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Emergent church calls preaching '‘broken,’ inauthentic

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MINNEAPOLIS--Emerging church leaders advocate authenticity, according to the Associated Baptist Press.

Doug Pagitt told more than 1,000 alternative church leaders in San Diego that "preaching is broken." Pagitt is the pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis.

Pagitt, like most other leaders of the emerging church movement have an evangelical background where preaching is valued. But new, young leaders claim that people today are increasingly distrustful of authority figures. They say churches must accommodate cultural shifts in order to reach a postmodern generation.

Pagitt said preaching doesn’t work anymore because it creates artificial power and distance, when the culture values authenticity.

Tim Keel, pastor of Jacob’s Well in Kansas City, Mo., said perfecting a sermon is not as important for ministers as showing some imperfection.

"When you allow yourself to be vulnerable and imperfect, then all of a sudden there's connection, because that's who people feel like," Keel said. "They're full of shame. They're full of doubt. They're full of abuse and brokenness. And so to get up and be 'he of the white teeth' and the polished ideas is alienating."

Pagitt advocates more usage of Scripture for speaking and worship.

Young leaders also emphasize the importance of involving the listener--before, during and after the sermon.

Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia, an experimental church in Houston, uses the Jewish tradition of midrash, in which the rabbis discuss opposing viewpoints on Scripture.

Other older church leaders, such as preacher Fred Craddock, said the emergent church reminds him of the ‘60s. But he said he also thinks the critique of preaching by emergent leaders isn’t a fair assessment, but rather a parody of preaching.

"The good part in all of it," Craddock said of the emergent church movement, "is a re-accent on the church as a community where everybody participates and is listened to and is respected."