Preaching style in IFB churches

[JoeyChris]

Hello everyone.
I have been attending a KJV only Independent Baptist Church for 5 years now. Before that I attended a Baptist Union Church for a year, after which we moved to this town.
In that church the preacher tended to cover topics, using scripture in context.

In this church my pastor takes months to go through one book of bible until he decides on another topic/ finishes the book itself. That has its positives and negatives of course.

Is this a common trait of IFB churches?

 

[faroukfarouk]

Hello everyone.
I have been attending a KJV only Independent Baptist Church for 5 years now. Before that I attended a Baptist Union Church for a year, after which we moved to this town.
In that church the preacher tended to cover topics, using scripture in context.

In this church my pastor takes months to go through one book of bible until he decides on another topic/ finishes the book itself. That has its positives and negatives of course.

Is this a common trait of IFB churches?

It's true that in less avowedly fundamentalist churches the preaching is sometimes more analytical and systematic, while in the more fundamentalist churches the preacher may frequently switch topics.

The real yardstick should be where the preacher is actually letting the Word speak for itself, clearly, to the hearers. Rather than whether the preacher is managing to project a paradigm onto the text of Scripture, however ingenious, or otherwise entertaining, etc.

 

[HereIStand]

Hi @JoeyChris. Welcome to CF. I was raised in an IFB church and school. Topical sermons tended to dominate. The church became KJV only as newer translations were introduced, like the NIV.

A Southern Baptist church that I belonged to had a mix of topical and expository sermons.

 

[JoeyChris]

It's true that in less avowedly fundamentalist churches the preaching is sometimes more analytical and systematic, while in the more fundamentalist churches the preacher may frequently switch topics.

The real yardstick should be where the preacher is actually letting the Word speak for itself, clearly, to the hearers. Rather than whether the preacher is managing to project a paradigm onto the text of Scripture, however ingenious, or otherwise entertaining, etc.

My current pastor until fairly recently preached upon 1 Corinthians and never finished it. It would have been at least a year. IMO that is too long. He tends to cross-reference it with scripture with little explanation.

He preaches very well and is especially gifted at explaining things on a level that younger people can grasp. His lack of formal training sometimes overshadows his biblical knowledge though. I probably have listened to too many preachers like John MacArthur perhaps?

As you can see I am a relative newcomer to Baptist churches.
In both Baptist churches the preachers have kept to text well.
I wondered how IFB pastors tended to approach their sermons.

 

[faroukfarouk]

My current pastor until fairly recently preached upon 1 Corinthians and never finished it. It would have been at least a year. IMO that is too long. He tends to cross-reference it with scripture with little explanation.

He preaches very well and is especially gifted at explaining things on a level that younger people can grasp. His lack of formal training sometimes overshadows his biblical knowledge though. I probably have listened to too many preachers like John MacArthur perhaps?

As you can see I am a relative newcomer to Baptist churches.
In both Baptist churches the preachers have kept to text well.
I wondered how IFB pastors tended to approach their sermons.

I think the thing to bear in mind also that in any church - including Bible believing ones - one will not find perfection. There are instead various discernible ministry tendencies, which do not necessarily exclude the validity of each other. But the listener is entitled to feel that there is true food for the soul from the Word; and the individual has to make that call.

 

[JoeyChris]

I think the thing to bear in mind also that in any church - including Bible believing ones - one will not find perfection. There are instead various discernible ministry tendencies, which do not necessarily exclude the validity of each other. But the listener is entitled to feel that there is true food for the soul from the Word; and the individual has to make that call.

Oh yes, I am aware every church has its strengths and weaknesses. I think it is a weakness in my mind only because I have listened to preachers who do address a single bible passage and examine it carefully and in detail. I think he preaches well overall though. He loves God's Word and that makes a major difference.

 

[1watchman]

No perfection with any Christians, for sure, but we need to consider God's Word is what God wants us to embrace; and we do better to not depend on a leader and his style, understandings, sermons, etc.. I have found the Bible-only gatherings work well for many reasons, and it does not have a hierarchy of leaders. They believe in the priesthood of all saints (as 1 Pet. 2). One can learn more about such assemblies in the world at the Biblecounsel.net web site, and ask questions there. I see that as what God intended for His testimony in the world. Well, to each his own way!

 

[joyfullyobey]

Hey sister! I hear you! I enjoy and prefer for topical sermons to be at the very least mixed in frequently. You know, feeding the flock with sermons on practical Christian living, how to behave in this Babylonian world, and what stances to take on issues. I like it when the pastor or an elder explains these things from time to time. It's very easy and IMO somewhat lazy and boring for a pastor to spend months on a book of the Bible or only preach "the Gospel" to a room of people who are already saved.

To answer your question: In my experience and from what I know, your experience is actually a flip of what's usual. I mean to say that usually the IFB churches will cover topics with a Scriptural basis and bring an issue to the pulpit often while non-fundamental baptists will do the expositories or safe preaching.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Hey sister! I hear you! I enjoy and prefer for topical sermons to be at the very least mixed in frequently. You know, feeding the flock with sermons on practical Christian living, how to behave in this Babylonian world, and what stances to take on issues. I like it when the pastor or an elder explains these things from time to time. It's very easy and IMO somewhat lazy and boring for a pastor to spend months on a book of the Bible or only preach "the Gospel" to a room of people who are already saved.

To answer your question: In my experience and from what I know, your experience is actually a flip of what's usual. I mean to say that usually the IFB churches will cover topics with a Scriptural basis and bring an issue to the pulpit often while non-fundamental baptists will do the expositories or safe preaching.

Hi; good to see you. I do think that the whole point of Biblical sermons is Godward and to equip believing hearers in their walk in Christ. It's not a surrogate program of political indoctrination on the grounds of this being supposedly 'relevant'.

I'm sure you'll find your way around the forums soon.

 

[anna ~ grace]

My current pastor until fairly recently preached upon 1 Corinthians and never finished it. It would have been at least a year. IMO that is too long. He tends to cross-reference it with scripture with little explanation.

He preaches very well and is especially gifted at explaining things on a level that younger people can grasp. His lack of formal training sometimes overshadows his biblical knowledge though. I probably have listened to too many preachers like John MacArthur perhaps?

As you can see I am a relative newcomer to Baptist churches.
In both Baptist churches the preachers have kept to text well.
I wondered how IFB pastors tended to approach their sermons.

My husband and I attended a Regular Baptist church for a few years. The preaching style was just as you mentioned, going through every verse, just about, as a sermon of its own.

These men were gifted preachers, bright, and taught well. But the style was very, very drawn out. On a plus side, they really taught every possible nuance of Scripture from their theological point of view that they could think to cover, and we got to memorize each verse, at least for one day. But it did tend to go on for a very long time. I'm not sure if that was a good thing. But I do like topical sermons better, at the end of the day.