I Believe in Preaching
Tim Schmoyer at Life in Student Ministry got me thinking recently. One of his (and my) favorite posts is his article 100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write About. And in that list of ideas for youth ministry bloggers is this nugget at #25: “Sermon presentations versus small group discussion Bible studies.” That got me thinking about why I do what I do. Our backbone event is built around the preaching of the Word. Preaching is central to our youth ministry and the essential core of my calling.
Then again, I don’t know that “versus” is necessarily the right word. There is a place for both small group discussions and sermon presentations in youth ministry, and both take place as a part of our youth ministry at Water’s Edge. But they aren’t the same, and – truth be told – if you told me I could only do one or the other, I would choose to preach.
I believe in preaching
Of course such a blanket statement then begs the question “why?”
I’m so glad you asked.
There is a unique and spiritual power that comes with the preaching of God’s Word. If you don’t believe me, all I need to do is point you to some of the greatest sermons ever preached. Take for example my favorite sermon of all time, Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” sermon.
