OK, if you are using limited notes, where do you keep them? 1. In the Pulpit Here the preacher places the limited notes on the pulpit. When done well, the audience may…
Category: Without Notes
Preaching Without Notes through Improvisation
A few years ago, I attended a workshop entitled: “Authentic Patience: Improvisation and Preaching.” The presentation was by Rev Mark T. Davis who is the senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church in…
Denzel to Preachers – Just “Let It Rip”
The Talking the Walk Blog has an interesting post that seeks to derive help for preachers from an interview with Denzel Washington.
Denzel answers why he did a particular hand movement in a movie by saying:
Preaching Without Notes is not a Brain Dump
This past weekend I listened and looked on the internet to a preacher who was preaching without notes. The preacher simply stated everything that came to his mind on the subject or not on the subject. He had highs and lows, but there was no rhyme or reason to the sermon. Then the preacher ended with a whimper and sat down.
At the end of the sermon it was difficult to remember any points from the sermon. There were a few “flashes of brilliance” but largely it was a long “stream of consciousness” without purpose. What went wrong?
Web Seminar – Options For Preaching Without Notes
Learn the various options for those who wish to preach without notes. This is a webseminar that I presented earlier this year. Many SoulPreaching.Com readers have asked that this replay be presented….
Methods for Preaching Without Notes – Memorize an Outline
When people ask me about preaching without notes, many assume that you must write out the whole sermon and then memorize the sermon. These preachers are looking for a method that will help them memorize such a large amount of material.
Methods for Preaching Without Notes – Memorize Part of the Sermon
Another method used by preachers to limit notes is to memorize part of the message. Here the preacher takes a manuscript, but has a particular portion of the sermon that is to be preached without reliance on it. For example, there are some manuscript preachers that know their introduction so well that they do not refer to their manuscript during this portion. Others like to memorize the conclusion/celebration so that they can close strong.
Preach on Your Feet – Another Method to Notes Free Preaching
About a year and a half ago I posted an article about the preaching methodology of Rev. Mark T. Davis of the First Presbyterian Church in Boise Idaho.
Immersion in the Text
Memory Principles and Features for your Preaching – Part 1
The fundamental aspect of the memory system is to connect the thing you want to remember to your brain in a solid fashion. Tony Buzan, in his book Use Your Perfect Memory cites 2 fundamental principles that will aid you in your memory work. In our next post, we will look at the features.
Perfect Memory and Preaching Without Notes
Remember those infomercials about “MEGA-MEMORY?” Kevin Trudeau wrote spoke about learning some techniques to strengthen one’s memory. After seeing the thing for years, I finally purchased the system off of ebay for a big reduction in cost.
Storr’s Conditions of Success When Preaching Without Notes
Richard S. Storrs second lecture in the book entitled Preaching Without Notes: A Series of Lectures describes some specific conditions for success in preaching without notes. These are as follows:
- Physical vigor kept at its highest attainable point. – The preacher must be as healthy as possible if one is to preach effectively without notes.
Storr’s General Suggestions for Preaching Without Notes
Richard S. Storrs wrote a book entitled Preaching Without Notes: A Series of Lectures. The book is made up of three lectures on this subject. Storrs presents some general suggestions in the first lecture.
Whitefield and Extemporaneous Preaching
The Exiled Preacher has a post up on George Whitefield and Expository Preaching. Guy Davis, the author, writes about how difficult it can be to use a manuscript effectively. Certainly many of us have left our manuscript for a second to “riff” on a theme or go down a different direction. However upon attempting to come back to our manuscript we find it difficult to find the correct place.