Why Sermons Won't Go Away

Sermons are ubiquitous. Just about any time most churches get together for their big meetings some sort of sermon takes place. These extended monologues come in various shapes and sizes, but they amount to the same thing. It is almost always (>99%) one person - usually clergy - speaking from an elevated platform to a quiet audience. No participation is expected or invited.

It is my contention that sermons do much more harm than good to the church. Sermons act to separate the clergy from the laity. Sermons stifle the priesthood of all believers. Sermons play a big part in turning church gatherings into formal ceremonies. Sermons give the message that sitting and listening pleases God. Sermons turn Christianity into an exercise in rhetoric. Sermons elevate the speakers to "special status" within the church. Sermons bore most people. This list goes on...

Despite all these problems, the sermon has had remarkable staying power. At least since the Reformation the sermon has dominated church meetings around the globe. It doesn't appear to be going away any time soon. Some excellent sermon preachers have even gained rockstar status within evangelical Christianity (see John Piper, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, Albert Mohler, N.T. Wright, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, etc.).

Why won't sermons go away? I've thought about this a lot recently. My background is full of sermons. I listened (sort of) to them during all my growing up years. I attended seminary, where I was trained to preach sermons. As a professional pastor, I preached hundreds of sermons. All this sermonizing has given me a full perspective on what keeps sermons going year, after year, after year...

Five reasons stand out why sermons aren't going away. That's what I'll be discussing in my next five posts.