As best I know at this point in my life, I imagine my future ministry to be a pastor of a local congregation. As a pastor, I envision that one of my primary responsibilities will be to communicate (teach) the Word. As such, I will explore one dimension of the class, namely my growth and development as a communicator (teacher) of the Word. But don’t hold me to it. I might take you on a rabbit trail every now and again.
PAST: Where I was as a communicator (teacher) of the Word before the course.
The “one way” sign describes my past experience best. My past experience is limited to didactic preaching—one person preaches and everyone else is preached at. Within the didactic preaching paradigm, my past experience is even more limited to the expository sermon (deductive method) and occasionally the topical sermon. In both cases, the template was always the same—an introduction, three points (each point illustrated with a pertinent story or a video clip when I was really inspired), and a conclusion (which is often a response). This is what was modeled and taught to me and this is how I dutifully carried out my role as a backup preacher for the past 10 years.
In recent years, I’ve had suspicions that didactic preaching and expository three point sermons were inadequate and ineffective in our current postmodern context, as so eloquently put by Jonny Baker in Preaching-Throwing a Hand Grenade in the Fruit Bowl: Something Has Got to Change, “Preaching is invariably dull. It is boring. People are sick of three point sermons beginning with P. People aren’t listening… It isn’t working. Maybe it’s time for a rethink.” But what other options are there?
[Ahhhhhh!!! I just realized that the way I’ve organized this write up even looks like a three point sermon! Yikes!!! Old habits are so hard to break!]
PRESENT: My growth and development as a communicator (teacher) of the Word during the course.
The Gen X woman in the video clip entitled “This Is Who I Am?” challenged me to be a better listener. She said, “Listen to me, I have a story.” I confess that I have not done a good job at listening. I can do better. I need to do better. I am challenged to lay aside my prejudices, fears, and prejudgments and to do a better job of sitting, staying, listening, relating, connecting, and engaging. I’m reminded of a quote (which is often attributed to St. Francis of
I have a new appreciation for art and images as a form of communication. Can you tell? I realize that I’m extremely lacking in this area. Most days I feel like I don't have a creative bone in my body. I will need to find ways to raise my visual literacy so that I can raise the visual literacy of those I pastor. Actually, why do I feel like I have to be an expert (in visual literacy, in this case) before the congregation can be blessed by it? Perhaps journeying, exploring, and growing together with the congregation in this area is a better option.
I am inspired by the concept of DJing. The image is a helpful way of understanding the relationship between gospel and culture. As a new Christian, I was taught to stay away from the culture, from the things of the world. I was taught that the culture was evil and bad and if one is not careful one will be contaminated and polluted by the culture. Some scriptures that were impressed on me included: “And do not be conformed to this world,…” (Romans 12:2); “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4); “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15) As such, I stayed away from bars, stopped listening to secular music, did not watch rated R movies, alienated myself from non-Christian friends, rejected ear/body piercing and tattoos, etc. In a matter of months, I surrounded myself with new Christian friends, and stayed away from friends that were apart of my “old life” because of fear that I would be contaminated by them. And as a pastor, in an indirect way through modeling, I encouraged those that I shepherded to do the same. I wish someone would have shared the concept of DJing with me when I was a new Christian. The concept of DJing gives me permission, as a communicator (teacher) of the Word, to engage the culture in a purposeful way.
I love the idea of listening together in community (e.g. Dwelling in the Word). It moves the relationship between the pastor and the congregation away from provider-consumer and instead everyone has something to contribute. It takes into account the rich experiences of every person. Additionally, the voice of the marginalized is heard. However, I’m 
still uncomfortable with the idea that the text can have multiple meanings. Perhaps a distinction between meaning and application / significance might be helpful, so that the text can have multiple applications / significance, but only one meaning (not multiple meanings, unless the author intended it to have multiple meanings).
Oh, and the awesome practical tools: inductive method, dialogical method, multiple voices method, abductive method, storytelling, Godly play, emotional exegesis, takeaways, etc. So good! Most helpful! Much appreciated! These practical tools put feet to my quest to be a master DJ (although my wife maintains that I can't keep a beat even if my life depended on it...and she's right!).
FUTURE: The place of the Bible in my future ministry as a communicator (teacher) of the Word.
The landscape is dynamic and ever changing. In order to communicate the Bible well in this postmodern context, I will need to do a better job at listening. I will need to exegete the culture well, constantly DJing but not compromising my core beliefs and values. I will need to be proactive and not reactive, staying ahead instead of behind the times. I will need to offer a balanced diet. All these things I intend to do, the Lord willing. I can't wait to apply what I’ve learned in this class in my future ministry as a communicator (teacher) of the Word!
[Steve saw everything that he had taught, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.]
3 comments:
Tom, I commend you and stand amazed at your incredible reflection. You pulled the classroom experience directly into your assignment. You have taught me, in that what I presumed was an assignment of words, you grasped the need for creativity and images within your work. In particular, you used the signpost and stoplight images to communicate your message. You also unlocked your creativity, opened and closed your reflection with a unique spin of the Creation narrative. Your work highly impressed me.
The usage of image in your reflections sends the message concerning imagery – that is: that you get it! You have grasped Steve’s teaching and embraced concepts that have become increasingly obvious in our world – the rise of the image and the fall of the word. Indeed, images express meanings within our culture, as is demonstrated by traffic signs, restroom doors, and Olympic venues. Images speak whole sentences, represent huge concepts and operations, emerge as icons, and have proliferated into every aspect of life.1 You have caught the wave of the present and future as you insert images into your communications.
You demonstrated that indeed you were made in the image of God as you engaged beautiful creativity2 and you masterfully juxtaposed the Creation narrative of Genesis 1 and our recent class and instructor.3 You brilliantly engaged the art of DJing and proved yourself a successful Bible and culture DJ. You contrasted the obvious cultural component of the present, the class and instructor, and placed it into the historic biblical text. In a few creative words, you framed yourself, Steve, and the class into the Bible genre, and the reader felt tension and excitement to reconcile the two verbal images that you verbally inserted into a single frame. It was great!
Your past, present, and future (three point reflection) reminds me of the life cycle that mandates change. The challenge for change produces both excitement and concern,4 and it appears that you have already begun the transition in your communications.
As you feel challenged to lay aside your prejudices, fears, and prejudgments and to do a better job of sitting, staying, listening, relating, connecting, and engaging, you may want to focus on your sermon as an “environment” of wondering and imagination.5 In your reflections, you already proved yourself and created wonder by inserting questions and engaging the reader. Your imagination came through with your creative work of DJing and imagery.
Concerning your apprehensions about the texts carrying multiple meanings, you may find comfort in knowing that the Hebrew sages have suggested for many years that Old Testament texts carry at least four levels of understanding. In basic Hebrew hermeneutics, scholars typically deal with multiple meanings to the texts.6
As you advance in your quest to communicate the gospel, it appears that you have already crossed the threshold into far greater effectiveness. You apparently had understood your mission and ministry that were stated repetitively – “communicate.” As you pursue your calling, your message will connect and you creatively communicate using the tools and gifts that God has given you, the impressions with which the Holy Spirit will grace you, and the practical methods that you picked up in class.
Tom, I just discovered that my response should be 100 words, not 500!! SORRY!!
1 Michell Stephens, The Rise of the Image, the Fall of the Word (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), p.59.
2 Steve Taylor, The Out of Bounds Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), p. 61.
3 Ibid., p. 139.
4 Olive M. Fleming Drake, Spirituality To Go (London: Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd, 2005), pp. 116, 117.
5 Christine McSpadden, “Preaching Scripture Faithfully in a Post-Christendom Church,” Ellen F. Davis and Richard B. Hays, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), p. 131.
6 http://www.crosscurrents.org/levinas.htm; see also James Trimm, Jewish Hermeneutics, Netzarim Publishing.
Tom – I too was greatly impacted with the need to be a better listener. On the first day Steve spoke of establishing a mode of listening rather than defending. Also in Steve’s book there’s the account of the woman who became a follower of Christ because she experienced Graceway as a listening church…people who listened to her growth pains (pg 8). In Sample’s book he maintains that in an oral culture it is important to listen and learn the story of people and to become acquainted with their tradition. He said when we don’t listen we become like a carpenter without tools (pgs 56, 57). Lord, help us to listen!
I appreciate your desire to incorporate images into your preaching. While the use of images alone in preaching is problematic to me since “…visual language…express[es] more than one meaning at once” (1), sermons using words alone can be equally misunderstood (2). Recently, a professor projected images of Jesus on the cross and asked us to contemplate them in light of Jesus’ suffering. The discussion that ensued was anchored in Scripture and our reflective experiences enabled us to ponder anew the suffering Servant. Images, anchored in God’s narrative, allow for enhanced clarity in communication and lead to new faith possibilities (3).
(1) Mitchell Stephens, Rise of the Image, Fall of the Word (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), 66.
(2) Lucy Atkinson Rose, Sharing the Word (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997), 31-32, 55-56, 81-83, 90-91.
(3) Steve Taylor, The Out of Bounds Church? Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005, 72.
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