Contextualized preaching in a multisite context : maximizing contextualization while maintaining unity as one church

2017·7.3 MB·English

by  Bryant, Robert A.

CONTEXTUALIZED PREACHING IN A MULTISITE CONTEXT:
MAXIMIZING CONTEXTUALIZATION WHILE
MAINTAINING UNITY AS ONE CHURCH

A THESIS-PROJECT
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF
GORDON-CONWELL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY

BY
ROBERT A. BRYANT
MAY 2017
Copyright © 2017 by Robert A. Bryant. All Rights Reserved
CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v
ABSTRACT vi

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
CHAPTER 2: THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS 15
CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW 57
CHAPTER 4: SEMINAR ON CONTEXTUALIZED PREACHING
IN A MULTISITE CONTEXT 95
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 124

APPENDIX A SEMINAR CLASS NOTES 141
APPENDIX B INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS 165

BIBLIOGRAPHY 192
VITA 196

iii
FIGURES

FIGURE 1. RUBRIC TEMPLATE 66
FIGURE 2. RUBRIC PHASE ONE 69
FIGURE 3. RUBRIC PHASE TWO 78
FIGURE 4. RUBRIC PHASE THREE 83

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Rachel, you have been a constant source of encouragement and strength through my
studies, in ministry and in our journey together. Kezia, Elliana and Shiloh you make challenging
days beautiful. Woodside Bible Church campus pastors, thank you for the ongoing support and
conversations about contextualizing throughout the campuses. Jeff Wallace, you have become a
good friend and a tremendous blessing of God. Dr. Scott Gibson, Dr. Matthew Kim and Dr. Nick
Gatzke your discipleship throughout these past three years will have lasting effect on me and
through my ministry. Finally, Christ Jesus my Lord and Savior your grace and mercy are
overwhelming, it is in great humility that I offer these thoughts. Lord, may you use this work in
some small way to bring glory to You.

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ABSTRACT

Deepening our appreciation for contextualized sermons found in the messages of Jesus,
Paul and other Bible preachers is important for every preacher. By examining Scriptures,
studying the literature on the subject and conducting interviews with experienced preaching
campus pastors, the author identifies the inevitability and unintentionality of preachers to
ineffectively contextualize sermons. With greater attention and strategy, preachers can
contextualize their sermons to congregations with distinct cultural narratives. Preaching in
multisite churches often is more restrictive in cultural adaptation because of the overarching goal
to be one church. This goal of unity has potential to edge out contextualization. A practical
approach is presented for preachers to understand their cultural context and tailor their preaching
to their particular community; as well, a rubric is offered to multisite pastors to contextualize
preaching while strengthening being one church in vision, mission and values.
vi
CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
Identification of the Problem
Preachers and churches desire to have impact in their cultures, so that they will have
influence over their cultures. Few churches seem to influence the broader community. The
reasons are numerous, yet one common cause – as this thesis will demonstrate – is that they do
not go far enough to culturally contextualize the preaching of God’s Word. Contextualized
preaching, in the author’s review of the literature, is when the preacher adapts the sermon to the
uniqueness of a particular culture without compromising Scripture. This could be due to
preachers not fully appreciating why sermons must be contextualized to have greater cultural
effect or preachers may have not studied how Jesus, Paul and others demonstrated contextualizing
sermons to specific communities. Further, churches, especially multisite churches, have internal
factors which set parameters for the degree of contextualization.1
The Bible and cultural intelligence answer the question “why should preachers
contextualize sermons?” Our communities are constantly changing with people moving into the
country and others moving around the country. New residents constantly are bringing fresh
influences affecting the local culture. It is the residents of a community that develop its specific
cultural narrative. These narratives are stories that people tell about themselves to make sense of
their shared experiences. Cultural narratives include the pragmatic-productive narrative valuing
the acquisition of possessions and power, the individualistic narrative encourages people to
prioritize personal freedom above all, the honor-shame narrative stresses respect, reputation, duty

1 The author has interacted with numerous multisite churches primarily through Leadership
Network over the previous five years where he has formed this conclusion.

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and honor, and the discursive narrative which places highest value on art, philosophy and
learning.2 This short list of possible cultural narratives reveals the differences between cultures.
Within these cultural narratives, people think and make decisions differently, and they feel and
emote differently.3
When there is little attempt to adapt preaching to a specific culture, the culturally-generic
vocabulary, language and forms of communication will limit a community’s understanding of the
message. While God’s truth may be accurately presented, without regard for the background and
experience of hearer’s thoughts, feelings and decision making, the message will have less
bearing.4 Understanding one’s culture and appropriately adapting to it will make a message
clearer and more effective. Sermons can be adapted to be made attractive and relevant, and a
message can also be adapted to challenge and confront. Since cultural narratives are distinct,
messages can be far more effective when tailored to a community.
Contextualized sermons adapt the vocabulary, language and form of communication of
God’s Scriptures to a particular community.5 While the gospel is universal for everyone in all
cultures, as soon as a preacher communicates the gospel, it is unavoidable to share it in a way that
is more relevant to some cultures and less for other cultures. Jesus did not simply say not to
preach the gospel to people who are hostile to it, rather he contextualized his message. When
Jesus said to not throw pearls to pigs, he connected far more to the world of farmers raising pigs.6

2 Timothy Keller, Center Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 90.
3 Keller, Center Church, 90.
4 Dean Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity
Press, 2005), 13.
5 Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament, 19.
6 Matthew 7:6 (English Standard Version [ESV]). All Scripture is quoted from the ESV unless
otherwise noted.
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With this illustration, Jesus’ gospel presentation was contextualized more for some hearers but
less for others. In fact, contextualization is inevitable. Every preacher either intentionally or
unintentionally contextualizes. Tim Keller points out that, “If there is no single, context-free way
to express the gospel, then contextualization is inevitable. As soon as you choose a language to
speak in and particular words to use with that language, the culture-laden nature of words comes
into play.”7 Every preacher chooses language, words, stories, explanations and applications in
preaching sermons. Anytime a preacher says more than the words written in the Bible he/she
contextualizes.
Jesus demonstrated that an intentionally contextualized sermon can have greater cultural
effect on its hearers.8 However, an unintentionally contextualized message will have far less
effectiveness when it does not teach to the main objections and questions people have in that
culture.9 Contextualization calls for sermons to be adapted to specific objections of the people
represented in a culture. Contextualization includes but is not limited to adapting language,
vocabulary, illustrations and applications, and it also goes far beyond those factors to adapting a
message to the way people reason. Tim Keller shares how contextualization “is giving people the
Bible answers, which they may not at all want to hear, to questions about life that people in their
particular time and place are asking, in language and forms they can comprehend, and through
appeals and arguments with force they can feel, even if they reject them.”10

7 Keller, Center Church, 94.
8 Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament, 20.
9 Keller, Center Church, 89.
10 Keller, Center Church, 89
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Contextualization is not without concerns. While under contextualizing makes a message
less relevant, over contextualizing prioritizes culture above the truthfulness of God’s Word.11
This happens when God’s message is modified to avoid confronting culture, so that the preacher,
the church and the message will be more palatable to the culture. When God’s truth is edited,
over contextualization is condemnable.
Ed Stetzer notes,
At the other end of the contextualization spectrum is too much adaptation. A message is
presented in terms that are easily understood by the audience, but truth is compromised.
We see this in places where Christian customs have been added to pagan belief systems,
resulting in a confused syncretic of doctrine, and in churches that try to incorporate modern
philosophy into their theology, whether or not it’s biblical. The result is watering down of
the truth.12
The problem arises when the values of a culture are given authority over Scripture. In an
attempt to make Christianity palatable, some preachers have mistakenly redefined doctrine in
cultural terms.13 Over contextualization is when the Scriptures are adapted to a culture and the
culture has superiority over God’s Word. Natee Tanchanpongs correctly identifies that
contextualization involves keeping the essentials while flexing on the non-essentials.14 These
concerns are legitimate and of highest importance. Every word the preacher speaks, each
illustration and application constantly run the risk of either over or under contextualization. It is
important to disciple preachers to remain biblically accurate while culturally relevant.

11 Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament, 34
12 Ed Stetzer, "What Is Contextualization? Presenting The Gospel In Culturally Relevant Ways,"
The Exchange (blog), Christianity Today, October 12, 2014, accessed January 11, 2017, http://
www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/october/what-is-contextualization.html.
13 Craig Blomberg, “We Contextualize More Than We Realize,” in Local Theology for the Local
Church, ed. Matthew Cook (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2010), 37.
14 Natee Tanchanpongs, “Developing a Palate for Authentic Theology,” in Local Theology for the
Global Church, ed. Matthew Cook (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2010), 110.
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