Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
There are many defenders of expository preaching that would be very critical of topical sermons. Some would say that it is never appropriate to preach topically. I can understand the concern because there is a danger. The worry is that the pastor just preaches their opinion and then appends a few Bible passages to add … Read More “Is It Wrong to Preach Topical Sermons?” »
Preachers sometimes joke that sermons are “three points and a poem.” That is an exaggeration but we can easily get into a rut. I will confess that I prefer a teaching model, where I exegete the text and present and an application that arises from the text. Expository sermons should be the cornerstone of our … Read More “Experimenting With Preaching” »
I know that there are some preachers that are very against topical sermons. It is expository or nothing. While I’m sympathetic to this, I don’t fully agree. I think there are times when a topical sermon is needed. Your community might be struggling with mental illness. Perhaps a cult or heretical group has become active … Read More “How to Preach Topical Sermons” »
In smaller churches, pastors are equated with preachers. But even in larger churches, many pastors have preaching as one of their responsibilities, although perhaps not every week. After preaching for a number of years, it is is easy to get complacent when it comes to sermon preparation and delivery. It would be a good idea … Read More “31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Invest in Your Preaching” »
As a pastor of a local church who preaches weekly, I’m always looking to improve my craft. This includes reading books on preaching. But how many ways can someone tell you to find the meaning in a text and communicate it in a relevant and engaging manner? I often fear that I’m just going to … Read More “Preaching With Cultural Intelligence – Review” »
One of my favourite activities as a pastor is the writing and preaching of sermons. I love finding the intersection between biblical truth and the real needs of my congregation. But what should a sermon look like? How many points should there be? My homiletics professor in seminary suggested that every sermon should have at … Read More “Four Ways That I Structure Sermons” »
When I met with one of the faculty as I began my studies at McMaster Divinity College twenty years ago, I made it clear that I wanted to be a pastor but I didn’t want to preach. Ironically, writing and preaching sermons are now one my favourite activities as a pastor. Much of the work … Read More “5 Things I Do For Sermon Preparation” »
Now that I am back in pastoral ministry, I am doing some more reading in the area of preaching. One of the books that came my way was A Vision for Preaching: Understanding the Heart of Pastoral Ministry by Abraham Kuruvilla. Kuruvilla organizes this book around his definition of preaching, which is: Biblical preaching, by … Read More “A Vision for Preaching” »
Ideally a preacher will have had time to formally study preaching/homiletics in a Bible college or seminary before presenting their first sermon. That should include practice with feedback from the teacher and/or class. Mentoring by an experienced pastor is also very helpful. Having said that, I know that the ideal is not always the reality. … Read More “How to Write a Sermon” »
Pulpit ministry is both a tremendous privilege and responsibility. For many people in the congregation, it is their only interaction with the Bible. A pastor cannot take this lightly. It is not enough to just throw something together and fill up a chunk of time during a Sunday service. Here are four things that a … Read More “4 Things for a Preacher to Remember” »
Many preachers put their time into the body of their sermon. They may even put some time into a catchy introduction. But what about the conclusion? By the time you get to the conclusion, it seems like all the work is done. But it is far from done. Rick Warren gives some helpful advice on … Read More “Rick Warren on How to Conclude a Sermon” »
