Blog | Expressions of church – essential reading for preachers
Expressions of church – essential reading for preachers
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 16.06.25
The new wine skin of fresh expressions should include a fresh expression of preaching: Here are some books that might help you refresh your thinking on how to preach.
It has been my pleasure to visit many churches that might be considered fresh expressions. I love their dynamic approach to connecting relevantly with the needs and cultures of the people they are seeking to reach. There are some exciting alternatives out there that are rethinking how we gather, where we gather and even why we gather. But about the way we preach? Is that up for grabs too?
I have been asking myself this question for a while. On one hand the vast amount of online content and preaching forces us to reconsider connection, interaction, style and format. On the other hand Jesus’ own teaching style challenges us too – combining local knowledge, and storytelling, asking questions and responding to interruptions. As a result, I have been trying out a more interactive approach with both large and small congregations and finding that I still have much to learn in my communication.
Here are four books that I have gone back to as I have tried to work out how to make preaching truly engaging, relevant and faithful to today’s listeners:
I BELIEVE IN PREACHING John Stott (Hodder & Stoughton, 2014) This classic book has ongoing significance to for all of us who seek to communicate the scriptures in way that is relevant to our audience. Stott’s twin horizon of text and today holds so much value. Whatever form our preaching takes these principles of expository preaching that are grounded in original context and yet also connected viscerally to the needs of our world, remain essential for all church planters.
