Preaching Group Exceeds ExpectationsRachel Boehm Van Harmelen Pastors who joined an Ontario-based peer learning group known as "The Preaching Group" shared a common goal: to hone their preaching skills. They got what they came for-and then some. "We all experienced growth in our effectiveness in preaching," says Rev. Jack DeVries, the group's leader and pastor of Bethel CRC in Listowel, Ontario. "We keep stretching ourselves with new ideas and challenges, setting new goals for effectiveness in preaching."  In fact, the group's collaborative efforts have worked so well that they recently published one of the sermon series they co-created, an advent series entitled "What to Expect When You're Expecting," which appeared in the September 2004 issue of Reformed Worship. "Working on these sermons together benefited us immensely," says De Vries. "We had better sermons resulting from the shared exegesis, ideas and input from the group; and, as we preached some of these sermons in front of each other, we raised the bar in terms of sermon delivery. We know the congregations had a much better product as a result. Also, our collective work enabled us to produce more sermons in less time, so both the congregation and ourselves as preachers were winners! This was additional time we could devote to ourselves, our families, and our churches."  The Preaching Group has had another benefit, too, one not directly related to the group's initial goal. "Personal sharing has now become a vital part of our group meetings," says De Vries. This happened naturally, over time, as group members got to know each other. "Instead of simply talking about preaching we talk lots about each other as persons," De Vries says. "As we began to share our joys and our struggles we became spiritually stronger and more mature in our faith. Now we share with each other not just at our meetings but also in the time between meetings. This is really a good thing. This spiritual growth that each of us receives has spilled over into our work in our congregations." De Vries says the group has been "a personal blessing," noting the group's biggest challenge is keeping the size manageable. Now numbering eight, the group is no longer accepting new members. But De Vries urges other pastors to create or find a peer learning group of their own. "It is not good to be alone!" says De Vries. "We need each other. In a peer group, you no longer feel like a lone ranger. You know there are others who are just a phone call away, ready and eager to help." |
