How to Preach Your First Sermon: Thoughts and Advice
Soon you will preach your first sermon. You are both excited and understandably nervous. I remember preaching my first sermon and feeling a combination of both nervousness and excitement myself.
Preaching
The Communication Between Preacher and Congregant
Communication is a two-way street. The speaker sends a message and the listener receives it. The speaker’s job is to speak accurately and clearly, ensuring care with tonality and word choice. The receiver’s job, on the other hand, is to listen by being fully present. The receiver demonstrates an understanding of the message by body language and other non-verbal cues.
You Never Finish a Sermon
While driving in our SUV on a Saturday morning, my wife asked, “How’s your sermon coming along?” I was set to preach the next Lord’s Day. “It’s about 95% done,” I said, although I spent a better part of 10 hours or so working on it. In truth, 95% done means . . . I’m …
Why We Should Not Entirely Emulate Our Favorite Preachers
One downside of the surge in podcast growth over the past few years is the decline in the number of people listening to sermons. Even preachers don’t listen to preaching much anymore. But preachers should listen to other preachers because some things are caught, not taught. Learning how to grow as a preacher by listening …
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Resources for Sermon Preparation
I preach about 50% of the sermons at my church. It’s difficult to preach as often as I do without helps. Although living in the 21st Century has many disadvantages, one upside is the plethora of tools we have to empower Christian growth. For pastors, this means we have tons of resources for sermon preparation. …