What it is About⤒🔗

There is probably no other subject that is discussed more in a congregation than the Sunday preaching. Correctly or incorrectly, in judging whether or not one "got something" out of the worship service, the preaching appears to be the most weighty concern. In doing so, the fact is overlooked that in a worship service, among others, confession of sins, congregational singing and prayer have a place as well. All these things together form a unity. They reinforce each other. Besides that, it is also true that in the meeting of the congre­gation the body of Christ is given form as well. No matter what accent we place on the congre­gation as a whole, it remains a fact that the pastor strongly affects the course of events.

Usually a certain bible passage or text is central to the sermon and shapes its message. The degree to which people feel themselves addressed depends on them being touched by it. Whether or not they feel touched hinges, in turn, mostly on the situation and personal circumstances in which they find themselves. Here we are dealing with personal feelings, health issues and all kinds of relationship factors. In fairness, it should also be said that the hearer of the message must be open to it as well. In that respect the listener has a great responsibility. There rests, however, also a great task on the shoulders of the pastor. On the one hand, there is the obvious given that he has the task to pass on the message of God unabridged and is accountable for it. On the other hand, he is quite directly judged by the people to whom the message is addressed.

In this article we will discuss the ways in which the choice of the text can be influenced by the congregation. In it we will look for things that can assist the minister and the consistory.

The Lesson from the Bible←⤒🔗

In the Bible we read that the messenger of the gospel lets himself be guided by the situation in the congregation. That given we find in Acts, the letters of Paul, and the Revelation to John. It is striking that the apostles in their writings explicitly refer to the letters and word-of-mouth messages that they had re­ceived from the congregation. The apostles were very good listeners. They were strongly motivated to include and process the commu­nications they had received by way of letters and oral messages. They were aware that their message would especially be effective when they knew what took place in the congregation and lived among the people. With the help of these signals they determined what God's message for this particular congregation or that special case ought to be. Naturally, they were convinced that the continuation of God's Kingdom did not depend on their efforts. They knew that they were only instruments in God's hand. They were, however, also aware that God required that the work in the congrega­tion should be done thoughtfully, tactfully, and in a responsible manner. The lesson then is: first listen, then act.

The Situation in the Congregation←⤒🔗

I doubt that there is much difference in the ways in which our churches deal with the subject of preaching at consistory meetings. Once or twice a year it is placed on the agenda. Besides this "review," the subject is also raised by the church visitors. In a number of congre­gations a discussion about the topic of preach­ing is sometimes organized on special Sun­days.

When we draw up the balance sheet, the level of involvement by the congregation in the choice of the sermon text is rather meagre. Officially there are a few "points of inspection" but continuous attention and fine-tuning are definitely missing. This is an odd observation in a society where consultation and input are the order of the day. The slogan "the customer is king" is heard more and more. In many cases it is even a question of survival for a business or institution. The voice of consumers and their insistence on being heard compel businesses to listen and act upon it. Do the children of the world act with greater degree of consultation and input than the children of light? The question is, to what extent the congregation can and may influence the choice of the text?

Legitimacy of the Influence←⤒🔗

The choice of the text is primarily the responsi­bility of the minister and for that we have good ecclesiastical agreements. In making his choice, he knows himself to be guided by the Spirit. That does not take away from the fact that the Spirit can also work through the people he meets. Besides this, the responsibil­ity for the content of the worship service and the preaching rests, in the final analysis, with the whole consistory, that is the elders and the minister together. When this responsibility is narrowed to declaring the preaching to be "scriptural" (no more and no less) at the appointed times, the congregation is short­changed. It is important that in the preaching it can be heard sensitivity to the questions that live in the congregation. In order to realize this condition, just as it was the case with the apostles — there has to be a great deal of listening to the congregation. In order to strengthen fruitful preaching, it is certainly legitimate that the congregation influences the choice of the text.

Influence: In what way?←⤒🔗

House Visits and Consistory Meetings←↰⤒🔗

It can be said that in our churches the members of the congregation are very much involved and that there is a relatively intensive nurtur­ing of the congregation by the pastor and the members of the consistory. This thesis cer­tainly holds true when we make a comparison with other Reformed churches. It is important to maintain and use this "strength." The family visits by consistory members and the ministers can result in much useful information. In conversations at family visits, members of the congregation can tell the elders about the issues and questions that concern them. In these con­versations they can indicate the wishes they have concern­ing the themes that should be dealt with in the sermon. This need can be explicitly specified. It can also be phrased more implicitly. In that case the elders and the pastor themselves must draw the conclusion as to the implied need.

Direction and depth can be given to the con­versation at family visits, when it has been previously decided that the choice of text, for example, will be discussed. Such a discussion, however, may not degenerate in only a spout­ing of criticism on the preaching. This danger is certainly there. The issue is more a matter of a member talking about himself and less about someone else.

At consistory meetings the balance sheet can be drawn up. What has been said and what signals were received? At that moment it is again important to check one's own thoughts and be ready to listen. In the final analysis, all of this information needs to be translated into a theme and a text choice. The members of the consistory together must arrive at a direction and framework that can give guidance to the minister. In this process it is important that one takes care of a good structure. Today there are many consistory members who, because of their work, have become knowledgeable about the techniques for scenario planning^[1] and the decision making process that flows from it. (There are many business courses available on this subject, make use of them!) However, make sure that all the brothers become in­volved in this process. Not everyone is accus­tomed to taking part in it. That way they can appropriately process the data received from the congregation.

One can also choose the "retreat" approach. This can work well in two ways:

1. The members of the consistory learn to know each other better and
2. one is able to deal with the subject more intensively.

It should, however, be remembered that the formulated goals should be practical and doable.

The Survey←↰⤒🔗

It sounds somewhat odd for the church, but a survey is a useful instrument as well. Why not have a questionnaire designed to gather information about the wishes and questions that live in the congregation? It can lead to some surprising results. A consistory and a pastor can wear "business" blinders as well. Simply pose the question to the congregation: According to you, what should receive more attention in the preaching? What do you think is important for the spiritual well-being of yourself and the congregation? This, too, can provide excellent material for consideration by the consistory and the minister.

The Direct Conversation←↰⤒🔗

At special occasions, such as a baptismal, youth, theme services, etc., the influence can be direct. Then the minister can speak directly with one or more members of the congrega­tion. This has a more incidental character. However, it works quite well on special occasions.

For a continuous direction in the preaching such conversations ought to have a more permanent form and character. That also belongs to the possibilities. The "organization" of it could be handled by district meetings, discussion groups, Bible study societies, or prayer circles. Care must be taken that this method does not lead to the inherent risk of group formation for then a part of the congre­gation might feel left out. At all times the pastor should remain neutral and the congre­gation must continue to experience him as the "minister of the Word." The role of the consistory is here more one of testing.

Restrictions←⤒🔗

Not everything that is possible is useful. One has to guard against the danger that the preaching becomes influenced by incidental wishes. Pastoral care of individuals must not be practised via the sermon. This would do a disservice to them. Neither should the choice of the text be determined by specific wishes that arise from special interests of certain individuals. It may cause others to drop out.

Finally←⤒🔗

Consistory and pastor must together form a permanent listening post. A post that listens in two directions, to what God has to say as well as to the signals that come from the congrega­tion. By listening to the congregation, God's mandate to administer the keys of His King­dom is then given form in a responsible manner. So consistory and minister act in the spirit of the apostles and then God's speaking to the congregation is central to the preaching.