Are those who promote a DMM strategy for disciple-making and church planting opposed to preaching? Is it ever appropriate to preach to those you disciple? When is it not helpful to preach? These questions have come up in conversations with those I’ve trained recently. They are important questions to ask.
The Apostle Paul said in Romans 15:20 that he had endeavored to preach the gospel where Christ was not known. There are many biblical references to preaching. In DMMs, there is a place for it. It is important, however, that we understand what that word means in Greek. We should not automatically think it refers to what happens on Sunday mornings from a platform.
In this article, we will look at what that word means in its context. We will discuss the times when preaching (or proclamation) is helpful or necessary. It’s also important to look at when it could cause barriers to reproducibility or adult learning. We will also consider the power of story-telling and see in Scripture that this was Jesus’ primary method of communicating truth.