by jackie riley, Managing Editor
Younger calls for preaching to a broader audience ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA. — To those who know Brett Younger only as “The Lighter Side” columnist in Baptists Today, he is probably perceived as an all-around funny guy who can turn most any situation into a quirky, lighthearted story. Yet, to a new generation of seminarians, he teaches through word (often humorous) and practice (sometimes serious) why preaching still matters in a post-modern society.
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owever, a group of seasoned ministers benefited as well from Younger’s messages at the Mercer Preaching Consultation held on the Georgia coast last fall. The former pastor of Fort Worth’s Broadway Baptist Church challenged them to consider their preaching task from a new perspective that would include all of Christ’s church. “Most of us want to preach to the perfect church,” quipped Younger. He described the perfect church as the next church, the last church, an old church that doesn’t exist anymore, a church where everyone looks and/ or thinks alike, a church where everyone is thoughtful and loves and agrees with the pastor and appreciates his or her education and training, and so on. “So why can’t we have a church where everyone wants church to be just like we want church to be? Why can’t the church be everything we dream?” he asked. After reality sets in, preachers can choose to lower such expectations, walk away or stay irritated, said Younger. However, he offered another alternative: preach to the church you want — Christ’s church. “If you look carefully next Sunday morning, you’ll see that it’s Christ’s church right there in front of you. Your church is filled with people who heard God call, asked what God wanted from them, and got in line. They heard the Spirit inviting them to a different kind of life. You get to preach, to tell them what it means.” Why wouldn’t you want to preach to that church? Younger wondered. That church includes people of all ages, backgrounds, occupations, economic and educational levels who show up most Sunday mornings, all wanting to share in Christ’s church — not unlike the assortment of people who joined the church at Pentecost. Younger labeled them as would-be disciples, religious
authorities and surprising saints. Would-be disciples want to follow Christ but are not certain how far they will actually go for their faith, he noted. He included among that group a 25-year-old Christian of three years who is still trying to figure out who Jesus really is, a wealthy grandfather who is a pillar of the church, a woman in a tattered dress who “sings all the way down to her toes” in celebration of leaving her former life, the mother of an alcoholic who receives little support from her husband, and a man who requires 30 minutes to maneuver his walker from his car to his pew. It takes real effort for some would-be disciples to participate in the church. They’re overworked, overlooked and often lack the admiration they deserve, said Younger, but through preaching they can hear and interpret God’s call and experience hope. No doubt, would-be disciples are easier to embrace with grace through preaching than religious authorities. Though empowered by years of church leadership, these church members are hesitant when confronted with decisions that require a leap of faith. Younger described them this way: They seem unusual, undeserving and out of place, and their Pharisaic attitudes drive clergy crazy. They wield a heavy hand in seeking to run the church like a corporation. They resist change and build walls to keep diversity on the outside. Preachers want to issue a prophetic word against the actions of religious authorities, but confrontation is uncomfortable and, Younger admitted, sometimes they do know more than the proclaimer and may be sticklers for things that matter. He called for a grace-filled attitude toward those church members who may be viewed as difficult. “The wind of the Spirit blows where it wills. The people in our
churches have experienced the grace of God in more ways than we have imagined. God still brings life to Pharisees — even to the ones in your church, even to you and me. The church doors and preaching should be open to all — even the religious authorities.” While religious authorities may present great challenges to preachers, there is a redeeming element present in most churches, Younger reminded his audience of clergy: “the saints who are at work to help make the church of our dreams come true.” He described these church members as those who remain faithful even when it doesn’t feel good, who give money they need because they believe in Christ’s church, who reach out to people who aren’t usually welcome and make them feel a part of Christ’s church, who ask questions that don’t always get raised, who act more like Jesus than just talking about him. They are the “sensitive, considerate and plucky people who make the church more of what it should be” (and probably more of what the preacher should be, too). “Be thankful that you get to preach to them,” Younger said of those he called the surprising saints. He concluded with a fitting challenge to and a benediction of blessing for preachers: “Be the saints who preach the truth in a world that lies, who preach generosity in a world that takes, who preach love in a world that lusts, who preach peace in a world that fights, who preach service in a world that wants to be served, who preach courage in a world that worships safety. We can preach to Christ’s church and thank God for the privilege. “May God bless you with distaste for superficial preaching so that you will preach from deep within your soul. May God bless you with anger at prejudice so that you will preach justice. May God bless you with tears for those who sorrow so that you will preach hope. May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that your preaching can make a difference in the world. Amen.” BT Feature | 31