Preaching by the Numbers | PreachingToday.com

PREACHING SKILLS
Preaching by the Numbers
A look at how many of us feel about our preaching
Lee Eclov

Editor's Note: In the first quarter of 2008, Preaching Today conducted a survey through Preaching Today Audio and NationalChristianPoll.com. The central purpose of the survey was to gauge how preachers felt about the effectiveness of their preaching. We were also able to gain insight into preaching styles, educational background, professional experience, and personal devotional lives. You can read the full results in a PDF file by clicking here. The editors asked Preaching Today editorial advisor Lee Eclov to offer his reflections on what he noticed about the results of our survey.

Judging from this survey of 317 pastors, we preachers put on a brave face. Most of us believe our listeners grow spiritually through our preaching (92 percent), that we preach biblical sermons (83 percent), and that people come to Christ listening to us (79 percent). Most of us (75 percent) feel good about our preaching "often" or even "always." Overall, we feel that important things are happening, either "every time" or "over the long haul" (91 percent).

But then there are those pesky meddling questions about the time we spend studying, how many converts end up in church, or how we pray. The survey seems to play good cop/bad cop with us! Our doubts start to show. Our palms sweat a little. We get a little edgy. Or if we don't, we should.

All the talk of conversions in this survey leaves me reflective. Maybe it does for you, too. We are, after all, preachers of the gospel. Like Paul, we must implore people to be reconciled to Christ. I didn't so much think that I need to see more converts, as that I need to be more effective and purposeful about calling people to Christ.

The heart of the survey tried to get at "Preaching Results" (pp. 5–9). That's why we preach, of course—to get results. One particular question (p. 5) asks: "In your opinion, what constitutes the positive, objective (observable) results that occur from your preaching?" (The bad cop put the italics on "objective.") We're given the option of answering "spiritual growth in individuals," which 92 percent of us checked. I would check that, too. But let's be honest: spiritual growth is pretty tough to measure objectively. Maybe this is a faith answer—evidence of things unseen?

I'm glad, then, that 69 percent of those surveyed often "feel good about the message's content and delivery … regardless of any objective results." I'm even glad for the 23 percent who say they only feel that way "sometimes." That's not bad for such a tough job—especially when 70 percent of us don't think preaching is our first gift (p. 3)!

I'm glad that so many of us believe important things happen when we preach. I'm among those who would agree that "nearly every time I preach, important things are happening in the lives of many of the people who hear me." But I also agree with the other choice: "Over the long haul, I think my preaching is helping people, though I don't see a lot of tangible or dramatic results." I heard once that tug boats move huge ships by bump—bump—bumping them where they need to go. That's my theory of preaching. The important thing that happens every time I preach is the "bump—bump—bump" without a lot of tangible or dramatic results. I would check "both of the above" on the survey!

Furthermore, it is only natural that we look for reliable evidence that our preaching is connecting—that something God-ward and God-full happens when we step up to preach. So we try to gauge body language and note-taking. We sneak a peek at attendance figures or how many come to the next prayer meeting. But we can take one positive e-mail or hallway chat and multiply it the way Jesus did the loaves and fishes into a chorus of sermon-blessed people. To some extent, I think that is fair. Haven't we read somewhere that a marketer regards one positive response as representative of oodles of other satisfied but silent customers? You hear the expression, "It's only anecdotal evidence." Me? I'm good with anecdotal evidence of effective sermons. Give me one genuine, thoughtful response to a sermon, and I go to my Sunday afternoon nap figuring that the whole crowd went home blessed!

Speaking of results, nothing in this survey jumped out and whacked me upside the head like the responses to the questions concerning conversions (p. 7). Of the preachers surveyed, 48 percent see conversions as "positive, objective results of preaching." It's not that I disagree; it's just that I had not thought to evaluate my preaching by that measure. I felt myself getting a little defensive when I saw that almost everyone but the rookie preachers—79 percent by my calculations—said that they saw conversions from their preaching every year. In fact, the median number of conversions was 11 per year!