Preaching: Contemporary and Conversational - Adams, JOFMM Spring 2004

In my graduate courses on preaching, I asked ministers to list all
of the problems they could think of concerning preaching. The
item most frequently mentioned was that preaching is ineffective.
Laymen I know agree with this assessment. But why is this so?
There is nothing wrong with the message. Preachers are privileged
to proclaim the Word of the living God! His message outshines all
others. There are hundreds of textbooks about preaching, hours in
seminary curricula are devoted to training preachers and conferences
are held in an attempt to remedy the situation. Yet, in spite
of all of this, preachers themselves acknowledge their inadequacy.
If that acknowledgement were due to a false humility, the diagnosis
of the problem would not be serious. But that is not the case.
Preachers talk about these matters out of desperation; not out of
hidden pride. Not only are congregations suffering from ineffective
preaching, ministers, themselves, are calling out for help.