“don’t go because you’ve got to say something; go because you’ve got something to say.”...

““Don’t go because you’ve Don’t go because you’ve got to say something; go got to say something; go because you’ve got because you’ve got something to say.”something to say.”

Dr. C.B. AkinsDr. C.B. Akins

Proclaiming the WordProclaiming the Word

Sermon Preparation Sermon Preparation and Deliveryand Delivery

“… “…preaching is the most preaching is the most public of pastoral acts. The public of pastoral acts. The quality and depth of Christian quality and depth of Christian discipleship in a congregation discipleship in a congregation depend heavily upon it.”depend heavily upon it.”

Thomas OdenThomas Oden

Our Task Today…Our Task Today…

1.1. Define “preaching”Define “preaching”

2.2. Identify the participants in Identify the participants in the preaching eventthe preaching event

3.3. Examine what constitutes Examine what constitutes an “effective” sermonan “effective” sermon

Our Task Today…Our Task Today…

4.4. Explore sermon preparationExplore sermon preparation

5.5. Develop “tools” for use in Develop “tools” for use in the “preacher’s workshop”the “preacher’s workshop”

What is preaching?What is preaching?

““Truth through personality Truth through personality is our description of real is our description of real preaching. The truth must preaching. The truth must come really through the come really through the person, not merely into his person, not merely into his understanding and out understanding and out through his pen. through his pen.

It must come through his It must come through his character, his affections, character, his affections, his whole intellectual and his whole intellectual and moral being. It must come moral being. It must come genuinely through him.”genuinely through him.”

Phillips BrooksPhillips Brooks

Be who you is…Be who you is…

……if you ain’t who you is, you if you ain’t who you is, you is who you ain’t!is who you ain’t!

Satchel PaigeSatchel Paige

““Preaching is the clear Preaching is the clear articulation of the message articulation of the message of God, by a messenger of God, by a messenger called of God to be delivered called of God to be delivered to a community who needs to to a community who needs to hear what God has to say.”hear what God has to say.”

The Participants…The Participants…

•The preacherThe preacher•The congregationThe congregation•GodGod

Interaction of RolesInteraction of Roles

•Preacher/Pastor or Preacher/Pastor or Pastor/Preacher?Pastor/Preacher?

•Sixteen dimensionsSixteen dimensions

““Preparation for preaching is Preparation for preaching is a mixture of everything the a mixture of everything the pastor does. The academic pastor does. The academic studies, the relationship with studies, the relationship with the congregation, the the congregation, the involvement in the involvement in the community, the community, the administration of the church,administration of the church,

personal devotional time, the personal devotional time, the continual reading of continual reading of periodicals and books – all of periodicals and books – all of these contribute to these contribute to preaching. Sermons are not preaching. Sermons are not developed or delivered in a developed or delivered in a vacuum or outside of one. vacuum or outside of one.

The sermon comes from many The sermon comes from many streams of thought and work.”streams of thought and work.”

Bishop Robert Spain,Bishop Robert Spain,

Getting Ready to PreachGetting Ready to Preach, 73., 73.

““Effective sermons are Effective sermons are interesting, relevant, interesting, relevant, biblical, understandable, biblical, understandable, offer clear application to offer clear application to the hearer’s daily life, the hearer’s daily life, address real-lifeaddress real-life

issues, and are preached issues, and are preached with conviction, passion, with conviction, passion, love, integrity and love, integrity and humility.”humility.”

Adam HamiltonAdam Hamilton

The first step is…The first step is…““The character of our The character of our praying will determine the praying will determine the character of our character of our preaching. Light praying preaching. Light praying makes light preaching…”makes light preaching…”

E. M. BoundE. M. Bound

Selecting our text…Selecting our text…

•Understanding the Revised Understanding the Revised Common LectionaryCommon Lectionary

•The need for advance The need for advance work…work…

Movements of a Movements of a SermonSermon

• From the page to the preacherFrom the page to the preacher• From the preacher to the pulpitFrom the preacher to the pulpit• From the pulpit to the pewFrom the pulpit to the pew• From the pew to the parking lotFrom the pew to the parking lot• From the parking lot to practiceFrom the parking lot to practice

From page to preacherFrom page to preacher

““Exegesis” relates to what Exegesis” relates to what the text originally meant the text originally meant when it was written.when it was written.

““Hermeneutics” concerns Hermeneutics” concerns itself with what the text itself with what the text means for us today and the means for us today and the process by which we process by which we determine that.determine that.

““Interpretation – or more Interpretation – or more commonly in the academy, commonly in the academy, hermeneutics – is the process hermeneutics – is the process of ascertaining for a reader or of ascertaining for a reader or readers the meaning of a readers the meaning of a document written to another document written to another reader or readers.”reader or readers.”

Craddock, Craddock, PreachingPreaching, 125 , 125

The First Step in The First Step in HermeneuticsHermeneutics

•C.I.E.C.I.E.– ContextContext– IsIs– EverythingEverything

"A text without a context is "A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text."a pretext for a proof text."   

D.A. CarlsonD.A. Carlson

““The principle of procedure The principle of procedure fundamental to the task of fundamental to the task of sermon preparation is this: sermon preparation is this: the process of arriving at the process of arriving at something to say is to be something to say is to be distinguished from the distinguished from the process of determining how process of determining how to say it.” to say it.”

““The two processes cannot be The two processes cannot be collapsed into one. It can be collapsed into one. It can be said, however, that there will said, however, that there will be times during the process be times during the process of arriving at the message of arriving at the message when the form of the sermon when the form of the sermon will suggestwill suggest

itself. One can hope that the itself. One can hope that the text being interpreted will text being interpreted will provide the key to the provide the key to the movement of the sermon. movement of the sermon. After all, to impose upon a After all, to impose upon a message a sermon form alien message a sermon form alien to the text that yielded the to the text that yielded the message could result inmessage could result in

preaching what the text does preaching what the text does not say and doing with the not say and doing with the sermon what the text does not sermon what the text does not do.”do.”

Craddock, Craddock, PreachingPreaching, 84, 84

Practical tips for Sermon Practical tips for Sermon PreparationPreparation

•Immerse yourself in the Immerse yourself in the texttext– Read, re-read and re-re-read it Read, re-read and re-re-read it

aloud.aloud.– Listen to someone else read the text.Listen to someone else read the text.– Read it from different translationsRead it from different translations

Practical tips for Sermon Practical tips for Sermon PreparationPreparation

•Utilize a holy imagination Utilize a holy imagination and engage your senses.and engage your senses.– What are you seeing?What are you seeing?– What are you smelling?What are you smelling?– What are you hearing?What are you hearing?– What are you tasting?What are you tasting?– What are you touching?What are you touching?

““Empathy, intuition, and Empathy, intuition, and imagination move in and imagination move in and out of the most disciplined out of the most disciplined and calculated procedures and calculated procedures of interpretation.”of interpretation.”

Craddock, 125Craddock, 125

Practical tips for Sermon Practical tips for Sermon PreparationPreparation

•Develop a single sentence Develop a single sentence that encapsulates the that encapsulates the entire message.entire message.

•Develop “sound bytes”Develop “sound bytes”•Anticipate questions and Anticipate questions and

objectionsobjections

Practical tips for Sermon Practical tips for Sermon PreparationPreparation

• Immerse yourself in the Immerse yourself in the congregationcongregation– Go and sit in the pews. Think about who Go and sit in the pews. Think about who

sits there.sits there.– Immerse yourself into that person’s life.Immerse yourself into that person’s life.– Ask, “What is the Word of the Lord for Ask, “What is the Word of the Lord for

this person?”this person?”

Practical tips for Sermon Practical tips for Sermon PreparationPreparation

•Learn how to prepare a Learn how to prepare a variety of sermonsvariety of sermons– Expository sermonsExpository sermons– Character sketchesCharacter sketches– Topical sermonsTopical sermons

““In short, the work of the In short, the work of the sermon is to sermon is to help God’s help God’s future happenfuture happen in the lives of in the lives of its hearers.”its hearers.”

William E. Hull, William E. Hull, Strategic Preaching: The Role of Strategic Preaching: The Role of the Pulpit in Pastoral Leadershipthe Pulpit in Pastoral Leadership

Monday Morning Monday Morning EvaluationEvaluation

•Was the Gospel preached?Was the Gospel preached?•Was the message true to the Was the message true to the

text?text?•Were the people challenged?Were the people challenged?•Did hope and grace show up?Did hope and grace show up?

Monday Morning Monday Morning EvaluationEvaluation

•Was “The Monday Was “The Monday Connection” made? (William Connection” made? (William E. Diehl, E. Diehl, HarperSanFrancisco, 1991)HarperSanFrancisco, 1991)

Questions?Questions?

Worship PlanningWorship Planning

Practical Tips and Practical Tips and InsightsInsights

An Understanding of An Understanding of Worship from IsaiahWorship from Isaiah

•Celebration of God’s Celebration of God’s holinessholiness

•Conviction of sinConviction of sin•Cleansing and assuranceCleansing and assurance•CallCall•CommissioningCommissioning

““Worship isn’t a means to an Worship isn’t a means to an end; it’s an end in itself.”end; it’s an end in itself.”

Ronald Byars,Ronald Byars,

The Future of Protestant WorshipThe Future of Protestant Worship

What are we teaching?What are we teaching?

•ExplicitExplicit•ImplicitImplicit•NullNull

Worship Styles & Worship Styles & WarsWars

Styles found in Styles found in Kentucky MethodismKentucky Methodism

•Country/BluegrassCountry/Bluegrass•Southern Gospel/GaitherSouthern Gospel/Gaither•Country/WesleyanCountry/Wesleyan•Classical/High ChurchClassical/High Church•BlendedBlended•Multi-sensory/MultimediaMulti-sensory/Multimedia

Context is EverythingContext is Everything

•Assess your contextAssess your context•Work with your musiciansWork with your musicians•How to introduce new How to introduce new

hymnshymns•Sharing the responsibilitySharing the responsibility

The Liturgical YearThe Liturgical Year

•Advent (Purple or Blue)Advent (Purple or Blue)•Christmas (White)Christmas (White)•Season after Epiphany Season after Epiphany

(Green)(Green)•Lent (Purple)Lent (Purple)

The Liturgical YearThe Liturgical Year

•Pentecost (Red)Pentecost (Red)•Sundays after Pentecost Sundays after Pentecost

(Green)(Green)•Trinity Sunday (White)Trinity Sunday (White)•All Saints’ Sunday (White)All Saints’ Sunday (White)

The Liturgical YearThe Liturgical Year

•Christ the King Sunday Christ the King Sunday (White)(White)

Using the U.M. Using the U.M. HymnalHymnal

•““The Basic Pattern of The Basic Pattern of Worship”Worship”

•Use of Creeds/PrayersUse of Creeds/Prayers•Selection of Hymns for Selection of Hymns for

Sunday worshipSunday worship

Using the U.M. Using the U.M. Book of Book of WorshipWorship

•The Great ThanksgivingsThe Great Thanksgivings•Baptismal CovenantsBaptismal Covenants•WeddingsWeddings•Death and ResurrectionDeath and Resurrection•Special DaysSpecial Days

Using the U.M. Using the U.M. Book of Book of WorshipWorship

•Prayers for Various Prayers for Various OccasionsOccasions

•BlessingsBlessings•Occasional ServicesOccasional Services•Healing ServicesHealing Services

Thoughts about Thoughts about BulletinsBulletins

Questions?Questions?