This blog post suggests that people are leaving the church because many sermons are polished, but are theoretical and lack the gospel:
Why are people leaving good, established, traditional churches with great facilities, full of quality individuals and extensive children’s programs to attend churches that meet in old schools? Because their pastors have fallen into this trap of theoretical preaching. Therefore, the message is no longer relevant. The pastors are not communicating the life-changing message of the gospel. They are delivering well-polished lectures with biblical points. People know the difference and they vote with their feet.
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Just a question: How does this explain the popularity of TV “preachers” of various stripes? They sound more like motivational speakers than preachers and yet they seem to be doing very well. Or are they losing audience as well?
perhaps the reason people are leaving has more to do with the irrelevance of the entire system than the talking head on sunday mornings. it’s a wonderful postulation that fully supports the attractional mindset – better preaching = butts in the seats. unfortunately the paradigm is far less relevant than only one aspect. pragmatic godly sermons may not attract the truly pagan – i take issue with the proclamation that a return to biblical preaching will attract the unsaved. maybe 50 years ago.
want to flush this out?
@Ken Davis
Without painting tv pastors with the same brush (I don’t watch enough to be able to make any useful generalizations) I would guess it’s because “motivational speeches” while lacking the life-changing message of the gospel, are more practical and applicable than the “theoretical sermons”.
They may not tell you about the transformational power of Christ, but they will tell you the transformational power of positive thinking, which to someone who’s hungry for transformation, is more attractive than a sermon that is academically and theologically sound that offers no path to transformation at all.
I think it a huge oversimplification to say that people leave churches because of well-polished sermons. They leave for a myriad of reasons and those hungry for the word look for a form of expositional preaching that is sincere and ties the message to the authority of the text of Scripture and seeks to apply it to real life.
I agree with Richard. Many TV preachers are “feel-good” speakers. If it feels good, do it. There is no relationship with the everlasting God or His Son. The power is within YOU.
Unfortunately, the same can be said for many “pastors.” I know one who has said that he no longer needs to read the Word of God. Another claims that prayer is a waste of time. With “pastors” like these, who needs the “church?” NOTE: Small “c.”
I think Scott hit the nail on the head. The polished sermons that produce death are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s the whole system.