Category Archives: pastor

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How Much of Your Sermon Is Original?

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I believe that but also know of other preachers who have preached this text better!

In the middle of the week I began thinking about how much of my sermon-in-the-making is the result of my own thinking. I know about the debate surrounding whether or not anyone can ever have a truly original idea. And I’m not talking about plagiarizing either.

I guess I’m asking you to think about what parts of your sermon development and delivery are your work.

Let’s begin with some thoughts about using someone else’s material:

On one side of the spectrum, think about those times when you rely on an English dictionary, thesaurus, or original language lexicons and theological dictionaries. Now go all the way to the other side of the line and think about borrowing someone else’s sermon title and structure.

In the middle I put quotes or paraphrases from our favorite authors, like Jonathan Edwards, Augustine, or William Goldman (author and screenplay writer of The Princess Bride).

So, what do I bring to the equation? Every week by the grace of God I…

  • trace the argument of my preaching portion and discover how meaning is made before I know what that meaning is.
  • determine how this text intends to elicit worship (I complete the sentence: “We worship the Lord this morning by…”).
  • know enough about my congregants to know this text is relevant.
  • create a structure that leads to the theological meaning of the text.
  • talk to my listeners about their Christian experience from the text while I write out my sermon manuscript.
  • make critical word-choices that affect how the sermon sounds (an ora-script within the manuscript).
  • smile at them to let them know I love them.
  • show them how the Christ-event makes this text come true for those who believe.

What did I miss?

May our Sunday “originals” continue to give God glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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Pressures Pastors Feel and Why Preaching Through OT Books Can Help

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One of the reasons why I’m enjoying/profiting from Carrell’s book, Preaching That Matters, is because of the massive amount of research and case studies she used as the basis for her book.

For instance, believe it or not, the top concern of preaching pastors relates to their content; delivery was second. She writes,

“In The Great American Sermon Survey when clergy were asked to describe their greatest preaching challenge, the most frequently identified struggles were content related…” (p. 106).

Two areas surfaced: (1) “the need for ‘fresh ideas for familiar content,'” and (2) “‘relevancy, when it is not apparent in the text'” (p. 106).

My experience preaching through several books of the Old Testament has helped me in both those areas.

First, preaching through OT books like Numbers–my current series–virtually guarantees that you will have fresh ideas for familiar content. The OT writers have a way of presenting well-known theology in ways that are often unfamiliar, or not-as-familiar-as-the-NT. I especially appreciate the way in which theology is conveyed through OT narratives.

Second, preaching through OT books forces you to become more skillful at the science and art of applying life to the Bible. My ability to interpret–including apply–Scripture has increased due to being forced week after week to deal with difficult Texts.

I realize you may not agree with this, but in my experience preaching through Numbers or First and Second Chronicles is far more difficult than preaching through Romans. Each series had its challenges, but the OT series win the prize.

So, the only way I know how to overcome the struggle of identifying not-easily-identified relevancy is to practice it every week in the crucible of the Monday to Saturday world of the pastorate.

I’ve found that the OT contains many “fresh ideas” and that careful study reveals its profound relevancy…

Which ends up with God receiving glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

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The Most Important Part of Sermon Preparation That Takes No “Time”: What I’m Learning From Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Sermons

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Every sermon, every Sunday, it’s personal. It’s always personal, says Jonathan Edwards. Well, actually, John Edwards in his book, The Preacher (London, 1705), said it.

Part of the fun of reading Jonathan Edwards’ earliest preached sermons in Kimnach’s, The Works of Jonathan Edwards (vol. 10) is learning about his major influencers. Kimnach describes John Edwards’ philosophy of preaching:

“In order to preach persuasively, Edwards insists, the preacher must believe and feel intensely what he preaches; he must then communicate his personal feelings with the message so that he preaches experience, as it were.” (p. 17).

The Preacher was one of two books that Jonathan Edwards quoted, so we know he read it. I know from Edwards’ preaching that he learned from it. Imagine Edwards reading his sermon manuscript knowing he has to communicate his personal feelings about Scripture.

Now imagine you (and me) this Sunday. Hopefully preaching without–or very few–notes. Imagine that you and I “believe and feel intensely what” we’re preaching. That shouldn’t be too hard for us to imagine, right?

We should be able to communicate our experience, our personal faith and intense feelings about the passage. No amount of exceptional exegesis and understanding of the passage communicates well without it. I might go so far to say that our experience with the text outweighs exegesis.

And this takes no extra sermon preparation.

But what it does take is a sincere act of worship in the study and in the moments prior to our Sunday teaching/preaching moment. It means responding to the Text before asking our parishioners to do so.

We have a week ahead of us, Lord willing, to study God’s Word and to make it personal. We have a week to prepare to preach our own experience with God through that Word. That means, most of all, not preparing sermons for “them.” It’s God’s Word to us. And we have the privilege to hear it first before preaching it so God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. If you’ve ever preached through a book of the Bible, you know how difficult it is to feel the same intensity about every Text. Great sermons require great texts and not all pastors and parishioners consider every text a great text.

 

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The High EQ Preacher (part 6): Do you look friendly?

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Please tell me that’s not your preaching face!

I can easily forget to smile when I first address the faith-family. Some of it is due to trying to remember all I’m supposed to say at the beginning. Some of it is due to my serious side and the seriousness of the task at hand on Sunday mornings. But none of that helps accomplish the goal of enjoying a vibrant relationship with a healthy church.

This is the final post summarizing some of the more relevant information gleaned from reading, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (Bradberry and Greaves, TalentSmart, 2009). EQ is thought to be the most important indicator of leadership success. And you know that pastoring, preaching, and leading are intertwined, right? And a big part of  a healthy EQ has to do with the kinds of relationships we build with others.

So, when these authors tell us to “smile and laugh more” (p. 114), I had to stop myself and ask whether this was really that important.

The answer is, “Yes.”

Take Chuck Swindoll for an example. I first learned about the importance of smiling and laughing through my limited interaction with him during my years at DTS. His smile and laughing were infectious. And it did not detract from his preaching; it enhanced it because it was genuine Swindoll.

Ask yourself whether your smile and laughter is indicative of who you are as a Christian minister who has the benefit of the joy of the Lord as their strength.

And one final instructional nugget from EQ: “Greet People by Name” (p. 139).

I’m taking that one step further and asking you to consider addressing some of your listeners by name during the sermon. It’s the result of having built a strong relationship with them and realizing that the sermon is the time to address them about them from the Bible.

When you speak their name, watch the level of interaction increase. Often a smile will come to their face (if, as above, you’re smiling at them when you say their name!).

Before Sunday, let’s continue to be high EQ preachers who build strong relationships with God’s people so He receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. If you have not read anything about EQ, this book is a good place to start. It’s an easy, quick read. You will find much that pertains to your church ministry, including food for thought on how to assess the effectiveness, or lack of, of your leadership.

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How To Get Excited About Every Sermon

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Spoiler alert: I wish I knew the secret of getting excited about every sermon.

I felt the need to say that because the title of this post borders on click bait (a new phrase I learned earlier today).

I completed Richard Cox’s book, Rewiring your Preaching: How the Brain Processes Sermons.

Some highlights of the book might follow later, but for now here’s a question he asks at the end in: Checklist for Sermon Preparation.

Does this sermon excite me…?

An interesting place to start.

For years I’ve said that great expository sermons require great Texts, but not all pastors and parishioners consider every Text a great Text. It’s one of the tough realities of preaching through books of the Bible.

So, what can we do to “get excited” about our Preaching Portion for Sunday, especially if it doesn’t grab us right from the first read? Here are some thoughts:

  • Remember that the corporate nature of our Sunday gatherings means that virtually every sermon sounds more exciting to some than all. I can get excited about the fact that someone will be excited about this Text. Or, you might prefer it worded this way: I can get excited about the fact that God will speak to someone from this Text.
  • Give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to excite you from this Text. Ask God to speak to you in the study before you speak to them in the service. We should be doing this every week anyway, right?
  • Place the sermon in the larger context of the worship service. Worshiping God should excite us (exclamation point). I’m guilty of forgetting that all kinds of worship is taking place before I get up to teach the Word. Sunday morning is an exciting time for our faith-family.

Before Sunday, ask if the sermon you are developing excites you so that God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Do Your Congregants See Your Preaching Improving?

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Last week I had the privilege of spending a day with pastors of the Great Lakes Region of Evangelical Congregational churches in Youngstown, Ohio. My assignment was to help us all become more effective expositors of God’s Word. During one segment, we were all challenged by the instruction in 1 Timothy 4:14-16, especially the piling on of terms telling us we needed to work hard at getting better. The ESV reads: “Do not neglect…. Practice these things, devote yourself to them….Keep a close watch on….Persist in this…”

At one point I asked the pastors how they practice their craft. As you might imagine, none of us had much to say. Most of us are too busy ministering to spend time practicing. How does a pastor practice their hermeneutics and homiletics? It’s an appropriate question to ask in light of 1 Timothy 4:14-16.

And, then, the strangest thing is Paul’s reason for telling Timothy this. God says in verse 15: “Practice these things…so that all may see your progress.” That still seems odd to me. It’s not just that we practice these things so that we get better. No, God says it’s important that everyone in the faith-family sees our progress.

So, beyond studying for sermons and Bible lessons, what are you doing to regularly practice your hermeneutics and homiletics? Are you reading to gain competency (theologically rich books, journal articles, and blogs)? Are you engaged in informal or formal classroom instruction? How about seminars or workshops? As is true with so many disciplines, engaging in the process is more important than selecting the “right” resources.

May God help us progress for the sake of His reputation in the Church and in the world.

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“his interests are divided”: The Wonderful Life of This Married Pastor

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1 Corinthians 7:32-34a read, “I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided…”

On Valentine’s Day I wanted to remind myself of this fascinating perspective on the life of the married pastor. Too often I think and act like an unmarried man. I’m too focused on shepherding, teaching, and writing (not to mention my beloved hobbies). Yet, God’s Word tells me my interests are divided. God doesn’t give me a percentage (x percent on our Lord and x percent on our wife), only that my attention is split in two. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Although I’ve often displayed an unbiblical, undivided interest in the Lord’s work (notice, I didn’t say “in the Lord” because proper attention on the Lord would create the balance Paul describes), I have tried to let my faith-family know how important my wife is to me. Over the  years, during a sermon I have often given my wife credit for good insights into God’s Word. I want them to know how special she is.

Today is a good day for me to relish in my wonderful married life. Michele and I have been married for 26 years. She is the most Spirit-sensitive person I know. She continues to pursue her Lord passionately and it shows in the way she loves me and our adult children. Apart from Christ, God’s greatest gift to me is Michele and the opportunity I have to devote my attention to her.

If you are married, I hope you feel the same way I do.

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A Preacher’s Manifesto: Ten Commitments That Drive Biblical Preaching

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Last week I published my first book. It’s a mini e-book called: A Preacher’s Manifesto: Ten Commitments That Drive Biblical Preaching. I enjoyed distilling my beliefs and practices into this format. Here’s a description of the book:

A Preacher’s Manifesto presents ten commitments that should drive biblical preaching. These ten commitments will guide pastors in creating their preaching calendar, help steer their sermon preparation, and remind them of the vital place preaching occupies in the local church. The commitments include topics ranging from pastoral theology (“preaching as a function of soul-watching”), hermeneutics (“not allow a selected topic to override the meaning of the biblical Text”), and pastoral ministry (“preach as though my spiritual life and the spiritual lives of my parishioners depend on it”). A Preacher’s Manifesto will challenge assumptions, cultivate new commitments, and bring about changes in preaching for the sake of enlarging God’s reputation in the Church.

If you’re interested, you can find the book at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. Smashwords will give you several more reading options, including a PDF of the book. It will also allow you to download a percentage of the book to preview some content.

I hope the ole saying, You get what you pay for, is not true in this case. The book is $2.99, but I believe it will stimulate your thinking.

Again, thank you for thinking about preaching with me.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church.

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Loving Those Who Don’t Listen

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If you’ve preached in church for a while and watched your listeners, you’ve probably noticed that some don’t listen. I realize some may be faking it; they may actually be listening even though they look like they’ve checked out. However, it is a reality of pastoral preaching that some parishioners don’t listen. Some do not hear God’s Word, don’t receive God’s Word, and are not changed by it. It’s very easy to get upset with them.

In Luke 9:54, Jesus’ disciples, James and John (a.k.a., sons of thunder!) ask Him, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” What a way to react to those who don’t listen! Yikes! Jesus’ abridged answer: “But he turned and rebuked them” (v. 55). That’s it. Ryken says, “it was still time for mercy.”

What were they thinking? Well, they were protecting Jesus; their Lord was being insulted. They were extremely zealous for God and for souls (OK, at least they were extremely zealous for God). It’s easy for us pastors to harbor ill-will towards those who don’t listen. It’s extremely difficult for us to shepherd people we wished weren’t there! However, Jesus made it very clear that His disciples’ plan of attack was inappropriate. Later on in Luke 23:34 we read our Lord saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” May our Lord extend grace to help us love those who don’t listen.

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Isaiah 56:9-12 Theology through Negative Example

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Isaiah 56:9-12 presents a stern warning for church leaders. Theology is presented through the extremely negative example of Israel’s spiritual leaders. Unlike the feast of Isaiah 55:1, the feast of Isaiah 56:9 is one we want to avoid at all cost! We do not want to to be the main course at that feast. One way to avoid that is to follow our Lord’s example and instruction in places such as 1 Peter 5:1-4. Our Lord lived out the opposite of Israel’s shepherds and faith in Him gives us the desire and capacity to shepherd like Him. God help us to do so!