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Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea
What patterns are you seeing today?
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I see two patterns gaining in popularity amongst my peers.
The first is "lifestyle" preaching. Topically based. Full of personal opinions and anecdotes. Very little Word focus. Rob Bell seems to be leading the charge here. Lifestyle preachers feel the need to reinvent Christianity and do so by shifting our focus away from the Word and onto hot-button cultural issues and how we can respond to them. The favorite word of lifestyle preachers is "relevance."
The second is Biblical exegesis. This style excites me. I see many of my contemporaries devoting one church service a week to the following pattern.
1. Upon arrival everyone reads (out loud) the Bible chapter that will be covered in the session.
2. Handouts are passed around that focus on the main points of the chapter. These handouts are simple, with true/false and fill in the blank type questions and answers.
3. As the pastor/leader/facilitator teaches he has several designated spots in the lesson where he pauses and asks specific questions about the text. He also has short periods where the audience can ask him questions.
4. He simply expounds the Word - verse by verse, focusing on major themes and principles.
5. Prayer pauses are implemented throughout the sermon/lesson. It ends with focused prayer.
These sessions are normally very informal...with folks sitting around tables with drinks and/or snacks. They are "come as you are" sessions and quite a hit. A large dry erase board and a video projector are awesome tools in this setting.
I was highly encouraged to see a hybrid application of this style at this years youth convention in my state.
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