David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again.
(1st Samuel 17:39, NLT)
A few months ago as I rode the MARTA to the National Festival of Young Preachers a friend and I talked about the changing demographics of the church. She shared how her pastors back home, once a month, hold church services Sunday evenings in a coffee shop where they feed a younger, “unchurched” crowd hungry to learn more about Jesus. A year earlier, I heard stories about churches who similarly took their ministry outside of Sunday worship and the four walls of the church. One in Philadelphia, PA set up shop outside of a popular nightclub and served hungry club patrons with free pizza printing bible verses and service times on their napkins. Another ministry in Atlanta, GA decided that “conventional” worship services were not enough anymore. They forwent normal worship and used Sundays as prayer time and agenda setting for a week full of localized service, community organizing and neighborhood restoration.
As I sat on the smooth, sight-filled ride to the heart of Atlanta getting ready to preach a sermon I asked myself, “What will preaching look, feel, sound and taste like for this new generation?” How does one preach in a coffee shop? How does one proclaim the gospel on a pizza truck to club goers at three a.m.? As we preach in our churches, how do we reach and hold in balance congregations filled with those who grew up in Sunday school their entire lives and crave something new, with those who do not know the story of Easter? How do we preach to a new generation?
When I think about preaching to a new generation, I think of a critical moment in the life of my namesake, David. In the beginning of the transition of his journey with God going from private to public, David is in Saul’s chambers preparing to fight the giant Goliath. Saul, in his desire to dispel this threat to national security and lead the Israelites to victory against their Philistine assailants, begins prepping David. He fits him with his armor. Saul, who symbolizes an older generation, tries to put on David what used to work for him.
His weaponry bogs down David. The hot, heavy helmet blurs his vision. His body is no longer agile and quick under the weightiness of the mail body armor. The heavy sword lessens the precision of his arms and hands. His steps go from controlled to cumbersome. David makes the hard decision that we as preachers for a new generation must make. He takes off the armor.
David’s mission does not change. He is still tasked with defeating Goliath and bringing glory to God. David’s anointing does not change. God is still walking and covering him every step he goes, as we know from the end of the story. What David realizes however, is that he cannot go about his mission and call the same way that Saul did. Referring to the armor David says, “I am not used to them”. Really, David is saying, “I cannot use something that is not relevant to me. I would be fooling myself to use tools that I have never used before. God has uniquely equipped me with experiences that position me to do this task.”
Part of preaching to a new generation means women and men of the gospel tapping into the gifts that God has placed in their lives. We should not try to imitate others but instead rely on the experiences and gifts that allow us to be a powerful witness to the saving, healing and restorative love that God offers the broken world we live in. Preaching to a new generation does not mean throwing tradition out the window. It does not mean forgetting the wisdom of Prathia L. Hall, Gardner C. Taylor, Abigail Roberts and Thomas G. Long. It means as David did, channeling the lessons and bravery of these vessels of God’s glory; continuing the work of gospel but retrofitting what we have learned with new tools and methods.
If David insists on wearing Saul’s armor, he loses the battle. What he does is scary and surprising to many, but it saves his life and accomplishes the mission. Our churches continue to be places where church folk meet, live, interact, and form community with other church folks. If we are going to reach a new generation: those growing up in the church, as well as those who think church is the last place they want to be or would be welcomed, we need to get rid of the fitting rooms. This means that we must resist the urge to fit a 21st century ministry and call from God with 20th century armor.
While our goal may be the same, we must be open to God’s voice leading us to new methods and forms of ministry. That may mean opening our church doors to people who our grandparents and parents kept out. It could also mean asking the neighborhoods and cities our churches inhabit what they need in order for church to be a place where they would see themselves. Not compromising the Gospel, but in fact heeding it, these efforts could go a long way in reaching new people for Christ.
I am optimistic about the future of preaching. The Festival of Young Preachers reminds me every year that whether it is in a pulpit, coffee shop, pizza truck or prison chapel, God does not change. The core of Gospel has not changed. We must make ourselves available to the move of God, resist the urge to flock to the fitting rooms and let God do the dressing.