I’m slowly working my way through Carrell’s, Preaching That Matters: Reflective Practices for Transforming Sermons. Her chapter on sermon delivery provides interesting feedback from preachers on their practices.

Only a very small percentage of preachers practice their sermons out loud before preaching. I’m one of the ones who doesn’t.

However, I do practice speaking the sermon from the moment I begin writing the sermon each Monday morning. This is in line with Carrell’s findings:

“the path to increased transformative impact: [is] alter your preparation and delivery so that you honor the orality inherent in preaching.” (p. 142, emphasis added)

Carrell summarizes the “oral style” described by communication theorists, Dance and Zak-Dance. Two are especially noteworthy:

(1) “It makes conscious use of memory. The speaker need to be as free of notes as possible to concentrate on communicating thought to the audience.” (p. 142, emphasis added)

(2) “…speakers work to help the audience feel a part of the speaker’s thoughts and emotional processes.” (p. 143, emphasis added)

So, we write our sermons out like we’re speaking to our listeners. We know our material so well, including our carefully chosen words, that during the sermon we can get our thoughts across clearly and passionately and bring our listeners along minute-by-minute.

And all so that our Lord receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. Students often worry about forgetting what they’re supposed to say if they try preaching without notes. My answer is always the same: Look down at your Bible, take your cue, and keep preaching. You’re the only one who knows the orascript anyway.