Poll Results
Does your church (or do you, if a pastor) feature MOSTLY expository preaching on Sunday morning?
Yes, mostly expository Votes: 22
No, expository preaching is not the norm Votes: 1
I don’t really know what expository preaching is Votes: 0
Other or undecided Votes: 1
Our church features expository preaching, but not Sunday morning Votes: 0
Discussion
Newbrief experience
I’ve only been preaching for about 2 years, but I rarely preach anything other than an expository sermon. Someone recently commented that she appreciated the expository preaching, and I told her I don’t really know how else to do it. =)
NewYes I am very thankful to say
Yes I am very thankful to say mostly expository.
NewIt all depends
The answer to this all depends.
Yes, there is a lot of expository preaching, but that is not what is solely done.
For example, for the last 3 years or so we have been systematically going through the book of Romans verse by verse to understand the full meaning of it. We’ve just now gotten to the end of Romans 11 in that study. Such studies have been frequent over the years, but have not been the exclusive preaching. Some weeks Romans would be preached on in both services, some weeks only in the first service, and some weeks it is left off in favor of some topic that the LORD has led our minister to present to us.
Topical preaching on either doctrinal or practical subjects deserves an equal place in the house of God and should be taught frequently. All too often I have found myself unable to discuss doctrinal subjects with my peers because they are entirely ignorant of them, and that’s trying to have discussions with fellow students at BJU and even the children of missionaries and preachers.
So, while expository preaching is frequent, it is frequently accompanied by topical preaching.
NewMatthew Eastland wrote: The
Yes, Matthew, I think most of us agree with your approach. There was no “only expository” choice for this reason; we had “mostly” as the Max. With holidays, special series (e.g., on the family), I could not see doing expository all the time, just most.
"The Midrash Detective"
NewClarification
Sorry, to be more explicit, I don’t think I could really say “most of the time” that it is expository preaching.
I don’t know if I would say that it was 50/50 topical and expository, but being fair I don’t think I could call it most.
NewMatthew Eastland
Gotcha. You are correct in your vote!
"The Midrash Detective"
Newverse by verse does not always equal expository
I’ve heard guys who think they are expository preachers but are not. I think there is a notion that if the preacher is progressing systematically through a book that he is an expository preacher. Not necessarily so. Often what is being offered is textual rather than expositional… and not very good textual at that.
Expository is what I attempt to do, not sure I always succeed.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
NewGood Comments
Sometimes it is not even a textual sermon, but the “excuse method,” whereby the preacher reads a text that mentions a topic, and then he essentially preaches a topical sermon on that topic, not just how the topic is developed within the initial text itself.
Don, your points above are well taken indeed. I think we would also agree that an occasional textual sermon (Acts 2:42 would be a prime text) is also a blessing — but not expository preaching.
"The Midrash Detective"
Newdive right in!
Ed,
I call those “springboard” sermons, where the preacher reads a verse or passage then, like a diver on a diving board, leaps off into the air to preach on whatever topic he really wanted to talk about the whole time. Usually the landing is more of a bellyflop, imo.