For those of you who read the blog regularly, perhaps you noticed that I did not write any posts this past week. That is because at Faith Church we experimented with a conversational sermon. Normally I split my sermons into five parts and post one part each day Monday through Friday. Because of the conversational sermon, however, there was no sermon. Instead, I had a conversation. Or rather, a conversational sermon. Let me explain.
In recent years, podcasts have skyrocketed in popularity. One of the most popular podcast formats is the group discussion/interview. Joe Rogan has the largest podcast audience in the world four years in a row, and his format is simple. He interviews guests, and they talk for hours. For example, listen to his recent interview of Wesley Huff, a Bible scholar. It is a fascinating conversation.
Author Ted Gioia suggests that conversational dialogue is the future of communication. Gioia writes, “The Age of the Talking Head is over. Broadcasters will feel the pinch. But so will almost everybody else—politicians, educators, doctors, ministers, coaches, managers, and any other individual who needs to exercise leadership in any group setting whatsoever. Many are not ready for this. Some will believe that they are immune to change, and will keep bullying from the bully pulpit. Don’t be one of them—because their power and influence will erode very quickly.”
As one who gives monologues for a living, Gioia’s words hit me like a thunderclap. I thought, “I want to experiment with a conversational sermon.” We did so at Faith Church this past Sunday. Two others and me. We only had a general topic, no script, totally ad lib. I was nervous, as I always am when we try new things, but so far, feedback has been positive.
Who were the two others? I have known Joel Leicy and Dusty Zook for a long time, as they were students in Faith Church’s youth group when I was youth pastor twenty years ago. This past year, we started a podcast together, The Unapologetic Journey, which you can listen to Apple or Spotify. On the podcast, we have a general topic each week, and we just talk. Because of our familiarity with each other and with the format, it was a somewhat natural setting for us. You can listen to our sermon conversation here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Should we do more of this?
Engaging Scripture 