My philosophy of preaching

I am a preacher. That is my job. It is what I love to do. I would preach every day of the week if only there were those who would come and listen. I live for Sundays. I love being able to preach twice each Sunday morning. But what is my goal when I preach? What am I really trying to accomplish? There are as many philosophies of preaching as there are preachers and I’m sure that many, perhaps even most, would not agree with my personal goals. That is fine. I do not think my philosophy of preaching is more spiritual or more effective than anyone else’s. It is, however, me. It is the style that I have developed over the nearly 20 years that I have been a pastor, especially these past 11 years that I have had the thrill of being a Senior Pastor, able to preach weekly. So what are my personal goals each Sunday when I preach? There are many, but here are three:

1. To balance depth with practicality. I have found that many pastors tend to lean heavily one way or the other. Either their preaching is very weighty on the side of depth or it is very weighty on the side of practicality. I want to avoid both extremes. If my main philosophy is to present depth then I find that the result is that a few learn, some may be awed by my knowledge, but most leave wondering what in the world I was talking about. Yet, if my target is to be 100% practical than I find that some people may act upon the principles and ideas but most remain pretty shallow in their faith. My attempt is to preach in such a way that everyone can learn something they did not already know while at the same time finding at least one very practical element of Scripture that connects with them. I definitely wan to teach the Bible accurately and though I teach the meanings behind the Greek Grammar and word studies, I usually refrain from quoting the actual Greek words. I could rely heavily on this as Greek was my minor in my undergraduate work, but I am looking for balance.
2. To balance entertainment with seriousness. I do not believe that preaching needs to be boring. I like using humor and creativity in my messages. I find it keeps my audience awake and helps them to stay with me as I walk them through the elements of the passage. It is my goal that my congregation be able to experience different emotions. In the course of a 35 minute message you will hopefully find moments that you laugh; moments that you think; moments that unsettle you; moments that move you; moments that convict you; and perhaps even moments that make you cry.
3. To emphasize and motivate toward life-change. It is my philosophy that the purpose of preaching and the purpose of the Word is to bring about life change in people. Learning is great and we want that to happen. But if there is never any decision to change, what have we really accomplished? Can we really study the Word of God without finding at least one area in which we need to repent? One area in which we need to change? One area in which to take a step of faith? One area in which we should never be the same again? My goal is that my preaching results in life change as the Spirit of God uses His word in the lives of people. To me, this means making the passage personal and being transparent about my own life.