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On Preaching

The sermon is the center of evangelical worship. Whether it should be expository, topical, narrative, or something else — and what faithful preaching actually requires — is a live debate.

Curated by Christian Curator · Updated regularly

Last updated: April 17, 2026

TL;DR

Faithful preaching requires biblical accuracy, Christ-centeredness, and clear application, but evangelicals debate whether expository preaching is the only legitimate method. While many Reformed leaders advocate sequential exposition through Scripture books, other evangelical traditions affirm topical and narrative approaches can also faithfully proclaim God's Word when grounded in sound biblical interpretation.

Evangelicalism has always been a preaching movement. The sermon is the center of Sunday worship; the preacher is the primary teacher of the congregation. But what faithful preaching looks like — expository vs. topical, long-form vs. short, text-driven vs. needs-driven — is debated with surprising heat. At the same time, the decline of biblical literacy in the pew is forcing a reckoning: if decades of evangelical preaching haven't produced biblically literate congregations, something has gone wrong.

Key Questions This Topic Addresses

  • What is expository preaching — and what distinguishes it from other approaches?
  • What is the biblical case for preaching through books of the Bible?
  • How do topical and narrative approaches differ from expository preaching?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of each homiletical method?
  • What should evangelical churches expect from faithful preaching in an age of declining biblical literacy?

The Evangelical Debate

Three Approaches to Preaching

How the Bible is preached determines what the congregation learns about the Bible. Three approaches — with different assumptions about the preacher's task, the listener's need, and the nature of biblical authority — shape evangelical preaching today.

Position 1
Expository Preaching
John Stott · D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones · John MacArthur · David Helm · 9Marks
The preacher's task is to preach the meaning of a biblical text — to explain, illustrate, and apply what the author intended to say. Expository preaching, working through books of the Bible sequentially, is the most faithful method because it forces the preacher to preach the whole counsel of God rather than only the passages that suit current needs. It is also the most corrective, exposing congregations to texts they would not choose for themselves.
Key Reads
What Is Expository Preaching? The Case for Expository Preaching
Position 2
Topical / Needs-Centered
Rick Warren · Andy Stanley · Bill Hybels · Ed Young Jr.
People come to church with real questions and real struggles — and preaching that begins with those questions is more likely to be heard. Topical preaching, organized around the concerns of real people rather than the sequence of biblical books, is not less biblical; it simply arranges biblical material differently. The question is not "did the preacher preach from the text" but "did people hear and respond to God's Word."
Key Reads
A Defense of Topical Preaching Topical vs. Expository
Position 3
Narrative / Story-Formed
Eugene Lowry · Frederick Buechner · Will Willimon · Tim Keller
The Bible is primarily a story — and preaching should be shaped by story as much as by argument or application. Narrative preaching follows the movement of a biblical text's dramatic tension toward resolution, drawing listeners into the story rather than lecturing them about it. The goal is not primarily information transfer but imagination formation — shaping how people see the world.
Key Reads
Narrative Preaching Story-Shaped Preaching

What the Conversation Adds Up To

Expository preaching has the strongest evangelical pedigree and the most compelling theological rationale. But the best preachers combine elements of all three: they exposit the text faithfully, address real human questions, and tell the story of the Bible with narrative power. The debate about method is secondary to the question of faithfulness: does this sermon come from the Bible, lead people to Christ, and call for a response?

What ties all three approaches together is a conviction about the nature of preaching itself: it is not performance, not inspiration, but proclamation — the herald's act of delivering a message received from another. The real question evangelicals face is not which method to choose, but whether any method, well-executed, can revive biblical literacy and form congregations in the whole counsel of God.

The Evangelical Conversation, Curated

1
What Is Expository Preaching?
· 9Marks
A foundational definition of expository preaching and what distinguishes it from other methods. This article explains that expository preaching means the main point of the sermon is the main point of the text — the preacher's job is explanation and application of the author's intended meaning, not the insertion of his own agenda.
2
The Case for Expository Preaching
· The Gospel Coalition
A sustained theological argument for why expository preaching is the most faithful method of handling God's Word. The article contends that the Bible's authority demands that sermons be ruled by the text's meaning, not the preacher's preferences or the congregation's felt needs.
3
A Defense of Topical Preaching
· The Gospel Coalition
A counterargument that topical preaching, when done biblically, serves the congregation's actual needs without compromising biblical authority. This article argues that meeting people where they are — their questions, struggles, and life circumstances — is itself a biblical posture.
4
Topical Versus Expository Preaching
· Christianity Today
A balanced exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches, examining what each accomplishes in congregational formation over time and what each may lack. The article moves beyond the false binary to ask how pastors can combine the best elements of both.
5
Narrative Preaching
· The Gospel Coalition
An introduction to narrative preaching as a distinct homiletical method that honors the Bible's inherent storytelling structure. This article explains how narrative preaching invites listeners into the dramatic movement of a text rather than reducing it to propositions to be explained.
6
Story-Shaped Preaching
· Crossway
An exploration of how the narrative arc of Scripture itself shapes the way preachers should construct their sermons. Rather than flattening biblical stories into timeless principles, this approach honors the literary and dramatic integrity of the text itself.
7
How to Preach the Whole Bible
· Desiring God
An article addressing one of the central claims of expository preaching advocates: that sequential exposition of biblical books ensures congregations hear the entire counsel of God, not just the preacher's favorite passages or the texts most comfortable to their cultural moment.
8
Evangelical Hermeneutics and the Preacher's Task
· Ligonier Ministries
A deeper dive into the hermeneutical principles that underlie different preaching methods. This article examines how a preacher's view of Scripture's meaning, authority, and application shapes the sermon he preaches and the congregation he forms.
9
Choosing a Preaching Method for Your Church
· Preaching Today
A practical guide for pastors and church leaders wrestling with which preaching approach best serves their congregation's maturity and context. The article avoids dogmatism while helping leaders think carefully about what faithfulness means in their particular setting.
10
The Decline of Biblical Literacy and What Preaching Can Do About It
· Christianity Today
An article diagnosing the crisis of biblical illiteracy in evangelical congregations and asking what role preaching's method plays in this decline. It examines whether expository preaching is actually producing biblical fluency or if congregations need a different approach altogether.