L Cole Harper

We live in a world where attentive listening is almost extinct. Both attention and listening seem to be rarities, and that ought to alarm us. In 2015 Time magazine shared a study from Microsoft that indicated that the average time a person will spend on a webpage before going elsewhere is eight seconds. Many have misconstrued this data, asserting that humans have shorter attention spans than goldfish. That’s not the case. It seems, rather, that people are deciding more quickly whether or not they will give their attention to what’s in front of them. After all, there are more options than ever before.

While news cycles, ready-made meals, and online shopping are indicative of our addiction to immediacy, there is a still a hunger for slower, more satisfying products.

For example, long-form podcasts and YouTube videos have won a large market segment of listeners. In 2021 and 2022 The Joe Rogan Experience was the top podcast on Spotify; its episodes often surpass three hours. With a whopping total of three employees, the podcast attracts 11 million listeners per episode. Listeners enjoy the simple, honest, and interesting conversations between Rogan and his various guests.

Recently most churchgoers indicated that they would prefer a 20- to 40-minute sermon, according to a 2019 survey by Lifeway Research. Why this disconnect? Simply put, congregants no longer want to hear someone on a stage share his ideas about faith and the Bible. Our culture’s decline of trust in institutions and authorities has affected the church as well.

During the COVID-19 pandemic when most churches moved temporarily to online services, I realized our plight: we think what makes church is the music and message on a Sunday morning. Many churches rushed to figure out how to stream “worship” and the sermon. Fortunately, the internet is replete with better worship music and more compelling sermons. Why tune in to your local church when you could be listening to some of the most gifted, dynamic Christian leaders from across the world? Many Christians opted to continue “church from home” long after in-person gatherings resumed. We have a great opportunity to learn a lesson from this trend.

I have had many conversations with Christian leaders about the need to find better and more creative ways of communicating biblical truths. Although some leaders are excited about the prospect, others resist any suggested changes. It seems the fear of failure has discouraged innovation. Perhaps creativity simply seems too onerous to be worth the effort. Maybe some leaders struggle with insecurity, wondering what their value would be if they didn’t stand up and deliver their weekly sermon as they always have.

Meanwhile the flock is hungry for true sustenance: exposition and inspiration that causes one to live differently. Instead, Sunday after Sunday churchgoers hear the same topical lectures. Some struggle to stay awake. Almost none could recall the contents of the message by the following week.

When the novelty wears off, they often leave in search of another church. “I just wasn’t getting fed there anymore,” they often say. Some idealists may offer the rebuttal that Sunday School classes are the appropriate forum for deeper, exegetical study. This view is hopeful at best. If a churchgoer does not enjoy the worship gathering of the fellowship, he will not likely plug into a smaller group setting.

What are some practical ways church leaders can adapt to the changing culture and communicate more effectively?

• Utilize interviews. It’s working for Joe Rogan.
• Share testimonies. I’ll never forget one chapel in bible college when a deaf woman taught on the power of singing to God.
• Take advantage of media (videos, song clips, etc.). Showing scenes from The Chosen series has been powerful in my experience.
• Exhibit beautiful art. Jon Tyson (Church of the City, New York) is notorious for beginning his sermons with paintings or photographs.
• Employ object lessons. Jesus used water, bread, wine trees, coins, and more – even a child! – to make his points.
• Have bibles available, and have listeners follow along. Cultivate the habit of looking to the Bible rather than the pastor.
• Create note-taking tools. I have found fill-in-the blanks work well with students.
• Ask questions from the pulpit – not just rhetorical ones. Jesus was a masterful question-asker; just browse the gospels for literally hundreds of examples.
• Offer a time for questions from the congregation. Socrates will thank you.
• Set aside discussion and prayer times during the sermon. After all, church is not a spectator sport.

To answer my initial question: no, sermons are not obsolete. Jesus delivered sermons. Matthew structured his gospel around five such discourses. In 1 Timothy 3, the qualifications for bishops (i.e., spiritual overseers) include only one skill: able to teach. The rest are lifestyle expectations and character attributes.

There is no reason, however, that every church service must include a lecture-style monologue.

Historically, the sermon was not always the center of the church gathering. The early church of the first century centered their gathering around a shared meal (as taught by Jesus at the institution of the Lord’s Supper)! Sometimes a congregation would benefit more from a guided conversation or a powerful testimony than a homily. These forms of communication could free a pastor from the expectation of spending a dozen hours that week scripting a speech.

There is no shortage of opportunity when it comes to communicating God’s truth in effective ways, but trying the same old thing to no avail is the definition of insanity.