I have been a youth pastor for about 9 years and counting, and one of the greatest causes of youth pastor burnout I have experienced has come from a lack of original preaching material. Youth pastors from all over could not only sympathize, but also empathize with me on this issue. I have been to tons of seminars, conferences, training days, and taught at some of these as well, and the one thing I have not heard addressed at these events is expository preaching.
What is expository preaching? It is taking a scripture, a block of scripture, or even an entire book of the Bible and preaching from the text answering at least two things… what did it mean then, and what does it mean now? Why are youth ministries so afraid of this preaching style? I want to open the door to this topic somehow and get the ideas flowing in this direction. I was reading the Berean Wife Blog today and read this expository preaching post which had quotes from R. Albert Mohler’s book He Is Not Silent. I personally want to get this book just to be encouraged to continue preaching expository sermons to young people.
It seems almost taboo in modern youth ministry circles to say, "I preach expository sermons to youth", yet I have had more fruit in ministry from this than any other style. By fruit I do not simply mean large numbers of youth attending services, rather the spiritual maturity of young people within the ministry. I am by no means a perfect practitioner of the expository sermon, and have mostly preached topically, but I am challenging myself to preach expository sermons for the next year starting in March 2009. I currently am teaching a series for the last six months called SRY (Solid Rock Youth) Basics which entails the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God and I am completing #11 tonight.
Next post I will write on:
SOME EXCUSES FOR NOT PREACHING EXPOSITORY SERMONS TO YOUTH
