederland, Kok,
Kampen.
Buchanan, J., 2009, ‘Why stay in the Church?’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice. Wisdom
on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 26–32, Westminster John
Knox, Louisville. PMid:19656393, PMCid:PMC2731736
Butrick, D.G., 2009, ‘Side thoughts on preaching for those who must stammer God’s
unnamed name’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30
leading pastors and preachers, pp. 33–38, Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Cameron, H., Richter, P., Davies, D. & Ward, F. (eds.), 2005, Studying local churches: A
handbook, SCM, London.
Carl III, W.J., 2009, Best advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and
preachers, Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Carroll, J.W., 2011, As one with authority, 2nd edn., Cascade Books, Eugene.
Childers, J., 2009, ‘Finding the power to preach when you’re exhausted’, in W.J. Carl III
(ed.), Best advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp.
45–50, Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Craddock, F.B., 1996, ‘Do a litle every day’, in M. Duduit (ed.), Communicate with
power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 33–39, Baker Books,
Grand Rapids.
Craddock, F., 2000, ‘Enduring the small stuf (Hebrews 12:1–2)’, in B. Turpie (ed.), Ten
great preachers. Messages and interviews, pp. 41–55, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Craddock, F.B., 2009, ‘The signature sermon’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice. Wisdom
on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 51–56, Westminster John
Knox, Louisville.
Dearborn, T., 1998, Beyond duty: A passion for Christ, a heart for mission, MARC,
Washington, DC. PMCid:PMC106476
Dekker, G., 2000, Zodat de wereld verandert: Over de toekomst van de kerk, Ten Have,
Baarn.
De La Torre, M.A., 2009, ‘Dealing with diversity’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice.
Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 57–62,
Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
De Reuver, R., 2004, Eén kerk in meervoud: Een theologisch onderzoek naar de
ecclesiologische waarde van pluraliteit, Boekencentrum, Zoetermeer.
Dingemans, G.D.J., 1995, Als hoorder onder de hoorders. Hermeneuische homileiek,
Kok, Kampen.
Doohan, L., 2007, Spiritual leadership: The quest for integrity, Paulist Press, New York.
Duduit, M. (ed.), 1996, Communicate with power. Insights from America’s top
communicators, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
doi:10.4102/ve.v35i2.867
Page 9 of 9
Easum, B., 2007, A second resurrecion. Leading your congregaion to new life,
Abingdon, Nashville.
Easum, B., 2010, Preaching for church transformaion, Abingdon, Nashville.
Firet, J., 1986, Dynamics in pastoring, transl. J. Vriend, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
Flyvbjerg, B., 2006, ’Five misunderstandings about case study research’, Qualitaive
Inquiry 12(2), 219–245. htp://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077800405284363
Gibbs, E., 2009, Churchmorph. How megatrends are reshaping Chrisian communiies,
Baker Academic, Grand Rapids.
Giins, A.J., 2008, Called to be sent. Co-missioned as disciples today, Liguori
Publicaions, Liguori.
Guder, D.L., 1998, ‘Missional church: From sending to being sent’, in L. Barret, I.T.
Dieterich, G.R Hunsberger, A.J. Roxburgh, C. van Gelder & D.L. Guder (eds.),
Missional church. A vision for the sending of the church in North America, pp.
1–17, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
Goheen, M.W., 2000, As the Father has sent me, I am sending you: J.E. Leslie
Newbigin’s missionary ecclesiology, Boekencentrum, Zoetermeer.
Haokip, P., 2004, ‘Building up the local church’, in T. Manjaly, P. Haokip & J. Thoppil
(eds.), Towards building up the local church. Priestly ministry in the 21st Century,
pp. 262–283, Orien Publicaions, Shillong.
Harrington, F., 1996, ‘A vision for preaching’, in M. Duduit (ed.), Communicate with
power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 40–47, Baker Books,
Grand Rapids. PMid:8930041
Henderson, K.R., 2009, ‘Being repairers of the breach’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best
advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 63–68,
Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Hirsch, A. & Catchim, T., 2012, The permanent revoluion. Apostolic imaginaion and
pracice for the 21st Century, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Hirsch, A. & Ferguson, D., 2011, On the verge. A journey into the apostolic future of the
church, Zondervan, Grand Rapids.
Hudson, M.L., 2009, ‘You don’t have all the answers – And that’s okay!’, in W.J. Carl III
(ed.), Best advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp.
75–79, Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Hufman, J.A., Jnr, 1996, ‘Preaching with a propheic edge’, in M. Duduit (ed.),
Communicate with power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 62–70,
Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Hybels, B., 1996, ‘Preaching to seekers’, in M. Duduit (ed.), Communicate with power.
Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 71–82, Baker Books, Grand
Rapids.
Jackson, R., 1996, ‘Preaching to change lives’, in M. Duduit (ed.), Communicate with
power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 83–89, Baker Books,
Grand Rapids.
Jonkers, J.B.G. & Bruinsma-de Beer, J. (eds.), 2000, Gemeente Gewogen. Een
introduksie op het theologische gesprek over de lokale kerklijke gemeente, Kok,
Kampen. PMCid:PMC316543
Kendall, R.T., 1996, ‘The power of exposiion’, in M. Duduit (ed.), Communicate with
power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 90–94, Baker Books,
Grand Rapids.
Kinnaman, D. & Lyons, G., 2007, UnChrisian: What a new generaion really thinks
about Chrisianity … and why it maters, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Lindvall, M.L., 2009, ‘In local pastoris’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice. Wisdom on
ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 87–92, Westminster John
Knox, Louisville.
Long, T.G. & Killinger, J., 1996, ‘The witness of preaching’, in M. Duduit (ed.),
Communicate with power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 95–
108, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Long, T., 2000, ‘Christ’s uncomfortable words of comfort (Mark 4(10–12)’, in B. Turpie
(ed.), Ten great preachers. Messages and interviews, pp. 83–94, Baker Books,
Grand Rapids.
Long, T.G., 2005, The witness of preaching, Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Long, T.G., 2009, ‘Keeping your eye on the ball’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice.
Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 93–100,
Westminster John Knox, Louisville. PMCid:PMC2620860
Long, T.G., 2011, What shall we say? Evil, sufering, and the crisis of faith, Eerdsmans,
Grand Rapids.
Mahn, J.A., 2012, ‘Between presence and explanaion: Thinking through sufering
with Thomas Long’, Theology Today 69(2), 225–230.
Malphurs, A., 2011, The nuts and bolts of church planing. A guide for staring any kind
of church, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
McLaren, B., 2008, Finding our way again: The return of the ancient pracices, Thomas
Nelson, Nashville.
McClure, J.S., 1995, The roundtable pulpit: Where leadership and preaching meet,
Abingdon, Nashville.
McClure, J.S., Allen, R., Andres, D.P., Bond, L.S., Moseley, D.P. & Ramsey, G.L., Jnr,
2005, Listening to listeners: Homileic case studies, Chalice Press, St. Louis.
McClure, J.S., 2009, ‘Preaching from, with, and for’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice.
Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 108–113,
Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
McKenzie, A.M., 2009, ‘Homileical proverbs’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice. Wisdom
on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 114–120, Westminster
John Knox, Louisville.
McNeal, R., 2011a, ‘Foreword’, in A. Hirsch & D. Ferguson, On the verge. A journey into
the apostolic future of the church, pp. 13–14, Zondervan, Grand Rapids.
McNeal, R., 2011b, Missional communiies. The rise of the post-congregaional
church, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
htp://www.ve.org.za
Original Research
Mulligan, M.A., Turner-Sharazz, D., Wilhelm, D.O. & Allen, R., 2005, Believing in
preaching: What listeners hear in sermons, Chalice Press, St. Louis.
Müller, J.C., 1983, ‘Die Homilie as wyse van eietydse prediking’, unpublished DD
thesis, Department of Pracical Theology, University of Pretoria.
Müller, J.C., 1988, Die Erediens as fees, NG Kerkboekhandel, Pretoria.
Müller, J.C., 2011, Om te mag twyfel: ‘n Gelowige se reis, Tafelberg, Cape Town.
Nel, M., 2005a, Ek is die Verskil. Die invloed van persoonlikheid in die prediking, CLF,
Bloemfontein. PMCid:PMC546013
Nel, M., 2005b, Who are we? Understanding and inding idenity in the local church,
Kitskopie, Pretoria. PMCid:PMC546013
Nel, M., 2009, ‘Congregaional analysis: A theological and ministerial approach’, HTS
Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 65(1), Art. #303, 17 pages. htp://dx.doi.
org/10.4102/hts.v65i1.303
Nel, M., 2011, ‘Missionale integriteit en kontekstuele relevansie’, HTS Teologiese
Studies/Theological Studies 67(3), Art. #1084, 9 pages. htp://dx.doi.org/10.4102/
hts.v67i3.1084
Newbigin, L., 1953, The household of God: Lectures on the nature of the church, SCM,
London.
Newbigin, L., 1963, The importance of Trinitarian doctrine for today’s mission,
Edinburgh House Press, London.
Newbigin, L., 1978, The open secret: Sketches for a missionary theology, Eerdmans,
Grand Rapids.
Newbigin, L., 1989, The gospel in a pluralist society, Briish council of churches, London.
Newbigin, L., 1995, The open secret. An introducion to the theology of mission, rev.
edn., Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
Osmer, R.R., 2008, Pracical theology. An introducion, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
Palmer, E., 2009, ‘To keep my head clear’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice. Wisdom on
ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 121–126, Westminster John
Knox, Louisville.
Pascal, B., 1968, Pensées, transl. A.J. Krailsheimer, Penguin Books, Balimore.
Peterson, E., 2009, ‘Embracing the church God gave me’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best
advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 127–133,
Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Quinn, R.E., 1996, Deep change. Discovering the leader within, Jossey-Bass, San
Francisco.
Rim, H.C., 2009, ‘Do you love me?’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice. Wisdom on
ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 134–139, Westminster John
Knox, Louisville.
Roxburgh, A.J. & Romanuk, F., 2006, The missional leader. Equipping your church to
reach a changing world, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Schlotof, B. (ed.), 1989, Gemeindeaubau PROvokaiv: Eine Perspekive für die Kirche
van übermorgen, Schritenmissions-Verlag, Neukirchen-Vluyn.
Selby, S.F., 2012, ‘Religious Leaders as facilitators of meaning making’, Journal of
Religious Leadership 11(1), 41–65.
Sproul, R.C. (ed.), 1993, Doubt and assurance, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Sproul, R.C., 1996, ‘Theology and preaching today’, in M. Duduit (ed.), Communicate
with power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 177–185, Baker
Books, Grand Rapids.
Stot, J.W.R., 1996, ‘Creaing the bridge’, in M. Duduit (ed.), Communicate with power.
Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 186–192, Baker Books, Grand
Rapids.
Stot, J., 2000, ‘The global context of the local church (1 Timothy 2:1–7)’, in B. Turpie
(ed.), Ten great preachers. Messages and interviews, pp. 113–128, Baker Books,
Grand Rapids.
Taylor, G., 2009, ‘An old preacher’s unsolicited advice’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best
advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 153–160,
Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Van Dyk, L., 2009, ‘Learning and the life of the pastor’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best
advice. Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 166–171,
Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Van Gelder, C., 2004, ‘Method in light of scripture and relaion to hemeneuics’,
Journal of Religious Leadership 3(1&2), 43–74.
Van Gelder, C., 2007, The ministry of the missional church. A community led by the
Spirit, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Volf, M., 1998, Ater our likeness. The church as the image of the Trinity, Eerdmans,
Grand Rapids.
Wiersbe, W., 1996, ‘Preaching is not just story, it’s image’, in M. Duduit (ed.),
Communicate with power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 216–
224, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Williams, T. & Underwood, J., 1986, The science of hiing, Simon & Schuster, New
York.
Willimon, W., 1996, ‘Preaching to the bapized’, in M. Duduit (ed.), Communicate with
power. Insights from America’s top communicators, pp. 225–230, Baker Books,
Grand Rapids.
Willimon, W., 2000, ‘God’s dysfuncional family’, in B. Turpie (ed.), Ten great preachers.
Messages and interviews, pp. 151–167, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Willimon, W.H., 2009, ‘My advice for preachers’, in W.J. Carl III (ed.), Best advice.
Wisdom on ministry from 30 leading pastors and preachers, pp. 179–184,
Westminster John Knox, Louisville.
Zizioulas, J.D., 2007, Being as communion: Studies in personhood and the church,
St.Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood.
Zscheile, D.J., 2012, ‘A missional theology of spiritual formaion’, in D.J. Zscheile (ed.),
Culivaing sent communiies. Missional spiritual formaion, pp. 1–28, Eerdsmans,
Grand Rapids.
doi:10.4102/ve.v35i2.867