5 Problems I have with Sermons

1. Monologue is much less effective than Interactive learning (eg. house church style). Personally I often "tune out" when listening passively to a monologue-sermon. [so why do churches still prioritise sermons over small groups?]
2. Sermons are generally seen by churches and ministers as essential. However, preaching as we know it (regular monologues to believers) is not found in the bible (see 'The Problem with Preaching' post for a theologically sound article that confirms this). Because preaching is extra-biblical I dislike the high status preaching has been given, and as a result I distrust preaching.
3. I want to have the opportunity of responding/questioning/clarifying/disagreeing/discussing - which no person can ever do during a sermon (in most churches) - no one can interupt a sermon. If there is any disagreement/discussion, that happens in a private talk with the Preacher after the sermon - so if something in the sermon was false, controversial or misleading the congregation will not have the chance to have that message 'corrected', or to hear other legitimate opinions/views.
4. To me, the concept of preaching (done by one or a few regular people, usually male, and often 'theologically trained' but not always) elevates the preacher to a high extra-spiritual status, and disempowers the congregation. People learn to rely on this person, who is considered essential, to 'feed' them with weekly talks (sermons). This way there is a hierarchy (all people are equal under God. "But some are more equal than others") which I don't think should be there. Individuals feel less able to seek deep spiritual learning themselves when they are told they 'need' a weekly sermon. They also feel less able to do great things than their super-spiritual Minister. Subconsciously at least, the Minister's work is seen as the most important. And to increase this division, the congregation are the passive learners, most of whom don't teach others (eg. through leading small groups), but 'get taught'. Thus, the sermon-Sunday-service focus of most churches today downplays the importance of individual people (unlike the house church, where everyone brings something special to the group, and is heard).
5. I've found that most of the sermons I've listened to have not been very relevant to me. They may have been directly relevant to, perhaps, 10% of the congregation - but it is almost impossible to cater a sermon to the needs of the entire congregation (especially when the congregation is a mixture of 'saved ages ago', 'recently saved' and 'unsaved' people). I found sermons increasingly difficult to relate to because they seemed to be mostly aimed at church leaders, or men, or the 'unsaved'. I desperately wanted to hear more 'down to earth' sermons, instead of high-theological-thinking sermons. I also wanted to hear more women preach, in the hope that what they said would be more relevant to me. Less than 5% of the sermons I've heard were by women speakers.