So many folks continue to ask this question that I thought I would revisit this idea. There are a few questions that come up repeatedly and this is the most common one….
Can You Write a Sermon Down?
OK, let’s get into some sermon philosophy. The question for today, “Can you write a sermon down?” You may think so, but I am not talking about whether to use a manuscript…
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?
Are Pastors Kings? Bishop Eddie Long And Pastoral Kingship
OK, I admit this is tangentially related to the point of this blog, but a few of you wanted me to put this up for discussion. Setting aside the obvious discussion about…
When Do You Tell People The Point In The Sermon?
An interesting question came in this week. When do you tell people the point of the sermon? Is it in the introduction or some other point of the sermon? In The Beginning…
Preaching and Using Commentaries
BiblicalPreaching.Net has an interesting post up on the use of commentaries in your preaching. You can find the link to the Biblical Preaching Post here. Mead, the author of the article, notes…
Top 10 Reasons Why You Don’t Know What You Will Preach Tomorrow
Our next Top 10 is about the Saturday Night Special. You know where you up all night Saturday night to preach that Sermon on Sunday Morning. Well without further ado, here are…
Preaching Is Not Your Only Job
We all bring to our reading certain presuppositions. It is always interesting when a pastor comes to SoulPreaching.Com and subtly accuses us of assuming that preaching is all there is to the…
Is Your Mouth Open? Preachers and Proclamation
H. Beecher Hicks in the second chapter of his book Preaching Through a Storm has a sermon entitled How to Silence a Preacher; or, Shut Your Mouth!. Rev. Hicks preached this sermon…
Top 10 Reasons Your Worship Service Ends At 2:30PM
Thought we might have a little fun with this one. So here is my David Letterman impression: 10) The Spirit moved in a mighty way and the people were energized to do…
I Am Brother Cox – Status Worship In The Church
A pastor was beginning a new initiative in a church. The church was to be split up into geographic regions and the associate ministers were to be the “spiritual leader” of each…
Something to Say or Say Anything
Lowell Erdahl, in the book Best Advice for Preaching, quotes someone who said: “There are two kinds of preachers–those who have to say something and those who have something to say!” A…
Overcoming Nervousness in the Pulpit
I asked our readers what was the most important question that they face in their pulpit work. The question asked most was “how do I overcome nervousness.” This was an interesting question….
Prostitution of the Black Preaching Tradition – Style but no Substance
The Black Preaching Tradition is a great gift to the larger Christian world. Many acknoweldge the vibrancy and the power of great Black Preaching. I also marvel at the improvisational genious of the great preachers in that tradition. While we accept this great gift of the African American church, we also must acknowledge that there are some who are today abusing this gift by taking it and preaching a Gospel that does not take into account the full counsel of God.