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Contextual Preaching:
The Key to Preaching So Your Audience Can Hear
by Ed Stetzer
At the heart of effective preaching is a solid missiological perspective. Are you communicating in such a way that your words actually convey biblical truth to your audience? Or does your preaching float right past your hearers because it’s not delivered “on a frequency†that they listen to? In this respect, we can probably learn as much about good preaching from Hudson Taylor as we can from Haddon Robinson.
Indigenization
Jesus left his comfortable dwelling in heaven and took on the appearance of those he sought to reach. He wore their clothes, ate their food, spoke their language, and understood their culture at its deepest level. He fully identified with his hearers.
The idea behind indigenization for us today is that a church should spring forth out of the soil in which it is planted. It is indigenous in that its leadership, expressions, forms, and functions reflect a biblical expression in a certain context.
What we have found is that when the pastoral leadership, core of the church, and community all line up, the potential for the church to take on an indigenous or contextual form is significant. This combination seems to provide a greenhouse for explosive growth. Preaching is a central part of that process.
