Leading through the sermon

Abstract

As the subject of leading through the sermon is to a large extent absent in homiletical literature, this article investigates how the sermon can be used as a tool in leading church development processes. Congregations involved in strategic processes of church development are in focus, and the research question asks what the conditions are in which the sermon can be a tool in leading such processes. The material for analysis is homiletical literature from the last 25 years that combine preaching and leadership, and I understand the leadership of ministers as strategic and spiritual leadership. Sermons can function as a tool in church development processes when ministers are conscious of the possibilities of sermons to do so; the congregation and not the individual is the target audience of preaching; the sermon is firmly placed within the congregation’s life system; the external context is engaged; the congregation, through the sermon, is led towards shared goals; and when the ministers prioritise the theological dimension of the congregation in the sermons. The author asks for more research, and especially empirical research investigating to what extent ministers are in practice leading congregations through their sermons.