The pulpit had been the characteristic heart of church life, the place where guidance was given, vision was cast, and the people of God were led clearly and convincingly, through the pulpit, by generations. However, somewhere on the way, modern ministry started losing the pulpit as its leadership tool. The churches became very dependent on committees, planning retreats, leadership retreats, and strategic documents, and the pulpit faded into the background as a source of inspiration and not direction. David W. Stokes, in his powerful and highly topical work, From the Pulpit to a Movement, discloses the process of this occurrence and why the recovery of the pulpit as a leadership instrument is crucial to the church of today.
Stokes stated that the pulpit did not cease to be powerful; it just ceased to have leaders who stood behind it and who were intentional. Preaching had, over time, become a matter that the pastors planned week in and week out instead of planning strategically how it would influence the future course of the church. Sermons were isolated messages that were comforting but not mobilizing. The congregations became used to being motivated as opposed to being guided. Consequently, several churches started to lose their way, not due to a lack of passion or programs, but the pulpit ceased to anchor and give a sense of direction to the mission of the church.
Stokes argues that the pulpit is always constituted to be in the lead, and history testifies to it. The Scripture is full of movements that started with messages. Moses did not govern Israel through committees but by proclamation. Nehemiah was able to rebuild a city that was broken by means of hope, clarity, and challenge. Part of the formation of identity and mission was that Paul planted churches through sermons. And Jesus did not change the world over the organizational strategy session, but preached about it that characterized a Kingdom. The pulpit, when served according to the will of God, is a place where movements start. It is where people see, where unity is cultivated, and where the people of God are called into action.
Stokes provides a way out in From the Pulpit to a Movement: reclaiming the pulpit is the most powerful and Spirit-enabled leadership platform that the pastor has. Preaching should once again be deliberate, purposeful, and geared towards the future of the church. Strategic preaching is not what Stokes is referring to when he wants to substitute biblical truth with the language of leadership, it is the presentation of biblical truth in such a way that leads the congregation into unified mission. It is preaching that deliberately transfers people wherever they are and wherever God is inviting them to go.
Stokes shows the process of how this occurs with proper planning and by the Spirit’s preparation. Rather than creating sermons separately, pastors can create messages that build upon each other, creating a long-term pathway with the audience. He urges pastors to create preaching calendars, which will show renewal, discipleship, unity, and mission goals. Sermons do not stand alone, but when used in concert, they bring motion. They influence the minds, motivate people to act, and enhance the identity of the church.
The reason why the insight provided by Stokes is particularly useful is its applicability to the transitional and interim pastors. Taken as transitional leaders, such leaders at times believe that their preaching has less effect. This presumption is inverted by Stokes. Since transitional pastors do not deal with politics or other habits in the church, they have a special chance to preach clearly and boldly. They can assist congregations to heal, get their course straight, and re-emerge in mission through strategic sermons. They can bring long-term renewal despite the fact that their impact is not long-lasting.
Stokes also addresses the digital issue of the contemporary ministry environment. Preaching has the scarcity that it can slice through an environment of noise and distraction with grounded and biblical truth. The chapter on the ethical use of artificial intelligence is a reminder to the pastor that, though technology could be beneficial in their preparation, it could not take the place of what the Spirit could do through their voice.