Do you know how the minister addresses the congregation as intro to his sermon? There are various ways of doing so. A bold minister might say, "Beloved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ." We will see in a moment what might be amiss with this address. Another minister, perhaps not so bold, might suffice by saying "Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ," leaving out the word "beloved" because he does not want to assume that all members are indeed beloved by God. Still another preacher might just simply say "Congregation..." with no further adjectives.

Is this another wild goose chase by Klaas? Not at all. Some time ago I read in Nederlands Dagblad (dated Saturday, May 1, 2010) that the manner of addressing the congregation from the pulpit is beginning to vary a lot. It is becoming a problem in some places with certain ministers.

One minister stated that the address is rather unimportant, and he often skipped it altogether. He simply started his sermon without specifying to whom he was speaking. Germans would say that he was preaching "ins blau hinein," into the blue sky. Better no address than a wrong address.

What's Wrong with the Old Address?⤒🔗

Now you might rightly ask: what is wrong with the old manner of addressing the church as "beloved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ"? I think the concern is: how can the minister know if all hearers are really part of the congregation and are "beloved in the Lord." There are hypocrites and unbelievers who are sitting in with the congregation. Do we not assume too much when we state that all are beloved in the Lord? This is presumptuous! Are all those sitting in the worship service really and truly children of God, part of his household?

Is the gathered people merely a neutral audience or are they the special people of the Lord Jesus? Should the church be addressed as the Bride of Christ, beloved by him, or as a mottled group of wanna-bes, constantly reminded that they have not yet received salvation?

It appears that like so many other matters which we once took for granted in the proper way (the congregation as the covenant people of God), also the address to the congregation is being critically appraised and by some overhauled to one that fits better in our modern, gentler society.

The Professorial Approach←⤒🔗

Prof. Dr. S. Paas (Evangelistics, Kampen) wants to use an address that includes everyone. Often he does not use an address at all and simply begins preaching. Sometimes he will say, "Dear people," but that's about it. Beste mensen.

Prof. Dr. C. de Ruijter (Practical Theology, Kampen) feels that when sermon time comes around, he has already prayed, sung, and read Scripture with the congregation, and therefore does not need to address the sermon particularly. He rather waits until he has everyone's attention and then begins with a gripping first statement of the sermon.

Some make it worse, so I read, by adding all kinds of groups: brothers and sisters, boys and girls (as if they do not belong to the congregation), and guests. What about singles, parents, seniors, grandparents, and empty-nesters? Where do you start and where do you stop? Beloved empty-nesters....

Back to the Bible←⤒🔗

Having ingested all this stuff and feeling some nausea coming on, Klaas scurried back to the Bible to check out some forms of address there. Paul uses various forms. To the Romans, he writes,

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints. To the Corinthians he writes: To all who call upon the name of our Lord ... To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere...

Sometimes the address is geographical, "To the churches in Galatia." Often it is qualified, "To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus." The address is more than a mere formality: it often contains an appeal, a statement of what the church is in Christ. I'd really consider it a major step backwards if we lost this approach.

A common address appears to be: to the saints in... When the Apostle wrote his letters to the churches he envisioned his readers as believers and saints. That is a general approach. That is also the sense of the word "beloved." These are not the preacher's beloved people, but the people dearly loved by the Lord. A proper scriptural address will, therefore, be "Beloved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Actually, I was struck by the number of times the apostles use the term "beloved." In Philippians 2:12 we read about "dear friends" but literally it does say, "Beloved" (agapetoi). You probably know that the word "agape" is the New Testament word for the love that comes from God in Christ and must now function in the congregation. In 1 Corinthians 10:14 we find the same: dear friends (literally also agapetoi), dearly beloved.

I have the feeling that the translation "dear friends" does not properly express the emotion of the original.

Perhaps it is good to note at this point that the truly beloved is Jesus Christ. In Matthew 3 at the occasion of our Lord's baptism we read, "This is my Son, whom I love" (Agapetos). The address "beloved congregation" approaches the congregation with the riches that it has from the Father, in the Son, the Beloved, through the Holy Spirit. I cannot find a more Christological approach to preaching and the congregation.

The Gathering of God's Covenant People←⤒🔗

Every preacher knows that his hearers are a mixed bag, so to speak. There are members that are unfaithful. There are those who doubt. There are the hypocrites who are outwardly in the church but are not part of it. There are unbelievers who attend church for all the wrong reasons. There are also those who sincerely in faith, with all incumbent weakness, seek the Lord's will and blessing.

It is best to see and address the congregation as a whole as God's covenant people. This people have received great promises in Christ. This very same people must esteem these gifts in Christ and appropriate them. In this way everyone is addressed. Those who refuse to believe will be rightly condemned.

When a preacher uses the term "congregation" in this covenantal sense, he realizes he is speaking to all that have assembled. He knows that there are the hypocrites and the reprobate. That is not his problem. He must address all with the rich promises in Christ and call everyone to believe in him. The preaching is gospel-preaching that comes to all hearers with equal force and power.

The address to the congregation is not unimportant. It is of great importance. In the address it is established from the start of the sermon who is being addressed and why. This is not a tinkering with minor details, but a matter of re-sounding principle.

The Corporate Approach←⤒🔗

In Scripture we read that the church is a body (1 Corinthians 12:12). This means that we must take a corporate approach. In our time in which individualism appears rampant, it is not current to speak of the church in terms of a body. A preacher may be overly concerned about having a special message for each group in the congregation. In the address to the congregation, this corporate approach must be maintained. The minister does not speak to a part of the congregation, but to the whole congregation. All receive the same promises; all must meet the same obligations; all who disbelieve face the same punishment. The preaching seeks to motivate all members to serve the Lord in gratitude, personally and together.

All this has far-reaching implications. This is the age of rampant individualism. In some places members of the body are being grossly neglected. If you add to this volatile mix a watered-down address of the congregation, the church can become a conglomerate of like-minded groups which no longer has an eye for the body of Christ and how it functions in a fragmented society.