Family With Differences

On a recent episode of the Better Preaching Podcast, I asked Tyler McKenzie a question with a twist. I usually ask guests what advice they’d give young preachers. But Tyler is forty, so I flipped it: what would you say to encourage the preacher who’s been at it for decades — the fifty-five-year-old, the guy staring down sixty?

I confess I had a personal stake in the answer. I’m fifty-nine.

Tyler gave me two words: longevity and locality.

Longevity is about trust. Tyler observed that preachers earn trust two ways. Talent earns it fast. Charisma burns hot. But that kind of trust is shallow, and it can be snuffed out as quickly as it flared. The other way is time. Twenty, thirty, forty years of showing up. Keeping your character. Doing the funerals, the hospital hallways, the hard conversations nobody saw. That trust runs deep, and it multiplies transformation. Then Tyler said the sentence every veteran preacher needs taped to his study wall: “Some of your best sermons may be your last sermons.” Not because your exegesis finally matured — though it has — but because your people are finally, fully listening. You’ve earned their ear. The leadership currency you spent decades accumulating was never meant to sit in the vault. Spend it.

Locality is longevity’s twin sister. Stay somewhere long enough and the place gets into you. You stop telling people where you’re from and start belonging where you are. You learn the city’s history, its wounds, its ways. And that knowledge preaches. Tyler tells his team, “Don’t write music for Spotify. Don’t write sermons for Instagram reels. Write sermons for the congregation in front of you.”

That one stung a little. We’re pulled toward the national and the viral. I can tell you who’s headlining the World Cup and recap last night’s collapse of the San Antonio Spurs in excruciating detail. But can I tell you my neighbor’s name? Can I name the felt needs of the people in the third pew? We pour attention into matters we cannot influence and starve the ones we can.

So, to my fellow village elders — Tyler assures me that’s a compliment — don’t coast. The decades behind you aren’t a résumé. They’re a runway.

Finish strong. Your best sermon might be your next one.

Engaging Generations with Variety and Creativity

Preaching multiple sermon styles is a strategic way to reach and engage generational cohorts. By using a mix of topical, expository, and narrative sermons, preachers adapt as needed for their congregation’s context.

This is the fourth post in a series about preaching contextualized sermons.

Why Variety Matters

The world today is accustomed to rapidly changing content and diverse media formats.

Monotonous, predictable sermon structures can result in disengagement. Offering sermon variety can maintain interest while addressing different learning preferences.

Sermons are most often written to fit three broad categories.

Sermon Types Explained

• Topical Sermons: Address a specific theme or issue directly. They can include multiple scriptures from throughout the Bible.
• Expository Sermons: Unpack a scripture verse by verse, emphasizing deep biblical understanding. Preachers who prefer this style often work through a larger text like the Sermon on the Mount or an epistle.
• Narrative Sermons: Use stories and personal testimony to illustrate spiritual truths. Messages delivered in the narrative style can feel more like a story than a sermon.

Balancing Styles

Preachers should be adaptable, choosing methods that best communicate the message and engage their listeners rather than sticking rigidly to one method.

Narrative sermons build emotional connections, expository sermons deepen understanding, and topical sermons tackle pressing concerns.

Creative Techniques

Preachers can integrate creative communication to make messages more concrete and memorable.

• Use multimedia (videos, music, visuals) to complement the sermon.
• Incorporate participatory elements like Q&A or discussion groups.
• Employ authentic storytelling to make the message memorable.
• Use props or object lessons to create strong visual connections.
• Enlist the help of others by sharing the platform when appropriate.

Embracing diverse sermon styles keeps sermons vibrant, inviting people from all generations to experience Scripture in fresh and meaningful ways.

Becoming Missionaries in a Multigenerational World

This is the fifth and final principle in my series on preaching contextualized sermons to different generational cohorts. I want to conclude by reminding preachers of their role as cultural missionaries. To preach effectively to all generations, pastors must commit to ongoing cultural exegesis, studying and understanding different generations deeply.

Cultural Exegesis Defined

Just as biblical exegesis involves diligent interpretation of Scripture, cultural exegesis involves careful study of the cultural landscape—its values, language, and worldview. This requires humility, intentionality, and a willingness to learn from generational cohorts rather than merely instruct them.

Why Cultural Exegesis is Essential

With most pastors being a generation or two older than many of their congregants, bridging the cultural gap is not optional but necessary. Many younger and emerging generations can feel like generational immigrants to their churches, and pastors function as missionaries bridging these cultural gaps.

Approaches to Cultural Exegesis

• Listen attentively: Pay attention to stories and experiences, identifying with the feelings and emotions that accompany them. This builds empathy and understanding.
• Engage with current cultural trends and technologies: You don’t have to like the tectonic cultural shifts around you, but you do need to understand them.
• Participate in younger generations’ spaces: Both online and offline. An older preacher once said, “If you want to reach sinners, you gotta sit in the smoking section, because that’s where the sinners are.” Understanding the spaces they inhabit is key.
• Reflect on cultural influences on faith and behavior: Not all cultural shifts are negative. Today’s younger generations are often engaged in Matthew 25 concerns like food insufficiency, caring for the impoverished, and helping those who lack basic healthcare.

The Impact of Cultural Insight

Pastors who invest in cultural exegesis can craft sermons that resonate deeply while honoring scriptural integrity. This balance fosters trust and spiritual growth, ultimately enabling the church to fulfill its mission of making disciples across generations.