Abstract
Written by David Fields, lead pastor of Summit Drive Church, a large contemporary church in British Columbia, this book is based on Fields’ doctoral studies. It is presented in four sections: God’s book, God’s story; preaching as participation in God’s mission; preaching in a post-Christendom setting; and finally, three full sermon texts are provided.
In the foreword one of Fields’ supervisors, Steve Holmes, St Andrews University, describes the text as written with the conviction that ‘the Bible, the Church, and so preaching are irreducibly missional’ and that it is for ‘good preachers who want to get better’. This is an accurate summary of an inspiring and practical text which is relevant for preachers in multiple contexts including youth leaders and para church organisations. It is an easy read in terms of structure as the chapters are short, with thirteen chapters across one hundred pages plus a section of sermon texts, each concluding with well thought out questions for personal review. Ease of reading should not however be taken to suggest that this is not a text of density and depth as Fields covers a lot of ground. His arguments are succinctly presented but well supported using multiple sources. At the end of each section there is a list of relevant books for further reading and an extensive bibliography.
Fields argues that we are now in a missionary context in the West where knowledge of scripture can no longer be assumed. Preaching in this context brings challenges but also great opportunities. In the opening chapters he highlights the missionary focus of the Bible, focussing on it first as a narrative (in good company with N.T. Wright and others) and ‘connected to the big picture of God’s redemptive work.’ This is the story that we are part of, and fundamentally the story of the mission of God. Whilst acknowledging the questions that are raised about the role of a traditional sermon in today’s culture, Fields encourages preachers to consider what the mission of preaching is in this new world, as well as the role of the preacher as a witness which may be increasingly important in a post-Christendom environment. The third section on preaching is highly practical and much of it is familiar ground but it is the missional focus that provides a fresh and exciting perspective. I found his comments on contextualisation without capitulation particularly helpful as well as the importance of the use of provisional statements that acknowledge other perspectives and even the possibility that you are wrong. There are ways of adapting our approach to preaching that positively affect how the message is both heard and received today.
For a time-stretched preacher this book could energise and inspire. Although written in a particular church context the message is widely relevant and adaptable. It reminds us why we do what we do at the same time as giving a timely fresh perspective for preachers in today’s biblically naïve but missionally exciting environment. Some might argue that Fields tries to cover too much ground, but if that is the case, it only leaves the reader with an appetite for more.