To preach or not to preach?

I stole this title from an article by Gary Goodell. In the article, he discusses the issue of pastor dominated worship and teaching. He, like me asserts the need for teaching Scripture and Kerygma (preaching). I in no way want to down play the need for Bible-based preaching or teaching.

I think the issue I am beginning to struggle with is "movie style" church. This is where the pastor schedules, leads and really dominates the worship gathering in the church. The people tend to sit and watch, sort of engaging.

Dan Kimball asserts a truth and then asks a question, "Preaching is only one, small part of being a pastor. Could we subtly be teaching church attendees not how to feed themselves from the Word of God, but to become dependent on the 'greatest' preachers?"

This struggle has been working in me for years. I think it started when I heard that a Salvation Army officer had won a preaching contest. Huh? Is that really godly? I don't know. I am glad that the officer was such a skilled orator and devoted servant of the Lord. I don't mean to knock her skill. I am just having a hard time getting my head around a preaching contest. Does that trivialize preaching somehow?

This prompted me to state to some of my fellow officers in a meeting, "I think preaching is over-rated." I think I am still patching holes that were stared through me that day.

One of my fellow officers (I respect this person and the knowledge they bring more than you would know.) stated, "Our people have not been fed for years by preaching in our corps. So we need to teach the cadets more preaching. I think we teach too much theology." I disagreed.

Shouldn't we have more time to wrestle with theological issues? I have met too many people who have embedded faith and who have never really embraced their faith. Many of my friends can spit out the latest, Joel Osteen (name your preacher here _________) theology, which tends to not be scriptural. Why is this?

I contend the church in general has been let off the hook. You can sit through the three points and a poem and escape without really having to interact with the Word, no matter how carefully and prayerfully the preacher has prepared.

One of my friends said to me recently, "I hate going to my cell group. They never let me give the pat answer. They make me think."

I contend people want to be involved. They want to wrestle, debate and really engage the Word. Your experience may be that many will keep quiet in cell ministry. I think that is because most grew up in pastor dominated churches. Once the quiet ones open up, watch out!

I think you know I see pastors, officers and priests as shepherds, leading from behind. I don't believe that we are the repositories of all knowledge. For us to think that we have a lock on truth and that we are responsible to feed our people, instead of guiding them to the feeding ground and then eating with them (how's that for metaphor?) may well be extra-biblical. After all, don't we believe in the priesthood of all believers?

I think the current model may reinforce some bad habits. Yes, I think preaching is important. I really respect preachers. I am one!!!!! Maybe though we need to look to a new model that still keeps the Word central to all we do.

Here are the questions:

Is preaching over-rated? Are there better ways to engage the Word? Would we be better to be more communal to our approach to learning? Should we have more theology or preaching taught in our seminaries and training schools? Are pastors/officers specially gifted, because they are called to teach and preach? Last question. Should there have been a preaching contest?

I am struggling with this. Honestly, I am really struggling.

What do you think?