Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “In Christian a community, everything depends on whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain.” For Spiritual formation through preaching to be both authentically Christian and authentically postmodern, it will need to involve the whole community in its expression, from the early stages of exegesis to its final public, verbal presentation. It cannot be a solo act by a professional expert who closets himself away with books until the moment he ascends the pulpit platform. The postmodern preacher must engage his community. He must exegete his community. He must truly know, love, and serve his community by inviting them along on a journey of listening to the revealed Word of God together.
There are many ways to involve one’s community in the early stages of exegesis. At our church, this is attempted by inviting the community to join in on a weekly meeting around the identified text for that week. This is a planning meeting for the upcoming Sunday service. Usually present are the preacher, the music worship leader, the administrator, a visual artist, the prayer leader, and any other interested members. This often includes ministry leaders such as youth leaders, children’s workers, small-group leaders, and church elders.
The preacher comes with his homework done. The hard work of textual exegesis has been done on his own. He has examined the text in all its contexts (original language, culture, history, genre, text, and theme). He has consulted commentaries. He brings all of his homework to the group and they wrestle with the text together. Often the music worship leader has also done some homework, and examined the themes of the text for responsive engagement with the Word in song. The prayer leader or visual artist may also have been engaging the text during the week, and have each brought their own interpretations.
The group, representing the larger community, listens to the text together and asks, “What does this mean? What did it mean to the original hearers, and what does that mean for us?” There may be disagreements. There will be different points of view. What surfaces is a rich tapestry of living believers listening to God’s Word together. Their combined insights inform the continued development of what will take place at the Sunday service. There is seriousness to the actual exegesis of the text. The group does not equally weigh careful exegesis with personal opinion. This group is not about pooling ignorance. However, the preacher is not the only one listening to the text and preparing his message in private. The group helps each another engage the Word and discern its message.
