From time to time people ask me about the strategy for Faith’s preaching ministry, so I thought it would be fun to put together a blog post to give people at Faith an inside look at the strategy that drives our ministry of preaching.
Preaching at Faith
At Faith we want to have preaching that is grounded in the Bible, focused on the gospel, culturally aware and personally helpful.
About 75% of our preaching is going through books of the Bible in a rhythm that includes both Old and New Testament books. The other 25% of our preaching addresses topics relevant to followers of Jesus. Some of these topics include essential Christian doctrines, essential spiritual disciplines and a biblical view of things taking place in our culture.
Most likely, in a three-year span, we will cover a major Old Testament book, a minor Old Testament Book, a Gospel narrative, a New Testament epistle and several topical series.
Here is a quick snapshot of how this strategy has unfolded over the last three years at Faith.
1. Bible Based Series
a. Exodus: Rescued for His Glory
b. John: Encountering Jesus
c. 1 John: Uncommon Love
d. Ephesians 1: Found In Him
e. The Parables of Jesus
2. Topical Series
a. Advent: The Greatest Story Ever Told
b. Advent: Bigger Than Our World
c. Advent: Even So Come
d. The Journey Project
e. Sent: A Series on Evangelism
f. Animated: A Series on the Holy Spirit
g. The Church: Grace Made Visible
h. How to Be Rich: A Series on Giving
i. Walking with God Through Seasons of Suffering
The Preaching Team
If you have been at Faith for a while, you’ll know that we have a team of pastors who preach. The Bible doesn’t give any clear instruction about whether or not preaching should be done as a team. But the basic pattern of ministry in the New Testament is in the context of community. So, our general conviction is that preaching is a responsibility and a blessing best shared.
The benefits of this model are many. A team approach gives space for reflection, study, creativity, and development. A team approach allows the congregation to learn from a variety of gifted preachers. Finally, a team approach allows for friendship, accountability and refinement for those who serve Faith by preaching God’s Word.
The main drawback to the team approach is that it can create a lack of consistency and clarity in the overall preaching ministry.
To address this drawback, we have a Teaching Pastor who oversees the preaching team, the overall direction of our preaching ministry, the development of our sermon series, and the integration of our preaching ministry into the life of our church.
To help foster a healthy preaching team, the preaching pastors have weekly time together as a team to sharpen and refine our preaching ministry. Additionally, the preaching team attends a conference together each year to strengthen relationships and to deepen our theological understanding.
Honestly, I am thrilled to be part of what God is doing at Faith through our preaching ministry, and I know that Brad and Steve are thrilled to be part of it too. It really is our shared joy to teach God’s Word to God’s people at Faith.
Charlie Sandberg is a Colorado transplant from Minnesota who enjoys writing, reading, running and spending time with his family. He is the teaching pastor at Faith and has been a member for 13 years. He loves helping people know and love Jesus by teaching the Bible.