How to practice “Collaborative preaching”?

The “Roundtable pulpit” was designed by John McClure, as a model of collaborative preaching. McClure (2007:13) described collaborative preaching thus:

Collaborative preachers form small groups of laypersons, from within and outside the church, who meet with the preacher to discuss biblical, theological, and experiential materials for the upcoming sermon. In some cases, an effort is made to meet in different social locations so that sermon messages are not constricted by the worldview of one's congregation. Sermon brainstorming might take place, for instance, in a public place such as a library or shopping mall, or at a women's shelter or homeless shelter. The preacher takes careful notes during the process of sermon brainstorming and prepares the sermon so that it resembles both the form and message of the collaborative brainstorming process. After the sermon is preached, preachers return to these groups for feedback and to begin the process again.

The aim of the roundtable pulpit is to create a community that is willing to learn something new every day, a community that does not only teach each other but learns from each other's experiences of the past and present, and prepares the future as the community's future with God. They want to build a community that shares ideas, and that listen to each other's voices. McClure (2012a) also briefly summarized collaborative preaching on his blog, as follows:

The Sermon Roundtable. As a collaborative preacher, you will form a small

group of lay persons (what I call a “sermon roundtable”), including those from within and outside the church. This group meets each week with you to discuss biblical, theological, and experiential materials for the upcoming sermon. It is important to keep the group small: usually 3-4 members. It is also important that the group changes regularly –every two to three months –so that an “in-group”

dynamic doesn’t take over, and in order to add diversity to the insights that are provided to the preacher.

The Tag-Team Approach. One of the best ways to accomplish this constantly rotating group rhythm is through a “tag-team” approach. Each group member joins for a designated length of time. When a person leaves the group, it is their responsibility to “tag” someone to take their place. The goal is to seek someone who will “shake the group up a bit,” adding a new dimension to the biblical interpretation and theological ideas in the group. This might be someone younger, or older, or of another race or ethnicity, or from outside the church, or of another faith, or of no faith.

Change Group Locations. Another way to add richness to the process is to meet in different social locations so that sermon messages are not constricted by the worldview of your congregation. Sermon brainstorming might take place, for instance, in a public place such as a library or shopping mall, or at a women’s shelter or homeless shelter.

Your Task, Should You Accept It. Your primary task is to begin conversation about the biblical text, and to take careful notes. When you prepare the sermon,

you will make use of aspects of both the form and message of the collaborative brainstorming process.

Face-to-Face is Important. Of course, collaboration could make use of technologies such as Facebook, blogs, bulletin boards, etc. But the genius of this method comes, in many respects, from its embodied, face-to-face quality. Much of what you can take into the pulpit comes from actual group dynamics, including bodily postures and attitudes: leaning in, hesitating, following, dodging, getting a footing, interrupting, re-framing, etc. I say more about this in the book.

Why Do It? The goals of this type of preaching are many: educating congregations on what sermons are and how they function in the community, increasing ownership of the ministry of proclamation in the church, teaching the Bible, widening preaching’s audience, promoting a public form of theology in the pulpit, and symbolizing a collaborative form of leadership in the church.

Cilliers (2004:143) gives a brief summary of what should happen in the roundtable conversation when he quotes McClure and suggests this format:

A. Feedback/ preliminaries (10 minutes)

A.1 How similar was last Sunday's sermon to our previous discussion? Must we adapt our method?

A.2 What feedback, of which we should take note, did you hear from the congregation?

B. Discourse with the biblical text (20 minutes)

B. 1 What questions do you have that are related to the historical context, words, or authorship of this specific text on which the sermon will be based? (The minister will play a leading role here, but must not be stereotypical in anticipation!)

B.2. Start a discussion with the author of the biblical text. What is he saying?

How would you like to respond to him?

B.3 If the biblical text is in a form of a story, talk to the characters, but do not identify (too quickly) with them. How do you react to their deeds and words?

What would you like to say to teach character?

B.4 Note the type of language used in the biblical text. How does it affect and make you feel? How would you like to react to it?

C. Discussion (60 minutes)

C.1 Determining themes. Let the group identify biblical-text themes (from daily labour, church and personal worlds) which they would like to discuss. An open agenda must be maintained.

C.2 Interpretation. Pay attention to how the group interprets the above-named themes; what in their opinion, is important for themselves, the church and the world?

C.3 Empowerment. Allow the group to identify with the themes. Give each a reasonable opportunity to speak from their hearts. Note underlying emotions.

Provide the opportunity for people to tell their own and other stories.

C.4 Justification. This part may not be avoided! The demands of the Gospel, in the light of the biblical text, must be clearly understood and accepted. Ask:

what difference can these matters make to ourselves, the Church and the world?

C.5 Practice. How do we switch all this into actions? What are our sources of help? What stumbling blocks may be presented?

In this meeting they acknowledge and respect the similarities and differences in regards to the members. In any congregation it often happens that not all the members are on good terms. Therefore in the roundtable conversation there is an opportunity for all the members to overcome the obstacle within themselves, and that does not happen easily or naturally. Hence all the discussions taking place at the roundtable are private and confidential, unless someone reveals it in public. McClure (1995: 65) points out that,

The group's only task in the roundtable is to brainstorm: to reflect honestly and candidly on the biblical text in relation to their understanding of God, the Christian tradition, their own experience and the mission of their congregation.

Participants are members of sermon roundtables, not sermon preparation roundtable.

In some cases, the names of those participating in these groups are published in bulletins so that feedback will come into the group by way of all of those responsible for the sermon. The brainstorming group changes regularly to avoid establishing an in-group. The goals of this type of preaching are many: educating congregations on what sermons are and how they function in the community, increasing ownership of the ministry of proclamation in the church, teaching the Bible, widening preaching's audience, promoting a public form of theology in the pulpit, and symbolizing a collaborative form of leadership in the church.

3.2.4. McClure’s ethical explanation for his Homiletics by