While inside the man cave yesterday with fellow OPC pastor Brian Nicholson, we took to verbal transactions over the use of grammar or terms in preaching.
I was very heavy on the utilitarian and pragmatic. I asked, “I want to be pragmatic...terribly pragmatic...is it permissible to help grow the church—to attract new visitors—by use of biblical and reformed jargon, terms, code-words or grammar paving the way for worship to be visitor-friendly?”
Yes, visitor friendly. Whether non-Christian or professing believer—I am wondering will grammar attract? Does grammar connect?
To illustrate—a Josephine County resident reads the local paper and ponders words like born again, Savior, evangelical, Bible, truth, vows, Adam, Eve, Jesus, church, and the like. My son is a neighborhood paper boy; these words appear fairly frequently in the letters to the editor and maybe in one or two other places. Such words might be considered foreign. But are they altogether foreign? Is there an acquaintance with such grammar of the faith that is sufficient to connect?
Also, as another illustration, other Josephine County residents listen to Renewing Your Mind or hear an mp3 of Phil Ryken, Michael Horton or R.C., Jr. and thinks, “is there a congregation in my area that is a part of the same stream of faith and life—I’ve grown acquainted with this reformed jargon?”
Interestingly, a professing believer, whom I had never met, telephoned the other day, “What does it mean to be reformed?”
If the preacher uses the grammar of the Westminster secondary standards more often, and his congregation increasingly recognizes that grammar, will it pave the way for that same grammar-speak out in everyday discourse of life, and thereby prove to be another way of attracting visitors?
Does Christian terminology—the grammar of the faith—help or hinder preaching? Help or hinder with the goal of reaching out?
—Mark Sumpter
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