Using movie clips and songs to preach: “If it’s not engaging, they will check out”

Some preachers like to raise you up  on Eagles’ wings, especially when the Eagles in question are the rock band.

From Omaha: 

A church band played the Eagles’ song “Desperado” while pastor Bruce Davis preached on a winter morning.

Davis tied the song’s lyrics — “You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late” — to God’s love for all people. The Omaha pastor regularly weaves pop music into his sermons at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church to make his preaching more engaging.

Local clergy say it’s more important than ever to deliver sermons that not just share God’s message but capture people’s attention and hearts.

“If it’s not engaging, they will check out,” said Mark Ashton, lead pastor at Omaha’s Christ Community Church.

Drawing people into the pews can be challenging these days. Roughly 3 in 10 U.S. adults say they never or seldom attend worship services, according to the Pew Research Center. Plus, the center’s polling shows that the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to rapidly grow, and particularly among young people.

Local clergy emphasize they aren’t trying to entertain or water down God’s word, but rather deliver a spiritual message that captivates their congregation — not put it to sleep.

Sermons at some churches are multimedia, peppered with clips from popular movies and songs that connect with Gospel messages. Clergy are also tapping social media, with a pastor at one Omaha church planning to connect with the congregation on Twitter while delivering the sermon.

Some clergy are even ditching the pulpit. One Omaha rabbi now delivers his sermon in a talk-show format complete with a monologue and desk.

Catholic priests and other clergy whose formats are more traditional say building a sermon with vivid words or a story from the news helps make it relevant and engaging.

Even Pope Francis weighed in on the topic last fall when he issued a blueprint for his papacy. The pope reminded priests that they must offer a powerful and engaging homily because it is the “touchstone for judging a pastor’s closeness and ability to communicate to his people.”

At a service in January, Davis tied his sermon to the music of the Eagles. As the church band played covers of “Hotel California” and other hits, photos of the Eagles, Richard Nixon and other images from the 1970s flashed on huge twin screens behind the altar.

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