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Any duplication, reproduction, or modification of this material without express written consent from Asbury Theological Seminary and/or the original publisher is prohibited. Contact B.L. Fisher Library Asbury Theological Seminary 204 N. Lexington Ave. Wilmore, KY 40390 B.L. Fisher Library’s Digital Content place.asburyseminary.edu Asbury Theological Seminary 205 North Lexington Avenue 800.2ASBURY Wilmore, Kentucky 40390 asburyseminary.edu ABSTRACT SACRED IMPROV: NARRATIVE PREACHING THAT OFFERS ENTRANCE INTO THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST by Dan Meek This study found that narrative preaching that holds plot and character together invites hearers to participate in the gospel story, much like actors are dravm into improvisational drama. Those who heard quality narrative sermons entered the story when they improvised a faithful response to the main character, God. The purpose of the study was to identify the elements of good narrative preaching and to develop a rubric for pastors to use in evaluating and enhancing narrative sermons prior to delivery. I constructed the pre-study rubric based on the literature review. I then preached four sermons that I prepared according to the pre-study rubric. In response to the sermons, a total of thirty-one listeners participated by joumaling or interview. I also made field observations throughout the study. I subjected the data to directed and non- directed content analysis. Under this structure, the study employed elements of qualitative phenomenology, grounded theory, and field study. Finally, I adjusted the pre- study rubric based on insight gained by the research. The literature review suggests that narrative preaching is a rediscovery of a method with no means of evaluation. I offer these pages, including the recommended rubric, as assistance in the production and evaluation of quality narrative sermons. The ultimate goal is to help preachers invite hearers to participate in the ongoing drama of God's story, the gospel of Jesus Christ. DISSERTATION APPROVAL This is to certify that the dissertation entitled SACRED IMPROV: NARRATIVE PREACHING THAT OFLliRS ENTRANCE INTO THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST presented by Daniel Wayne Meek has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for the DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at Asbury Theological Seminary March 13.2009 Date March 13.2009 Internal Reader Date March 13. 2009 Executive Director Date SACRED IMPROV: NARRATIVE PREACHING THAT OFFERS ENTRANCE INTO THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST A Dissertation Presented to the faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Daniel Wayne Meek May 2009 �2009 Daniel Wayne Meek All RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables viii List of Figures ix Acknowledgements x Chapter 1. PROBLEM 1 Purpose 4 Research Questions 4 Definition of Key Terms 4 Ministry Intervention: A Rubric to Be Refined 6 Context 9 Methodology 10 Participants 10 Instrumentation II Data Collection 12 Data Analysis 13 Rigor, Delimitations and Generalizability 13 Theological Framework of the Project 14 Reading the Script as Dramatic Plot 14 Summarizing the Plot and Introducing the Characters 15 Introducing a Hero 16 Offering Entrance 17 iii Preview 18 2. LITERATURE 19 The Gospel Drama: Review of Biblical Literature 20 Setting the Stage 20 C reating Coactors 21 Improvising Early Then Ad Lib 22 Calling for Cast Members: a Patriarch and a Deliverer 25 Retelling by a River, Improvisation, and Adlib 28 Portraying a Hero 29 Calling for a Community of Cast Members 31 Completing the Thread: Letters within the Drama 32 Ending Scenes 33 Problem 34 Beginning with the Story 34 Deconstructing the Story 35 Returning to Story with problems 39 Canon/Gospel as Dramatic Script of God's Story 41 Coauthoring the Script 42 Structuring the Script 43 Character in the Drama 44 The Shape of Plot and Character 46 Names for a Hero 47 Songs of a Hero 50 IV Early Improvisation on the Gospel: Dramatic Shape of the Creeds 52 Preaching the Drama: Narrative Homiletics 58 Abducting the Hearers 59 Conforming Narrative 59 Preaching Plot and Character: A Particular Story 61 Preaching Bad News 63 Preaching Good News 68 Preaching Threads 72 Developing Character(s) 75 Learning to Improvise: A Life of Response 82 Literature on Design 88 Qualitative Design 88 Participants and Sampling 89 Instrumentation 92 Data Collection 94 Data Analysis 95 Rigor 98 Summary of Review 102 3. METHODOLOGY 104 Problem 104 Purpose : 104 Research Questions 105 Participants 106 V Instrumentation 107 Pre-Test Procedures 108 Variables 108 Data Collection 109 Data Analysis 11 1 Rigor 113 Ethics 114 Summary 1 14 4. FINDINGS 116 Pretest Procedure 116 Profile of Participants 117 Findings According to the Rubric Sections 119 Bad News 119 Good News 124 Character 127 Thread 132 Response 135 Findings Not Accounted for by Pre-study Rubric 140 A Dual Categorization 140 A New Category 140 Findings Applied to Research Questions 141 RQl. Degree of Entry 141 RQ2. Reasons for Entry 1 42 vi RQ3. Point(s) of Entry 143 RQ4. Entry and Response 143 Summary of Findings 144 5. DISCUSSION 145 Problem and Purpose 145 Interpretation 145 Implications 149 Limitations 149 Unexpected Observations 151 Recommendations: An Rubric For evaluation and Steps for Use 151 Postscript 158 APPENDIXES A. In the Boat: A Sample Sermon 159 B. Participant/Researcher Covenant 1 68 C. Narrative in Education and Psychology 1 69 WORKS CITED 178 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1.1. Pre-Study Rubric 8 4.1. Number of Participants per Week 1 1 8 4.2. Findings of Directed Analysis Described on the Rubric 139 5.1. Recommended Rubric for Narrative Preaching 153 5.2. An Example Rubric for Matthew 14:22-32 157 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2.1. Modified Christological Parabola 47 2.2. Rublev's Icon ofthe Trinity 57 2.3. Lowry Loop 62 ix ACKNOWLEDEGMENTS I wish to offer my appreciation to: Canadian Hills Church of the Nazarene for their willingness to allow me time and funds to pursue this degree and for their openness in answering questions. Special thanks to my research and reflection team: Scott Stewart, Rocky HoUingsworth, David Schmidt, Sheryl Best, Johnny Ledbetter, and John Parker. Your time and insights have made this project more than it would have been. Thanks to Judy Seitz for editing, and to Mike Best for volunteering to proof the manuscript. Thanks to Karen Parker for acting as research assistant and to Pankaj Agarwal for helping generate the two visual images. Thanks also to my colleagues Reverend Danny Goddard, who served as a sermon reader, and to Reverend David Busic, who did peer review and has been my field mentor throughout my Doctor of Ministry program. Our conversations have been rich. To Chuck Killian, my faculty mentor: Thanks for your love of the story and your excellence in telling it. More than once your timely prodding reminded me of who I am and what this project was really about. To Tom Tumblin and Lester Ruth: Thanks for your input, encouragement and accountability. These pages are better for your help. his I must say a huge thanks to Sarah and Bethany for letting "Daddy" finish up before school while you started yours. Are you supposed to be able to say "dissertation" before and who your fifth birthday? And thanks to Earla, who read these pages anyone beautifully lives the gospel story, daily before my eyes. You are God's gift to me. Finally, thanks to God, the Three in One, and main character of the gospel drama. He graciously invited me to enter the story as one who gets to tell it each Sunday. Meek 1 CHAPTER 1 PROBLEM The following passage offers advice from a Russian monk named Father Zossima: Do you suppose the ... [people] don't understand? Try reading them the touching story of the fair Esther and the haughty Vashti; or the miraculous story of Jonah in the whale. Don't forget either the parables of Our Lord, choose especially from the Gospel of St. Luke (that is what I did) and then from the Acts of the Apostles the conversion of St. Paul (that you mustnl leave out on my account), and from the Lives of the Saints, for instance, the life of Alexey, the man of God and, greatest of all, the happy martyr and seer of God, Mary of Egypt � and you will penetrate their hearts with these simple tales. (Dostoyevsky 327). A few decades ago, preachers in America began to take Father Zossima's advice (Rice 9; Buttrick 106). I am one of them. I continue to believe that Scripture and life possess a narrative structure; therefore, I continue to preach the narrative style. I began my preaching life as a youth pastor with this view of preaching.