Of course there are better ways, the question is will older generations appreciate getting rid of sermons, or changing them to a new format

There will always be a place for lecture type of teaching, whether in schools or churches.  People still like to sit and listen and not always be forced to interact if they are not comfortable.  Mega-churches still operate with a 30 minute lecture and they still continue to flourish and grow.  Scriptures don’t specifically say, “Thou shalt lecture to get across the gospel.”  Lecture type of teaching isn’t necessary, but our culture still finds value in it.  Honestly, men do not want to talk feelings and touchy-feely stuff anyway.  Give us a good hearty sermon full of gospel meat spoken by a man of God who knows what unction is all about! 

I do not feel the lecture type of preaching will be a by-gone thing.  Scripture does not specifically say, “Thou shalt get the gospel out by lecture only.”  But, I do feel that most people still like to listen to someone, with credentials, who has something to say.  Men do not want to always sit around and talk about their feelings.  There are still men who want to hear a hearty sermon given by a man of God who has something to say on behalf of God and who is full of good ole’ unction. 

I think the argument on people not recalling past sermons, is a weak argument. Consider: What did you have for lunch, 3 days back? You probably don’t remember, but are you sustained by that meal? Yes, so it is likely with forgotten sermons. Careful not to throw the bolts out with the solvent.

So do we even need a sermon? Or is there a better way to motivate the team before the game?

So if small groups are so effective, do we really need sermons?

David,

I agree the method and perhaps even the preaching styles need to change with the times and the people being preached to (my son is our youth Pastor and his method and style is VERY youthy). But this is nothing new, Jesus preached outside of the synagogues, John Wesley was kicked out the church of England because of his method of preaching (thus Methodist), Billy Grahm-Jack Coe-ect used the big top tent, ect..

However, throught out the Scriptures and the histroy of God’s church there has always been preaching. Without Holy Spirit anointed preaching there cannot be any salvation, let alone Biblical education or disipleship (1 Cor 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” Rom 10:14  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed ? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard ? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”).

After reading, and re-reading your blog my thoughts are that what has been true in the past, is true now, and will be true until Christ returns; that there will always be a need for God called preachers who preach the unfiltered Word of God, and that people who hear that sermon are responcable for accepting it and appling themselves.

Your thoughts?

There will always be a need to communicate the gospel. The question I’m asking is this: do we need to do it weekly in a public forum, with a live-in-the-room preacher and an audience?

Our model for preaching and teaching must always remain Jesus. He did engage in direct discourse on compelling subjects such as The Sermon on the Mount and The End of the Age (Matthew 5-7 and Matthew 25 for example). He also used colorful parables and captivating stories (The Prodigal Son, The Good Samaritan, The Rich Man and Lazarus) to drive home memorable spiritual truths. He also utilized personal question and answer sessions with his disciples (“Who do men say that I am?”) that got them thinking and interacting on vital spiritual truths. It would be fair to say Jesus had no trouble attracting and holding men — and neither shall we if utilize all three within the church.    

I cannot believe how “academic” most of the comments/responses are. Or how defensive people are getting by David’s question. Small groups with discussion, along with service, are the best ways to teach and live the Gospel. Long sermons are a thing of the past.

This kind of stuff really scares me as to where we are
leading the church. I may be old school but we should not mask the truth with
man’s idea of the gospel.  It does tell
us that Man’s idea of wisdom is not God’s way. 
Jesus message was very simple and straight forward.  I appreciate your outreach and concern for
the lost and if you bring one to the Lord it is worth it.  Just don’t forget “His massage is sufficient.

All the technology that is available to most of you is still far away from the average church goer here in the outer provinces of the Philippines. Besides our regular Sunday “sermon service” we use small group teachings and “house churches” to reach our members. There are those, of course, who do not participate in the small groups so that the Sunday sermons are the only way we have to hopefully reach them. Traditions die hard here.

You:  It seems astonishing that it is no more about what the Lord has asked us to do BUT about what people will listen to!!!

Me: We cant do what the Lord has asked us to do [win the lost, make disciples], without making an effort to get people listening!!!

I think you’re on the right track…

Yes, it’s another institution biting the dust. The good news is there are more ways to disciple people than ever before. It’s just going to happen less and less at the “local church building”.

Vnvet, you don’t understand the nature of Christianity. We live by those “2000 year-old lines.” Those are our marching orders. The disagreements come when we interpret our orders differently.

Pduc3: “Jesus message was very simple and straight forward.”

I profoundly disagree. For one thing, much of Jesus’ teaching was in parables, because “The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ ” (Matthew 13:13). As we read through the gospels we find that very often Jesus’ audience do not understand what he is saying. Indeed, his disciples often seem to have difficulty also.
Furthermore, Jesus’ style of teaching seems often to have been much more interctive than most modern preaching. Read the gospels and you will find Jesus having public conversations with groups and individuals, answering questions with questions and sometimes leaving them to work it out for themselves rather than spoonfeeding them. This, I think, is what our churches need to be trying to recover, rather than the single-voice lecture we seem to have inherited (from where?).
Perhaps the reason why Jesus’ message seems simple and straightforward to us is because these stories have become so familiar from our early days in Sunday School that we fail to notice how astonishing they really are. The last few years of regularly preaching from the Gospels rather than from the New Testament letters has proved to me that there are depths and an oddity to Jesus teaching that we miss at our peril.

Amen Revsimmy, I TOTALLY agree.

Its AMAZING how Christ hit it on the spot decades ago.

There was a study showing by the time a young boy hits 21, he would have played 10,000 hours of video games. Men just learn different. We want to live in a world that we control and create [like our Father].

The “I talk – you listen” sermons are just the opposite of that.

Men feel, well, they feel out of control. Powerless. Emasculated even.

Interactive, hands on, and visual is far more appealing to the masculine mind.

Jamie, another thought:

“We want to live in a world that we control and create [like our Father].”

Perhaps the reason that male pastors/preachers aare so enamoured of the tradition “I talk – you listen” sermon is that, FOR THEM, this is a world that THEY control and create – to the exclusion of others. Just a thought.

[And just before someone else says it, yes I AM that male pastor/preacher - ouch!]

You: Most women seem to prefer this approach as well.

Me: Sure had me fooled. Women populate the modern, “Pastor talk-people listen” churches. If they don’t like that approach, they are doing a GREAT job of keeping it from everybody.

The facts seem to suggest,  that its the men who suffer the most from a lack of interactive-visual-hands on teaching.

As was said earlier, I think the problem is not the sermon itself, but the quality of the sermon. The fact that, as you say, users are clicking on Preachers like “Mark Driscoll, Craig Groeschel, and Francis Chan” — indicates that people are still seeking good preaching — they just aren’t getting it in their home churches.
I think it is a combination of a three things:
   1.) Lack of Talent
   2.) Outdated Preaching Methods and
   3.) Sermons out of touch with the needs of the People.

Of this, #2 is most interesting. In Driscoll’s book, “Confessions of a Reformission Rev” he discusses how many mainstream churches are missing the mark because they leave the culture behind. I think he is on to something, and I think it goes beyond saying “Dude” instead of “Brother” in the sermon. 

People get information differently today. When I was younger, if you watched the news, there would be a talking head giving you the daily stories and that was it. Today, the talking head takes up one third of the screen, while text scrolls below him, and a fancy video plays in a loop beside him. That is the way the culture expects things now. We have become a multitasking society (whether we should be, or whether we do that well, isn’t the point. The fact is: We Are.)

We need to give people things to focus on visually as well as listening to the verbal sermon. If we don’t, they become bored and start daydreaming. I am not saying that we need to dumb down the message — just present it in a way that is consistent with how they manage information today.

Recently, my father (who is a retired Presbyterian Preacher) watched a video of me preaching on YouTube. His one criticism was: “You shouldn’t pace when you preach, Son. It’s distracting.”

His criticism was valid — for his generation. But I can’t tell you how many people — my age and younger — tell me that one thing they really like about my sermon was that I don’t stay behind the pulpit. My father was a great preacher… but if we want to reach people in our generation (and the next) we need to realize that things have changed, and we need to communicate them in ways common to them — not expect them to learn to like our traditional methods.
 

 You: People get information differently today. When I was younger, if you
watched the news, there would be a talking head giving you the daily
stories and that was it. Today, the talking head takes up one third of
the screen, while text scrolls below him, and a fancy video plays in a
loop beside him. That is the way the culture expects things now. We have
become a multitasking society (whether we should be, or whether we do
that well, isn’t the point. The fact is: We Are.)

Me: Wow Grice I totally agree with that statement. However I think its MORE true for men. The 360-visual-touching-presentation style sermons are more consistent with how Jesus taught [and he engaged 12 male followers for 3 years none stop]

No textbooks.

No pen and pads.

Few words.

But mostly presentation-interaction-visual aid.

Dave talks about this in the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cqdSktXt9g&list=PL8E8E845278C4FD79&index=6&feature=plpp_video

our current teaching model will always remain not just for teaching but for the fellowship that we get when we meet others and can share, not just our spiritual life but being social together and knowing what others are about.

The in-room part is important. Real Church is characterized by fellowship and face-to-face conversation about the Faith and all it implies. Many preachers today feel they have to be entertaining and funny or counter-culture and loud to attract an ever growing audience and be ‘relevant’. The meetings, including sermons, that are engaging are those in which the audience knows the presenters are communicating from their personal experience with God. To do so means less reliance on illustrations and oratory to fill the alloted time and more reliance on public Bible reading and exposition. Less of self and more of God is where we should be heading.

Eh… I came back too late. Probably everyone has moved on to another topic… but I wanted to add: I agree with you. I think multi-tasking is a bad way to learn something. My kids drive me nuts when the watch TV, text their friends, and get on Facebook all at the same time. But that doesn’t change the fact that this is how people are today. It may be ineffective, but it is what they are used to… and the culture-shock of going to a traditional service with a presentation method that hasn’t changed in 100 years (besides the microphone’s size) is just a turn-off for them…