Collaborative Sermons: When the Congregation Helps Write the Message

Helping Every Voice Shape the Sermon

What happens when the people listening to a sermon help create it? A familiar Bible story can become more memorable, new perspectives can deepen understanding, and people of all ages can discover that they have something meaningful to contribute.

In this episode of the Ministry Architects Podcast, Anthony and Renée welcome the Rev. Peter Levenstrong, associate rector of St. Gregory of Nyssa Church in San Francisco. Peter introduces Living Stories Sermons, an approach to collaborative preaching that combines storytelling, open-ended questions, and thoughtful facilitation to invite the whole worshiping community into interpreting Scripture.

The Way We Preach Communicates Something Too

Whether your tradition calls it a sermon, message, teaching, or homily, Peter invites leaders to examine what its structure communicates about participation and authority.

Notice who gets to interpret Scripture. When one person speaks and everyone else listens, the format communicates something about whose insights matter.
Recognize wisdom beyond formal training. Children, older adults, and people without theological education can offer meaningful insights into Scripture and its connection to their lives.
Consider what participation makes possible. Collaborative preaching gives people an active role in exploring the text and hearing how others experience it.

A question for ministry leaders: What does the way you teach communicate about who can contribute to the community’s understanding of Scripture?

An Experiment in Intergenerational Worship Became Living Stories Sermons

Living Stories Sermons began as Peter’s church prepared to regather during the pandemic in 2021. Children wanted to meet in person for Godly Play, a Montessori-based approach to exploring Scripture through storytelling and wondering.

The church began gathering outdoors for Godly Play and Eucharist. Over time, one of its services continued to use storytelling and shared reflection as part of worship.

Start with a meaningful need. The initial goal was to create an intergenerational experience that engaged the people present.
Experiment and adapt. The approach developed through repeated practice and adjustments to fit the whole worshiping community.
Pay attention to what people retain. Peter describes research involving 14 participating churches that explored how well people remembered the gospel story and a takeaway compared with traditional sermons.
Listen to participants’ experiences. Peter reports that responses favored Living Stories Sermons for helping the story and its takeaways stay with people.

Ministry takeaway: You do not have to begin with a fully developed program. Peter’s team discovered a shareable approach by responding to a local need and learning as they went.

Help People See the Story and Hear Multiple Perspectives

Peter offers two possible explanations for why this approach helps Scripture stay with people.

1. Simple visual storytelling makes the action easier to follow.

Felt figures help participants see where people are, how they move, and what happens in the story. These low-tech materials can make details more noticeable and familiar passages easier to picture.

Peter recalls several longtime Christians saying they had never heard a particular gospel story after seeing it enacted, even though it was part of their regular reading cycle.

2. Multiple voices create more opportunities for meaningful connection.

Hearing several interpretations allows people to encounter insights connected to different experiences. A contribution from someone else in the room may speak directly to what a listener is navigating.

For leaders: Opening the conversation involves trust in Scripture, the people participating, and the Holy Spirit. It also requires active facilitation.

Facilitate the Conversation With Deep Listening

Peter compares the shift from delivering a traditional sermon to facilitating a collaborative sermon with the difference between lecturing and leading a seminar. Both require preparation, but the skills are different.

A central practice is mirroring back each person’s contribution:

Listen for the heart of the response. Someone may need time to find the words for what they mean.
Identify the clearest insight. Notice the meaningful idea within a longer or less polished contribution.
Restate it briefly and generously. Help the speaker and the group hear what has been offered.
Make the contribution audible to everyone. This is especially helpful when children or quieter participants speak.
Clarify ambiguity with theological care. Peter describes using a careful restatement to guide comments that could otherwise be understood in unhelpful or harmful ways.

Peter notes that difficult comments arise less often than leaders might fear. The aim is a reflective space where people share vulnerably about Scripture.

✅ DO: Listen deeply and help people express their insights clearly.
❌ DON’T: Expect participants to deliver polished theological statements on the spot.

A specific caution: Peter names accidental anti-Semitic interpretations as one issue facilitators may need to recognize and address. Sharing the sermon does not remove the leader’s responsibility for theological care.

Prepare Well and Adapt the Materials to Your Setting

Peter prepares scripts following the Revised Common Lectionary. They include:

The Scripture reading.
A materials list.
Directions for enacting the story.
Suggested wondering questions.

He shares these in editable Google Docs so leaders can adapt them for their ministry context.

Use the suggested questions or write your own.
Adjust the script to fit the people you serve.
Practice facilitating. Confidence and skill develop through experience.
Ask about previous scripts if you do not follow the lectionary. Peter says earlier materials may fit a particular passage.

At the time of the conversation, the scripts focused on upcoming gospel readings. Peter describes a larger, searchable archive and additional biblical stories as possibilities for future development.

Adapt Collaborative Preaching for Different Group Sizes

Peter has used Living Stories with groups ranging from five to 200 people. His church’s weekly service using the approach typically includes around 30 participants.

Ministry setting	Adaptation Peter suggests
A smaller gathering	Gather closely for storytelling and a shared conversation.
A room with pews or limited visibility	Place storytelling materials on a small table where people can see them.
More than roughly 50 participants	Consider microphones and amplification so contributions can be heard.
A larger gathering	Invite people to discuss wondering questions with those nearby, then share with the full group.
A setting where visual enactment is impractical	Read the passage and focus on creating the sermon through shared reflection.

Keep participation broad. Peter’s approach invites everyone present to contribute. When the gathering becomes too large for one conversation, smaller groups can help preserve that opportunity.

✅ DO: Adjust the format so more people can participate.
❌ DON’T: Assume felt figures, floor seating, or a small group are requirements for collaborative preaching.

Build Trust With One Wondering Question

What if your ministry community is not comfortable speaking openly during worship?

Peter acknowledges that collaborative preaching requires trust, while also describing how the practice builds trust over time. Hearing one another reflect on Scripture can strengthen relationships and create a sense of shared spiritual life.

His suggested starting point is small:

Prepare and deliver most of the sermon as usual.
Leave one part open for shared reflection.
End with a wondering question.
Explain that you are inviting people to help finish the sermon.
Receive responses during the gathering.
Try two questions another time as confidence grows.

Anthony emphasizes allowing space for silence while people adjust to a new invitation.

Keep the invitation genuine. Ask a question you are prepared to hear people answer. Renée shares an example of a pastor who welcomed a child’s responses to rhetorical questions, helping both the child and the adults learn through the exchange.

A Practical First Step for Your Next Sermon

Choose one passage and one open-ended wondering question. Invite the people you serve to reflect on what the text is saying and how it connects with their lives.

As you facilitate:

Give people time to respond.
Welcome contributions across generations.
Mirror back the central insight in each response.
Guide the conversation with care.
Notice what you learn from the people participating.

Peter’s invitation is to begin gradually and discover what shared interpretation can make possible in your ministry context.

Resources Mentioned

Living Stories Sermons: livingstoriessermons.org
Book: Collaborative Sermons by Peter Levenstrong, published by Church Publishing.
Introductory Zoom workshops: Peter describes offering workshops approximately every month or two, where participants learn the approach by creating a collaborative sermon together.
Godly Play: godlyplayfoundation.org – The storytelling and wondering approach that helped shape the original experiment.
Anthony Rogers – anthony.rogers@ministryarchitects.com