Category Archives: delivery

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Just Curious: How Has The COVID-19 Crisis Affected Your Preaching?

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Preaching To An Audience of “None”

This blog has never been aimed at generating lots of responses. I appreciate the ones I get, but know that, if you’re like me, you barely have time to read all the stuff you want to read and rarely have extra time for commenting.

But for today I wouldn’t mind hearing how the current COVID-19 pandemic has affected your preaching. Here are three possible scenarios; the last two are similar:

  1. If you are fortunate to be in a region that is still having church as “normal”
  2. If you have been preaching in church to no audience or maybe your worship team, but hoping your faith-family will watch
  3. If you have been preaching to your computer camera, hoping your faith-family will watch

So far, I’ve been experiencing #3 and it does change the preaching dynamics. One of the things I didn’t expect to feel is that it seems to be a bit harder for me to get ready spiritually. I have had to remind myself that this is still very important–life and death stuff. The pressure is not off.

Maybe it’s due to getting out of my regular routine. I’m still processing all of this.

And, then, of course, with either #2 or #3 preaching without parishioners is just plain weird. Bless her heart, my wife, Michele, has been great to sit directly across from me these past two weeks with the tall order of generating all the non-verbal and verbal dialogue I usually receive each Sunday.

What about your experience so far?

Thanks for taking a moment to share.

I am convinced that our Lord is still receiving glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) through your fine efforts.

Randal

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Remember, Our Goal Is Speaking To Our Listeners, Not Writing Sermons

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Consider writing out your sermon manuscript each week, but write it as you would want to say it, and then preach it without notes.

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.

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Getting Excited About the Emotional Component in Preaching

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My pastoral history now spanning just shy of three full decades has been in the context of what I will call the typical Bible Church. Which being interpreted means we don’t get too excited about the Bible.

I joke with our folks about this because it’s important for us to know who we are and how we’re wired. But, I have to admit that this does at times make me question my effectiveness as a communicator.

Think with me about this. If I am preaching God’s Word with faithful exposition—we’re a Bible Church, remember?—what does it mean if my listeners don’t get excited about God?

You could come to my defense and say, “Well, that shows what kind of spiritual mettle they are made of.” I appreciate your support. I, of course, could come to their defense and say, “Well, that shows what kind of preacher I am.”

In her book, Preaching That Matters, Carrell’s chapter on delivery includes a section, Embracing Emotion. In my limited experience, that subject matter leads to citing reasons why emotionalism is dangerous. That discussion may have it’s place, but in Bible churches like mine the more important discussion is what it says about my preaching if preaching the Word doesn’t create an emotional response.

Carrell writes,

“the thirty thousand-plus listeners responding to sermons in this study constantly report low levels of emotional response to preaching, even though they long to be inspired. ‘I was moved emotionally’ is consistently one of the two sermon response survey options that receive significantly lower scores than the others” (p. 135).

That could be as much my problem as theirs.

I had a rare victory last Sunday evening preaching Psalm 15. It begins with a question: “O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? While explaining what the question means I asked,

“Have you ever thought about whether God would enjoy a visit with you in His home?”

We almost got excited (*smile*).

Before Sunday, is there anything in your preaching portion to get excited about? I mean, don’t go overboard or anything, but may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as we aim at both an intellectual and emotional worship response.

Randal

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Key Questions Your Sermon Delivery Answer

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There’s nothing wrong, necessarily, with folding your hands like this. Really.

In her book, Preaching That Matters, Carrell has a chapter titled, Delivering Not Decorating. You may recall that what I’m benefiting from most in the book are survey results of hundreds of listeners. For instance, she writes,

“Listeners use elements of the speaker’s delivery to determine the answer to many crucial questions: How much does the speaker care about us? How important is this topic? How sincere and credible is the speaker?” (p. 130)

Usually, discussions about sermon delivery focus on voice and body, things like volume, rate, and movement. All of this is often aimed at helping preachers be more interesting. But look at the questions above. The way we preach affects much more than being interesting:

Sermon delivery communicates relate-ability or pastoral care. This is where the pastor-theologian focuses on the “pastor” part. It’s where we let our folks know we love them dearly, as much, if not more, than preaching itself.

Sermon delivery communicates the life-and-death nature of God’s Word to us. I’ve said before, that one of my most common comments on sermon evaluation forms is, “I don’t sense that what you’re saying is important.”

Sermon delivery communicates our own interest in God and shepherding God’s flock. We can preach in a way that shows we’re in this with them, that we’re hearing God speak to us too.

For the sake of God’s glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) we don’t want to preach and have one of our listeners say,

“When he preaches, it sounds like he doesn’t care–about what he is saying or about us. If he doesn’t care, why should I?” (p. 130).

Randal

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What If You Were Being Charged $0.65 Per Word?

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How much would your sermon manuscript cost?

This past week I had the unfortunate privilege of helping to write my Dad’s obituary. The fine folks at the Kennebec Journal in Augusta, Maine informed me that each word would cost $0.65 and each picture an additional $15.

That information changed the way I wrote the final draft. [Just to let you know, our family agreed that the cost was not a factor in what we decided to include or exclude. However, knowing the cost per word did affect my editing.]

So, what if you wrote out your sermon, word-for-word and then edited it knowing you would be charged $0.65 per word and money was tight? Do you think that final draft would be better or worse because of it?

I think you know what I think. Your sermon would become more concise. You would find that lots of the words in the first draft were unnecessary and unhelpful. The discarded words and phrases would gain you valuable pulpit time, especially those precious minutes near the end.

Some of you know I’m a big fan of manuscripting-with-a-view-toward-preaching-without-notes for lots of reasons. Manuscripting provides an opportunity for me to be more concise. Editing as if I were being charged $0.65 per word gives me a final draft I can confidently “take” to the pulpit.

Most of my students don’t believe me when I extol the virtues of manuscripting. They confess that they usually write out an outline and some key thoughts. Then I usually protest in my evaluations of their final sermons that they could have been more concise! (*smile*)

Before Sunday edit your manuscript as if I were charging you $0.65 per word and may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) in part because of your concise communication of His Word.

Randal

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Experimenting With Sermon Design: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’s Early Sermons

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Kimnach’s general introduction to Jonathan Edwards’s preaching in volume 10, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, contains fascinating information about Edwards’s sermon manuscripts. He summarizes:

“Edwards became a master of his inherited sermon form…” (p. 41, emphasis added).

This made me think about the sermon form that I “inherited” from those who modeled preaching for me and those who taught preaching to me. Take a moment to think about how you were formed into the kind of preacher you are. Who influenced the way you preach and the forms your sermons take?

Then, Kimnach writes, “…but in the 1730s, at the zenith of his mastery, he began experimenting artistically with the sermon. He apparently did everything he could do without actually abandoning the old form entirely, and the only possible conclusion one can draw from the manuscript evidence of his experiments is that he was searching, consciously or unconsciously, for a formal alternative to the sermon itself.” (p. 41, emphasis added).

I can relate to that.

From the early days of my training I have not been a fan of sermons. And now, closing in on having preached almost 2000 sermons, I am still not a fan of the traditional sermon form.

Through the years the form of my sermons have changed with the goal of trying to find out what works best for me with the gifts God has given me, including the people God has given to me.

How about you? Do you ever think about experimenting with some “formal alternative to the sermon itself”? If so, what might it be.

Of course, this kind of analysis begins with thinking about what aspects of the sermon might not be working as well as it could be. And, then, how might you change it? Is anything keeping you locked into your current form?

I am hoping that our Lord will continue to receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as we continue to tinker with the task of communicating God’s on Sunday mornings in the most effective way possible.

Randal

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Securely Fasten Your Congregants To Scripture

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Along with passing along insights I’m learning from reading Jonathan Edwards’s early sermons, I’m also highlighting Carrell’s findings from surveying hundreds of sermon-hearers. Her book, Preaching That Matters: Reflexive Practices for Transforming Sermons, has helped me think about churchgoers hear sermons.

For instance, chapter 4 (Exegeting, then Organizing) listed poor sermon organization as the number one “listener-identified characteristic” (p. 72). I discussed our tendency to ramble several posts ago.

In light of my experience listening to masters and doctoral student sermons, Carrell’s next observation didn’t surprise me. When you hear it, hopefully you will think: “Well, duh!”

She writes, “Listeners also describe disorganized sermons as those without clear connections to Scripture, even though preachers who are perceived as disorganized often claim to be structuring content in a way that is especially biblical” (p. 73, emphasis added).

And, as noted above, my experience listening confirms this. I am often reminding preachers-in-training to keep us connected to the text during their sermons. Several minutes go by without directing our attention to verse ___.

You and I can help our listeners by keeping them connected to the Scripture being expounded. And, according to Carrell’s findings, our listeners will consider this a part of effective organization.

You might think that simply doing good exegesis will alleviate the problem of losing connection with Scripture. But, think for a moment about how many minutes can go by in a sermon while you explain the finer points of exegesis. The sheer volume of words contained in those minutes can create a disconnect from the very Text you’re explaining.

So, before Sunday, as you’re preparing your notes–you are manuscripting, right?–keep reminding yourself of the need to remind your listeners where you are in the Text.

And may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) because of your efforts to exegete and organize.

Randal

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The Ability To Not Lose Our Listeners: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Sermons

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First, like all good preachers, I’m taking these Drake lyrics way out of context (not having heard it, I’m guessing the question is asked in the context of a relationship issue). But, that’s not important right now.

What is is what Edwards learned from one of his two preaching mentors, Solomon Stoddard. In volume 10 of The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Wilson Kimnach begins the book with a detailed look at the context within which Edwards lived and began to preach.

Kimnach describes Stoddard:

“On the whole, Solomon Stoddard was a formally orthodox, but unusually powerful and even pontifical preaching; he was a master of the controlled tone and went beyond clarity, precision, and sincerity without losing them on his way.” (p. 14)

It took me a while to figure out what this meant. It was the pairing of clarity and precision that struck me. Often in my desire to be precise things get fuzzy or, if you prefer, muddy.

Have you ever wondered how many times you lose your hearers while you’re preaching? It’s a scary thought, I know. But I think it happens more than we think. Edwards, learning from Stoddard, adopted a preaching style that achieved a high standard of clarity and precision that never “lost” his listeners.

So, before Sunday while you’re preparing to preach and teach Scripture this week focus on two things.

First, while you’re developing your sermon in your thoughts and on your screen, be relentless about your clarity and precision. What’s clear to you might not be clear to your listener. Work hard at clear vocabulary and clear logical connections during each message minute. I’ve discovered that I can gauge how precise I am by how concise I can be.

Second, while you’re delivering your sermon, be relentless about keeping your listeners with you in the moment. That means staying engaged and connected with them as much as staying connected to your manuscript/orascript. Even if you don’t actually dialogue with them like I do, at least keep them in the conversation with you through your use of questions and answers.

Drake’s chorus is a good refrain for us during the teaching time (whether articulated or not) and will lead to our Lord receiving glory in the church and in Christ Jesus because of your efforts (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

 

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More Theology, Less Exegesis: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Sermons

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A few weeks ago I began this series of posts on my rhetorical analysis of Jonathan Edwards’s early sermon. I want to continue this series with a look at two general foci that directed Edwards’s research and writing: theology and expression (the latter meaning expressing theology through language).

In his, Note to the Reader, Kimnach writes, “After theology, Edwards thought most about expression” (p. xiii).

This is insightful for most of us who preach and teach Scripture.

First, I am assuming that most everyone reading this blog has been trained in exegetical practices (such as the well-known historical, grammatical, literary method). That means that most of us think more about exegesis than we do theology.

I am well aware of the interrelationship between the two, between exegesis and theology. After almost thirty years of teaching preaching to all levels of students, I am also well aware of an overemphasis on exegetical analysis in expository sermons. The results are sermons that are exegetically heavy and theologically light.

Lord willing, next time I will flesh this out a bit more with examples from Edwards. For now, let me ask you to think about whether or not you think about theology this week as you prepare to preach and teach God’s Word. Are you moving beyond exegesis to theology? Asking that question forces us to become clearer in our understanding of what theology is.

Second, It is clear from reading Edwards’s early sermons that he spent much time thinking about how to express the theology contained in his selected passages of Scripture. He was a master of the English language of his day. He mastered language in order to get a response from his hearers.

Of course that meant for Edwards and means for us that we save sermon preparation time for crafting the message. This means being “done with” exegesis (see, I couldn’t help myself!)–I mean, theology–and devoting hours to thinking about the best way to use language to be used by the Holy Spirit to move people into an act of worship.

Before Sunday, devote sermon prep time to thinking about the theology of your passage and the best way to communicate it.

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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What I Learned From Listening To Nine Sermons In One Day!

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I recently returned from teaching a fine class of Doctor of Ministry students (Preaching the Literary Forms of the Bible track) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. It’s always enjoyable and a privilege each May to join my good friend, Dr. Jeffrey Arthurs, for these days.

However, one of our responsibilities is listening to their sermons. My mentor, Dr. Haddon Robinson, once said that he had listened to so many bad sermons over the years, it’s a wonder he was still a Christian. He was half-joking. Thankfully, these students preached well.

But here’s what I observed from listening to nine of ten sermons in one day (All the sermons were dealing with preaching a narrative text.):

We have a tendency to spend too much time retelling the history of the text and not enough time telling the theology of the text.

If I remember correctly, I wrote that comment on virtually every sermon evaluation form.

It seems that instinctively (or due to training/modeling) we believe our task as preachers is to rehearse past redemptive history. Preachers keep their listeners in the past, learning about what happened in the Story.

WE’RE THEOLOGIANS, NOT HISTORIANS

I encouraged the class to think of themselves as theologians, not historians. That means, of course, that we’re able to write the sermon from the perspective of conveying theology, not history. That means we know how each part of the Story is functioning for the Church. That means we know how each part of the Story addresses our human condition as churchgoers. That means we are always talking to us about us from God’s Word. It’s never about God’s Word.

Next time you preach try to monitor yourself in the moment–are you sounding like a history lecture or a theologian/pastor?

And may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal