This post is part four of four in the series “Renewing Expository Preaching.” Read part one, part two and part three.

Preaching should be both theologically deep and wide.

This is the final of four articles giving some of my thoughts on expository preaching that laid out why I value expository preaching, but also consider other forms as biblically valid and helpful to the congregation. We need to be preachers who are constantly renewing our commitment to proclaiming God’s Word, with expository preaching as central.

In this final article, I want to look at how to preach effectively without dumbing down the content, or how to be prophetic and practical at the same time.

In the modern era, there has been a generation of preachers whose approach resembled the self-help inspirational talks of Tony Robbins. You could find titles of sermons such as, “Five Principles for a Better Life,” “Four Steps to Facing Fear” and “Three Models for House Repair.”

I’m just joking about the last one, but you get the idea.

Suffice it to say, some preaching was dumbed down (stripped of theological depth) to reach the dechurched or unchurched by offering pragmatic ways people could have a happier and healthier life.

It’s a good motivation, but I think it's the wrong application.

I’m not saying that every attempt at preaching in a way that unchurched people understand is dumbing down the preaching. You can clearly proclaim the Word of God without compromise while also applying it practically to hearers, from the unchurched to church leaders.

Why Do Preachers Sometimes Sacrifice Being Prophetic for Being Practical?

Some pastors who preach more “felt need” type sermons do so because they believe church has become inaccessible, irrelevant or uninspiring to those who were and who were not attending. There is a desire for creating an environment that is more accessible and understandable without losing the ability to bring truth and meaning.

At different times and places, such an approach did grow some churches.

Unfortunately, starting from a place other than Scripture in preaching can inadvertently lead to sermons that are “a mile wide and an inch deep.” Shallow churches sometimes grow, but is that the growth we seek? Sometimes the genuine desire to reach people brought the unintended consequence of exchanging theological depth for creativity, craftiness, cleverness and catchiness. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I’m not railing against the contemporary church or the employing creativity.

I believe many had a pure heart and wanted to see many people come to know the Lord — and many did. I am just highlighting a potential weakness within that movement that still exists today.

It’s probably obvious I am not a fan of the dumbing down approach that overemphasizes application and underemphasizes truth. I firmly believe that one can preach to unchurched, , new to church and deeply churched in a way that is both accessible and theologically rich.

It just takes more work to do so.

Putting the Cookies Up on a Little Higher [Theological] Shelf


I’m far from the world’s greatest preacher and teacher. But one of the things I’ve tried to do as a preacher is to put the cookies a little higher on the theological shelf. If teenagers can learn trigonometry and the intricacies of marketing and economics — and if people can go to Starbucks and order a triple shot, venti, soy, no foam, extra-hot latte, with two pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup — then they can come to our corporate gathering and learn about propitiation.

I understand there is a debate regarding who the corporate worship gathering is for — some believe it is for the believer, some think it can focus on the unbeliever. I hold that church is for the glory of God and his mission in the world, which leads me to shape corporate worship for both the believer and unbeliever, though for different reasons. (The believer worships. The unbeliever observes.)

Thus, when we do put the theological cookies up on a higher shelf, you may need to provide a stepping stool, or what I refer to as an “on ramp” for unbelievers or newer believers to reach the topic. Jesus did this often, using metaphors and questions to help hearers understand the message.

By not dumbing down the message, both the unchurched and churched learn and grow, and one of the greatest lessons they learn from aiming high theologically is that Jesus is both accessible and demanding.

A Growing Shift From Shallow to Deep

A few years ago, Willow Creek Church famously discovered they had been successful at reaching the unchurched and the newer believer; yet they were . One-fourth of those who classified themselves as “close to Christ” or “Christ-centered” noted they were either “stalled” in their spiritual growth and/or dissatisfied with the church. From their study, they made some adjustments to make depth a part of their spiritual maturation.

Over the years, I’ve talked to many pastors who have shifted to more depth in content in their preaching. I once asked , pastor of Life Church in Oklahoma, what has changed about his preaching over the years. He explained that, to preach to the unchurched, he had to start preaching deeper because even the unchurched want deeper content. In other words, those for whom sermons were being dumbed down aren’t dumb. They are interested in the truth or else they’d be out golfing.

I also had a conversation with James Emery White, author of “,” who told me that several things at his church (which leaned more seeker-friendly) have changed over the years. One area that has changed is the depth of content of the messages because the unchurched are asking deeper questions.

The Art (Or the Challenge) of Preaching With Both Width and Depth

Preaching with both width and depth is not only a challenge, but also an art.

It takes great intentionality and discipline to take the Scriptures and to develop the sermon content in a way that is faithful to the text and contextually relevant to a diverse audience that may include mature believers, newer believers, and those who may have never read the Bible before.

Here’s the reality: If the sermon primarily focuses on believers, it may not connect with the visiting . However, if it focuses primarily on unbelievers, it may not grow the believers. Finding the balance is an art, an art very difficult to master.

In my opinion, the late mastered this as well as anyone, focusing on believers and making sure unbelievers can listen in. His sermons masterfully interwove biblical commentary, apologetics, current issues, secular philosophies, cultural artifacts and cultural needs all the while concluding in a fashion.

When Keller was asked, “What advice would you give to that younger you just starting out in ministry?” he ,

It takes a long, long, long, long time and lots and lots of practice to become as good a preacher as you are gifted to be. There’s a tendency to think if you are gifted then you can just do it…Then I went and started Redeemer in New York. I thought I was as good a preacher as I was going to be. But Redeemer was a crucible for me and my preaching because these were harder people and their feedback was more negative…It took me thousands of sermons to get to the level that God had gifted me to get to.

However, as Keller noted, it will take time and lots of practice for preachers and teachers to be able to rightly divide the word of truth in a way that is both deep and wide—reaching both the believer and unbeliever.

Good preaching is worth that work.

and more writing by Ed Stetzer are available on .