Larry Wood and the meaning of preaching

I am becoming more and more convinced that being a pastor is about being a theologian. (Actually, this is one reason why I am excited about the house church movement and Barna's findings in "Revolution": the pastor is freed to be a theologian, and not mainly an administrator.)

Anyway, Larry Wood is one of the smartest people I know. He's an Asbury prof who actually teaches. Teaching is about teaching for him. It's not a necessary evil of being an academic (which I think, not know but think, is a genuine vocation), but his passion. His greatest strength is knowing the interconnection of the history of philosophy. He sees how it fits together and why movements arise, stumble, get rejected, etc.

All this makes me think of preaching: It seems to me that preaching is about, more than anything, connection. It is a connection of a talkative God with his people. It is a connection between the preacher and the Word. It is thereby a connection between the preacher and God. And it is a connection between the preacher and the people. (The preacher is mentioned quite a bit here because his job is the one most in jeopardy. Another issue...)

Tying all this together: The valuable preacher is the one who can connect his/her people to the Bible (not the Bible to her/his people). That is the work of theology. Hence, the pastor must be a theologian...or else s/he can't preach.