And you’re right- it is counterintuitive. While many, in the name of contextualization, seeker-sensitivity, or post-propositionalism might abandon the regular proclamation of truth, we really have nothing else. As Martin Luther famously wrote, he taught the Gospel “again and again, because I greatly fear that after we have laid our head to rest, it will soon be forgotten and will again disappear.”
Thank you.

Paul tells the elders of the church at Ephesus, “Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” (Acts 20:26-32)

So, call it what you like, but the work of the Spirit will always cause the word of God to be made clear through the voices of those called to speak it. I call it preaching. Some may call it teaching, others may call it mentoring, however it is all still the proclamation of truth expressed in the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is counterintuitive in this modern world to trust in the foolishness of preaching to do God’s work in this day.

I believe that the Word is central (as you mention- our foundation, our only authority) to all that we do, but I don’t think it’s a Biblical requirement that we communicate it through “preaching” as it’s commonly practiced today.

In the context of church, we can teach, rebuke, reprove, exhort, and evangelize without preaching a sermon. If a casual spiritual conversation (no less bold in presentation and assertion of the truth) can be considered “preaching,” I suppose I’d agree with you.

Justin,
Yeah. If the “sermon” isn’t as necessary to church as many would claim, personal communication of the truth is. When a church relies on a sermon podcast (no matter how good the preacher may be), they tend to be lazy about their responsibility to do all that Dave reminds us about in his comment. If half of the meeting time in a typical hour-long gathering is spent listening to Mark Driscoll (or whomever), there’s usually not much time left for a pastor (who knows the group members personally) to communicate the Word to them in a personal and meaningful way.

I believe that the scriptures are clear about the need to emphasize the preaching of God’s word and that no matter how the Holy Spirit leads a church it would never be away from the central place of preaching. It is what John the Baptist did, it is what Jesus did, it is what the Apostles did, and I believe it is what we should do.