This week, I came across two similar social media posts that caught my attention. Both argue that, despite delivering nearly a billion sermons over the past five decades, the church has not experienced the level of transformation we might expect. They identify the issue as our sermon-centric approach to ministry, suggesting that continuing this method while expecting different results amounts to organizational insanity. Their proposed solution? Shift our focus and resources from sermon preparation to discipleship as the key to meaningful church transformation.
I’ve encountered variations of this argument many times over the years. Since it challenges a foundational practice of the church, it’s worth giving it a thoughtful and careful evaluation. Let’s take a closer look at its claims and consider their validity.
Is the Church in Trouble?
The posts raise an important question: has the church experienced the transformation we might expect?
The answer is complex. There’s no denying the church faces significant challenges. The Ligonier State of Theology study and books such as David Wells’ No Place for Truth highlight troubling trends. Leadership failures among pastors have become alarmingly frequent, and the church often mirrors culture rather than transforming it. These realities give us valid reasons to be concerned about the church’s spiritual health.
Yet, I’ve never been more hopeful about the church’s future. Over the past twelve years, I’ve visited countless congregations and left almost every one encouraged. Signs of God’s work are everywhere, especially among younger believers. Studies point to a resurgence in church attendance among Gen Z and Millennials. The stories I hear reveal a spiritual depth and vitality that challenge the pessimistic narratives.
God is at work, although, as James K.A. Smith reminds us, we don’t always notice how God is using the mundane ministries of ordinary churches:
Let your eyes skate past the megachurch industrial complex and take note of the almost invisible church in your neighborhood that you’ve driven past a thousand times without noticing. Check on it some Tuesday night, and see if there aren’t lights on in the basement. Maybe the food pantry is open. Or the congregation is offering financial management classes or marital counseling for couples who are struggling. It might just be the choir practicing, giving some souls an appointment to look forward to each week that pulls them out of their loneliness.
The work happening in local churches often seems ordinary and hidden, yet it carries extraordinary significance. These quiet moments of transformation should be noticed and celebrated, not overlooked.
Is the church struggling? That depends on where you choose to look. While there are valid concerns, the evidence of God’s steady, transformative presence among his people is just as compelling, and far too powerful to ignore.
Is Preaching the Problem?
The answer is more nuanced than it first appears.
There’s no denying that bad preaching exists. As T. David Gordon writes in his book Why Johnny Can’t Preach, “In my opinion, less than 30 percent of those who are ordained to the Christian ministry can preach an even mediocre sermon.” Ouch! The solution to bad preaching, though, isn’t no preaching; it’s to improve our skill in preaching.
Another challenge is that while preaching is a powerful discipleship tool, it’s not the only one. Preaching isn’t everything. The authors of The Trellis and the Vine get it right: sermons are necessary, but they’re not sufficient.
Sermons are necessary:
Let’s be absolutely clear: the preaching of powerful, faithful, compelling biblical expositions is absolutely vital and necessary to the life and growth of our congregations. Weak and inadequate preaching weakens our churches. As the saying goes, ‘sermonettes produce Christianettes’. Conversely, clear, strong, powerful public preaching is the bedrock and foundation upon which all other ministry in the congregation is built. The sermon is a rallying call. It is where the whole congregation can together feed on God’s word and be challenged, comforted and edified. The public preaching ministry is like a framework that sets the standard and agenda for all the other word ministries that take place.
At the same time, sermons aren’t enough:
God expects all Christians to be disciple-makers by prayerfully speaking the word of God to others—in whatever way and to whatever extent that their gifting and circumstances allow. When God has gifted all the members of the congregation to help grow disciples, why should we silence the contribution of all but one of them (the pastor), and think that this is sufficient or acceptable?
We need more and better preaching, not less. Preaching is a powerful discipleship tool. But we need other forms of discipleship too.
That said, I’m not persuaded by the claim that preaching doesn’t change lives. Darrell Johnson is correct: when God speaks, something always happens. Jonathan Leeman is right: “God’s Word, working through God’s Spirit, is God’s primary instrument for growing God’s church.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones is also right: “The primary task of the Church and of the Christian minister is the preaching of the Word of God.” Our view of preaching is inseparable from our view of Scripture: if we hold Scripture in high regard, we’ll hold preaching in high regard too.
A lot of preaching may be subpar. We need more preaching alongside other Word ministry. Preaching may not be everything, but it is life-changing and remains absolutely vital for the church.
What’s the Solution?
What’s the solution to the church’s problems?
Every so often, I come across proposed fixes. Some champion APEST models, Saddleback strategies, or Tim Keller’s Center Church. The list is endless. While these approaches can offer valuable insights, I can’t help but notice how often we’re searching for a magic bullet to solve every issue the church faces.
The older I get, the more I’m convinced that the answer lies in the ordinary means of grace. A church that takes God’s word seriously, preaches it faithfully, loves and cares for its members, serves its community, practices baptism and communion with reverence, and ministers through the power of the Spirit is exactly what we need.
We don’t need to chase after the latest trends or let critiques of traditional practices distract us. What we need is faithfulness: faithfulness to our calling, to God’s word, and to the ordinary means through which he works. God’s word and his Spirit are enough. Let’s trust him to do what only he can through the simple, steady work of the church.
Why This Matters
Why bring this up? Normally, I steer clear of online controversies and critiques from so-called experts targeting our churches. But this kind of criticism against preaching and the ordinary means of grace distracted me for a season until, by God’s grace, I found my way back. I don’t want that to happen to you.
Many faithful pastors are pouring themselves into ministry, attending elder meetings, staff meetings, counselling sessions, wondering if their work is making a difference. It’s not uncommon for pastors to wonder if their work is accomplishing anything. My heart goes out to those who might feel their investment in preaching God’s word is in vain.
Let me remind you: your ministry matters deeply. Don’t let the critics or detractors of the ordinary means of grace discourage you. Keep preaching, keep discipling, keep serving. It may not be flashy, but God is powerfully at work in ordinary churches in ways we won’t fully understand until eternity.
Yes, the church always has room to grow. But let’s stay faithful to what God has called us to do, trusting that he is working even in the midst of our imperfections.