My Philosophy of Preaching

Have you ever taken the time to write down your personal philosophy of preaching? It’s an extremely revealing and clarifying exercise.

Here’s what I did. I sat down and tried to answer questions like “What do I believe most deeply about the nature and practice of preaching?” “What do I want to embody in my own preaching?” and “What am I most passionate about conveying to the next generation of preachers?”

Here’s what surfaced for me after some reflection.

1. Preaching should be biblical. The Bible should be given prominence in our preaching. That means the sum and substance of our preaching must come from the Bible because the Bible comes from God, and any messenger of God is obligated to speak the speech of God.
2. Preaching should be contextual. Since no text exists without a context, it is imperative that any text read, quoted, referenced, or explained in a sermon be employed in a manner that is consistent with its historical, cultural, theological, and literary context.
3. Preaching should be expositional. I use the word “expositional” here to refer to the elucidation of Scripture not to a particular form of sermon. Preachers should endeavor to unfold the meaning of Scripture through explanation that is careful, clear, and engaging.
4. Preaching should be doxological. The chief end of preaching is the glory of God. The preacher should seek to convey the glory of God both in the manner in which he preaches and in the message itself. Preaching should exhibit a healthy and balanced interplay of doxology, theology, and morality.
5. Preaching should be evangelical. The gospel should be presented as the basis for eternal life and for the Christian life. It is for unbelievers and believers alike. Any ethical imperative should be rooted in a gospel indicative.
6. Preaching should be Christocentrical. Preaching the word necessarily means preaching “the Word”–Jesus. Each sermon should endeavor to some extent and in some way to show how the text or topic relates to the Centerpiece of redemptive history.
7. Preaching should be pastoral. The church is the flock of God. The preacher must feed it truth in a gentle, loving way and with genuine concern for its spiritual growth and long-term stability.
8. Preaching should be incarnational. Need it be said again?–preaching is “truth through personality.” Though hard to quantify, the preacher’s personal life and character as well as the listener’s perception of him play an extremely important part in the drama of preaching.
9. Preaching should be spiritual. Preaching is designed to be a spiritual enterprise–a Spirit-taught, Spirit-empowered man preaching from the Spirit-inspired scriptures to Spirit-enlightened listeners.
10. Preaching should be transformational. Preaching should go after the heart not just the head. The ultimate purpose of preaching is not to impart information but to effect transformation into the likeness of Jesus to the glory of God.

These 10 are in no way exhaustive. However, I think they capture the heart of my heart about preaching. At some point I would like to expand on each one in a separate post. But for now they serve as an outline of what I hold to most dearly.

If you haven’t gone through this exercise yet, I would encourage you to give it a try. Our philosophy of preaching informs and directs our practice of preaching. So what core beliefs govern what you do when you preach God’s Word?

Questions: Have you developed your own philosophy of preaching? Feel free to include it (or link to it) in the comments. Do you have any suggestions for improving mine? Is there anything I’m overlooking? Any need for clarification?