In his book Missional Preaching: Engage, Embrace, Transform (Judson), Al Tison says at its heart, missional preaching is rooted in scriptural teaching about the kingdom of God. He writes: “Preachers who have feasted upon the rich biblical story of the kingdom of God end up feeding the flock with the essential vitamins and minerals for authentic missional life. A number of guiding principles for preaching emerge when our hermeneutical lenses are in the shape of the kingdom of God.
“First, because of the biblical kingdom, we preach in light of the big picture of God’s ultimate desire for the world. God’s project of peace, justice, reconciliation, and love for all—in a word, shalom—is massive…Preaching that is informed by the biblical kingdom keeps the universal nature of God’s purposes in view, maintaining its place as the source of all the church is and does. In light of the kingdom of God, nothing that the church does is meaningless or mundane as it contributes to the big mission of God. We need to encourage our flocks with this truth on a regular basis.
“This leads to the second guiding principle that is informed by the biblical kingdom—namely, that we preach the importance of community. From the call to Abraham and Sarah to the birth of the nation of Israel to the development of the Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered church, the biblical kingdom has revealed a God who forms people in order to reach all peoples…
“Missional preaching not only highlights community, it also highlights the centrifugal nature of that community, sharing the overflowing blessings of life under the reign of God and inviting all to join the timeless, global, kingdom community. In other words, it affirms the inseparability of church and mission. Kingdom-shaped, missional preaching does its indispensable part in molding the people of God to be the city on a hill, the salt of the earth and the light of the world.”