When you are preaching the Gospel, you need various tools to help you understand the Biblical text. As noted in other places on this site and others, you should never begin your preparation looking at these tools, however, you should always ensure that your preaching is in line with what is truth.
Category: Preaching
How to Prepare – Conclusion
My Sister and Brother preachers, preparation will help the preacher weather the storm of standing behind the sacred desk. It is our hope that this series of simple suggestions lifts your spirits and increases your confidence. Reverend Harris and Elder Cox believe that these suggestions will help you be heard.
How to Prepare – Editing the Sermon
When you are preparing for preaching, one must edit the sermon. One must take a very close look at the sermon and rewrite it. Henry Mitchell has written a very important article on this very subject that you can find in Best Advice for Preaching. I would encourage all new preachers to get this book.
How to Prepare – Which Bible Version are you Using?
A preacher must always be prepared with his or her sword. However, which Bible should you use? The question breaks down into two components. The first question is which Bible should you use in preparation? The second question is which Bible should you use in presentation?
Which Bible – Preparation
How to Prepare – Practicing the Sermon Out-Loud
As Reverend Harris notes in his helpful article, we should re-read the sermon before we can believe that we have prepared. I wish to make a small addition to that suggestion. When you read it, you should read it Out-Loud. Our inner voice can hide many issues that only show up when you read it out-loud.
How To Prepare – Leaving Room for the Spirit
Reverend Napoloeon Harris has been in the midst of a series on preparation for effective sermons. I am adding a few posts to that series and then Minister Harris will finish it up.
How to Prepare – Know the Congregation
The preacher’s preparation must include attention to the congregation. As far as possible, the preacher should have a knowledge of the congregation and current events therein.
How to Prepare – Preach to the Occasion
One of the best ways to show the congregation that you prepare is to preach to the occasion. If it is youth day, preach to the youth. Youth sermons may prove to be the hardest sermons to perform because they involve all of the intense exegetical and theological work of any other sermon, but they also require another big step. Youth sermons require one to posit intensely deep messages in language and life experiences that children can understand.
If you are asked to preach at the Usher’s annual day, preach about that, likewise for Men’s day, Easter and the like. A minister friend of mine often jokes about attending a sunrise Easter service in which all of the preachers kept preaching Good Friday texts, and continually going to the cross out of habit. He said to me “man don’t these folks know Friday was two days ago, it’s Sunday, and today He got UP.†Likewise, we don’t want the congregation saying, “Doesn’t the preacher know what today is? Men’s day was last month and today is Women’s day.”
To conclude, if you have been called to preach a sermon, preparation means that you know the occasion otherwise you are opening yourself up to certain embarrassment.
How to Prepare – Know the Church and Pastor
Another way to be prepared is to practice properly established protocol. One should have rehearsed citing:
- The church’s name
- The pastor’s name
- The name of the auxiliary which extended the invitation.
- The occasion that brought forth your invitation
I can recall with dread being asked to preach for a pastor in a surrounding city. This pastor was the president of the state convention, and so I addressed him accordingly, however, I mispronounced his name! I felt like a clown when the congregation communally corrected me. It was like a public chastisement. Previously, only he and I knew that I was a novice preacher, but after that moment everyone knew. It was an uphill battle trying to deliver the message because my lack of preparation ushered in an extreme sense of nervousness.
How To Prepare – Re-Read Your Manuscript
OK, we all know that we should prepare, but how do you prepare? Many put forth much effort into creating a strong manuscript, and then step into the pulpit having spent little time reading the document.
Know Your Manuscript
In contrast, great preacher’s review their sermon several times before arriving at the appointed place. My mentor, the Rev. G.L. Parks, has suggested that one reads their manuscript no less than 10 times prior to preaching it. The preacher should especially pay attention to details like spelling and grammatical concerns. Such efforts will help to ensure that the preacher doesn’t stumble over or mispronounce words.
Know Your Biblical Text
For those who opt to preach without a script, familiarizing one’s self with the introduction, major points transitions, and the close is helpful. Regardless of how one presents the material, a good way to be prepared is to be familiar with the text. Many seasoned pastors suggest that one knows their text well enough to cite it from memory. This is a good idea, and one should be familiar with the text enough to put emphasis where necessary in the text. Also having the proper pronunciation for difficult proper names is also a good way of demonstrating competence through preparation.
Thus preparing a strong manuscript is just the beginning, preparation includes knowing the Biblical text as well as one’s manuscript very well.
The Advantages of Preparation
We cannot say enough about preparation. Some sage once said that proper preparation prevents poor performance. This is especially true in the preaching moment.
Preparation Lowers Preacher’s Fears
My fellow preachers, I have observed a few advantages of being prepared and will delineate some of them in this article. First, being prepared helps to ease nervousness. For the associate minister and the visiting minister alike preaching in a foreign pulpit can be a terror-filled experience. However, being prepared will help the preacher lesson this “terror.”
Preparation Lowers Congregational Apprehension
Let’s be real, most of the time people come to church expecting to hear a word through their pastor. Many have joined the church because they appreciate the ministry of their pastor. Often these people are taken aback when they see another where the pastor “should be.” Being prepared helps the preacher by allowing the preacher to become a willing and energetic participant in all of the service. The preacher can read the text, sing the congregational hymn and participate in other visible ways. This participation can help the preacher get a feel for the congregation and help to lower the apprehension of the people.
Conclusion
Thus preparation helps both the preacher and the congregation. If you have an especially horror filled moment, remember you prepared and say a quick prayer to God as you participate in the praise of the worship service. Perhaps your fear will be overtaken by your praise.
Teresa Fry Brown and Charles Adams Preaching Dos and Don’ts
This is the final post in the series discussing notes on Dr. Charles Adams’ class entitled “Preaching, Black and White.” Specifically the lecture entitled “do’s and don’ts.” Teresa Fry Brown wrote up notes from that lecture on page 164 and 165 of her book Weary Throats and New Songs. We have had nine articles in the series:
- Avoiding a Dull Sermon – How to avoid being dull in preaching effectively.
- Don’t Apologize for the Message – When God gives you a message, don’t be afraid of it, stand up and preach it if you are to be an effective preacher.
- Preachers must Protect the Voice – If you are to be an effective preacher you must not abuse your voice.
- Your Voice is an Instrument – Preach like It – Don’t preach in a monotonous way, use changes in dynamics, tone, and rhythm.
- Preach with the People – Don’t preach above or below the people, but to them.
- Stealing Another Person’s Sermon – What It Says About You?
– What are the results when we steal other people’s sermons.- On the Reuse of Sermons – How to Re-use a sermon.
- Should You Imitate Other Preachers? – What happens when you imitate other preachers?
- How Long to Preach? – How Long should your sermon be?
These tips can help any preacher become a much more effective one. You can read any of the above articles simply by clicking the article titles.
How Long to Preach
This is a very important question. I have heard sermons from 5 minute sermon-ettes to 1 1/2 hour lectures all under the term “sermon.” Personally, I attempt to preach between 25 and 35 minutes.
Should You Imitate Other Preachers?
Teresa Fry Brown continues onto another point as she presents Charles Adams’ 9 suggestions to preachers found on page 164 and 165 of her book Weary Throats and New Songs. This one has to do with imitating other preachers.