Do you preach to somewhere or anywhere people?

I want to pick up on the Somewheres and anywheres question and think specifically about its implications for preaching.  These might be fairly rough and ready categorisations but I hope they will get us thinking.

I think that “anywhere” preaching is the kind of preaching which is general and generic.  It may offer good exegesis of the text but lacks concrete and specific application.  It sits in the high ream of abstract and hypothetical thinking.  Anywhere preaching is likely to rely on quotes from famous dead people and stories trawled from the internet for illustrations.

“Somewhere” preaching is the kind of preaching that is rooted in the context where you are preaching. It’s earthed.  To some extent, where helpful, it may reflect your own somewhere too.  For example, my football illustrations are likely to be Bradford City ones in the main reflecting my somewhere.  I’m not going to necessarily adapt them to Baggies or Villa illustrations because they simply would not be authentic and would not work that way.  However, my somewhere as a Bantam is still likely to connect with a Baggies’ fan’s somewhere.  We have a kind of shared space if iyou like.

Somewhere preaching requires that we do our homework and exegete the congregation, getting to know who we are speaking to.  It will rely on illustrations that come out of our own lifer experience.  It will offer specific, concrete application.  It will be preaching that communicates what God is saying through his word to this group of people at this particular time.