Warren's first comments in this chapter resonate strongly with me, because like him I have a solid catalogue of years of sermons on my computer.
My initial idea in putting this together was some vain hope that one day I'd have so much of the Bible catalogued in my sermon list that I could rotate through and just re-use them. Well, that was a vain hope anyway (sermons date faster than you might think!).
But according to Warren, there's another reason - Ask yourself the question "Would this make sense to an unchurched person?" It is quite possible to preach a biblical sermon which is totally doctrinally sound which wouldn't make the slightest difference to someone who hasn't "signed on the dotted line" so to speak.
Warren has some tips.
Adapt your style to your audience.
If you're preaching to believers, preaching through a passage verse by verse is useful. This is because a Christian should accept God's word as authoritative and be motivated to learn the scriptures. But neither of these are true of unbelievers, meaning this tactic may well be ineffective with them. When preaching at the Areopagus, Paul initially found common ground. With unbelievers, the Bible ISN'T common ground; rather, our shared human experiences are. Instead of starting with the Bible and applying it, you need to start with common experience and move to what God has to say about it. So far so good. Warren then suggests using lots of verses with each topic; I'm not sure about this. I have ringing in my ears David Jackman's comment "A text out of context is a pretext for a proof text". However, the general principle is sound. Warren finishes with the concept that both book exposition and topical exposition are necessary in order to grow a healthy church.
Make the Bible accessible to Unbelievers.
This part is fairly intuitive to Australian Christians, many of whom moved away from the King James Version many years ago (but even here some of us still have the idea that if it was good enough for Paul it's good enough for us . . .). So:
- Read scripture from a newer translation. Clarity is important (I would additionally point out that the English language changes rapidly, and even a ten-year-old translation can be out of date in some communities!).
- Use pew Bibles. Unchurched people don't know where Bible books are, so it's useful to be able to tell them the page number.
- Select scripture readings with the unchurched in mind. Some passages are hard for an unbeliever to understand.
Provide an outline with scriptures written out.
The benefit of this is fairly self-explanatory.
Plan your titles to appeal to the unchurched.
Remember - felt needs. An unchurched person is more likely to come if the topic of the service sounds like something he or she would be interested in. Catchy titles are good.
Preach in Series.
Try announcing sermon titles in advance - people can bring friends on days that sound appealing! New series should be announced on the days you expect a lot of visitors (e.g. Easter) - it creates a hook for first time visitors. Ideally series should run four to eight weeks.
Be consistent in preaching style.
Don't try targeting believers and unbelievers in the same service. Teach theology and doctrine, for sure, but do so in a way that is accessible and connects with the needs of unbelievers.
Choose guest speakers carefully.
Hear hear. We've had problems with this one in the past.
Preach for commitment.
Always offer unbelievers the opportunity to respond to Christ. The way this is done will vary depending on local culture and the layout of your building. Saddleback uses cards. Their welcome card has a decision card on the back! They collect cards and offerings at the same time at the end of the service. Processing happens immediately. This is private; baptism is the public profession.
Clearly explain exactly how to respond to Christ.
Plan out your time of commitment (Think through what you want to happen).
Be creative in inviting people to receive Christ (don't just say/do the same thing every week).
Never pressure unbelievers to decide (People need time to think).
Offer multiple ways to indicate a commitment (Try cards, altar calls, Spiritual surveys).
Expect people to respond (don't be surprised when they do!).
The primacy of preaching
Although styles change, nothing can take the place of Spirit-anointed preaching.
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