Want to Write a Good Sermon? Listen First, Write Later
How can you really know what your listeners need from a sermon? It may be as simple as asking. John McClure, the Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, suggests collaborative preaching for sermons that meet listeners in their questions and need. Check out four ways to tap into the power of collaborative preaching for your own sermons.
9 Ways Looking Ahead Saves Sermon Prep Time
For busy preachers, looking ahead at the preaching season may seem to be a luxury you can’t afford. But taking the long view can actually save you time. Learn why this practice can better your preaching and discover how to set up your own seasonal sermon prep.
Four Ways a Preaching Community Improves Your Sermons
One of the most effective ways for preachers to grow and improve is to participate in a collaborative community. Discover how one church builds collaboration and feedback into their staff's weekly rhythm, and see what this kind of support can do for you.
The Transfiguration Again? 10 Ways to See an Old Story with Fresh Eyes
When you've preached the same story several times, finding fresh inspiration is a challenge. Sometimes, a simple shift in perspective—and process—reveals a trove of new ideas.
Eight Ways Thinking like a Coach Can Improve Your Sermon
Adults learn differently than children, and that means putting different principles to work. There's even a word for teaching adults: "andragogy" (as opposed to pedagogy).
The coaching relationship may best capture the nuance of these distinctions. You can learn to think like a coach with these take-aways from the article "Transformative Learning: Another Perspective On Adult Learning" by Connie Malamed.
Three Sermons in Two Days? No Sweat! How to Plan for Your Christmas Weekend Preaching Marathon
With three sermons to preach in two days, Christmas weekend will demand a lot this year. By starting now, you can ensure you finish without the scramble of last-minute preparations. Check out our guide to find practical ideas to plan and preach creatively for less stress this preaching-intensive season.
8 Steps to Find Your Sermon When the Good News Frustrates, Disappoints, or Makes You Nervous
Why does a Gospel text bother us?
That’s the essential question when confronted with a text we don’t like. The essential answer is this:
The text bothers us because it conflicts with our understanding of God.
Jesus doesn’t always speak or act consistently with our faith.
So how do you find the sermon message when dealing with Gospel texts where Jesus frustrates, disappoints, or makes you nervous? This 8-step process examines the backstory of your faith so you can name your theology, identify the apparent inconsistencies in the text, and then bridge the gap between them.
When to Change Your Sermon in Light of Current Events
It is simply a fact of the preaching life that, at times, we will be required to set aside our prepared sermons and speak to the events which surround us, testifying to how we see God in and through them.
How do we decide when to continue with our sermon as prepped versus adjusting our sermon at the last minute?
The Powerful Prep Tool Every Preacher Has But Rarely Uses (Guest Post)
We tend to consider the physical aspects of preaching only in the context of delivery:
- raising or lowering the voice to emphasize phrases
- using gestures to enhance a point
- breathing in sync with the flow of sentences
But when is the last time you used your body and voice in sermon prep?
Or before you climbed into the pulpit?
Have you ever?
Beyond Good Intentions: Schedule God
This isn't another guilt trip or admonition to prioritize God. Our problem is not in our intentions. Of course, we want to spend time with God.
The problem is in the execution, which often comes down to our planning—or failure to plan.
With competing demands, many of which are worthy and important, prioritizing this time of solitude with the invisible God can feel abstract and therefore less important.
We're tempted to think it doesn't really matter. But it does.
So how do we make this time happen?